Zinger 5 and 6

Controlling Idea and Supporting Evidence

​7D

On the STAAR test, you may be asked to infer the author's main idea, also called the controlling idea or thesis, in a reading selection. In argumentative writing, the main idea is referred to as the main claim. You may also be asked to identify and interpret evidence the author uses to develop and support the controlling idea or claim.
The STAAR test usually frames the prompts as shown in these examples:
• Asking directly about the controlling idea or claim of a selection or paragraph
Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the article?

• Asking how the author uses supporting evidence to support the controlling idea or claim
What evidence does the author primarily use to support her claim?
Which detail about printed maps is most important to the author's argument?

STAAR Language

Questions about the controlling Idea of a selection or paragraph typically use the phrase main idea. Questions about evidence often use the word detail.

Drag and Drop

On the STAAR test, you may be asked to infer the author's

Placeholder

, also called the controlling idea or thesis, in a reading selection. In argumentative writing, the main idea is referred to as the main claim. You may also be asked to identify and interpret ​

Placeholder

the author uses to develop and support the controlling idea or claim. The STAAR test usually frames the prompts as shown.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

main idea

evidence

Multiple Choice

Which statement best expresses the main idea of the paragraph?

• It is important to conserve water.

• People can water plants more efficiently.

Multiple Choice

According to the author, people are likely to believe that -

• more water is always better for plants

• Water conservation is important

Multiple Choice

The author uses the quotation from Dr. Kevin Pope to support the idea that -

• archaeologists often work with NASA on projects

• the crater might have been dug long ago by the Mayans

• the crater was immense enough to be seen from space

Multiple Choice

Which statement best expresses the main idea of the selection?

• The Chicxulub crater is a remarkable natural feature.

• Nature eventually conceals events that occurred in the past.

• NASA's research is not limited to outer space exploration.

Multiple Choice

Which fact best supports the author's main claim that Bessie Coleman needed determination to become a licensed pilot?

• She moved to Chicago and worked as a manicurist.

• She had to leave the country to get training.

• She earned her license before the age of thirty.

• She was born to a family of sharecroppers.

Multiple Choice

What evidence does the author mainly use to describe Bessie Coleman's efforts to become a pilot?

• The author's own thoughts on Bessie Coleman

• Details about Bessie Coleman's emotions from her memoirs

• Facts about historic obstacles in the U. S. at that time

• Expert interviews and opinions from that era

Word Cloud

What is the purpose of a controlling idea?

Author's Purpose

​8A, 8B, 8D

The author's purpose is the main reason why an author writes about a topic for a certain audience. Author's purpose can also refer to the author's intentions, which can be inferred from evidence such as organizational choices, rhetorical strategies, or other uses of language.

The STAAR test usually asks about author's purpose in two ways:

• Asking about the author's main or primary purpose

The primary purpose of the selection is to convince readers that —

• Asking about the author's organizational or linguistic choices

The author organizes the selection by —

STAAR Language

In questions about an author's purpose, answer choices often start With different verbs, such as analyze, convince, inform, persuade, advocate, or

explain. Focus on the whole answer, not just the verb.

Drag and Drop

The ​

Placeholder

is the main reason why an author writes about a topic for a certain audience. The author's intentions can be inferred from the author's rhetorical strategies, word choices, and other uses of language. The author's purpose can also be inferred by ​

Placeholder

used to structure ideas and convey information in a sensible way.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

author's purpose

organizational patterns

Multiple Choice

What can the reader conclude about the first two sentences?

• The author wants to list the best reasons for choosing grass for landscaping.

• The author wants to explain why so many people have grass yards.

Multiple Choice

The author's purpose for including the phrase "water hogs" is to

• get readers to imagine how much a hog can drink

• present a vivid description of a grass yard's water usage

Multiple Choice

Which of these best describes the author's purpose for writing this article?

• To introduce the topic of hurricanes and other severe storms

• To claim it is difficult to predict hurricane activity

• To caution readers about the dangers of hurricanes

Multiple Choice

Why does the author include the details about the 1933 hurricane season?

• To evoke the alarm people felt during that hurricane season

• To describe the damage hurricanes can cause to coastal towns

• To provide an example of an uncommon hurricane season

Multiple Choice

The author includes the detail "reflecting enough sunlight to cast shadows" in order to —

• illustrate how bright a full moon is

• discuss the ways in which the moon acts as a mirror

• provide evidence of how powerful the sun is

• remind the reader that shadows occur only at night

Multiple Choice

The author's main purpose for writing this article is to —

• illustrate disagreements within the scientific community

• convince readers that their own senses cannot be trusted

• explain an odd occurrence that a wide audience can relate to

• criticize people who are deceived by illusions

Word Cloud

In questions about author's purpose, answer choices often start with different verbs, such as -

from Mystery of Purple Lights in Sky Solved with Help of Citizen Scientists

Take some time to read the passages and answer the four questions.

​from Mystery of Purple Lights in Sky Solved with Help of Citizen Scientists by Kasha Patel, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Multiple Choice

Which detail best supports the idea that Bourassa knew the purple light was not an aurora borealis?

• He is a trained IT technician living in Regina, Canada.

• He had watched the aurora borealis for 30 years.

• He joined the Aurorasaurus project.

• He brought his children outside to see the aurora borealis.

Multiple Choice

The author describes the Aurorasaurus project in order to —

• show that people interested in science often form Facebook groups

• introduce the team of citizens and scientists that investigated Steve

• explain why the aurora borealis is so important to scientists

• give an example of an unusual hobby that can be done by anyone

Multiple Choice

What idea is supported by paragraph 7?

• Everyone should know how to identify an aurora borealis.

• Steve is an unusual aurora because it cannot be seen from satellites.

• Observing objects in the sky from the ground is not scientific.

• It isn't necessary to be a scientist in order to contribute to science.

Multiple Choice

The author uses the quotation from space scientist Liz MacDonald to —

• tell the reader what has been learned and what is still to learn about Steve

• support the scientists' decision to end the study

• share information on how to join the project

• introduce the idea that someday we may be able to create our own auroras

from El Paso in 1858

Take some time to read the passages and answer the four questions.

Multiple Choice

In paragraphs 2 and 3, the author describes the small town as —

• thriving and attractive

• challenging due to its altitude

• covered by large trees

• lacking a steady supply of water

Multiple Choice

What detail supports the idea that townspeople wanted to share certain problems or complaints with the community?

• They held a regular market under several large trees.

• They supported a ferry service and used boats to cross the river.

• They sold fruit, wheat, vegetables, and meat to each other.

• They used a plank nailed to a tree as a bulletin board.

Multiple Choice

What is the author's purpose in mentioning the dam that supplies power to the mill?

• To show that many people depended on the mill

• To explain how a mill is able to work without electricity

• To reveal the generosity of those on the Mexican side of the river

• To interest readers in visiting the old mill and watching it work

Multiple Choice

Based on the way the author describes El Paso, readers can conclude that —

• the river was important to the town's success

• the flour mill would soon attract even more people to live there

• it would be better for the town to grow fewer crops

• it was difficult to find a variety of food in the town