What is the central idea of this excerpt? the sun and stars are lovelier than jewels and shine just as bright. even fine cloth is made from the thread of simple sheeps wool. gold is a big pile of metal and should not give anyone more power. utopians are surprised by the great value placed on jewels, cloth, and gold?

The main idea or the central idea of the paragraph must encompass all the ideas. In this case, the central idea is: utopians are surprised by the great value placed on jewels, cloth, and gold stated by the supporting details. 

That is why the rest of the sentences talk about the value of jewels, cloth and gold to support the main thought. 

Writers create conflict between characters to further create drama. Drama leads to the climax, which is the most dramatic, or filled, part of the book. They also use stronger or more violent dialogue between the characters to support the plot.