Central Idea

Central Idea and Development for article: The Politics of Lunches

By Kelly Schnibbe

Multiple Choice

The Politics of School Lunches

A shocking seventeen percent of children and teenagers are now obese, due in large part to unhealthy

diets. Schools across the nation serve thirteen million free breakfasts and thirty million free lunches to low income children every day, and making these meals healthier could have a significant effect on obesity rates. In 2010, the government passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Its aim was to make school lunches healthier by adding more fruits and whole grains and lowering salt and calorie content. At first, the act had widespread support from Congress, food manufacturers, and school cafeteria workers because people recognized that kids needed help to become healthier.

What is the main point of paragraph 1?

• Obesity

• School Lunch

• Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act

Multiple Choice

Once the act was passed, however, these groups disagreed about how to implement rules to enforce it.

Healthier food is more expensive than junk food, and food manufacturers do not want to pay more to follow

the act’s strict rules. Some students are angry about having to eat smaller portions of food that they say

tastes bad. Food waste has also become a problem because students are throwing away more food than they

used to.

What is the main point of paragraph 2?

• Problems with the act: cost, taste, waste.

• Students are angry.

• Rules to enforce the act .

Multiple Choice

Cafeteria workers began to oppose the rules as well, calling them too restrictive and expensive. A 2015

survey by the School Nutrition Association showed that meeting the new rules caused seventy percent of

school meal programs nationwide to lose money. Student participation in the programs has dropped as

students become dissatisfied and more wasteful. But doctors and government officials who support the

changes say that, despite the difficulties, students are eating healthier meals overall than they were before the

law was passed.

What is the main point of paragraph 3?

• Cafeteria workers opposed the rule.

• Despite the difficulties students were eating healthier meals.

• The new rules caused cafeterias to lose money and students didn't participate.

Multiple Select

Put all the main points together from the previous questions, think about the title, the author's purpose.

What are two central ideas of the text? Choose two answers.

• American schools serve thirteen million free

  breakfasts every day.

• The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act aims to

  make school lunches healthier.

• Many school meal programs have lost money

  since the act took effect.

• The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was widely

  supported in the beginning.

Multiple Select

Which TWO details BEST support the central

ideas of the text? Choose two.

• "A shocking seventeen percent of children and

  teenagers are now obese, due in large part to

  unhealthy diets."

• "Healthier food is more expensive than junk

  food, and food manufacturers do not want to pay

  more to follow the act’s strict rules."

• "At first, the act had widespread support from

  Congress, food manufacturers, and school

  cafeteria workers because people recognized

  that kids needed help to become healthier."

• "Its aim was to make school lunches healthier by

  adding more fruits and whole grains and

  lowering salt and calorie content."