Flashcard 2 - Reading Flashcard Set for the TEAS

The topic is the subject of the text or what it’s about. The main idea is the message the writer wants to convey about the topic.

Topic and main idea are not the same thing. The topic is generally able to be identified using a limited number of words (e.g., pollution, global warming, cooking chicken, cats) while the main idea requires a longer explanation to capture the writer’s position or ideas about the topic (e.g., pollution is ruining our local waterways, global warming is causing more severe weather globally, cooking chicken is easy, cats make the best pets).