Comprehension Passages
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Lesson overview
Finding the main idea of a paragraph and a passage, telling it apart from supporting detail, and choosing the best summary.
Go to lesson quiz →Exam guidance · JAMB UTME Speed Lens
Core idea (Evidence-Based Reading, Tone & Logical Inference): Every valid inference must be directly anchored in passage text — eliminate options with extreme quantifiers ('always', 'never') or out-of-scope leaps.
Pacing
~40 seconds per MCQ (180 questions in 120 minutes, no negative marking).
How JAMB marks this
Fast dimensional/sign elimination and standard formula shortcuts — skip multi-line algebra when substitution tests options faster.
Watch out for
UTME distractors routinely include the intermediate value (e.g., forgetting to convert cm³ to dm³ or °C to Kelvin).
Lesson content
Overview
About half of the UTME Use of English paper is built on passages: comprehension passages, a summary-style passage and the cloze passage. Most comprehension sets open with the same kind of question: what is the passage mainly about, or which option best summarises it? If you can find the main idea, every other question becomes easier, because details, inferences and the writer's purpose all hang on it. If you cannot, you will be tempted by options that are true but too narrow, true but too broad, or simply not in the passage. This lesson shows you where main ideas usually sit, how passages of different types are organised, and a reliable method for choosing the best summary under time pressure.
Key concept: main idea, topic sentence and supporting detail
The topic is what a passage is about, in a word or phrase: 'rice farming'. The main idea is what the writer says about that topic, in a full statement: 'Small rice farmers in Nigeria could double their yields with better seed and irrigation.' A topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. It is most often the first sentence, sometimes the last, and occasionally it is not stated at all and must be put together from the details. Supporting details are the facts, examples, reasons and descriptions that explain or prove the main idea. A summary restates the main idea (and, for a whole passage, the main point of each paragraph) briefly, in other words, without details or examples. Passage types: narration tells a story in time order; description paints a person, place or scene; exposition explains or informs; argumentation tries to persuade.
How different passages are organised
Knowing the type of passage tells you where to look. • Exposition (informative): the main idea is usually stated early, often in the first sentence of the first paragraph, and each later paragraph develops one aspect of it. • Argumentation: the writer's position (thesis) may appear at the start, or the passage may build towards it and state it in the final paragraph. Look for signals such as 'therefore', 'clearly', 'we must'. • Narration: the main idea is the point of the story: what happens and what it shows. It is rarely stated outright, so ask 'What is this story mainly about?' rather than 'What happens first?' • Description: the main idea is the dominant impression the writer creates, such as a market's noise and energy or a village's peace. Choosing the best summary: the right option must be (a) accurate (nothing contradicts the passage), (b) complete (it covers the whole passage, not one paragraph) and (c) focused (it leaves out details and examples). Wrong options typically fail one test. A 'too narrow' option describes one paragraph or one example. A 'too broad' option is about the general topic but says more than the passage does. A 'distorted' option uses the passage's words but changes the meaning.
Worked example 1: a stated topic sentence
Passage: 'Lagos lagoon is far more than a stretch of water. Fishermen in dug-out canoes depend on it for their living. Ferries carry thousands of workers across it every morning. Sand-dredgers mine its bed for the building industry.' The paragraph is mainly about A. fishing in Lagos B. the many uses of Lagos lagoon C. ferry transport in Lagos D. the building industry
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
4 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Worked example 2: a main idea at the end
Passage: 'Last year the school borehole broke down twice. Pupils spent the first hour of each day fetching water from a stream. Absenteeism rose, and two teachers reported cases of typhoid. A reliable water supply, it seems, is as important to learning as books and teachers.' The writer's main point is that A. the school borehole broke down twice B. pupils should fetch water from streams C. a reliable water supply is essential to learning D. typhoid is common in schools
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
3 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Worked example 3 (UTME standard): the best summary
Passage: 'For decades, water hyacinth has choked creeks in the Niger Delta, blocking boats and killing fish by cutting off light. Clearing it by hand is slow and costly, and the weed grows back within months. Recently, however, women's co-operatives in several communities have begun harvesting the plant to weave baskets and mats, and engineers are testing it as a raw material for biogas. What was once only a nuisance may yet become a source of income.' Which option best summarises the passage? A. Water hyacinth kills fish in the Niger Delta. B. Clearing water hyacinth by hand is slow and expensive. C. Water hyacinth, long a harmful weed, is now being turned to profitable use. D. Women in the Niger Delta weave baskets and mats.
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
6 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Common traps
• Choosing a true detail instead of the main idea. Ask: does this option cover the whole passage? • Choosing an option that is broader than the passage, such as a statement about 'the world' or 'all young people'. • Being drawn by an option that copies the passage's words; check that the meaning has not been changed. • Assuming the first sentence is always the topic sentence. In argument and narration, the main point often comes last. • Answering from your own knowledge. The right answer is what this passage says, not what you believe.
Summary
• The topic is what a passage is about; the main idea is what the writer says about it. • Topic sentences are usually first in exposition and often last in argument; in narration the point of the story must be inferred. • Supporting details explain or prove the main idea and make tempting wrong answers. • A best summary is accurate, complete and focused: not too narrow, not too broad, not distorted. • Form your own main idea first, then test the options against it.
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