Central Idea Retake

Adults tend to eat a lot of pre-made food, but it’s not always healthy. For instance, a Big Mac has 530 calories with 28 grams of fat and a large order of fries has 450 calories and 22 grams of fat. Add a soda, and one meal comes close to 1,000 calories.

Which expresses the central idea best?

• 1,000 calories is a lot.

• Pre-made food is not always healthy.

• Adults eat a lot of pre-made food.

Parents who have their parents to help with childcare are lucky. But the two generations may have a very different way of thinking about the proper way to raise a child. These differences can lead to tension, stress, and family fights.

What is the author's message?

• There are generational differences when it comes to childcare.

• Parents are lucky to have help with childcare.

• Generational differences often lead to fights.

The traditional household with a stay-at-home mom and working dad is less common than it used to be. Increasingly, Americans are waiting longer to marry and have children, and many are not marrying at all.

What is the central idea?

• A traditional household has a stay-at-home mom.

• Americans are postponing marriage.

• The traditional household is no longer traditional.

People love to make plans: for a party, a vacation, or a family reunion. But when it comes to planning our financial future, many of us don’t know where to start. Fortunately, a little discipline and a sharp pencil are all you need to get on the road to financial security.

Which expresses the central idea best?

• People love dinner parties.

• Financial planning isn’t hard.

• The road to financial security is bumpy.

Using credit cards is very common. Unfortunately, so is debt. The average American charged more than $4,000 on credit cards last year. For many of us, the convenience of using charge cards instead of cash makes it easy to spend more than we have.

What is the main idea?

• Many Americans have credit card debt.

• Credit cards are convenient.

• Americans love shopping.

For a growing number of kids, an active lifestyle is not common. The attractions of television, computers, and video games keep children spending far more time sitting at home than running around in the great outdoors.

Which expresses the central idea best?

• Children love T.V.

• Children are less active than they used to be.

• An active lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle.

Rosa Parks has been called the "mother of the civil rights movement." She is one of the most important people of the 20th century. In December of 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. The bus driver had her arrested. She was sent to court. She was found guilty of breaking the law.

Her act sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks. Blacks refused to use the buses for more than a year. The boycott introduced the country to a man named Martin Luther King, Jr. People all over the country came to know King. Soon, the U.S. Supreme Court made segregation on city buses against the law.

Over the next forty years, Rosa Parks helped make Americans aware of the history of the civil rights struggle. She earned many honors, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize. She is an example of courage and strength. She inspires all Americans to live free.

The summary of this passage is:

• Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Then, the buses were boycotted, and Martin Luther King, Jr., became very well known. He had a prize named after him.

• Rosa Parks was an important person of the 20th century. She refused to give up her seat on a bus, which led to a boycott of the bus system. She earned many honors for her work in the civil rights movement.

• Rosa Parks boycotted the bus system. This boycott brought Martin Luther King, Jr., to the front of the civil rights movement. People all over the country got to know Martin Luther King, Jr.

Turn over a bag of potato chips. Is the label interesting? A simple food recipe may use several ingredients. These come from the soil and from chemistry labs around the world. Surprises also show up in the labels on clothing and other products. Look at the label on a package of lipstick. The tube seems small and shiny, but inside lipstick there is soap, oil, fish scales, and wax!

Which is the best way to summarize this passage?

• A bag of potato chips seems like a simple recipe. There are many ingredients from the soil and from chemistry labs.

• Lipstick seems small and shiny. Look at the label sometime. It has at least four different ingredients.

• Labels show what goes into food, clothing, and other products. A simple product may have many ingredients.