A STUDENT reads a novel.

Question

STUDENT: Man, I'm really loving this book I'm reading but I kept on running into this phrase, Appalachian Mountains. I didn’t know where they were. Honestly, I didn’t know how to say their name! So, I looked it up in the dictionary.

An image displaying the dictionary definition of Appalachian Mountains appears at the bottom right of the screen.

STUDENT: The dictionary helped me pronounce the word and it gave me a bit of information about it but I didn’t have enough information that really helped me understand the word. The dictionary says it’s a geographical name. That made me think there might be more information in the encyclopedia.

An image displaying the encyclopedia entry for the Appalachian Mountains appears at the bottom right of the screen,

STUDENT: Now, I was getting the information I needed to understand! The encyclopedia not only explained where the mountains are but the history of the people who lived there.
Sometimes, a general reference like the dictionary is just the first step. Don’t forget specialized reference materials!

STUDENT: Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got a book to finish.

Main idea

Answer 1

The main idea of the passage is the importance of using specialized reference materials, such as encyclopedias, to gain a deeper understanding and context of unfamiliar words or concepts while reading.