Lesson 2 - Skimming for main ideas

Skimming is an essential fast reading skill that you should possess. In the IELTS test, skimming enables you
to quickly understand the main idea or gist of the text and also its overall organization. It allows you to draw
a road map of the text and as such, it is easier for you to locate the answers of the questions on the text.

When you skim a text, your eyes move very quickly and you do not focus on every word but the sentences or
the words which are considered the topic sentences or the key words. After skimming the text, you
are able to answer these following questions:

- What is the main idea of the text?

- What is the topic sentence of this text?

Steps of skimming a paragraph

Step 1: Read the opening sentence and/or the last sentence of the paragraph first since they are often
the topic statements of that paragraph. When you are looking at sentences to understand their main points, try
to focus only on the subject, the main verb and the object of the main clause. Try to ignore the other
words, particularly the relative clause and adverb clause.

For example, you are looking at the following sentence in a reading passage:

“Whale oil, rendered from the blubber, was used originally for lamp fuel and later as a principal ingredient
of soaps, margarine, paint oils and lubricants.”

 It is enough to understand that “this oil” was used for something.

Note: Sometimes, the topic sentence is presented in the middle of the text after some introductory sentences.

Step 2: Read the rest of the paragraph very fast. Pay attention to conjunctions to see whether the paragraph
is coherent and cohesive or if there are any changes in the flow of the ideas.

Step 3: Underline the topic sentence.

E.g.

Of all the inventions since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the passenger automobile has had
perhaps the most significant impact on society and the environment. After its introduction in 1908 with the Ford
Model T, it rapidly gained popularity and became the primary means of transportation in the United States.
Today, in the nation, there are about 750 motor vehicles for every 1,000 people. Other countries’ growth in the
number of cars on the road as they become more developed is also growing rapidly. In China, for example, the
number of cars has been doubling every five years over the past 30 years. But for all the freedoms and
conveniences cars offer society, there have also been serious consequences; one of them is air pollution.
Pollution from cars is responsible for respiratory problems, lung cancer, urban smog (ozone), and acid rain. By
1970, the quality of the atmosphere had become so poor that the first federal Clean Air Act was passed in the
United States in an effort to control pollution. The act did not prohibit pollution; it just set limits for tolerable
amounts. Pollution today, however, is still a huge problem. Other major cities of the world, such as Mexico City,
New Delhi, Bangkok, and Sao Paulo, also fight pollution - much of it attributed to automobiles.

Question: What is the main idea of the paragraph?

The passenger automobile has had significant impact on society and the environment.

The passenger automobile offers society convenience and freedom.

The passenger causes only pollution problems.

Steps of skimming a passage

Step 1:

- Skim the first paragraph. The main idea of the text is usually introduced in the first paragraph.

- However, this is not always the case. If the text is long, the first paragraph may be the introduction of the
topic. Therefore, you should also skim the second paragraph because it may contain the main idea.

- Quickly find and underline the main ideas of these paragraphs.

Step 2:

- Skim the last paragraph. Normally, the main idea is restated in the last paragraph.

- If the ideas in the first and the last paragraphs are the same, they are the general idea of the text.

Step 3:

- Read through the remaining paragraphs of the text.

- Try to find out and underline the topic sentence of each paragraph.

Note: In general, the process can be like you are reading the following paragraph as guided in the book
“More reading power".

- Always read as fast as you can. Don’t stop to look for new words.

- The dotted lines are the parts you should skip and only focus on the parts that have letters.
E.g.

Individuals with violent histories, especially if they also come from chaotic and deprived backgrounds, tend to
be viewed as untreatable. However, psychological work with these youngsters proved useful and productive.
Steve's ability to work through internal conflicts related to witnessing his mother's murder produced a marked
change in his behavior. Four months following the tragic event, he was angry, agitated, and depressed. He
openly vowed to avenge his mother's death. His affect during his early sessions was tense and determined.
After several weeks of individual sessions, he shared his recurrent dream. Working through this dream helped
to assuage his feelings of helplessness and his need for revenge; a marked change in his affect was noted in
subsequent sessions. In addition to this affective change, his behavior and his ability to attend to academic
tasks improved markedly as well.

Group therapy sessions were also beneficial for these children. They began to recognize and develop
alternative modes of coping with life's stresses, whereas they had previously relied on violence and revenge.
The group sessions also provided these young men with an experience of acceptance and a feeling of
belonging-productive substitutes for a similar, although counter-productive, feeling which is derived from their
participation in organized gang activity. For David, the benefits of the two forms of therapy were apparent as
his ability to participate in the group was enhanced by his work in the individual sessions.

The traditional therapeutic approaches (individual and group) contributed to the enhancement of self-esteem
observed in both cases. Their experience of a caring therapeutic relationship, which enabled them to master
acute events, gave them a general sense of potential mastery and provided a new way to build self-esteem.

Question: What is the main idea of the passage?

Group therapy sessions were beneficial for individuals with violent histories.

The traditional therapeutic approaches (individual and group) contributed to the enhancement of self-
esteem observed in both cases.

Psychological individual work with youngsters with violent histories proved useful and productive.
Practice 1: Skim the following paragraph and choose the correct options.

Paragraph A

Domestic violence against women by men is 'caused' by the misuse of men’s superior power and control over
women. Males operate on an individual and societal level to maintain a situation of male dominance, where
men have power over women and children. Men who commit domestic violence choose to behave abusively to
get what they want and gain control. Their behaviour often results from a sense of entitlement which is often
supported by sexist, racist, homophobic and other discriminatory attitudes. In this way, domestic violence by
men against women can be seen as a consequence of the inequalities between men and women, rooted in
patriarchal traditions that encourage men to believe they are entitled to power and control over their wives.

