4th central idea practice

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.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.7.9

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

Each year, millions of people come visit the U.S. national parks. In 2014, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park had more visitors than any other. Over 10 million people came to witness its beautiful mountains. Not even the Grand Canyon was as popular as Great Smoky. Less than half as many came to see the giant canyon. Great Smoky has 800 miles of hiking trails that stretch across two states, North Carolina and Tennessee. The park also has over 10,000 species of plants and animals. It has 31 kinds of salamander alone! Bears are also plentiful in the park. Visitors must take care not to disturb them.

One reason the Great Smokies area is so popular is that it is very close to cities. The town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is just a five-minute drive from one of the park's three main entrances. This means visitors can easily take a hike in the park and drive back to the city in one day. However, the downside is that air pollution from the city can be a problem in the park. Even so, it has not stopped millions of people from enjoying the many wonders the park has to offer.

What is the central idea of this passage?

• Pollution from nearby cities has a negative effect on Great Smoky park.

• Visitors can easily reach Great Smoky National Park from a nearby city.

• Great Smoky National Park has many species of plants and animals.

• Great Smoky National Park is the most popular national park in the country.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What is the central idea of the passage?

Millions of acres of tropical rainforest have been destroyed. Many animals and people lose their homes when the rain forest is cut down. Today, people are destroying the forests so quickly that the animals are unable to adapt. Many of these animals, such as the leopard, need miles and miles of untouched rain forest in order to live. Furthermore, as more of the rainforest is destroyed, the risk of air pollution and loss of oxygen increases.

• Leopards are losing their homes

• The destruction of the rain forest is harming humans and animals.

• The destruction of the rain forest is an interesting subject

• Forests provide oxygen for humans and animals

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What is the central idea of the passage?

There are a lot of myths flying around about bats. One of these myths is that bats are blind. Bats can actually see quite well, some even better then people! Another myth is that bats are dirty. This is also untrue, as bats are very clean animals. Like cats, they spend lots of time grooming themselves.

• Bats are misunderstood animals

• Bats are interesting animals.

• Bats can be very dangerous animals

• Bats live in caves

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

What is the central idea of the passage?

Jackie Robinson did something nobody had ever done before. He was not only a three-sport athlete at UCLA. He was the first African-American to play on a Major league baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson had to deal with racism all over the country. He was treated very poorly by the by other players and fans in the stadiums he visited. But, whenever things got difficult, his courage and determination kept him going. Today his number 42 is retired on every team in major league baseball, and he is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

• Jackie Robinson is an important figure in American History

• Jackie Robinson played many different sports

• Jackie Robinson is in the Baseball Hall of Fame

• Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Wilbur and Orville Wright were brothers who were inventors, even from a young age when they built kites and bicycles. Many people credit the Wright Brothers with designing and building the first successful airplane. In 1903, their first flight only lasted 12 seconds, but it continues to inspire people all over the world to learn about science and math, to work hard to realize their dreams, and to use imagination to achieve success. The main idea of this passage is:

• The Wright Brothers worked hard. 
• The Wright Brothers were inventors who have inspired many people. 
• Inventors build kites and bicycles. 
• The first flight was in 1903. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What is the Central Idea of the passage?
What's that humming sound?  Could it be hummingbird, the only bird capable of backward flight?  Hummingbirds have many unique flight habits that distinguish them from other birds.  Most birds flap their wings up and down to fly, but the hummingbird moves its wings forward and backward very rapidly in a figure eight pattern.  This allows the hummingbird to hover in position, fly upside down, and move about very rapidly.  And while other birds have to push off with their feet to begin flying, and work their ways up to their top speeds, the hummingbird can both start flying at maximum speed and stop flying instantaneously.  After you've seen a hummingbird in flight, it's unlikely that you'll mistake them for another bird.

• Birds and hummingbirds are very different.
• Hummingbirds make a humming sound.
• Hummingbirds wings fly in figure eight patterns.
• The hummingbird flys in a totally unique and unusual way.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave!
What is the main idea?

• Weekends are times to travel.
• The author enjoys spending time with her family.
• The author's grandparents live far away.
• The author is sad to leave her cousins.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

One the most popular musical instruments is the piano. In the traditional musical instrument classification system of string, woodwind, percussion and brass, the piano falls into two categories. It is considered a string instrument because the sound comes from the strings inside the piano. It is also considered a percussion instrument, since the player strikes the keyboard, which signals an internal hammer to strike the strings.
What is the author main point?

• The piano is both a string and percussion instrument.
• The piano is a string instrument.
• The piano is a popular instrument.
• The strings of a piano makes the sound.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2