READING 1 - Unit 4a Main idea

What is the main idea of the following paragraph?

"As a boy, Robert Ballard liked to read about shipwrecks. He read a lot about the Titanic. “My lifelong dream was to find this great ship,” he says."

• Ballard read a lot about the Titanic.

• Ballard’s dream was to find the Titanic.

What is the main idea of the following paragraph?

"On August 31, 1985, Ballard’s dream came true. He found the wreck of the Titanic. The ship was in two main parts, lying four kilometers under the sea. Using video cameras and an undersea robot,1 Ballard looked around the ship. He found many items that told the sad story of the Titanic’s end. For example, he found a child’s shoes, a reminder2 of the many deaths that happened that night in 1912."

• Ballard found items like a child’s shoes.

• Ballard finally found the shipwreck he was looking for.

What is the main idea of the following paragraph?

"In 1986, Ballard visited the Titanic again. This time, he reached the ship in a small submarine. A deep-sea robot took photos inside the ship. When other people saw the photos, they wanted to visit the ship, too."

• Ballard reached the ship in a small submarine.

• Ballard returned and took photos of the ship.

What is the main idea of the following paragraph?

"When Ballard returned in 2004, he found the Titanic in very bad condition. Other explorers had taken away about 6,000 items, like clothes, dishes, and shoes. Some even took pieces of the ship. They think these things should be moved to a safer place, but Ballard doesn’t agree."

• Some explorers had found shoes at the wreck.

• The Titanic was in bad condition when Ballard returned.

What is the main idea of the following paragraph?

"Ballard believes that taking things from the Titanic is wrong. Instead, he wants to put lights and cameras on and around the shipwreck. This way, people can see the great ship and remember what happened to it. “As long as she needs protection,”3 says Ballard, “the Titanic will always be part of my life."

• Ballard wants to protect the Titanic.

• Ballard wants to put lights and cameras around the ship.