Ohio 5th Grade English Language Arts (ELA) Practice Test

Understanding the central point a piece of writing is conveying is what this item tests. The main idea is the single message the author wants you to take away—the point that all the important details in the passage support. This is why the term for what a piece of writing is mainly about is the main idea: it names exactly what the writing is about at its core, not just a list of details or the setting or how a problem is resolved. A summary would restate the main points in your own words, but it focuses on recounting what happened or what is said, not naming the central point. The other terms describe different things: setting tells you when and where the action happens, and resolution tells how the problem ends.