Main Idea

The main idea is the most important thing the paragraph says about the topic. The
topic is what a paragraph is all about.

Kalimat utama, ide pokok, gagasan utama, dan pikiran utama adalah empat
istilah yang sebetulnya bisa dipangkas menjadi dua saja; Kalimat utama dan ide
pokok/gagasan utama/pikiran utama.

Ide pokok, gagasan utama, dan pikiran utama merupakan tiga istilah berbeda
yang menunjuk pada persoalan yang sama. “Ide” dalam Kamus Besar Bahasa
Indonesia (KBBI) diartikan sebagai rancangan yang tersusun di dalam pikiran.
Sementara, “gagasan” artinya hasil pemikiran. Dan “pikiran” adalah hasil berpikir.
Tetapi dalam bahasa inggris ketiga istilah tersebut menunjuk satu istilah “Idea”
walaupun tentunya secara etimologi akan berbeda.
saya simpulkan bahwa “ide” merupakan bahasa serapan untuk arti yang juga di
sebut sebagai “gagasan” atau “pikiran”.

Gagasan utama, ide pokok, dan pikiran utama dalam bahasa inggris disebut
“main idea” . Jadi kita akan membahas pengertian “kalimat utama” dan “ide
pokok/gagasan utama/pikiran utam.

Gagasan Utama
Gagasan utama atau dalam bahasa inggris “main idea” secara sederhana dapat
diartikan sebagai inti dari kalimat utama. Pengertian ini merupakan hasil pendekatan
dari aplikasinya, bukan pada proses kreatif kepenulisan. Karena pada dasarnya, gagasan
utama akan secara paksa atau alami tertuang secara jelas dalam kalimat utama.
Pada contoh paragraf di atas, gagasan utamanya adalah “bahwa tanda-tanda infeksi bisa
ditemukan sendiri dengan mengamati kulit anak dari dekat.”
Gagasan utama bersifat abstrak. Artinya, gagasan utama tidak melulu tertuang secara
konkret dalam sebuah paragraf. Gagasan utama ini akan tertuang dalam bentuk kalimat
utama. Sementara kalimat bisa beragam bentuk dan sudut pandangnya.
Dari uraian di atas, kita akan dengan mudah menemukan gagasan utama sebuah
paragraf ketika kalimat utama sudah ditemukan. Begitu juga sebaliknya, kalimat utama
akan mudah ditemukan, ketika gagasan utama sudah bisa ditangkap. Namun, karena
kalimat utama lebih bersifat aplikatif, maka, akan lebih objektif jika pencarian kalimat
utama didahulukan daripada gagasan utama.
Pemahaman terhadap dua hal di atas hanya mungkin didapat melalui proses latihan
yang terus menerus. Dalam proses pembelajaran di sekolah hendaknya siswa diarahkan
untuk terus berlatih menemukan dua hal tersebut dalam satu atau tiga wacana penuh.
Wacana bisa diambil dari surat kabar terpercaya atau media lainnya.

Kalimat Utama/Kalimat Pokok

Kalimat utama adalah kalimat yang menjadi inti/dasar suatu paragraf. Jika kalimat
tersebut sengaja dihilangkan, maka isi paragraf tersebut akan hilang. Hal ini tidak
terjadi dengan kalimat-kalimat lain yang memang hanya berfungsi sebagai penjelas.
Kalimat utama berupa ringkasan dari sebuah paragraf yang rupakan pandangan
mendalam dari ide pokok penulis dalam paragraf tersebut.
Sebagai contoh, perhatikan paragraf berikut.
Banyak orang tua yang makin tidak awas terhadap bahaya MRSA. Sementara mereka
yang mengetahuinya khawatir jika telah mengabaikan tanda-tanda awal. Sebenarnya,
anda tak perlu terburu-buru ke dokter tiap kali anak batuk atau muncul ruam di kulit.
Anda bisa menemukan sendiri tanda-tanda infeksi dengan mengamati kulit anak dari
dekat.
Kalimat utama pada paragraf tersebut adalah “Anda bisa menemukan sendiri tanda-
tanda infeksi dengan mengamati kulit anak dari dekat.” Ketika kalimat tersebut
dihapus, maka isi dari paragraf tersebut akan buyar atau bahkan hilang. Tetapi itu tidak
akan terjadi pada kalimat pertama dan kedua. Kalimat tersebut mengandung
permasalahan yang diuraikan kalimat penjelas.
 Dalam Bahasa Inggris, kalimat utama/kalimat pokok/pokok kalimat, ini disebut
sebagai “topic sentence” atau “focus sentence”.
Jadi secara garis besar, kalimat utama akan memiliki point-point berikut.
1. Mengandung permasalahan yang potensial untuk diuraikan;
2. Mempunyai arti yang jelas tanpa dihubungkan dengan kalimat lain
3. Umumnya berada di awal paragraf (untuk paragraf deduktif), dan di akhir paragraf
(paragraf induktif).

Mencari main idea dalam paragraf Orientation

Pay attention to this paragraph bellow !

On Friday I went to Mount Bromo. It is one of the mountains I want to see very
much. It is near Probolinggo. That is why I stayed at Nida and Hasan's house at
Cemara Lawang, Probolinggo.

