A main idea question tests whether you can tell what a whole text says about its topic. Name the topic in a few words, then ask what the details add up to. For a text about a problem and a response, connect what was done to what changed. Predict one sentence that covers the problem, the response, and its main results. Watch for answers that add claims the text never makes, even if they name the right topic.
Hints
- Hint 1
Read the opening sentence and name the problem the museum faces.
- Hint 2
In the last sentence, look for what changes for readers and for the original maps. How do those changes connect to what the conservators did?
Step-by-step
Connect the museum's response to its results
Step 1Find the topic and the problem
The museum's maps attract researchers, but frequent handling can damage the fragile paper. What problem does that create? Researchers' use can damage the maps, so the main idea should explain the museum's response rather than stop at naming its map collection.
- Step 2
Connect the response to both results
What changes after the conservators put digital images online? The last sentence says People around the world can now examine details in the maps, while the originals need to be handled less often. We can predict that digital images let people worldwide study the maps with less risk to the originals.
- Step 3
Test the choices against the whole text
Test each choice against that prediction. No longer allows anyone goes beyond handled less often, too damaged to be copied digitally contradicts the copies already made, and mainly to sell map reproductions adds a goal the text never gives. The choice with expanded access and helping preserve the originals covers both results without adding claims. Choice D.