Central Idea & Text Structures

Passage 1 (Alien Passage): Which statement best displays the central idea of this passage?

• Alien encounters are causing crop circles.

• Alien encounters are a very important part of our culture considering how popular they are.

• Despite their popularity, stories of alien encounters are entirely unproven.

• Aliens encounter are being covered up.

Passage 1 (Alien Passage): How does the author present his central idea?

• He presents information chronologically to share how alien conspiracies gained popularity throughout the course of history.

• He lists the problems that the alien theories have caused and offers a solution.

• He compares aliens to other threatening creatures.

• He supports his statement about the alien conspiracy stories by explaining that none of the stories have ever been proven to be true.

Passage 1 (Alien Passage): Which of the following is a supporting detail for the central idea?

• “Our culture is filled with strange stories, but a million stories do not equal one piece of evidence.”

• “Despite years of rumors about Roswell, New Mexico, there really is no proof of "close encounters" on this planet.”

• “As crazy as it sounds, many people believe the stories they hear about alien encounters.”

• “If you happen to engage them in even the slightest conversation about it, they throw in something about how the government knows everything but is covering it up.”

Passage 2 (Circus Passage): Which of the following is the central idea of passage 2?

• Circus trains are filled with lions, tigers, bears, and clowns. The more animals that they have, the more profit that they make.

• Trains revolutionized the way the circus traveled from city to city and allowed them to grow in size and profits.

• Horses are the best way for circuses to travel and allow for stops in small towns.

• Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus is still the greatest show on earth.

Passage 2 (Circus Passage): Which of the following best supports the central idea?

• “Today Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus still rely on the circus train to transport their astounding show, but now they use two.”

• “Picture this:  a herd of elephants flies past you at sixty miles per hour, followed by a streak of tigers, a pride of lions, and a bunch of clowns.”

• “After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their show to large cities.”

• “What do you see?”

Which excerpt from the text indicates which text structure the author uses in the passage?

• "After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their show to large cities."

• "Picture this: a herd of elephants flies past you at sixty miles per hour, followed by a streak of tigers, a pride of lions, and a bunch of clowns."

• "What do you see? It must be a circus train."

• "The performances were much more profitable and the profits went toward creating an even bigger and better circus."