Ingat :
- main idea adalah ide pokok (gagasan utama) dalam suatu paragraf.
- main idea dapat diletakkan di depan, tengah atau akhir paragraf.
Contoh :
Main idea pada paragraf di atas terdapat di awal paragraf yaitu : " On Friday I went to
Mount Bromo".

Latihan dan Pembahasan

Read the passages below carefully, and then answer the following questions. Refer
back to the selections if you need help.

The Navajo Indians

A Report By: Rachel
The Navajo Indians were a very interesting tribe to learn and study about. The things
that interested me the most were their simple lifestyle. They had no electricity, running
water, or indoor plumbing. Life couldn't get much simpler than this!
Navajo Indians lived in houses called hogans. These houses were made of mud,
wooden poles, and tree bark. Many Navajo today still live in hogans.
The Pueblo Indians taught the Navajo many skills. They taught them to plant crops,
such as melon, corn, beans, and squash. This is why the Navajo were referred to as
farmers, sheep herders, and laborers. Other skills of the Navajo are sand paintings,
jewelry making, and rug weaving.
Navajo Indians wore shoes called moccasins to protect their feet from the hot, desert
ground and cactus. They were made from leather or rawhide.
Navajo Indians held ceremonies called Night Chants. They wore masks and shook
rattles while praying for rain and good crops. The ceremonies lasted for nine days!
The Navajo were warlike. They would sometimes raid other Indians, Mexicans, and
white men. They would steal horses, sheep, and cows. In 1863, Kit Carson marched 400
men through Canyon de Chelly, the stronghold of the Navajo. Carson and his men killed
so much livestock and destroyed so many crops, that the Navajo begged for peace.
Carson gathered the Navajo and moved them to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. They were
held prisoners there until 1867.
So as you can see, the Navajo Indians were a very interesting tribe to learn and study
about.

Questions

1. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The Navajo Indians were warlike.
B. The Navajo Indians were a very interesting tribe to learn and study about .
C. The Navajos had ceremonies called Night Chants.
D. The Pueblo taught the Navajo many skills.

2. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A. The Pueblo Indians taught the Navajo many skills.
 B. The Navajo wore shoes called moccasins.
C. The Navajo were skilled at rug weaving.
D. The Navajo were referred to as sheep herders.

3. What is the main idea of the sixth paragraph?

A. The Navajo were held prisoners for many years.
B. Kit Carson was a brave and daring man.
C. The Navajo were a warlike people.
D. The 400 men all died.

Same Looks, Different Personalities

By : Rachel
Maya and Melissa are twin sisters. They both have shoulder length brown hair and
they are both 5 feet tall. From this description you might think that the sisters are just
alike, but they are very different.
Maya spends most of her time playing sports. Her favorite sports are baseball and
soccer. She has gone to many championships and won many trophies, and was even said
to be the team's most valuable player.
Melissa hates sports. She plays the piano and has played in many recitals and has
won many awards. She loves writing and writes some stories for a children's magazine.
She has won many statewide writing contests.
Maya is a poor student, but keeps her grades up enough to barely pass. She isn't
interested in school. She doesn't like to read anything, except for sports magazines.
Melissa is a good student. She studies a lot and is at the top of her class. She was
valedictorian when she graduated from elementary school. Melissa loves books and
reads them all the time.
Maya is outgoing and loud. She is also very humorous. When someone is feeling down,
you could count on Maya to make them laugh. She usually wears jeans, a shirt, and she
wears her hair up in her lucky baseball hat.
Melissa is quiet and shy. But she is a good listener. When someone tells her a problem,
she tries to understand how they feel. Melissa wears skirts and sweaters and wears her
hair up in a ponytail.
The two sisters may have very different personalities, but they are best friends and
very close.

Questions

1. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Melissa is very shy.
B. Maya loves sports.
C. The twins look alike, but they have different personalities.
D. The twins are very different, but they are very close.

2. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

A. Maya isn't interested in school and doesn't like reading.
B. Maya loves sports magazines.
C. Maya loves to read.
D. Maya is a poor student.

3. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A. Maya plays baseball.
B. Melissa plays the piano.
C. Maya loves sports.
D. Maya loves the flute.

4. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?

A. Melissa has skipped a grade.
B. Melissa is a good student.
C. Maya loves to write.
D. Melissa pays attention.

Answers

The Navajo Indians

1. What is the main idea of this passage?
B. The Navajo Indians were a interesting tribe to learn and study about.
2. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
A. The Navajo had many skills.
3. What is the main idea of the sixth paragraph?
C. The Navajo were a warlike people.

Same Looks, Different Personalities

1. What is the main idea of this passage?
C. The twins look alike, but have different personalities.
2. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?
A. Maya isn't interested in school, and doesn't like to read.
3. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
C. Maya loves sports.
4. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
B. Melissa is a good student.

L atihan

Read this story below, then answer the question !

A Traffic Accident
There was a traffic accident in front of my house yesterday. It happened at about three of clock
in the afternoon. It was between a bus and a motorcycle. I was playing in the yard, and I saw a
bus coming from the west. The bus was very fast. Suddenly a motorcycle crossed the road. The
bus driver did not have time to stop his bus and the accident happened. The bus driver got off the
bus. He wanted to help the motorist. The motorist was injured. She could not walk. A few
minutes later two policemen came.