Central Idea

Most people think that Johann Sebastian Bach played the piano, but this is not true. The piano was not invented until just two years before he died. Bach's main instrument was the organ. He was a great organist. He wrote a lot of wonderful music for that instrument. He also played other keyboard instruments that were ancestors of the piano. Among these instruments was the harpsichord. Along with Mozart, Bach is considered to be one of the all-time great composers
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Mozart and Bach did not compose music for the piano.
• Johann Sebastian Bach was a great organist and writer.
• The piano had not been invented three hundred years ago.
• The harpsichord was a keyboard instrument before the piano.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Depression is a common illness that is easy to treat. Unfortunately, many people don't take their symptoms seriously and don't talk to their doctors about their problems. They don't know that depression has a physical cause; it is not a sign of weakness or a mood that will just go away.

Which of the following details would best support the main idea of this passage?

• Jorge doesn't feel like himself anymore.
• Girls are more likely to suffer from depression than boys.
• Depression often runs in families.
• Many people try to hide their depression and avoid getting help.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

Microchips provide the power for wristwatches. They are also the brains in our computers, and they control robots. These chips are used in video games and space shuttles. They make our cameras, radios, and televisions small and light.
What is the story mainly about?

• How computers work
• Why televisions are small
• How microchips are used

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

Find the central idea
 Being a clown isn't all fun and games.  Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform.  When cowboys dismount or are bucked off of bulls at riding competitions, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention.  In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider.  So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business

• Being a clown isn't all fun and games.
• Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.
• Rodeos are exciting.
• Clowns are good at riding bulls.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Do you ever wonder how you taste things? You owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have 9,000 taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the roof of your mouth. You even have taste buds on the back of your throat.

What does the author want you to learn about the passage?

• Why we can taste only sweet things.

• that we taste through our nose

• Taste buds are found in different places.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.9

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Most people think that gorillas are mean, but actually they are shy. It seems that such a huge animal with very large teeth would be aggressive. Hollywood movies help convey this image of the scary, ferocious gorilla. In fact, gorillas only attack if they are provoked. 
This author belives that:

• Gorillas are misunderstood as vicious animals.
• Gorillas are mean animals
• Gorillas don't like other animals.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.9

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

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. 
This passage is mainly about?

• who uses pemmican today
• what can be put into pemmican
• how pemmican was made by Native Americans

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

“The rain forest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Butterflies and anteaters also live in the rain forest.”
What is the central idea?

• Sloths and tapirs are other creatures that live in the rain forest.
• The rain forest is home to many creatures.
• Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What is the central idea here
A penny for your thoughts?  If it's a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars.  In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare.  Another rarity is the 1955 double die penny.  These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters.  If it's uncirculated, it'd easily fetch $25,000 at an auction.  Now that's a pretty penny.  

• The 1943 penny is worth 50 thousand dollars.
• the 1943 penny is more rare than the 1955 penny.
• Some pennies are rare and worth a lot of money.
• None of these options

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Benjamin Franklin loved to write.  When he was twenty-two, he set up his own printing shop and started a newspaper.  He also printed a book called Poor Richard’s Almanac.  It had funny stories, information about the weather, and wise sayings.

• Benjamin Franklin loved to write stories and books.
• Benjamin Franklin worked very hard when he was young.
• Benjamin Franklin knew a lot about the weather.
• Benjamin Franklin was very poor.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2