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29 Jul 2011, 02:17
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Here's my understand of the differences between a main idea, purpose, and central content.
The central content of the passage is basically what the passage is about. The topic.
The main idea of the passage is its conclusion; or in other words, it's author's position on the central content. The point. The main idea is usually stated directly.
The purpose of the passage/author can be any of the following:
- persuade the reader about the main idea
- to inform the reader about the topic of the passage
- to compare something
- to refute a theory
- etc.
In sum, it's why the author decided to write the passage. The purpose is not stated directly.
I have noticed that the GMAT interchanges these terms.
Your inputs would be appreciated.
The central content of the passage is basically what the passage is about. The topic.
The main idea of the passage is its conclusion; or in other words, it's author's position on the central content. The point. The main idea is usually stated directly.
The purpose of the passage/author can be any of the following:
- persuade the reader about the main idea
- to inform the reader about the topic of the passage
- to compare something
- to refute a theory
- etc.
In sum, it's why the author decided to write the passage. The purpose is not stated directly.
I have noticed that the GMAT interchanges these terms.
Your inputs would be appreciated.
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Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
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30 Jul 2011, 01:39
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If I try to decipher the meaning from these phrases, I may agree with you. However, I won't try to do that because I think all the GMAT questions asking you for either of these (main idea, purpose, and central content. ) should be treated in the same manner and answer choices will be articulated for different type of phrases.
Correct me if you think otherwise.
Correct me if you think otherwise.
30 Jul 2011, 04:20
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I think they are basically the same as far as the approach is concerned. I just wanted to make it clear because people can be a little bit confused about the language.
Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Reading Comprehension (RC) Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
