Which of the following is NOT a subskill under Informational Texts?

• A. Main idea
• B. Supporting details
• C. Central Idea/Theme
• D. Evaluating sources

Answer: (C)

When working with informational texts, the focus is on understanding the factual content and how that content is organized and supported. The subskills you practice include identifying the main idea of the text, noting the details that back up that idea, and evaluating sources to judge credibility and relevance of the information presented. The idea of a central idea or theme is more closely tied to literary analysis, where readers look for the overarching message or moral of a story. Because theme is a concept used mainly in fiction, it isn’t treated as a subskill of informational texts. That’s why central idea/theme is the best choice for what is NOT a subskill under informational texts. For example, in a non-fiction article about recycling, you’d pinpoint the main idea (the article’s primary point) and list supporting details (facts, statistics, examples) and you’d assess the sources’ trustworthiness.