How main ideas and details practice works
Each page in this series holds one topic from the ACT Reading test. The list on the left shows every question in the pool; the number tile turns green once you have checked a question, and a saved question is easy to find again with the Bookmarked filter.
- Pick a question. Use the list, the search box or the difficulty filter, or just press Next question to go in order.
- Answer it. One question at a time from a passage. The ACT Reading section groups several questions with each passage.
- Check your answer. Your result shows every choice marked, your pick, the correct option and a short explanation of why.
- Try it again or move on. A question you got wrong is worth a second attempt after you have read the explanation.
Prefer a short set with a score at the end? Build a main ideas and details set of 5, 10 or 20 questions, timed or untimed.
What main ideas and details covers on the ACT
On the ACT Reading test, Main Ideas and Details questions map to Key Ideas and Details. Our practice results show raw accuracy for this category so you can identify a skill to revisit. Official ACT reports use their own scoring method.
How to approach main ideas and details
After reading, state in one sentence what the passage as a whole says. Compare that statement with the choices, and reject answers that describe only one paragraph or exaggerate the author’s claim.
Before you move on: Point to at least two parts of the passage that support a whole-passage answer.
The 50 questions here cover 7 skills, including:
- Central idea
- Key detail
- Paragraph main idea
- Paragraph summary
- Summary
- Key supporting detail
- Central claim
This pool has 16 questions labelled easy, 18 medium and 16 hard by our team. These are practice labels, not official ACT difficulty ratings. Filter when you want to warm up or stretch. All 50 questions are available to practice.
Tips for main ideas and details questions
- Go back to the passage for every question. The right answer is supported by specific lines, not by what sounds reasonable.
- Rephrase the question in your own words, then find the answer before you look at the choices.
- Cross out choices that are too extreme, too broad or that borrow words from the passage but twist the meaning.
- Keep moving. If a question takes more than a minute, choose your best option, note it and come back later.