Main Idea and Details Practice 1

Multiple Choice

What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?

• Who is the main character?

• What is the main event?

• What is one important detail?

• What point is the author trying to make?

Multiple Choice

If I were answering the question: "Is Kayla a good student?", which of the following would be an important detail?

• Kayla is 13 years old.

• Kayla goes to a Catholic School.

• Kayla enjoys reading, and does her work to her full potential.

Multiple Choice

The girl walked down the street with her head hanging down; She had just lost her first soccer game. What detail from the text can tell you how the girl was feeling?

• She lost her first game.

• Her head was hanging down.

• She walked down the street.

Multiple Choice

I had finally gotten used to being weightless. It became a comfortable feeling. I especially liked floating by the window to see Earth below.

Who am I?

• An astronaut

• A scuba diver

• A brain surgeon

Multiple Choice

What evidence best supports the idea: best friends are always there for you?

• Jessica and Jennifer always talk about Michelle when she isn't around.

• Jessica always makes sure to help Jennifer and Michelle when they ask for support.

• Jennifer and Michelle make sure to copy off Jessica's homework.

Multiple Choice

It's a good thing we were all wearing seat belts when the turbulence hit!

Based on the text, which of the following most likely happened?

• A family was on a road trip and hit a pothole.

• A boat went over some waves.

• A plane had gone through a storm.

• There are not enough details to answer the question.

Multiple Choice

They weren't on the hook by the door and they weren't by her purse. Alison checked the pockets of the jacket she'd worn the day before, but they weren't there either. She looked at her watch and realized she would be late for work if she didn't leave soon.

What is Alison looking for?

• Her phone

• Her wallet

• Her keys

• Her charger

Multiple Choice

Tiffany held her breath as her teacher returned the math test the class had taken last week. Tiffany had not studied very hard for the test, and she was worried about her grade. Her teacher handed Tiffany her test. Tiffany groaned and put her head down on her desk.

It is likely that:

• Tiffany earned a bad grade on the test.

• Tiffany is tired from staying up late.

• Tiffany received a good grade on the test.

• Tiffany is angry at her teacher.

Multiple Choice

Claim: Uniforms should not be worn in schools.

Which piece of evidence BEST supports the claim?

• The typical American family spends more than $2,000 on clothes and shoes for their child every year.

• Being able to choose one's own clothing and overall appearance is a way for people to express their individuality and uniqueness.

• Less students would be late to school in the morning if they did not have to waste time picking out clothes.

Multiple Choice

Claim: Students should not be given homework.

Which piece of evidence BEST supports this claim?

answer choices

• 65% of students who do their homework perform better on assessments.

• Homework takes away students' free time after school to participate in extracurricular activities and spend time with their friends and families.

• 3 out of 4 parents believe that homework helps their children succeed academically.

• Educational researchers believe that homework should not be counted as a grade.

Multiple Choice

Claim: Parents should not post pictures/videos of their children online.

Which piece of evidence BEST supports this claim?

answer choices

• Parents agree that no harm has ever come from them posting photos of their children online.

• Children have the same rights to privacy that adults do.

• 4 out of 7 parents believe they have a right as parents to post pictures of their children online.

• In a recent poll, 90% of young adults said they use social media every day.

Multiple Choice

Claim: 16 year olds should be allowed to vote.

Which piece of evidence BEST supports this claim?

answer choices

• In a recent poll, 53% of 16 year olds indicated that they would be interested in voting if given the chance.

• Giving 16 year olds the opportunity to vote would get them interested in politics at a younger age, which would benefit our country and government in the long run.

• A person's brain is not fully developed until their mid-to-late 20s, which affects their decision-making.

• In a recent poll, 87% of adults (18+) agreed that 16 year olds are not responsible enough to vote.

Multiple Choice

Claim: The school day should not start earlier than 9am.

Which piece of evidence BEST supports this claim?

answer choices

• Research has proven that teens would not get more sleep even if the school day started later because they would still stay up late watching TikToks.

• Studies show that teenagers perform better academically when they get more sleep.

• If school started later, there would be less traffic from parents and students.

• If students started school earlier, they could go home earlier, which would give them more time for extracurriculars.

Multiple Select

Claim: It should be free to attend every college.

Which TWO pieces of evidence BEST support this claim?

answer choices

• Making all colleges free would give everyone a more equal chance at being successful and wealthy.

• Colleges wouldn't be able to afford to stay open if students did not pay tuition.

• More people would attend college if it were free, which would benefit society because people would be better educated.

• If college were free, it would be difficult to find people to work essential jobs that don't require an education like cashiering and labor.

Multiple Choice

Claim: Darry Curtis is the true hero inThe Outsiders.

Which piece of textual evidence BEST supports this claim?

answer choices

• "Darry never had time to do anything anymore."

• "Darry isn't ever sorry for anything he does."

• "The only thing that keeps Darry from bein' a Soc is us. He sacrificed a lot to take care of us."

• "It was Darry. He hit me... we used to get along okay... before Mom and Dad died. Now he just can't stand me."

Multiple Choice

Claim: Johnny gains more courage and self-confidence by the end of The Outsiders.

Which piece of textual evidence BEST supports this claim?

answer choices

• "Johnny wasn't behaving at all like his old self... he grinned at me. He wasn't scared either. That was the only time I could think of when I saw him without that defeated, suspicious look in his eyes."

• "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold."

• "If you can picture a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers, you'll have Johnny."

• "Johnny was always nervous around strangers."

Multiple Choice

Yesterday, I got a new coat. My coat is blue with white stripes. The coat smelled fresh and clean! This coat has a hood, which my other old coats do not have.

Which sentence is the central idea?

• Yesterday, I got a new coat.

• My coat is blue with white stripes.

• This coat has a hood, which my other old coats do not have.

• The coat smelled fresh and clean!

Multiple Select

Yesterday, I got a new coat. My coat is blue with white stripes. The coat smelled fresh and clean! This coat has a hood, which my other old coats do not have. I have a green shirt in my closet. My green shoes will match and make it a cute outfit!

Which sentences are supporting details to the central idea?

• Yesterday, I got a new coat!

• The coat smelled fresh and clean!

• This coat has a hood, which my other old coats do not have.

• I have a green shirt in my closet.

Multiple Choice

Select the supporting detail that DOES NOT fit.

Topic Sentence: My cat is afraid of everything.

• He hides under the couch when you turn the microwave on.

• He sleeps all day long.

• He runs away when you sweep the floor.

• He jumps every time the doorbell rings.

Multiple Choice

What are you looking for when a question asks you to provide text evidence?

• a piece of writing like an article, poem, or story

• topic

• clues (proof) within the text

• central idea