Reading Comprehension

Floods can cause tremendous damage. They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind. It can take months to clean up after a flood.

What is the main idea?

• Floods can cause a lot of damage.

• Floods cause mudslides.

• Floods damage houses and roads.

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.

Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

• Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is

• Pictures help weather reporters get information out in a fast way

• Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short

• They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area

The peregrine falcon is a beautiful wild bird. It is also one of the fastest. In 1978, the peregrine falcon was placed on the endangered species list. The main reason the peregrine falcon was dying out was the use of pesticides. 
Which of the following is NOT a supporting detail? 

• The peregrine falcon is one of the fastest wild birds
• It was placed on the endangered species list
• It was dying out because of pesticides
• The peregrine falcon is an amazing bird

Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today.
 What is the main idea?

• Soccer is important at the Olympics.
• Soccer is a worldwide sport.
• Soccer is also called football.
• Soccer is played by men and women.

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals. Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex. Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.

Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

• Wild Animals in Art

• Hidden Prehistoric Paintings

• Exploring Caves Respectfully

• Determining the Age of French Caves

It was raining outside. Sue got out of bed and got dressed for school. Then, she ate breakfast and grabbed her backpack. Before Sue left the house, she probably ___________________.

• Got her sunglasses.

• Made a sandwich.

• Picked up her umbrella.

Sam woke up and saw the sun shining in the sky. He packed his swimming suit, a towel, a beach ball, and his sandals in his bag. Then, he went to the kitchen and made a sack lunch.

Sam is most likely going to ___________________.

• the beach

• school

• the mall

Blood is a miracle liquid.  It flows to every part of the body.  Some blood cells carry food and oxygen to body organs.  Other blood cells kill germs and help stop cuts from bleeding.  People can die if they lose a lot of blood or if their blood cells get sick.  Doctors sometimes give people fresh blood to save their lives.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how many blood cells are made by the body
• how important blood is
• why people can die from loss of blood
• why sick people are sometimes given blood

People do not really use music to charm snakes.  Snakes have no ears, so the snake can't hear a flute.  The snake charmer startles the snake by waving a hand near it.  The snake lifts its head to look around.  The charmer then says back and forth or moves the flute.  The snake moves its head to keep an eye on the movement.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• why flute music charms snakes
• why snakes can't hear sounds
• how people really charm snakes
• why snakes have no ears

A bat can fly at night or even with its eyes closed.  But if you cover its ears, it can't fly very well.  Bats make sounds that people can't hear.  The bats find their way by listening to these sounds as they echo off things.  Bats even locate insects to eat by following the sounds that bounce off the bugs.  People use their eyes, but bats use their ears to know where they're going.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how bats use sound
• what things bats often eat as food
• how bats fly toward people
• how people can hear the sounds of bats