Identifying Main Idea (2)

^{Passages from Main Idea and Summarizing (Beech)}        A roller brigade glides down a boulevard in Paris.  This group of in-line skaters is part of the city's police force.  Their job is to keep bus lanes free of passenger cars on busy streets. They also pull over drivers who are chatting on mobile phones.  The best part of their work is posing for pictures with tourists.  The rolleurs wear helmets and knee pads as part of their uniform.  Even so, it can be tricky to navigate some streets in Paris, especially those paved with cobblestones.
 Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• Paris has a lot of automobile traffic
• A rolleur wears a helmet and pads
• Some police in Paris work on skates.
• In-line skates are not just for fun.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

At one time children in Nicaragua with hearing impairments were kept hidden.  They were not taught any form of communication.  Finally, in 1979 the government of this Latin American country set up two schools for these children.  At first, the children could not understand their teachers.  But they soon began communicating among themselves with their hands.  They developed more and more signs, or signals.  Now students learned them too.  Today, Nicaraguan Sign Language is a recognized language.  Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• Nicaragua is in Latin America.
• Children developed a sign language.
• Children deserve to go to school.
• How teachers and students communicate.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

In the days of ancient Rome, taking a bath was a social event.  Romans of all classes bathed in large public bathhouses.  These buildings were decorated with mosaic floors, marble walls and painted walls.  There were hot baths, warm baths, cold baths and hot-dry baths for sweating.  People met their friends, heard the news and got clean all at the same time.  Sometimes bathers even held business meetings.  Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• Business meetings in ancient Rome
• Public bathhouses in ancient Rome
• Decorations in Roman bathhouses
• How Romans got clean long ago

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Reefs and atolls are formed from masses of coral that surround volcanic islands.  Over many years, a volcanic island gradually sinks, but the masses of coral grow upward and form a barrier between the island and the sea.  The water between the island and the reef is called a lagoon.  When the island completely sinks from view, the reef continues to grow and often forms a circle around the lagoon.  This is called an atoll.  The Pacific Ocean has many atolls.  Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• How lagoons are formed
• What barrier reefs are made of
• What happens to volcanic islands
• How reefs and atolls are formed

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

People have used oil since early times.  Ancient cultures learned that oil was sticky and useful for binding things together.  They also noted that oil kept water out.  For example, the Sumerians used the oil in asphalt to keep mosaics on walls and in floors.  The people of Mesopotamia used the oil in bitumen to seal the joints in wooden boats.  Other groups found that oil burned well to create light.  Throughout the ages, hundreds of other uses for oil were discovered.  Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• The Sumerians used oil as glue.
• When burned, oil creates light.
• Oil has sticky qualities.
• People have used oil through the ages

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What is a gaggle?  You probably know that it is a group of geese.  "Gaggle" is a collective noun because it names a group.  Many collective nouns name groups of animals. For example, a string is a group of ponies, and a troop is a group of kangaroos.  What is a knot?  If you're talking about toads, then a knot is a group of them.  Have you ever found foxes together?  Then you saw a skult.  And if a group of elk crosses in front of you, you're looking at a gang. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• Meanings of collective nouns
• A knot is a group of toads.
• Names for different animals
• How to use a collective noun

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Willima Steig (1907-2003) was known for his cartoons and his children's books.  For more than six decades, his cartoons amused readers of The New Yorker magazine. He was also responsible for the drawings on many of the publication's covers.  Steig started writing and illustrating books for children in the 1970s.  Some of his most famous titles include Sylvester and the magic Pebble, CDC?, Dr. DeSoto and Amos and Boris.  Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• The work of William Steig
• The cartoons of William Steig
• The life of william Steig
• The books of Willima of Steig

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Thanks to St. Lawrence Seaway, ships can carry cargo from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic Ocean.  The trip covers 2,700 nautical miles.  To create the Seaway, the St. Lawrence River had to be excavated.  A 27-foot-deep channel between the city of montreal and Lake Ontario was dug.  Many locks were built so that ships could be raised or lowered as the height of the water changed on the route.  Canals, roads and bridges were built as well.  The Seaway officially opened in 1959.  Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

• Building the St. Lawrence Seaway
• A 2,700 mile nautical journey
• Building locks for ships
• Expanding the St. Lawrence River

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Happy New Year!  People say this all over the world; however, not everyone celebrates this day in the same way.  In Iceland, New Year's Eve is a time to clean up trash and perform elf dances. Families in Ecuador dance around scarecrows and read lists of people's faults.  Later, when they set the scarecrow on fire, both it and the faults go up in flames.  In Belgium, children write down good deeds they hope to perform.  Chinese and Japanese get off to a good start by paying all their debts. How do you celebrate? The main idea of this paragraph is _______________.

• Performing good deeds in Belgium
• New Year's traditions around the world
• How Americans celebrate the New Year
• A time to pay off debts

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Some expressions about feelings are very colorful!  If you're sad, you might be "feeling blue."  Have you ever been so excited that you "talked a blue streak"? Perhaps you were "tickled pink."  If you've ever been jealous, you might have been "green with envy".  Suppose you are scared.  Then you might turn "as white as a sheet."  Anger might make you "see red."  Embarrassed about something?  Well, you might turn "as red as a beet"?  The main idea of this paragraph is _______________.

• Using blue to describe feelings
• "Seeing red" means being angry.
• Idioms about unhappy feelings
• Color phrases help express feelings.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2