Central Ideas Pre-Game

School uniforms are far cheaper than the currently popular fashions. Many students work long hours at a paying job instead of doing homework because they feel they have to "keep up appearances." If students wore uniforms, there would be no need for most of them to have jobs that take away from their study time.

This passage is mostly about?

• popular fashions being expensive

• school uniforms being a good idea.

• students working many hours at jobs.

• teens enjoying wearing uniforms.

Shuttle Endeavour will thunder into orbit this week with an American flag on its right wing. The ship will carry its most international crew ever launched. The spaceship is headed for the International Space Station. Four Americans are on board, along with Russian, Canadian, and Italian astronauts. This multinational crew will be symbolic of those who will work and live on the growing outpost. The station is a joint project of 16 nations on four continents.

This passage is mostly about?

• the American flag on the space shuttle's wing.

• the brand new International Space Station.

• the Russian aboard the American space shuttle.

• the cultural crew aboard the space shuttle.

It's no surprise that exercise increases energy. The physical challenge prepares your body in a variety of ways. Blood sugar is more quickly converted to fuel, more oxygen is supplied to your cells, and fight-or-flight hormones are released. Instead of leaving you exhausted, exercise energizes. Do it in the morning for an all-day high or later in the afternoon for a pick-me-up.

This passage is mostly about?

• Exercise increases your energy.

• Exercise is easier than it looks.

• Everyone should exercise daily.

• Exercise makes you live longer.

Camp David is a secure location where the President can get away from it all. Established in 1942 by President Roosevelt, Camp David is located in Maryland, about 70 miles from Washington, D.C. in a heavily wooded area. U.S. Marines patrol the area providing optimal security. The Marines are part of the Navy. Because Camp David is so close to Washington, the president can be back at the White House very quickly in the event of a crisis.

This passage is mostly about?

• U.S. Marines

• The president

• Washington, D.C.

• Camp David

Most people want to think that they are in control of their pets. However, a study by Karen McComb at the University of Sussex found that cat owners are controlled by their cats. Cat owners probably won’t have too much trouble believing this. Cats make a fairly loud noise by mixing a purr with a cry. The sound seems to be less annoying to humans than straight meowing. Using this sound, cats tell humans when they want to eat and when they want the door opened. The purr part of the sound keeps humans from becoming too annoyed, so the cat gets exactly what he or she wants.

Which sentence from the paragraph supports the idea that cats have a smart way of getting what they want?

• "Most people want to think that they are in control of their pets."

• "The purr part of the sound keeps humans from becoming too annoyed."

• "Cat owners probably won't have too much trouble believing this."

• "Cats make a fairly loud noise by mixing a purr with a cry."

The art of training and cutting plants and trees into ornamental shapes is called topiary work. This art dates back to the days of the Romans. They enjoyed training plants to grow in geometric shapes and, later on, created animal designs and designs that resembled furniture. The Romans were also a dominant empire during their time. Due to topiary work, the Romans had many beautiful gardens.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Natural furniture is easily made by hand.

• Landscaping takes up a great deal of time.

• Topiary work dates back to the Romans.

• The Roman Empire existed a long time ago.

The characteristics of a hurricane are powerful winds, driving rain, and raging seas. Although a storm must have winds blowing at least 74 miles an hour to be classified as a hurricane, it is not unusual to have winds above one hundred and fifty miles per hour in a major hurricane. The entire storm system can be five hundred miles in diameter, with lines of clouds that spiral toward a center called the "eye." Within the eye itself, which is about 15 miles across, the air is actually calm and cloudless. But this eye is enclosed by a towering wall of thick clouds where the storm's heaviest rains and highest winds are found.

What is the main idea presented in this paragraph?

• Hurricanes are more destructive than tornadoes.

• Hurricanes have winds of at least 74 miles an hour.

• The eye of a hurricane is about 15 miles across.

• Hurricanes have very dangerous characteristics.

Dogs, especially sniffer dogs, have a far better sense of smell than humans because their smell receptors are much longer than those in human noses. Human noses differ from person to person, but they can affect the way a person tastes food. Sniffer dogs are used by police and security personnel throughout the world to detect drugs in airports and other busy places. They are specially trained and can pick up even the lightest scents of drugs or firearms.

This passage is mostly about?

• airport security

• drug sniffing dogs

• smell receptors

• human noses

Some people think that listening to country music is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Others would much rather jam out to hip-hop or rap music. And, of course, there will always be those who think rock music is king. Even though most people have the opportunity to listen to many types of music, they usually end up with a favorite. No one knows exactly why people have particular music tastes. Of course, the environment has something to do with it. If a girl’s big brother loves hip-hop, then she will often hear it. She may end up liking it, or she may end up hating it. People often say, “There is just no arguing taste.” In the case of music, this is definitely true.

What is this passage mostly about?

• Which music is the best.

• A brother's favorite music.

• Different musical tastes.

• Different types of music.

There are many recurring themes in Shakespeare's plays. In Twelfth Night, the character of Viola disguises herself as a boy and then falls in love with the Count Orsino, the man she is serving. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet takes a sleeping potion the Friar has given her to pretend she is dead. When Romeo sees her lying apparently lifeless, he kills himself.

What theme do these two plays have in common?

• Love makes people miserable.
• Things are not always what they appear.
• Love makes people do crazy things.
• Never pretend that you are dead.