Main idea and Supporting Details

Danger often appears in the most unexpected places. People usually think of the bathtub as a safe, quiet place. But more accidents occur there than anywhere else in the home. Slips or falls that occur while entering and leaving the tub injure thousands of people every year. Most people think of a baker as having a safe and pleasant job; however, rolling, kneading, and pounding dough causes clouds of flour dust, which can enter the lungs and disable the baker. 
Which of the following is NOT a supporting detail? 

• Some activities are more dangerous than they look
• thousands of people are hurt in tub accidents every year
• People think bakers have a safe job
• Bakers can be disable by flour in their lungs

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CCSS.RL.8.1

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!

What is the main idea?

• Sometimes people feel sad.

• You should do good things for others.

• We're not always happy.

• There are many ways to make yourself feel better.

Hummingbirds love pink or red flowers. They guard their favorite flowers and try to keep other birds away. They fight one another for food. Their wings make a whirring sound when they hover over flowers to sip nectar. The tiny birds fly long distances to go to a warmer climate for the winter. They make their tiny nests in shrubs or trees. 
What is the main idea?

• Hummingbirds are interesting birds
• They hover over flowers to sip nectar.
• They fly long distances to travel to warmer climates in the winter
• They guard their favorite flowers

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

Eva wanted to surprise her sister Cindy for her birthday. She decided to plan a picnic for her sister. She made two sandwiches and put them in a bag. Then she put some cookies and bottles of water in the bag. When she told Cindy about the surprise, Cindy her sister a big hug. Then the girls walked to the park. 
What is the main idea?

• The girls walked to the park
• Eva planned a picnic to surprise her sister
• Eva told Cindy about the surprise
• Eva put some cookies and water in a bag

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

Juan loves to play games. His favorite game is chess because it requires a great deal of thought. Juan also likes to play less demanding board games that are based mostly on luck. He prefers Monopoly because it requires luck and skill. If he's alone, Juan likes to play action video games as long as they aren't too violent. 
What is the main idea? 

• Juan dislikes violence
• Juan likes to think
• Juan enjoys Monopoly
• Juan enjoys playing games

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

Maria is watching too much television. A toddler shouldn't be spending hours staring blankly at a screen. Worse yet, some of her wild behavior has been inspired by those awful cartoons she watches. We need to spend more time reading books with her and pull the plug on the TV. 
What is the main idea? 

• Watching a lot of television isn't good for Maria
• Books are good
• All cartoons are bad
• Some cartoons are bad for Maria

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Sally went shopping after school on Friday and all day Saturday. She bought a lot of new outfits. On Sunday, her mother took her to the outlet mall so she could finish buying clothes for the new school year. She also bought school supplies, so she would be prepared for her classes. 
What is the main idea?

• Sally bought new clothes
• Sally shopped all weekend
• Sally got school supplies
• Sally's mom shopped on Sunday

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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CCSS.RL.8.2

Part of the pride of being an American comes from the fact that most people that want jobs have jobs. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, as happened in 2008, the economy slows down, and jobs become harder to find or keep. Businesses make less money and so can keep fewer people employed. Those people who lost their jobs then have less money to spend. Because they have less money to spend, other businesses make less money, and then they, too, have to cut workers. In the United States, these cycles always end and the economy recovers, but it can take a while.

People have to get creative about making money if they lose their jobs. Sometimes, they can use the skills they used at their old jobs to make money independently. For example, people don’t buy many car stereos when the economy is bad. So, car stereo stores have to layoff some of their stereo installers. If an installer has a place to work, that person can install stereos without a store. Often, this person will charge less than the store where he or she used to work. Also, the installer will get to keep all of the money he or she charged. At the store where the installer used to work, the store would have made most of the money.

During hard times, it is important to be open-minded. There are always ways to make money outside of a formal job, if a person is willing to do things he or she wouldn’t normally do. A computer programmer, for example, might not be able to find work as a computer programmer. However, if the programmer is good with his or her hands, he or she may be able to find work in construction. Lawns never stop growing, and many aspects of life do not stop just because the economy has slowed down. A person who lost a job at a supermarket may be able to mow lawns for money, or do many other things.

