Finding an Implied Central Idea

Infer a central idea the author never states directly by adding up the details.

Sometimes an author never writes the central idea in one sentence. You have to infer it by noticing what the details have in common. This is called an implied central idea. Read this original passage: 'The town's only bookstore closed in March. The movie theater followed in June. By fall, the bakery had a For Lease sign in the window. Meanwhile, the parking lot of the new superstore off the highway was full every weekend.

' The author never says it, but the details add up: 'Small local businesses in the town are struggling as shoppers turn to the big new store. ' To infer an implied central idea: list the key details, ask what pattern connects them, and write a sentence that explains the pattern. Then check it against every detail. Be careful not to add ideas the text doesn't support. The passage doesn't say the superstore is bad, only that shopping has shifted, so your central idea shouldn't claim more than the evidence shows.

• 1Implied central ideas are not stated directly
• 2List details, find the pattern, state it as a sentence
• 3Don't claim more than the details support