Topic and main idea let you know what is important. To find the topic and the main idea, ask two questions : what is this about? What does the writer want to say about this?

Understanding the topic, the gist, or the big ideas of a textbook chapter, an article, a paragraph, a sentence or a passage is a sophisticated reading task. Being able to draw conclusions, evaluate, and interpret articles or chapters is important for overall comprehension in nonfiction reading. Textbook chapters, articles, paragraphs, sentences, or passages all have topics and main ideas. The topic is the broad, general theme or message. It is what some call the subject. The main idea is the “important point” being expressed.