6

Module 18

ENGLISH
GIVING THE MAIN IDEA (IMPLIED)

A DepEd-BEAM Distance Learning Program supported by the Australian Agency for International Development
 To the Learner

Dear Learner,

Good day! Did you have fun doing the activities in Module 17?
That’s good!
Today, you will learn to identify and give the implied main idea of
a paragraph/selection.
Get ready!

Let’s Learn This

In the previous module, you identified main ideas that are

explicitly stated in the paragraphs. Now, you will encounter paragraphs
whose main ideas are not stated directly. Such are known as implied
main ideas.

Let’s Try This

Read the paragraphs below carefully. Then from the three

choices, select and write the letter that gives the main idea of the
paragraph.

1. Little boys and girls are delightful when they talk and dance.
When they disarrange things in the room, however, they are far from
being delightful. When they destroy property, they are no delightful
at all. They are annoying.
- adapted from Phoenix World of Reading 6

a. Little boys and girls can be delightful and annoying.

b. Little boys and girls disarrange things.
c. Little boys and girls destroy properties.

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2. Some radio stations play rock. Others play jazz. Disc jockeys often
play modern music. Avid listeners love to listen to the latest hits.
The a.m. radio just reports the news and weather.

- adapted from Phoenix World of Reading 6

a. Radios provide information and entertainment.

b. Radios only inform us of the latest news.
c. Radios play all kinds of music.

3. Pineapple is a very useful plant. Its fruit is eaten ripe. It is also

crushed and made into juices. The juice is also made into wine. The
leaves contain threadlike fibers and can be woven into cloth.

- adapted from Learning Guides in English 6, Ateneo de Manila

a. Pineapple is eaten ripe.

b. Pineapple has many uses.
c. Pineapple has thick leaves.

4.
Water is nature’s most useful gift to man. It quenches his thirst. It
cooks his food. It puts off fire and cools him during the hot month. It
cleans his clothing.
- adapted from Learning Guides 6, Ateneo de Manila University

a. Water quenches thirst.

b. Water provides power.
c. Water is beneficial to man.

5.
On a continuous basis, stress can cause ulcers or heart attacks. It can
also make you a victim of chronic back pain. A person might be able
to avoid stress-related disorders by dealing with stress as it occurs.

- adapted from Phoenix World of Reading 6

a. Stress can make a person miserable.

b. Stress can cause ulcers.
c. Stress can cause chronic back pain.

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 Finished?

Are your answers similar to these?

1. a
2. a
3. b
4. c
5. a

Don’t worry if you don’t get all the answers correct. There are
more activities for you to do in the next pages.

Let’s Study This

Let’s study this paragraph for us to identify its main idea.

Always warm up before doing any

strength training exercises. Failure to warm up
can cause injuries to cold muscles. Remember
to use proper lifting procedures to be safe.
You can also avoid injury by working within your
limits and avoiding the need to show off.

- adapted from the English Expressways

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 There is no key sentence in the paragraph. But by analyzing the
sentences that comprise it, we can say that the main idea of the
paragraph is how to avoid injuries when doing strength and
training exercises.
There are two kinds of main ideas: the explicit and implied.
As you learned in the previous module, the explicit main idea
identifies the topic and states the overall meaning of the paragraph.
On the other hand, the implied main idea is not stated in the
paragraph. It is referred by its various details. Implied main idea
signals include the title, the topic, the subtopics and details.
There are paragraphs that have no key sentence. But this does not
mean there is no main idea in the paragraph. The main idea is implied.
You have to figure it out by reading the supporting details.
Here is another paragraph. Identify its main idea (implied).

The eclipse of the sun happens when the moon is

directly between the Earth and the Sun. For a few
moments, the sun’s light is blocked and the moon casts a
shadow on earth. The alignment of the sun, moon and
Earth seemingly turns day into night. The eclipse of the
moon and the sun. We can only see the moon bright
because it reflects the sun’s light.
- adapted from Phoenix Skill Builders for Efficient Reading

The paragraph is about how the eclipse of the sun and of the
moon happen.

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 Let’s Do This

Read each paragraph. Then from the choices that follow, choose
the one that gives the main idea of the paragraph.

1. Everybody was busy looking for a name for the dog. At first, no
one noticed its tail, except for Elsa, who, from the very beginning,
knew the dog had a wonderful tail. It was a fine-looking dog that
Father bought for Noel to take of. It had a soft, black nose and the
nicest red-brown color. There were big, dark spots all over his
body. That decided his name.

a. Father gave Noel a dog.

b. Choosing a name for a dog is not easy.
c. The dog has the nicest red-brown color.

2. Shrieks were heard. A little girl fell off the bridge. “Help!” shouted
the mother. Then, a brave soul from the crowd quickly dove into
the river and saved the child in the nick of time. “You’re a hero!”
exclaimed the mother and the onlookers.

a. A hero saves a girl.

b. A girl fell off the bridge.
c. The mother thanked the hero.

