STATED AND UNSTATED DETAIL

QUESTION
Prepared to Fulfill Course Assignments Basic Academic English
Supporting Lecturer:
Mr. Tohirin S.Pd., S.Pd.I., M.M.

Arranged by:
Group IV (01SMJE006)
Irdiansyah NIM : 231010500389
K NIM: 231010500407
Lia Dwi Pertiwi NIM: 231010500410
Mahendra Pratama Putra NIM: 231010500349
Muhamad Nur Alamsyah NIM: 231010500414
Muhammad Riyandi Agustin NIM:231010500387

MANAGEMENT STUDY
PROGRAM FACULTY OF ECONOMICS
PAMULANG UNIVERSITY
2023

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 FOREWORD

All praises and gratitude are due to the Almighty God for His blessings
and mercy, enabling us to successfully complete this paper with great ease.
Without His assistance, it would have been challenging to accomplish.

We express our thanks and praise to God Almighty for His blessings and
mercy, which facilitated the smooth completion of this paper. Without His
assistance, it is possible that we would not have been able to conclude it
satisfactorily.

Throughout the process, we encountered numerous challenges, both

internal and external. Nevertheless, with patience and the assistance of Allah
SWT, we successfully concluded this paper. We hope that this paper offers
valuable insights. We acknowledge that there are still areas for improvement in
our writing, and therefore, we eagerly welcome constructive criticism and
suggestions.

May the completion of this paper prove beneficial for us and our peers. Amen.

Tangerang, 01 Desember 2023

Compiler Group 3

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 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the problem

Stated detail questions ask about one piece of information in the passage rather than the passage as a
whole. The answers to these questions are generally given in order in the passage, and the correct answer
is often a restatement of what is given in the passage. This means that the correct answer often expresses
the same idea as what is written in the passage, but the words are not exactly the same. On the other
hand, unstated detail questions ask for information that is not directly stated in the passage. The answer
to an unstated detail question can be inferred from the information that is given in the passage. The
answer is not directly stated, but it can be deduced from the information that is given.
B. Formulation Of The Problem

Based on this background, we formulate the problem as follows.

a. What is the meaning of main idea
b. How to find the main idea in a paragraph
c. What is Recognizing Organizational Ideas

C. Writng Purpose

The aim of writing this paper is as follows.

a. To understand the meaning of the main idea
b. To know how to find the main idea in a paragraph
c. To improve skills to be able to answer Main-Ideas and Recognizing Organizational Ideas Question
Type

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 CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

1. MAIN IDEA

a. What is main idea?

The main idea or main idea is the central or main idea of a text or paragraph. This is the main
idea that the author wants to convey to the reader. The main idea usually appears in the first or
second sentence of a paragraph or in the opening sentence of a text. The main idea provides a brief
summary of what will be discussed in the text or paragraph. This is the essence of the information
you want to convey. Main ideas also help readers understand and remember important information in
the text. The importance of understanding the main ideas is so that we can organize and organize
information well. By knowing the main ideas, we can identify details that support those ideas.
According to Mikulecky and Jeffries (2007), main idea of a paragraph is the important topic that
the writer trying to convey. Main idea in a paragraph can be found in the topic sentence of the
paragraph. As Oshima and Hogue (2006) state that the topic sentence indicates the main idea of the
paragraph. Topic sentence has two parts, they are topic and controlling idea. Controlling idea as well
as supporting details in the paragraph that usually more specific than main idea which function is to
explain the idea of the paragraph.
Example :

Read the paragraph below and determine its main idea.