Question: What is the main idea of the paragraph?

Men commit violence in order that their demands are satisfied.

Inequalities between men and women are the root cause of domestic violence against women by
men.

Men’s behavior often results from a sense of entitlement which is often supported by sexist, racist,
homophobic and other discriminatory attitudes.

Paragraph B

As global temperatures continue to climb and scientists worldwide warn of an impending climate crisis, the
world also faces a financial crisis. According to some scientists, developing a low-carbon global economy is the
best way to stop increasing global temperature. However, this approach seems to be ill-developed throughout
many years. Therefore, in the article “Review on the Economics of Climate Change”, Nicholas Stern made
three recommendations to promote green industries. The first is to spread existing low-carbon technologies,
such as green household appliances. Second, it is important to provide for the development and upscaling of
technologies that could become commercially viable within the next 15 years. This includes the need for
improving and using carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS is seen as a critical option for newly developed
countries such as China and India, which currently rely on coal-fired power plants. The third suggestion is to
encourage new breakthrough technologies that will lead to cuts in major emissions beyond 2030. In order to
achieve this, energy research and development efforts should be doubled now.
Question: What is the main idea of the paragraph?

Nicholas Stern made three recommendations to promote green industries.

The way to deal with increasing global temperature is to develop a low-carbon global economy.

The number of energy research and development efforts should be increased.

Paragraph C

Because of an increased population and a diet consisting mostly of plants, it has became necessary to find
ways of obtaining salt in greater amount. One of the earliest methods was pouring salt water on burning wood
or heated rocks to boil it. The salt left behind was then scraped off. During the time of the Roman Empire,
shallow lead pans were used to boil salt water over open fires. In the middle ages, these were replaced with
iron pans which were heated with coal. In the 1860s, a procedure known as the Michigan process or the
grainer process was invented, in which salt water was heated by steam running through pipes immersed in the
water. This process is still used to produce certain types of salt. By the late 1880s, open pans were replaced
by a series of closed pans, in a device known as a multiple-effect vacuum evaporator, which had been used in
the sugar industry for about 50 years. In conclusion, salt manufacture had been developed through many
stages before people found out the way to produce salt as efficiently as it is today.

Question: What is the main idea of the paragraph?

It became necessary to find ways of obtaining salt in greater amounts.

Pouring salt water on burning wood or heated rocks is still used to produce certain types of salt.

The development of the method to produce salt from salt water

Paragraph D

There is a big difference in the Eastern and Western ways of perceiving and thinking. In one study, Japanese
and U.S students were shown a picture of an aquarium that contained one big, fast-moving fish and several
smaller fish, along with plants, a rock, and bubbles. Later, when the students were asked what they had seen,
the Japanese students were 60 percent more likely to remember background elements. They also referred
more to relationships, such as the “the little pink fish was in front of the blue rock.” The students were also
shown ninety-six objects and asked which of them had been in the picture .The Japanese students did much
better at remembering when the object was shown in its original surroundings. The U.S. students, in contrast,
had not noticed the background. In conclusion, Westerners pay more attention to the focal object - in this case,
the fish - while Asians are more attuned to the overall surroundings. The implications of this difference run
deep: Easterners attribute less causation to actors and more to context, while Westerners minimize the context
and place greater emphasis on individual actors.

Question: What is the main idea of the paragraph?

The difference between Japanese and U.S students in one study

There is a big difference in the Eastern and Western ways of perceiving and thinking; Easterners
focus more on the context while Westerners concentrate on individual factors.

The way that Japanese and US students reacted to the picture of a aquarium

Passage E

It’s a case of up then down for Kenya’s second largest population of elephants. After a promising growth, the
elephants are now dying faster than they are being born. The decline is being blamed on illegal hunting, driven
by Asia’s demand for ivory.

The Kenya Wildlife Service recently conducted a census of the Samburu/ Laikipia (types of elephants)
population, the country’s second largest. It found that the population lost over 1000 elephants in just four years,
and now stands at 6361. Previous censuses in 1992, 1998, 2002, and 2008 had revealed a growing
population, which appears to have peaked at 7415 in 2008.

Illegal hunting is suspected. A July report by three conversation groups found that it has been on the rise
across Africa since 2006. Poaching, or illegal hunting is also spreading eastward from central Africa into
countries like Kenya, says Richard Thomas of TRAFFIC in Cambridge, UK, one of the three groups that
drafted the report. The July report found that more than half of all elephants found dead in Africa in 2011 had
been illegally killed.

The rise in poaching appears to be driven by increasing affluence in China and Thailand, where ivory is often
used to make religious sculptures and other decorations. Organized criminal gangs have capitalized on this
increased demand.” If it’s worth someone’s while to smuggle the ivory, they’ll take the risk”, Thomas says.
There is evidence that gangs are moving into Kenya to hunt elephants.
Question: What is the main idea of the paragraph?

There is evidence that gangs are moving into Kenya to hunt elephants.

The number of elephants in Africa is declining due to poaching to meet the Asia’s demand for ivory.

The rise in poaching results from increasing affluence in China and Thailand.

Practice 2: Skim the following passage and underline the sentence(s) that give(s) the main
idea(s) of the passage.