Central Idea

What is the central idea?

Though forks were first used in China thousands of years ago, it took a long time for them to make their way to what is now the United States. Ancient Greeks began using forks after the Chinese. However, they did not use forks for eating. They used them for serving food. From Greece, forks moved to the Roman Empire. Romans first used long forks for cooking and serving. By the 300s, they began using table forks to feed themselves. The table fork spread from there to what is now the Middle East and Turkey, before arriving in Italy and becoming popular in the 1000s. It stayed popular in southern Europe, but was not used much in northern Europe until it first became popular in France and Spain in the 1700s. The table fork arrived in England from France before making its way to the North American colonies, where it first became popular shortly before the American Revolution.

• The fork changed after arriving in the Roman Empire.

• Roman forks were longer than Greek and Chinese forks.

What is 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.

• Rodeos are exciting.

• Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.

• Clowns are good at riding bulls.

What is the central idea?

Because lambs are sometimes eaten by coyotes, ranchers may hunt or trap the coyotes. However, killing coyotes may upset nature's balance. Scientists have found a way to protect sheep without killing coyotes. Coyotes are fed lamb meat treated with a drug. When they eat the meat, they get sick. Later, coyotes won't even go near lambs. They'll hunt rabbits instead.

• Coyotes prefer rabbits to lambs.

• Scientists are trying to protect sheep and coyotes.

• Killing coyotes upsets nature's balance.

What is the central idea?

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.

• We can only taste sweet things.

• We taste through our nose.

• Taste buds are found in different places.

What is this passage mainly about?

Were you born after 1985? If so, how long do you expect to live? Most people born after 1985 can expect to live more than 70 years. Of course, this is just a guess based on past records.

• Why people live to be 70.

• How long you might be expected to live.

• Past records give you information.

What is the central idea?

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.

• Gorillas are misunderstood.

• Gorillas are mean animals.

• Gorillas don't like other animals.

What is this passage mainly about?

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. 

• Who uses pemmican today.

• What can be put in pemmican.

• How pemmican was made by Native Americans.

What is the central idea?

"Are you already done?" his father asked. "It seems like you just got in the water." Jacob was finished with his bath in two minutes. He got his body and hair wet, rubbed shampoo on his hair, washed his body with soap, and rinsed off. He liked fast baths so to have more time to play. In fact, Jacob never took a long bath. To him, the faster the bath, the better.

• Jacob is very clean.

• Jacob never takes showers.

• Jacob likes to take fast baths.

What is the central idea?

“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.”

• 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.

What is the central idea?

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer. Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score. Most importantly, soccer players learn how to work together with their teammates.

• Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.

• Soccer players learn how to control the ball so they can score.

• Soccer players learn how to dribble.