Question

Identify the main idea/point of the passage-
The house was majestic, with ten rooms, five balconies overlooking the scenic view of the lake. A large garden sprawled before the mansion-like abode and led, along an elegantly coiled cobblestone pathway, to a large gate. This was Henry's home.
a) Henry lives in a mansion which has a large garden in front of it.
b) There is a mansion with a large garden.
c) Henry's home is huge and lavish.
d) There are many rooms and balconies in the house.

Answer 1

Hint: When asked about the main idea or main point of any given passage, you have to find out the main fact that the passage is trying to explain.

Complete answer:
In the given passage, the narrator is talking about a house that is “majestic”. It has ten rooms, five balconies that are overlooking the scenic view of the lake. The narrator is also giving reasons as to why that ‘mansion’ is being considered majestic. He also talks about a large garden that is paraded before the mansion, with a coiled cobblestone pathway, which goes till a large gate. The narrator is basically describing Henry's house.
Now, let us examine all the given options to find out the correct answer :
Option ‘a’ is – Henry lives in a mansion which has a large garden in front of it. This option may be true but it is not the main idea or main point of the given passage. So, this cannot be the correct answer.
Option ‘b’ is – There is a mansion with a large garden. This option may be correct but it doesn’t include ‘Henry’, who is the main part of the passage. So we will eliminate this option.
Option ‘c’ is - Henry's home is huge and lavish. This option includes all the information and the gist of the given passage in one sentence. It includes the quality of the mansion and to whom it belongs. This is the main idea or main point of the given passage.
Option ‘d’ is – There are many rooms and balconies in the house. This option is not including the main summary of the given passage, thus, is not the correct option.
As we have analyzed all the given options, we can easily figure out the correct answer. The main point/idea of the given passage is ‘Henry's home is huge and lavish'. So, the correct answer is “Option c”.

Note:
In such passages, one must take out a summary of it in their minds and then go through all the options. Other options are plausible distractions and one must read the passage thoroughly to avoid mistakes.