Question

Determine the main idea

As Shane Loeffler, a geology student at the University of Minnesota, was flying home from Europe, he looked down at the landscape and began to wonder what he was flying over. He realized that a plane flight would be a good opportunity for people to learn about the geological features of the earth below them. As a result of this experience, with a grant from the National Science Foundation, he created a free app called Flyover Country. The app provides users with information on natural formations, man-made features like dams, and even where fossils can be found. The features are pinpointed on a map that corresponds to the landscape below the plane

Answer 1

Determine the main idea

The main idea is: Flying in a plane is a good opportunity for people to learn about the geological features of the earth below them.

• This sentence is the primary point that wants to be communicated in the text. The topic is “learning about geological features”, and “flying in a plane offers a great opportunity to learn geological features” is the concept that the writer uses to convey the topic. The first three lines are used by the writer, to smoothly introduce the main idea. The first three lines take us to the main idea through an anecdote, which helps us in arriving to the topic in a familiar tone. The rest of the sentences after the main idea, help us in understanding what comes after that experience, this is how the writer took advantage of his realization.