Most importantly, a person who loses a job must not give up. One’s attitude is very important in determining if he or she will be successful. A hopeful person is more likely to find a new job. Also, a hopeful person will be better able to keep trying new things. A hopeful person, too, can be patient. The jobs will come back. They always do.

Which sentence supports the idea that people can use the skills they used at their old jobs to make money independently?

• "So, car stereo stores have to layoff some of their stereo installers."

• "Often, this person will charge less than the store where he or she used to work."

• "If an installer has a place to work, that person can install stereos without a store."

• "At the store where the installer used to work, the store would have made most of the money."

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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Movie Credits

How many times have you gone to a movie theater to see the latest release? After sitting through a two or three hour movie most people are ready to leave the theater and head home. Hopefully, they are eager to talk about the movie. However, how many of those people stay through the end credits? Movie credits can sometimes be just as entertaining as the movie they accompany, especially in the "special thanks" section; however, movie credits are made to be informative.

If you've never stayed tuned past the end of a movie to watch its credits, you're missing out. The end credits list everyone who was involved in making a movie. It involves reading through a lot of text; however, this is beneficial to a moviegoer. If you enjoyed the movie, you can read the names of those involved. The next time they are involved in making a movie, you may decide you want to see it. The opposite is also true. If you thought the movie was terrible, you now know who made the movie. You can avoid any other movie they may be involved in. Knowing who made the movie can help you in deciding whether or not to see any of their movies in the future.

Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage?

• Movie credits can be helpful tools for moviegoers.

• Movie credits have a "special thanks" section.

• Movie credits are the things that most people ignore.

• Movie credits have a lot of text to read.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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The Adopt-a-Highway Program

Imagine a beautiful painting or portrait of the Grand Canyon. The morning light rolls in from the east, and a purple haze eats away at the horizon. There is a gold line where the sun is cutting its way into the empty gorge that seems to go on forever. Now imagine the same beautiful image where the landscape is riddled with Styrofoam plates, empty aluminum cans and water bottles, and clusters of fast food bags blowing onto the foreground. Suddenly, the Grand Canyon doesn't look nearly as majestic. The way something is presented can change someone's perspective on something. In order for America to protect its beautiful scenery, more individuals need to adopt highways.

The population of the U.S. is growing all the time. A growing population means more cars on our roadways. That means more trash. One way to reduce the amount of trash on roads is for more people to adopt highways. Several states have "adopt-a-highway" programs. The programs allow people or groups to "adopt" a section of a highway. That person or group is responsible for making sure that section of the highway stays clean. This helps the state save money. That money can then be used to make landmarks and monuments beautiful. This is money that the state would have had to pay someone to clean the highway.

Research has also shown that highways that have "adopt-a-highway" programs are usually less littered than those cleaned by road crews. The South Carolina Litter Patrol statistics state that of the 250 miles from Gaffney to Macedonia, 100 of the miles were part of the state's adopt-a-highway program. 100 of the 250-mile stretch had 18,285 fewer pounds of garbage. This shows that the programs work.

Finally, adopting a highway doesn't take up nearly as much time as hiring an outside group to clean up a highway. People complain about time, well, all the time. Time is precious to everyone, but cleaning up an adopted highway doesn't take up any time at all. Think about how much time it takes to cut the grass in your front lawn. Think about the time it takes to spend an afternoon shopping. If more people knew that volunteering to clean up the highways they use took up less time than they think, most would jump at the chance to do it.

The author explains that volunteering to adopt a highway does not take up much time. The author supports this idea by

• comparing the time it takes to volunteer to the time it takes to shop or do the lawn.

• presenting the facts from a government survey about littering.

• showing the impact littering has on national landmarks like the Grand Canyon.

• showing the statistics from a group of volunteers in South Carolina.