R21: Matching headings, step by step

In matching headings, you get a list of headings and a passage with lettered paragraphs. You choose the best heading for each paragraph. There are always more headings than paragraphs. This question type tests one thing: can you find the main idea of a paragraph, and ignore the details?

Why this matters

Matching headings often appears in Passage 1 or 2, sometimes with five to seven questions. Students who read for details get confused, because many headings match a detail. Students who read for main ideas find it much easier.

Main idea vs detail

The main idea is what the whole paragraph is about. A detail is one fact or example inside it. The right heading matches the main idea. Wrong headings often match a detail, or use the same keyword.

The method

1. Read all the headings first. For each one, note its key idea in a word or two.
2. Notice similar headings. If two headings look alike, find the small difference, like causes vs effects, or past vs future.
3. Read each paragraph's first and last sentences. Then skim the middle.
4. Say the main idea in your own words. Then find the heading that matches.
5. Cross out used headings. Unless the instructions say you can use a heading more than once.
6. Skip and return. Do the easy paragraphs first. The hard ones get easier as you remove options.

A worked example

Headings:

• i. The high cost of a solution
• ii. Why people first moved to cities
• iii. A problem with growing cities
• iv. Plans for the future
• v. A success story from one city
• vi. The history of public parks

A By 2050, about two-thirds of the world's population is expected to live in cities. As cities grow, green space often disappears. New buildings and roads replace fields and trees, leaving residents with few places to relax outdoors.

B One answer is to create rooftop gardens. However, these are not cheap. Strengthening a roof to carry the weight of soil and water can cost more than the garden itself.

C Singapore offers an encouraging example. Over several decades, the city has added parks, tree-lined streets and green walls, even as its population has increased.

Why?

• A is about green space disappearing as cities grow. That's a problem with growing cities. Heading ii is a trap. The paragraph mentions people living in cities, but not why they first moved.
• B mentions rooftop gardens, but the main idea is that they're expensive. However, these are not cheap. That's heading i.
• C is about Singapore's success. Heading vi is a trap, because parks appear, but there's no history of parks.

Headings ii, iv and vi are the extras.

Signals in a paragraph

• The first sentence often states the topic.
• However or but in the middle often turns to the real point, as in paragraph B.
• Lists of examples are details. Look for what they're examples of.

Try it yourself

D City planners are now considering new rules. From 2030, all new office buildings in some cities may be required to include green roofs or walls.

Which heading fits D?

Honest note

Sometimes two headings both seem to fit. Choose the one that covers the whole paragraph, not just part of it. If it only fits one sentence, it's probably wrong.

Your task today

Do one matching headings block. For each paragraph, write the main idea in five words before looking at the headings.