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What is main idea of the paragraph above?

a. More people means a need for more water for agricultural and household use.
b. Factories and food production facilities cannot function withhout water
c. The global demand for water has tripled since 1950

Explanation :

To find out the main idea of the paragraph in a passage, first you have to find the topic
sentence. The topic sentence above located in the first sentence in the paragraph “The global demand
for water (estimated at about 5 billion cubic feet per year) has tripled since 1950.” From the topic
sentence, we can find out that answer (C) is the correct answer because it expresses the topic and
also the general idea in which the writer tries to convey in the paragraph. Meanwhile (A) and (B) are
not the best answer since they are supporting details about the topic.
The example above is a kind of state main idea which the topic sentence state the main idea
completely. So, it is easy for us to determine the main idea of the paragraph by only reading the topic
sentence.
Besides stated main idea, there is also unstated main idea. Unstated main idea means the
topic sentence state the main idea of a paragraph incompletely. In this case, you probably find out
the topic in one sentence, but the writer will state his ideas related to the topic several sentences of
the paragraph. If you experience this, you must infer the complete main idea by combining the
separate ideas in several sentences of the paragraph.

Example :

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Explanation:

Perhaps it will be a little hard for us to find out the topic sentence of the paragraph above. In
this case, you should read the whole paragraph carefully and determine what all those sentences
discussed. We can see that all those sentences have similar idea to discuss. It is about “self-
disclosure” and how people which come from different countries want to tell about themselves. So,
you conclude the best main idea of the paragraph above is “Different self-disclosure degrees of
people from different countries.”

b. Main idea questions

In the third part of toefl test, you will get reading comprehension test. Questions related to
main ideas as well as overall ideas in the passage will be found in the test. The questions will be
written in many ways, for example, you will be required to analyze the main idea, topic, title or
subject of a passage. According to philips (2001), the following questions are various ways to
identify main idea questions:
a. What is the topic of the passage?
b. What is the subject of the passage?
c. What is the main idea of the passage?
d. What is the authors main point in the passage?
e. Which of the following would be the best title?

If you find out the above questions in toefl test, there are some tricks that you can do to find
the correct answers. First, if the passage consists of many paragraphs, you can determine the answers
by noticing the first sentence of all paragraph in the passage. However, if the passage consists of one
paragraph only, you should look at the beginning of the paragraph to find out the main idea.besides
that, you can find out the topic sentences first of the paragraph to determine the main idea.

In short, there are some steps you can do to answer the main idea questions:

1. You should read the first sentence of each paragraph

2. Then you find out the general idea in the first sentence
3. After that move your eyes rapidly over of the passage in order to make sure whether you have
found the topic sentence or not
4. The last step is you should not choose any definitely wrong answers, but you have to choose
the correct answer.

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Example 1

Explanation:

The above question asks about the topic of the passage. As the tricks given in the previous
page, you should focus on the first sentence of the paragraph to find the correct answer of this
question since the passage consist of one paragraph only. So, by reading the first sentence “In the
philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made between intelligence and reasoning” we know
that it discusses the distinctions between the ideas of intelligence and reasoning. So, we can predict
that “intelligence and reasoning” is the topic. After you make a prediction, you should check the
answers one by one to find out the correct answer that relate to the topic you have predicted. In
answer A, we can only find intelligence. In answer B, we can find distinctions that made by John
Dewey, but there is no specific information about what distinctions that he made. In answer C, we can
only find reasoning, so it is incomplete topic and we can not choose it. Therefore, the correct answer
is D since it mentions the topics and convey the idea about the differences of intelligence and
reasoning.

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Example 2

Explanation;

We can see that the question above asks about the best title for the passage. You
must read the first sentence of the first and second paragraph because the passage consists of
two paragraphs. This is important to do to find out the topic, title, main idea, or the subject of
the passage. In the example above, we can identify that the first paragraph talks about how
nitrogen fixation is processed. You might choose A if you only read the first paragraph.
However, you should also look the first sentence in the second paragraph. It talks about the
process of denitrification. So, you cannot choose C as the correct answer since the entry of
nitrogen to the air is only discussed in the second paragraph. Moreover, answer D is also
incorrect because the passage does not talk about the effect of nitrogen on planet life. As the
result, the correct answer for the question above is B since we can find the information of
two nitrogen processes in the first and second paragraph.

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2. RECOGNIZE THE ORGANISATION IDEAS

Besides main idea, how the ideas in the passage is organized may also be asked in
TOEFL test. In the TOEFL test, you will be required to identify how the ideas in one
paragraph relate to the other ideas in the next paragraphs.

