Finding the Big Picture

Every literary passage has a main idea or theme—the central message or insight it tries to convey. On the SAT, you'll be asked to identify these big ideas, which often means reading between the lines.

Theme vs. Main Idea

• Theme: The universal message or lesson (e.g., "Love conquers all.")
• Main Idea: What the passage is mostly about (e.g., "A girl overcomes obstacles to achieve her dreams.")

Strategies

• Look for repeated ideas or images.
• Pay attention to how characters change.
• Ask yourself: What is the author trying to say about life or people?

Why It Matters

Recognizing the theme or main idea helps you interpret the passage and answer inferential questions.