Main Idea Check-In

Main Idea Check

Read "Mysteries of the Sun," "Analyzing Advertising," and "An Earth-Shaking Event"

Topic (subject), main idea, and details

Almost everything that you read will have a topic (subject), main idea, and details. It may help to imagine theses characteristics as big, medium, and small.

The topic (subject) of a book is big and broad. Try asking yourself, "What is this book about?" and answering in a few words.

Multiple Choice

What is the topic of the passage?

• The ability to vote

• The ability to vote is an important right.

• Voting stations should be easy to get to.

• People should be able to vote easily.

Main idea

The main idea is more specific than the topic. It gives us more information about what the text is about. Try asking yourself, "What is the author saying?" and "What is the most important thing the author wants me to walk away with from this text?"

You'll find main idea in both fiction and nonfiction texts.

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of the passage?

• Federica doesn't feel at home in her new city.

• Federica sat in the back of the cab, watching her new city go by.

• a girl named Federica

• Sometimes, people must get used to new ways of life.

Details

The details are the most specific of all. They support the main idea. They often include descriptions about people, places, and things.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following details from the passage best supports the main idea that "Serena enjoys searching for shells and other other creatures on the beach"?

• "Serena crossed the beach."

• "It was early morning, and the ocean tide was low."

• "...sand shifting beneath her feet as she ran."

• "...hairy and ancient hermit crabs and swift, darting minnows and sometimes a crumbling sand dollar..."

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of the passage?

• Mardi Gras is an annual festival in New Orleans, during which people can enjoy themselves before Lent.

• Festival

• Festival help bring people together.

• During Lent, people give up certain things, like eating their favorite foods, for a few weeks.

Multiple Choice

Before sharing the news, Maya used critical thinking by checking the facts, asking questions, and deciding whether the information made sense.

What does critical thinking most nearly mean?

• Believing everything you hear

• Thinking carefully and asking questions

• Guessing quickly

• Repeating someone else’s idea

Open Ended

The rumor sounded incredible since it had no proof and seemed too strange to be true.

Type the clue words that helped you define incredible.

Multiple Choice

The broken clock was unreliable since it showed a different time every hour.

What does unreliable mean here?

• Always correct

• Can be trusted

• Does not work correctly

• Very expensive

Multiple Choice

Her argument was valid because she supported her opinion with strong evidence and clear reasons.

What does valid mean in this sentence?

• Popular

• Supported by good reasons

• Very long

• Emotional

Open Ended

The article contained an omission because it left out important details that would have helped readers understand the full story.

Type the clue words that helped you define omission.

Read "Mysteries of the Sun"

Multiple Choice

Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

• The Sun pours out many tiny particles.

• The Sun has many mysteries.

• The Sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface.

• The Sun is the brightest thing in the sky.

Multiple Choice

The main idea of the last paragraph is best stated by the -

• first sentence

• second sentence

• fourth sentence

• last sentence

Multiple Choice

The sentence "These particles are very small." supports the idea that -

• the Sun is hot

• the Sun gives us energy

• the Sun's atmosphere is hotter than the surface

• the Sun releases trillions of particles

Multiple Choice

Which detail supports the main idea of the last paragraph?

• The Sun is mysterious.

• The Sun's atmosphere is 3 million degrees.

• The Sun is responsible for the life on Earth.

• Neutrinos can pass through anything.

Read "Analyzing Advertising"

Multiple Choice

Choose the main idea that is supported by this detail: An anti-advertisement sometimes makes fun of advertising itself.

• One of the sneakiest types of advertisement is the anti-advertisement.

• Anti-advertisements can make fun of other ads.

• Advertising can be funny.

• The simplest kind of advertisement is called the "hard sell."

Multiple Choice

Which detail supports the main idea that the bandwagon is a method of advertising?

• Advertisers are trying to sell something.

• This advertising says that if other people buy a candy bar, you should too.

• This advertising tells you that a product is good.

• A smart person looks on.

Multiple Choice

The main ideas in paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 are placed -

• at the end of the passage

• at the end of each paragraph

• at the beginning of each paragraph

• in the middle of each paragraph

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of the whole article?

• Advertising is trying to sell you something.

• One type of advertising is the hard sell.

• Bandwagon advertising tell you that other people are buying a product.

• The sneakiest type of advertising is anti-advertising.

Multiple Choice

One clue to the main idea of the article is in -

• the third paragraph

• the title

• the last sentence

• the second paragraph

Read "An Earth-Shaking Event"

Multiple Choice

The title suggests that the main idea of this passage might be -

• California

• earthquakes

• scientists

• the Midwest

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

• The Midwest is not prepared for large earthquakes.

• Powerful earthquakes can occur in the Midwest.

• Schools do not have earthquake drills.

• California is prepared for earthquakes.

Multiple Choice

The main idea of the third paragraph is -

• church bells rang in Boston

• the Mississippi River flowed backward

• the shaking was felt very far away

• few people lived in the Midwest

Multiple Choice

Which detail supports the idea that the earthquake affected the Midwest in many ways?

• Scientists have been monitoring the area.

• There were few fatalities.

• The Midwest is not prepared.

• The Mississippi River was knocked off course.

Multiple Choice

The details in the second paragraph support the main idea that -

• earthquakes happen all over the United States

• more earthquakes may happen soon

• the area is not prepared for quakes

• the Midwest earthquakes were very powerful

Multiple Choice

A good way to restart the main idea of the entire article is -

• the Midwest earthquakes had few fatalities

• powerful earthquakes can happen in the Midwest

• California has powerful earthquakes

• thousands of small earthquakes have happened in the Midwest

Multiple Choice

Which detail answers a where question about the main idea of the article?

• The quake measured over 9.0 on the Richter scale.

• The earthquake shook the tiny town of New Madrid, Missouri.

• California often experiences earthquakes.

• Log cabins collapsed near Cincinnati, Ohio.