Matching headings
Finding the main idea of a paragraph, not a matching word.
15 minutes · A free lesson from Reading
Each heading describes the main idea of a whole paragraph. There are always more headings than paragraphs, and the extra headings are designed to attract you.
A paragraph describes experiments where people who sleep after learning remember more than people who stay awake. It mentions, in one sentence, that one group was tested in the evening.
- "Comparing people who sleep with people who stay awake" — main idea.
- "The best time of day to take a test" — a detail, and a trap.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: What does a heading describe?
- One word in the paragraph
- The main idea of the whole paragraph
- The first sentence only
Show the answer
B: The main idea of the whole paragraph — Distractor headings match a detail or a single word.
Quick check: What should you do before you look at the list of headings?
- Decide the paragraph's main idea in your own words
- Count the headings
- Look for a matching word
Show the answer
A: Decide the paragraph's main idea in your own words — Read the paragraph first. Then choose the heading that matches your own summary.
Quick check: A heading matches only one sentence of a paragraph. What is it, probably?
- The answer
- The main idea
- A distractor
Show the answer
C: A distractor — If a heading describes only one sentence, it is probably wrong.
Marked as soon as you finish — free with an account.Practise now