The main idea is the a in a paragraph or passage. Sometimes the main idea is in a sentence at the , , or of a paragraph or passage.

Sometimes the main idea is stated. It is .

To determine the main idea .

Remember, the main idea tells , and the for the main idea.

today we'd use social media to quickly spread a controversial idea, but in the eighteenth century, the printed pamphlet was highly effective. and thomas paine took full advantage of it. on january 9, 1776, when paine published his pamphlet, "common sense," he wanted to push the american people toward independence from britain. it ultimately ignite the american revolution. thomas paine argued that the monarchy was evil and should be rejected as a form of government. to underscore his point, he cited the bible to argue his case -- in judges 8: 22-23: "the israelites said to gideon, 'rule over us, you and your son and your ' gideon told them, 'i will not rule over you. the lord will rule over you'" (nrsv).

the answer is irony!

the correct answer is b. in order to explain a point clearly in an essay, it is always better to include a clear example of your ideas. including an scenario in which a family is affected by consumerism will support your argument as well as supporting details, such as quotations from experts and statistics. option a could be correct, but statistics and quotations are supporting ideas rather than clear explanations. choices c and d are simply inadequate. they do not add information about the effects of consumerism, rather they are strategies for engaging the reader