Main Idea, supporting details, and Author's purpose

American copyright laws, laws that prohibit the use, distribution, or adaptation of another’s product without permission, first applied only to the copying of books, but now cover such diverse products as sound recordings, motion pictures, and computer programs. The federal Copyright Act of 1790 allowed copyright protection for 14 years with one 14-year extension allowed (if the author survived the first 14-year term). The Copyright Act of 1909 extended copyright protection to 28 years with a 28-year renewal, and the Copyright Act of 1976 extended it further, to 75 years.

What is the main purpose of this passage?

• To explain the need for copyright laws

• To show how copyright laws have been applied

• To indicate how copyright laws have changed

• To argue that copyright laws need to be expanded

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Do you want to add years to your life and feel better? Here are a few tips. First, to decrease your chance of a heart attack, eat a handful of nuts each day. Also, to ease the effects of arthritis, be sure to include some citrus, such as orange juice in your diet. Finally, exercise on a regular basis. The primary purpose of this passage is:

• To entertain

• To inform

• To persuade

• To entertain

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CCSS.RI.11-12.6

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Before clocks were made, people kept track of time by other means. In ancient Egypt, people used a water clock. Water dripped slowly from one clay pot into another. People measured time according to how long it took one pot to empty and the other one to fill. Candle clocks were common during the Middle Ages. As such, when a candle burned, marks on its side showed about how much time had passed. A final ancient way to measure time was the sundial, which used the movement of the sun across the sky. The shadows moving across the face of the sundial showed the current time.What is the main idea?

• As such, when a candle burned, marks on its side showed about how much time had passed

• Before clocks were made, people kept track by other means.

• In ancient Egypt, people used a water clock

• All the above.

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CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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1 One common example of instinct is the spider's spinning of its intricate web. 2 No one teaches a spider how to spin: its inborn instinct allows it to accomplish the task. 3 Another example of instinctive behavior is the salmon's struggle to swim upstream to lay eggs. 4 It would be much easier for the salmon to follow the current downstream, but instinct overrides all other considerations. 5 Instinct is clearly a strong influence on animal behavior.What is the main idea?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 5

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CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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Caffeine is a natural ingredient in coffee, cocoa, tea, and chocolate, and is added to some prescription and non-prescription drugs. 2. Despite being "natural," caffeine is also a powerful drug which greatly affects the body. 3. In healthy, rested people, a dose of 100 milligrams (about one cup of coffee) increases alertness, banishes drowsiness, quickens reaction time, it enhances intellectual and muscular effort, and increases heart and respiratory rates. 4. Drinking one to two cups of coffee an hour before exercise encourages the body to preserve glycogen and burn fat -----something that results in greater endurance. 5. In addition, caffeine masks fatigue. 6. In doses above 300 milligrams, caffeine can produce sleeplessness, nervousness, irritability, headaches, heart palpitations, and muscle twitches. 7. Caffeine is also habit-forming, and those who try to suddenly stop after heavy use may experience such withdrawal symptoms as headaches, lethargy, irritability, and difficulty in concentrating.The main idea of this passage is that caffeine

• is a powerful drug that affects the body in numerous ways.

• is good to drink before working out.

• is linked to various health concerns.

• is a strong drug that only enhances the body when used.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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Though fun to watch, chimpanzees should not be kept as pets. 2. They are dangerously stronger that any NFL lineman. 3. Adult chimps weigh only 100 to 160 pounds, but have been measured pulling six to nine times their own weight-----with one hand. 4. Thus, to match the strength of an average chimp, a human being would have to be able to register a two-handed pull of about a ton it takes a very strong man to pull a quarter of that. 5. Combined with this strength is the fact that a chimp is capable of losing its temper -----for reasons known only to the chimp. 6. Chimps signal their feelings with subtle cues of behavior that aren't apparent to most humans. 7. It is quite possible for a chimp to be on the verge of violence while its owner sits unaware or even unknowingly continuous to provoke. 8. Furthermore, it's not wise to keep a cute young chimp and release it into the wild when it becomes dangerous. 9. Wild-raised chimps will routinely gang up on and kill those raised in captivity. The main idea of this passage is that

• chimpanzees are not as reliable as dogs.

• keeping chimpanzees as pets and then releasing them into the wild is a danger to the pet chimpanzee.

• no man is as strong as a chimpanzee.

• chimpanzees should not be kept as pets for a variety of reasons.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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Human beings have always polluted their environment, but in the past it was easier for them to move on and live somewhere else. 2.They knew that given time, the environment would take care of pollution they left behind and they relied on the "out of sight, out of mind" philosophy. 3. Today, an increasing human population, which uses an increasing amount of energy sources, no longer has the luxury to ignore pollution. 4. The human population is approximately 7 billion. 5. Our overall energy consumption has gone up by a hundredfold from 2,000 per/person/day to 230,000 per/person/day in modern industrial nations like the United States. 6. This high energy consumption allows us to mass produce many useful and economically affordable organic products that pollute the atmosphere and groundwater damage forests and lakes causing global warming, and even deplete the ozone layer. (Borrowed from a biology textbook) The main idea of this passage is that

• pollution is difficult on the environment regardless of your location.

• pollution is destroying our environment.

• due to growth in the human population, humans can no longer ignore pollution.

• modern nations like the United States should find ways to reduce the rapid growth of their populations.

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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When we think of volcanoes, eruptions, lava, and smokefilled air come to mind—all occurring on land. Most people are surprised to learn about the prevalence of underwater volcanoes on our planet. Because the lava and smoke spilling out of an active, underwater volcano is contained by the ocean, people generally do not take note of these eruptions. However, the largest underwater volcanoes are capable of creating huge tidal waves, threatening coastal communities.

What is the main purpose of this passage?

• traditional volcanoes and underwater volcanoes are similar

• the lava and smoke from an underwater volcano is contained by the sea

• most tidal waves are caused by underwater volcanoes

• underwater volcanoes receive little attention but can be dangerous

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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The main authors of The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are usually thought of as America’s “Founding Fathers.” Other, less known personages also deserve the title, however, and Noah Webster was one of these. Through his writings, which include the stillinfluential dictionary that bears his name, Webster sought to legitimize an “American English” that was independent of British spelling and pronunciation. For instance, Webster removed the “u” from “colour,” creating the distinct American version of the word.

What is the main purpose of this passage?

• To praise the Founding Fathers

• To present information about an important American

• To define and explain “American English”

• To distinguish American dictionaries from British dictionaries

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Television has been the primary source of information and entertainment for most Americans over the last 50 years. However, with Internet use on the rise year after year, some may wonder if surfing the net will soon surpass watching television as Americans’ primary leisure activity. Indeed, some recent surveys show that time spent on the Internet is now greater than time spent in front of the television. However, this statistic may not tell the whole story, as 59% of Americans say they multitask, using the Internet and watching TV simultaneously.

The main idea of the passage is that television

• is only one of many information sources

• may have become less popular than the Internet

• is watched by more people now than ever before

• focuses more on entertainment than on news

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