ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos

CAHSEE ELA 5.1 Main Idea and Sources 479 Views


Share It!


Description:

CAHSEE ELA: Main Idea and Sources Drill 5, Problem 1. Which of the following most accurately summarizes the main idea of this passage?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Shmoop this one on for size...

00:05

You may have already read this passage, but if you need a quick review, hit pause we'll wait...

00:15

Which of the following MOST accurately summarizes the main idea of this passage?

00:20

And here are the potential answers:

00:25

So... what is this question asking?

00:27

Quite simply... what does this entire passage boil down to? What's the main idea?

00:31

To get an accurate gist, we'll have to read the passage, but we have to be smart about our time...

00:37

...now's the time to whip out whatever secret speed-reading abilities we've been keeping bottled up.

00:44

We don't want to miss any critical information, but it shouldn't be a casual perusal either...

00:49

For a question like this though, the best idea is to read our answer choices first,

00:53

so we know what we're looking for when we read.

00:56

"The construction of the transcontinental railroad was one of the most important technological

01:01

achievements in American history."

01:03

A definite contender. Much of the passage seems to relate to this idea. At one point,

01:09

it makes the claim that the railroad was "the single greatest feat of engineering in U.S. history."

01:14

Sorry, Slinky. We're sure you were a close second.

01:19

But let's take a look at our other options...

01:21

"The railroad was finished in 1869."

01:23

That's certainly true... but is the whole passage about the railroad's completion date? Nope.

01:29

"There was a great deal of greed behind the construction of the railroad, and it was

01:33

fraught with scams and scandals."

01:35

Sounds good... and might also be true... but it isn't supported by this passage.

01:40

So put your views on ultra-capitalism aside and stick to the content given.

01:45

Finally... "The railroad took many years to finish."

01:48

Like B, it's true... but not the central point.

01:52

Looks like A is our champ.

01:53

A, as in... "Ayn Rand would love this one."

Up Next

CAHSEE 1.1 Passage Drill
1135 Views

CAHSEE 1.1 English Language Arts Passage Drill. Which line is an example of a metaphor?

Related Videos

CAHSEE 1.3 Passage Drill
337 Views

CAHSEE 1.3 Passage Drill. Which of the following is the best way to express the meaning of the word alumni in this sentence?

CAHSEE 1.2 Passage Drill
246 Views

CAHSEE 1.2 Passage Drill. Which of these sentences from the story best illustrates the sensitive side of the narrator's nature?

CAHSEE 1.4 Passage Drill
210 Views

CAHSEE 1.4 Passage Drill. What does the use of flashbacks accomplish in "Graduation"?

CAHSEE 1.5 Passage Drill
642 Views

CAHSEE 1.5 Passage Drill. In this line from the story, the words buzz and pulsated suggest the crowd is...what?