Most people use the word “hobo” as little more

Question

than a derogatory term for the homeless, deriding them
as lazy bums who spend their days idly wandering the
country. However, the word properly refers to an
itinerant worker. Far from lazy, hobos travel hundreds
of miles looking for any work they can find. When jobs
were especially scarce during the Great Depression
several hundred thousand hobos traveled from town to
town, hitching rides in railway freight cars and carrying
only the bare essentials on their backs. As their
numbers increased, hobo culture became more
organized, developing ways to communicate with each
other to keep safe. These included homemade travel
books and a system of written symbols to inform other
hobos whether nearby houses were friendly or hostile.
Today, hobos even have their own union and an annual
convention in Britt, Iowa, home of the National Hobo
Museum. Main idea

Answer 1

The main idea of the passage is to clarify the true meaning of the term "hobo," highlighting that it refers to itinerant workers who travel in search of jobs, rather than merely being a derogatory term for the homeless. It also emphasizes the organized culture and community that developed among hobos, including their communication methods and ongoing traditions, such as a union and an annual convention.