Question 76·Easy·Central Ideas and Details
Urban planners in the city of Meadowview recently transformed an unused railway line into a 5-kilometer elevated park. Since opening six months ago, the park has drawn nearly 200,000 visitors, boosted revenues for nearby small businesses, and spurred plans for additional green spaces throughout the city, according to Mayor Lila Monroe.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
For main idea questions, first restate the passage in your own words in one simple sentence, focusing on who/what the passage is about and what happens to them. Then quickly label details (numbers, examples, quotes) versus the big point they support. Eliminate answer choices that zoom in on one detail, add information not stated, or ignore key parts of the passage. The correct choice will cover both the central event or situation and its overall significance, without being limited to a single statistic or side note.
Hints
Locate the subject and action
Ask yourself: What did the urban planners do, and what is the passage mainly describing about that action?
Pay attention to repeated ideas
Look at what is emphasized after the first sentence—is the passage stressing plans, problems, exact measurements, or overall results?
Differentiate between details and the big picture
Which ideas are specific facts (numbers, distances, examples), and which idea could summarize the whole paragraph in one sentence?
Test each answer against the whole passage
For each choice, ask: Does this describe the entire paragraph, or just one part of it?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the passage is mostly about
Read the passage and ask: Who or what is the main focus? Here, the focus is on "urban planners in the city of Meadowview" and what they did with "an unused railway line." So the passage is about a project involving this railway line, not just about the mayor or small businesses by themselves.
Notice the key action and result
The key action is that planners "transformed an unused railway line into a 5-kilometer elevated park." After that, the passage lists results: the park has "drawn nearly 200,000 visitors," "boosted revenues for nearby small businesses," and "spurred plans for additional green spaces" in the city. These are all positive outcomes connected to the same project.
Distinguish main idea from supporting details
The number of visitors ("nearly 200,000"), the exact length ("5-kilometer"), and the mention of future green spaces are details that support the bigger point. The main idea must summarize the transformation and its overall effect, not just repeat one statistic or one side detail.
Eliminate choices that are too narrow or incomplete
Choices that focus only on the mayor's hopes, only on small businesses, or only on the park’s length are taking one detail and treating it as if it were the whole point of the passage. These are too narrow to be the main idea because they leave out either the transformation itself or its broad impact on the city.
Choose the option that captures both the project and its positive impact
The best answer will mention that the unused railway line was turned into an elevated park and that this change is bringing multiple benefits to the city (visitors, business revenue, and more green space plans). The only choice that clearly does both is: “An unused railway line was turned into a popular elevated park that is benefiting the city.”