What is the main idea in this passage?

Question

what is the answer 

 

Answer 1

"What is the main idea in this passage?" This question asks you to find the most important idea in a piece of writing. Ask yourself what the person who wrote passage is trying to tell you.

Answer 2

Sometime a person will ask, "May I ask a question?" and they are told, "You just did."

 

Since there is no associated passage, I will assume that the passage is. "What is the main idea in this passage?"

 

If that is the case, then I would say that the main idea conveyed is that an answer (and, perhaps, not a process) is requested.  That conclusion is supported by the statement. "what is the answer."  It is politely expressed as a question rather than an imperative, but is still non-specific.  Therefore, the answer may be quite general, for example, "Clarification, please."

 

A more specific answer may be given to a more specific question.