ParaPro Reading Study Guide: Identify Supporting Ideas
Now that our ParaPro Study Guide has covered identifying main ideas, we’re ready to cover supporting ideas. We will show you how to identify these details and the roles they play in a passage, especially in relation to the main idea.
What is a Supporting Detail?
Every main idea has to have supporting details (also called supporting ideas). These are specific areas of evidence within a passage that help indicate what the topic is about.
Many times, the ParaPro exam will provide the main idea and ask what the supporting idea is. For example, a question might ask, “What details support the idea that x led to y?”
When figuring out supporting ideas:
Read the question thoroughly.
Decipher the passage’s five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
Focus on the main idea. What evidence is given to get you to that main idea?
A supporting idea will never reflect the full scope of the passage. It is simply one factor of the overall argument or purpose. It can be a statistic, anecdotal evidence, a character trait of someone, a quote, or the focus of a single sentence or paragraph.
Example 1
School Uniforms
Many schools have implemented school uniforms as a way to improve student behavior and focus in the classroom. Studies show that schools that have implemented uniforms have fewer disciplinary referrals. Teachers also believe that students are more focused on their work and are less distracted by what other students are wearing in class. Teachers get more out of students who are concentrated on taking notes and doing what they are supposed to do. It also helps school officials identify intruders, helping law enforcement mitigate unsafe situations.
What detail supports the idea that uniforms help student conduct in the classroom?
Uniforms have reduced disciplinary referrals
Students are less distracted by what others wear in class
Students increase the amount of work they do in class
Administrators and police can identify trespassers
Read the question and then ask yourself, “Which option refers most to the idea of student conduct?” The key phrase in option (A) is “disciplinary referrals,” since this deals directly with a student’s behavior. The other options may all support the idea that school uniforms create positive change in the learning environment, but they focus on other areas of the question, not necessarily student conduct.
If you feel you’ve got a good grasp on supporting details, test your knowledge with our quick, 3-question review test below. The passages and answers reflect the type of language you will see on the official ParaPro exam.
Supporting Ideas Review Test
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Many young adults are torn on the decision of whether to go to college or not, but there there are so many benefits of going to school and getting a degree. First, getting a bachelor’s degree or higher will help you get a much better job in the professional field you are interested in. Additionally, going to college connects you with a lot of people with similar interests as you. You get to spend time with them and enroll in a variety of different activities, only improving your connections. If your schedule is extremely busy, that’s not a concern; you can enroll in online courses and study at your own convenience. Lastly, financially, degrees like a master’s or doctorate provide a significant pay increase in most fields, allowing you to make more money.
Which detail supports the idea that going to college can improve your social skills?
Correct
Incorrect
Question 2 of 3
2. Question
Read the excerpt below from Mark Twain’s A Toast to the Old Inhabitant to answer questions 2–3:
“Yes, one of the brightest gems in the New England weather is the dazzling uncertainty of it. There is only one thing certain about it: you are certain there is going to be plenty of it—a perfect grand review; but you never can tell which end of the procession is going to move first. You fix up for the drought; you leave your umbrella in the house and sally out, and two to one you get drowned. You make up your mind that the earthquake is due; you stand from under, and take hold of something to steady yourself, and the first thing you know you get struck by lightning. These are great disappointments; but they can’t be helped. The lightning there is peculiar; it is so convincing, that when it strikes a thing it doesn’t leave enough of that thing behind for you to tell whether—Well, you’d think it was something valuable, and a Congressman had been there. And the thunder. When the thunder begins to merely tune up and scrape and saw, and key up the instruments for the performance, strangers say, “Why, what awful thunder you have here!” But when the baton is raised and the real concert begins, you’ll find that stranger down in the cellar with his head in the ash-barrel. Now as to the size of the weather in New England lengthways, I mean. It is utterly disproportioned to the size of that little country. Half the time, when it is packed as full as it can stick, you will see that New England weather sticking out beyond the edges and projecting around hundreds and hundreds of miles over the neighboring states. She can’t hold a tenth part of her weather.”
Which detail suggests that Twain is using hyperbole to discuss the New England weather?
Correct
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Question 3 of 3
3. Question
“Yes, one of the brightest gems in the New England weather is the dazzling uncertainty of it. There is only one thing certain about it: you are certain there is going to be plenty of it—a perfect grand review; but you never can tell which end of the procession is going to move first. You fix up for the drought; you leave your umbrella in the house and sally out, and two to one you get drowned. You make up your mind that the earthquake is due; you stand from under, and take hold of something to steady yourself, and the first thing you know you get struck by lightning. These are great disappointments; but they can’t be helped. The lightning there is peculiar; it is so convincing, that when it strikes a thing it doesn’t leave enough of that thing behind for you to tell whether—Well, you’d think it was something valuable, and a Congressman had been there. And the thunder. When the thunder begins to merely tune up and scrape and saw, and key up the instruments for the performance, strangers say, “Why, what awful thunder you have here!” But when the baton is raised and the real concert begins, you’ll find that stranger down in the cellar with his head in the ash-barrel. Now as to the size of the weather in New England lengthways, I mean. It is utterly disproportioned to the size of that little country. Half the time, when it is packed as full as it can stick, you will see that New England weather sticking out beyond the edges and projecting around hundreds and hundreds of miles over the neighboring states. She can’t hold a tenth part of her weather.”
“And the thunder. When the thunder begins to merely tune up and scrape and saw, and key up the instruments for the performance, strangers say, “Why, what awful thunder you have here!” But when the baton is raised and the real concert begins, you’ll find that stranger down in the cellar with his head in the ash-barrel.”
The detail above that suggests that Twain is using _______ in his essay.