3. There was a moment of confusion in the sinking pagoda. Sajid

Bulig, a boy scout, was quick to respond. He jumped into the water
to save a little girl. He brought her ashore and left her to helping
hands. Then, he dove again and returned with another child and
again, and again. He was able to save lives, all small children.

a. A boy scout dove into the water to swim.

b. A boy scout rode in the sinking pagoda.
c. A boy scout saved small children.

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4. The barangay chairman led the distribution of relief goods to the
flood victims. The first to receive were the senior citizens and the
handicapped. Second were the mothers who were nursing babies.
They were followed by the other children, and then the other
women. Last to be given were the men.

a. How the relief goods were distributed

b. How the nursing mothers received the relief goods
c. How the barangay chairman led the distribution of relief goods

5. Earthquakes are among the most fearsome and destructive forces

of nature. Destruction of property worth millions and deaths of
thousands are the yearly toll from earthquakes. Man knows the
causes of earthquakes but is helpless in preventing them.

a. Earthquakes cause destructions.

b. People control earthquakes.
c. Earthquakes are caused by disturbances beneath the surface.

Are you done?

Check your answers against the answer key.
What is your score? ________ Very good!

Let’s Do More

Read each paragraph below and identify its main idea. Write the
letter of the correct answer on a sheet of paper.

1. Maria is watching too much television. A toddler, like her, should

not be spending hours staying blankly on a screen. Worse yet,
those awful cartoons she watches have inspired some of her wild
behavior. Her parents need to spend more time reading books with
her and pull the plug of the TV.
- adapted from The Phoenix World of Reading

a. Watching too much show on TV is not good for Maria.

b. Reading books makes Maria an intelligent child.
c. All cartoon shows are awful.

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2. Distillation is one way of purifying water. It is made by evaporating
water and then condensing the water vapor from the boiling water.
Bacteria are removed by passing water through a filter. Adding
chemicals to water also makes it pure. But the best way of
purifying water at home is by boiling it. When water is boiled, the
bacteria in it are surely killed.
- adapted from Developing Reading Power

a. There are different ways of purifying water.

b. Boiling is the best way of purifying water.
c. Distillation removes bacteria from the water.

3. The Romans recline while eating. Filipinos and Americans are

reminded constantly to sit erect on their dining chairs. The Indians
prefer to eat sitting back to back with each other during mealtime.
The Burmese eat daintily. They roll their rice and carry into a ball
with their fingers before conveying them into their mouth.
- adapted from Developing Reading Power

a. Table etiquette varies in different countries.

b. Americans and Filipino children are taught to use spoon and
fork.
c. Every race has their own specialty when it comes to food.

4. Anchovy is otherwise known as dilis, bolinao, monamon, diris or

talisok. Although its flesh is dry, it is rather delicate and flavorful
which makes it ideal for wet-salted anchovies (bagoong). It can also
be made into kropeck, biscuit toast. Dilis is very nutritious. Today,
it is widely used to supplement calcium-deficient diets.
- adapted from Developing Reading Power

a. Anchovies have several uses.

b. Anchovies are found only in Philippine waters.
c. Anchovies have hundreds of varieties.

5. Juan’s favorite game is chess because it requires a great deal of

thinking. He also likes to play less demanding board games that
are based mostly on luck. He prefers Monopoly because it requires
luck and skill. If he is alone, Juan likes to play action video games
as long as they are not too violent.
- adapted from The Phoenix World of Reading 6
a. Juan enjoys playing games.
b. Juan likes to think.
c. Juan dislikes violence.

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 Are you done? Look at the answer key to check your answers.

What’s your score?

Very good!

Let’s Remember This

Sometimes, the main idea is not directly stated in the

paragraph. It is only implied and you have to state it in your
own words the way you understand the whole paragraph.

Let’s Test Ourselves

Read each paragraph. Identify the main idea. Write the letter of
the correct answer on your paper.

1. A new type of enriched bread was once offered to children in many

public schools. It was called “Nutribun”. It is bread enriched with
vitamins. Nutribun had been found to be very effective in keeping
the children healthy and full of energy. It furnished growing
children with vitamins which ordinary diets do not contain.
- Developing Reading Power
-
a. Nutribun was a better bread because of its bigger size than the
ordinary bread.
b. Nutribun was an expensive bread.
c. Nutribun was enriched with vitamins keeping children healthy.

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2. The Japanese produce whatever limited food crops they can in their
small and mountainous country. Rice is their staple food but the
poor eat barley instead of rice. Tiny sweet potatoes are considered
lovely and are eaten only in private. Buddhism prohibits the
Japanese from eating meat. They eat much raw fish and vegetables.
Tea is an important drink to the Japanese. They are very particular
with the appearance rather than the taste of food – hence food
served is always arranged nicely in pretty, tiny bowls.
- Developing Reading Power

a. The Japanese have unique food habits.

b. The Japanese beliefs and religion are distinct.
c. The Japanese have several products.

