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Snap Language

Getting Smarter through Language

Intermediate Reading Course. Section 1: The Basics

Practice 1. Identifying general and specific ideas

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Instructions

In this exercise, you will practice recognizing general and specific concepts. This is a necessary skill when reading a paragraph because you must distinguish general topics and main ideas from the details.

Instructions. Use what you have learned in the lesson about the anatomy of a paragraph. In this exercise, you will see groups of words and phrases. One of them refers to a general concept or idea while the others are specific ideas related to it. Identify the general idea.

For example, in “bananas, apples, fruit, pears” the general idea is “fruit” while the others are specific types of fruit.

When you are finished, click “Answer” to check your answer.

Note. Your answers will not be submitted. When you leave this page, they will be deleted.

PDF Handout

Group 1: guitar — piano — flute — instrument

Your Answer:

Instrument. (Guitars, pianos, and flutes are musical instruments.)

Group 2: beverage — coffee — iced tea — lemonade

Your Answer:

Beverage. (Coffee, iced tea, and lemonade are beverages.)

Group 3: strawberries and cream — apple pie — ice cream — dessert

Your Answer:

Dessert. (Strawberries and cream, apple pie, and ice cream are desserts.)

Group 4: device — laptop — smartphone — tablet

Your Answer:

Device. (Laptops, smartphones, and tablets are electronic devices.)

Group 5: necklace — jewelry — diamond ring — bracelet

Your Answer:

Jewelry. (Necklaces, diamond rings, and bracelets are jewelry.)

Group 6: chess — monopoly — checkers — game

Your Answer:

Game. (Chess, monopoly, and checkers are games.)

Group 7: foot — hand — body part — chest

Your Answer:

Body part. (Feet, hands, and chests are body parts.)

Group 8: brick — material — wood — steel

Your Answer:

Material. (Brick, wood, and steel are building materials.)

Group 9: ideology — liberalism — socialism — conservatism

Your Answer:

Ideology. (Liberalism, socialism, and conservatism are political ideologies.)

Group 10: carbon — oxygen — hydrogen — element

Your Answer:

Element. (Carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen are chemical elements.)

Group 11: poetry — genre — drama — novel

Your Answer:

Genre. (Poetry, drama, and novel are literary genres.)

Group 12: addition — multiplication — division — operation

Your Answer:

Operation. (Addition, multiplication, and division are mathematical operations.)

Back to the lesson

You’re all done. Congratulations!

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“What should I learn next?”

Try Practice 2 or use the navigation buttons to return to the lesson or choose another skill.

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