Identifying Main Idea (#3)

You turn a year older, and friends sing a certain song to you. The story of "Happy Birthday" goes back to the 1890s. In 1893 a teacher named Patty Smith Hill and her sister Mildred published a book called Song Stories for Kindergarten. The first song in the book was a four-line verse called "Good Morning to All." Patty soon wrote new words to this ditty, and it became the popular "Happy Birthday" song still sung today. People sing it in many languages around the world. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Celebrating birthdays

• Kindergarten songs

• The story of "Happy Birthday"

• A worldwide birthday song

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When the first rail lines were put in place across the United States in 1869, officials had a problem. Each town along the way set its clock by the noonday sun. So the time was never the same fom place to place. It was hard to have a reliable railroad schedule with this system. So in 1883, railroad owners, scientists and business men came up with four time zones across the country. This new system was called the Standard Railway Time. Today, these are the time zones in use across the United States. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• The first transcontinental railroad

• Trains that were never on time

• Different times in different places

• How railroads resulted in time zones

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In the 1860's an American named Henry Bergh was in Russia working for the U. S. government. He was horrified when he saw local peasants beating their horses in the streets. Soon after that, Bergh founded an organization in the United States to help animals. It was called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). As the first president, Bergh worked hard to keep people from abusing aimals. He even started an ambulance service for horses. It began two years before there was one for people. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• What Bergh saw in Russia

• The life story of Henry Bergh

• The first horse ambulance

• How the ASPCA was started

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The Smithsonian opened in Washington, D. C., in 1855. It is the world's largest museum and covers 19 acres. It was founded because of the generosity of an Englishman named James Smithson. When Smithson died in 1829, he left his money to a nephew. If the nephew had no heirs, the money was to go to the U. S. government to start a museum. The nephew died in 1835, leaving no children. And, sure snough, 105 bags of gold arrived in the United States for the museum. Curiously, Smithson never actually visited this country. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• What the Smithsonian is like

• The origin of the Smithsonian

• Who was James Smithson

• The world's largest museum

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Many words have interesting stories about their origins. For example, the Cesar Ritz was a fancy hotel in Switzerland. So, the word "ritzy" came to mean, "very fancy." In Greek mythology, Atlas was a giant who had to hold the world on his shoulders. Today, an atlas is a book of maps. A vandal is someone who destroys things on purpose. This word comes from the Vandals who were known for attacking and robbing their neighbors in ancient Europe. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• How the word "atlas" came into use

• Interesting word histories

• Words from Greek mythology

• Words that come from places around the world

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A census is a counting of a nations's population.  The first census in the United States took place in 1790.  Riders on horseback fanned out over the country for eighteen months to count inhabitants.  They came up with almost four million people.  Only twelve cities had more than 5,000 residents.  New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Charleston had more than 16,000 each.  The states with the highest populatons were Virginia and Pennsylvania. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Results of the first U.S. census
• How the United States has grown
• Why the census was taken
• The census took a year and half to conduct

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Many towns in the United States have landforms as part of their names.  For example, there's Farmington Hills in Michigan and White Plains in New York.  California has a town named La Mesa, while Kentucky offers Valley Station.  There's also Council Bluffs in Iowa, Eden Prairie in Minnesota and Pine Ridge in Mississippi.  And don't overlook Swampscott.  That's in Massachusetts.  Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Places with landform names
• Unusual names for U. S. towns
• Valley Station in in Kentucky
• A variety of landforms

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Most people take their mail delivery for granted, but this wasn't always the case.  Before the Civil War (1861- 1865), people had to pick up their mail at the post office.  As the war casualities mounted, the lines grew longer and longer.  A clerk named Joseph Briggs in Cleveland, Ohio began delivering mail to the homes of soldiers.  Soon, he was campaigning for free home delivery for everyone.  At first, the idea was thought to be too expensive.  But free door-to-door delivery began in Cleveland and forty-one other  cities in 1863.  Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Casualties grew in the Civil War
• Briggs delivered mail in Cleveland
• How home mail delivery got started
• People take mail delivery for granted.

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When the first English settlers arrived in America, they were amazed at the foods they found. The Indians had developed techniques for growing corn, squash, watermelons and other crops. The settlers also found blueberries, cranberries, wild rice and pumpkin. They learned to eat lobster and crab as well as cod and striped bass. Still, other foods included nuts such as cashews, black walnuts, hickory nuts and pecans. Wild turkeys were also a first for the settlers. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Local foods found by English settlers

• How Indians caught seafood

• A variety of new nuts to eat

• Berries were plentiful

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Many U. S. presidents have had nicknames.  Calvin Coolidge was known as Silent Cal because he rarely spoke.  The Little Magician was Martin Van Buren, who wore a tall silk hat.  Grover Cleveland earned the nickname Veto President becaue he vetoed more bills than all previous presidents combined.  Andrew Jackson's nickname was Old Hickory, while Theodore Roosevelt's was Rough Rider.  The Great Emancipator was Abraham Lincoln, who wrote a proclamation that emancipated, or freed, slaves. Which of the following is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Grover Cleveland vetoed many bills.
• Not all nicknames are flattering
• Many presidents have had nicknames.
• Everyone should have a nickname.

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