3. Some animals hibernate during the cold winters. They sleep during
the long cold months buried in the ground under the snow. They
live in fat stored in their bodies and come up to life again in spring
and in summer. Other animals are well-suited for living through hot
dry months or periods of drought. They escape the heat and lack
of water in an interesting way. They spend the hot waterless
months by being inactive. The catfish sleeps during the hot months
by being inactive. The catfish sleeps during the hot months in a dry
pond or river and becomes alive again when rain comes.
- Developing Reading Power

a. Animals that hibernate come to life again in spring and

summer.
b. Some animals have strange ways of keeping themselves alive.
c. When animals hibernate, they bury themselves in the ground
under the snow.

4. Hair containing much coloring matter or pigments is dark. Hair

containing very little pigment is light. The production of this
pigment depends on the health of the body and is controlled to a
large extent by the nervous system. If anything goes wrong with
this control, maybe as a result of disease or the weakening of the
nerve power as one grows old, the pigment gradually ceases to be
produced.
- Developing Reading Power

a. The color of hair depends on the quantity of coloring material it

contains.
b. Hair turns gray when pigment ceases to be produced.

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 c. Young men have healthy hair.

5. Mark likes to read about almost everything. He likes to read

adventure stories, nature stories, fairy tales, and biographies.
Whenever he gets hold of a book nothing could stop him from
finishing it. He overworks his eyes by reading. He reads even when
the light is dim. Mark’s eyesight becomes poor so he needs
eyeglasses.
- Developing Reading Power

a. Mark likes to read books.

b. Mark’s eyesight becomes poor because of reading in dimlight.
c. Mark’s favorite books are “Harry Potter” series and the “Hardy
Boys” series.

Finished?
Check your answers against the answer key.
What’s your answer?
If you got 4-5 right answers, you get a
If you got 3 and below, do the activity
in Let’s Enrich Ourselves!

Let’s Enrich
Ourselves

Identify the implied main idea of each paragraph. Write the letter
of the correct answer on your paper.

1. Ice cream is one of the most nourishing foods we eat. It also tastes
good. It is more than three-fourths milk and cream. It may have
fruits like mango, atis, langka and coconut. It may have nuts, too.
Egg and gelatin make ice cream smooth. Some ice cream flavors
are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
- Developing Reading Power

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 a. Ice cream is one of the best liked foods in the Philippines.
b. Ice creams come in different flavors.
c. Ice creams are served in almost all parties.

2. Ducks and other birds that swim have webbed feet. Birds that
wade, such as cranes, have long legs and long toes that keep them
from sinking into the mud. Birds that perch on limbs like the owl
have strong feet that are shaped for grasping. Birds of prey, like
hawks, have strong feet with sharp, curved claws.
- Developing Reading Power

a. A bird’s feet tell something about its habits.

b. Feet of birds are varied.
c. Birds with webbed feet are strong.

3. There are certain footwears found only in the Philippines and in

some oriental countries. These are called slippers. Slippers are
worn around the house and even outdoors when one goes to a
nearby store or to his neighbors. When rainy season comes and the
streets and roads are muddy, wearing “bakya” or wooden-soled
slippers is preferred.
- Developing Reading Power

a. Filipinos have suitable footwear for any weather or season.

b. Slippers are found only in the Philippines and in some oriental
countries.
c. Slippers are easy to wear.

4. Of all mammals, only the elephant lives about as long as people

do. A pet goldfish may live up to 25 years old, tropical fish are
lucky to live more than a couple of years. Fifteen is a remarkably
good age of cats and dogs. Tortoises live to be over 150 years old.
Parrots may live well over 100 years.
- Developing Reading Power

a. Life Ssan of nature’s animals varies.

b. Parrots and tortoises have very long life span.
c. Insects have very short life span.

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5. The Dead Sea is very dense because of the salt. The kinds of salt
found in the water include some which are powerfully antiseptic or
fatal to life especially to the sea plants and animals. There is too
mush calcium chloride, a kind of compound in the Dead Sea Water,
and this is poisonous to all forms of life.
- Developing Reading Power

a. The Dead Sea Water composition makes it difficult for living

thing to live in it.
b. The Dead Sea water is good for drinking.
c. Calcium chloride poisons all forms of life.

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 Answer Key

Let’s Do This

1. b
2. a
3. c
4. a
5. a

Let’s Do More

1. a
2. a
3. a
4. a
5. a

Let’s Test Ourselves

1. c
2. a
3. b
4. a
5. a

Let’s Enrich Ourselves

1. b
2. a
3. b
4. a
5. a

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