The following examples are taken form TOEFL test which questions asked you to find out how
the ideas is organized in the passage

Example 1:

Passage

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Explanation:

Philips (2001) highlights that there are some questions in TOEFL test related to
organization of ideas. The following is the questions:

To find out the answer of such questions, you should look at the first sentence of each
paragraph in the passage to determine how the information is organized. Here are some steps
can be done to answer the question:
1. You have to read the first line of each paragraph in the passage.
2. You should find out any words that show relationships among the paragraphs.
3. You must choose the answer that indicates the relationship.

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 CHAPTER III
CLOSING
A. CONCLUSION
The main idea or main idea is the central or main idea of a text or paragraph. This is the main
idea that the author wants to convey to the reader. The main idea usually appears in the first or
second sentence of a paragraph or in the opening sentence of a text. The main idea provides a brief
summary of what will be discussed in the text or paragraph. This is the essence of the information
you want to convey. Main ideas also help readers understand and remember important information in
the text. The importance of understanding the main ideas is so that we can organize and organize
information well. By knowing the main ideas, we can identify details that support those ideas.
The exploration of Main Idea Questions and Recognizing Organizational Ideas illuminates their
pivotal roles in elevating reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. The symbiotic
relationship between these two components serves as a gateway to unraveling the layers of meaning
within written communication. By honing the ability to discern main ideas and recognize
organizational structures, readers not only enhance their understanding of individual passages but
also develop a nuanced approach to diverse texts.
As we navigate the strategies for addressing Main Idea Questions and deciphering organizational
patterns, it becomes evident that these skills are not isolated but rather interconnected facets of
effective reading. The practical insights provided in this paper empower readers to actively engage
with texts, fostering a deeper comprehension that extends beyond surface-level understanding.
In the dynamic landscape of information consumption, where texts vary in complexity and
structure, mastering Main Idea Questions and Recognizing Organizational Ideas becomes a valuable
toolset. These skills, once cultivated, empower readers to navigate the intricate web of information
with confidence, making the journey through written communication a more enriching and insightful
experience.

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 REFERENCES

Mikukecky, B. S. & Linda, J. (2007). Advanced Reading Power. US: Longman.

Oshima, A. & Ann, H. (2006). Writing Academic English 4th Edition. New York: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Philips, D. (2001). Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test. New York: Pearson
Education
https://blog.bahaso.com/menemukan-main-idea-dari-sebuah-paragraf.

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main idea questions and recognizing the organisation ideas

1. Pengertian Main Idea Questions

main idea is the author's about the topic
" kalimat yang berisi gagasan penulis tentang topik yang dibicarakan "

It is always a complete sentences that includes both topik and the idea that the
writer wishes to express
"main idea/ ide pokok selalu berbentuk kalimat sempurna dimana
didalamnya terdapat topik dan gagasan penulis tentang topik tersebut "

The main idea of the paragraph is usually stated by the writer ini one or more
sentences "dalam sebuah paragraf penulis biasanya menyebutkan main idea
dalam 1 atau 2 kalimat "
identify main idea questions ‘ cara mengidentifikasi main idea”
1. What is the topic of the passage? ‘ apa topik bacaan tersebut”
2. What is the subject of the passage? Apa pokok bahasan tersebut”
3. What is the main idea of the passage? “Apa gagasan utama dari bacaan tersebut”
4. What is the authors main point in the passage? “apa poin utama penulisan dalam
paragraf tersebut”
5. Which of the following would be the best title? “manakah dari judul berikut yang
merupakan judul terbaik’
In short, there are some steps you can do to answer the main idea questions:
1. you should read the first sentence of each paragraph
2. then you find out the general idea in the first sentence
3. after that move your eyes rapidly over of the passage in order to make sure whether
you have found the topic sentence or not
4. the last step is you should not choose any definitely wrong answers, but you have to
choose the correct answer.

12 | B a s i c A c a d e m i c E n g l i s h