Main Idea and Inferences

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.
Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

• Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is
• Pictures help weather reporters get information out in a fast way
• Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short
• They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat. Sometimes they added berries and sugar. Then they pressed it into small cakes. They called these cakes pemmican. Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or going hunting. Today explorers still carry and eat this food.
What is the passage mostly about?

• who uses pemmican today
• what can be put into pemmican
• how pemmican was prepared by Native Americans.
• why people eat pemmican today

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

Were you born after 1985? If so, how long do you expect to live? Most people born after 1985 can expect to live more than 70 years. Of course, this is just a guess based on past records. By the way, females can expect to live about six years longer than males. That’s taken from past records too!
What is the paragraph mostly about?

• how long you might expect to live
• about the health of females
• why people live to be 70
• tells that people live to be 100

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind! Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier.
What is this selection mainly about?

• Someday we will have robots that will be our personal servants.
• We will be able to talk to robots and they will be able to respond.
• You should give up if you are the Robots will look and behave much like real humans.
• Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The earth's surface is constantly changing.  All over the world everyday there are earthquakes, floods and volcanoes that quickly change our world. Some changes are too small to see.  Others cause tremendous damage and costs millions of dollars to clean up.
What is the main idea?

• It is expensive to clean up the damage
• Sometimes we can't see the changes. 
• The Earth's surface is always changing.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

Many people have not heard giraffes make noises.  Giraffes do not use sounds to “talk” with each other.  When hurt, giraffes make a low moo, something like a cow.  When frightened, they make a short, high sound.
What is the main idea?

• Giraffes do make noises
• Giraffes talk all the time.
• Cows and giraffes talk to each other.
• Lots of people have heard giraffes talk.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Ice-cream is a delicious frozen treat that comes in a many different colors and flavors.  Two of my favorite flavors are strawberry and chocolate.  Though both of these flavors are delicious, strawberry may contain pieces of fruit while chocolate usually will not.  Even though more chocolate ice-cream is sold across the country annually than strawberry, each flavor tastes great inside of a milk shake. 

• Cause and Effect
• Chronological
• Problem solution
• Compare/Contrast

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Wild chimpanzees are rapidly disappearing. Some people are trying to solve this problem. Otherwise, chimpanzees may one day exist only in zoos. People are trying to save the rain forests and woodlands where the chimps live from being cut down. It will take many people working together to solve this problem

• Compare/Contrast
• Chronological
• Problem/Solution
• Sequence/Order of Importance

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.W.6.2A

Thomas Edison became known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park" in 1877, when he invented the phonograph. Edison's phonograph allowed people to record sounds and replay them. Though this technology was unimpressive by today's standards—his recordings would only play few times and the sound quality was poor— back then Edison’s device appeared to be magical. That's why people called Edison "The Wizard of Menlo Park," because they suspected him of witchcraft. 

• Cause/Effect
• Chronological
• Sequence/Order of Importance
• Problem/Solution

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Choose the clue words that indicate cause and effect.

• next, after, then, first, last
• struggle, promise, problem, solution
• consequently, as a result of, so, therefore
• similar, common, compare, contrast

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.RI.7.3

CCSS.RI.8.3

CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.5.3