Main Idea & Supporting Details

Multiple Choice

A bat can fly at night or even with its eyes closed.  But if you cover its ears, it can't fly very well.  Bats make sounds that people can't hear.  The bats find their way by listening to these sounds as they echo off things.  Bats even locate insects to eat by following the sounds that bounce off the bugs.  People use their eyes, but bats use their ears to know where they're going.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how bats use sound
• what things bats often eat as food
• how bats fly toward people
• how people can hear the sounds of bats

Multiple Choice

Ice cream is a popular dessert. It comes in many different flavors and can be eaten in a variety of ways. Some people like to put different toppings on their ice cream, such as sprinkles or chocolate dip. Vanilla and chocolate are two of the most popular flavors. However ice cream is eaten, it's always delicious!

What is the main idea?

• ice cream

• about ice cream

• why people like ice cream

• Ice cream is a popular dessert.

Multiple Choice

Reading is a great way to learn. There are millions of books to choose from on just about any topic you want to research. Reading can be for learning or just for pleasure. You can read from an actual book, or on an electronic device such as a computer or an e-Reader. Informational text is a great genre to read if you want to learn interesting facts about a subject.

What is the main idea?

• E-Readers are cool because you can download books any time you want.

• Epic is a great website for reading.

• Reading is a great way to learn.

• Information text teaches you facts.

Multiple Choice

Mount Rushmore is a huge carving in a stone cliff. The carving shows the faces of four U.S. presidents. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota. Each year many people visit this amazing sight.

What is a detail that tells about the main idea?

• how the four presidents were chosen

• why Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota

• which presidents are at Mount Rushmore

Multiple Choice

Basketball is a popular sport. The game got its start over a hundred years ago. In 1891, Dr. James Naismith was a teacher. He wanted a new game for his students to play. He came up with an idea. The new game would let his students play inside during the cold winter. Players would throw a soccer ball into two peach baskets. That is how the game came to be known as basketball. Dr. Naismith's first game had thirteen rules. Some of the rules have changed, but others remain the same. For example, a player could not run with the ball in 1891. Today, players still cannot run while holding the ball. They can run while dribbling the ball.
Which detail could be added to support the main idea of the passage?

• Young children want to play outside even during the cold season.
• The first basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• Sports teach people how to get along and how to obey the rules
• Basketball, football, baseball, and volleyball are games that use a ball

Multiple Choice

Basketball is a popular sport. The game got its start over a hundred years ago. In 1891, Dr. James Naismith was a teacher. He wanted a new game for his students to play. He came up with an idea. The new game would let his students play inside during the cold winter. Players would throw a soccer ball into two peach baskets. That is how the game came to be known as basketball. Dr. Naismith's first game had thirteen rules. Some of the rules have changed, but others remain the same. For example, a player could not run with the ball in 1891. Today, players still cannot run while holding the ball. They can run while dribbling the ball.
Which detail tells why basketball was invented?

• The new game would let his students play inside during the cold winter.
• Some of the rules have changed, but others remain the same
• For example, a player could not run with the ball in 1891.
• That is how the game came to be known as basketball