Main Idea

What is the main idea of the paragraph?

Australia is an interesting country. It has wildlife you will never find in the U.S., such as kangaroos and koalas. There are waterfalls, cliffs, and beaches to explore. Some people like to go skiing in the mountains. If you like trains, you can take a ride on the Puffing Billy Steam Railway. You can even visit towns with interesting names like Mallacoota and Yarra Glen.

• Australia's Puffing Billy Steam Railway is really fun.

• The mountains are the best place to ski in Australia.

• Australia's kangaroos and koalas are great animals.

• There are a lot of things to see and do in Australia.

What is this paragraph mostly about?   

There are many kinds of wild animals in the U.S. One type of animal is the bobcat. Bobcats are about twice the size of a housecat. Their fur is tan and orange combined. They have black spots on their bodies, but black stripes on their faces. The bobcats' coloring and spots help them to hide in the wild. People sometimes call a bobcat a bay lynx, but this is incorrect. A bobcat looks a lot like a lynx, but it is a totally different type of cat.

• Really large housecats.

• What bobcats look like.

• Wild animals in the U.S.

• How to hide in the wild.

  I have learned a lot of things from my grandpa. He taught me how to play checkers, ride a bike, and dive into a swimming pool. He also showed me how to throw a football and a baseball. My grandpa even taught me how to make soup. My favorite thing to do with my grandpa is to fish. We have caught huge catfish, trout, and bass. One time, we fried them up for supper on a campfire my grandpa made himself. My grandpa knows how to do a lot of stuff, and I hope he teaches me every single one.

Which sentence from the passage above best states the main idea?

• "We have caught huge catfish, trout, and bass."

• "My grandpa even taught me how to make soup."

• "I have learned a lot of things from my grandpa."

• "My favorite thing to do with my grandpa is to fish."

What is the main idea of this passage?

Popcorn is a light and fluffy snack. Each piece of popcorn starts as a hard kernel before it ends up as a crunchy, white puff. There are oil, liquid, and starch inside of the hard shell. When the kernel grows hot, the liquid turns into steam. The steam forces the shell to pop. Then, the starch inside of the popcorn kernel hardens into a white, foamy treat. People often enjoy popcorn with salt and butter.

• Popcorn starts as kernels then turns into puffs.

• People like to eat popcorn with butter and salt.

• Hot steam inside the kernels causes them to pop.

• There are oil and starch inside of popcorn kernels.

Jaked Suit Passage

Question 1: What is the main idea?

Swimming is a popular sport. There are swimming championships all around the world. The sport of swimming has recently been changed by improvements in swimsuits. A new brand of swimsuits has proven to make swimmers faster. The Jaked swimsuit helps the swimmers float in the water better. It also makes the water move around the swimmer’s body without slowing him or her down. Swimmers have broken 30 world records while wearing Jaked swimsuits. Many people believe that swimmers are cheating when they wear this special swimsuit to help them win. FINA is the group that makes the rules for the sport of swimming. It has decided to make rules against wearing the new Jaked swimsuit during an event. The records set by swimmers wearing the Jaked swimsuits will be hard to break.

• It is against the rules to wear the Jaked swimsuit during an event.

• Records set by swimmers wearing Jaked swimsuits will be hard to break.

• Swimmers wearing Jaked swimsuits to help them win are cheating.

• The Jaked swimsuit has caused big changes in the sport of swimming.

Jaked Suit Passage

Question 2: Which sentence supports the idea that many swimmers like wearing Jaked swimsuits?

Swimming is a popular sport. There are swimming championships all around the world. The sport of swimming has recently been changed by improvements in swimsuits. A new brand of swimsuits has proven to make swimmers faster. The Jaked swimsuit helps the swimmers float in the water better. It also makes the water move around the swimmer’s body without slowing him or her down. Swimmers have broken 30 world records while wearing Jaked swimsuits. Many people believe that swimmers are cheating when they wear this special swimsuit to help them win. FINA is the group that makes the rules for the sport of swimming. It has decided to make rules against wearing the new Jaked swimsuit during an event. The records set by swimmers wearing the Jaked swimsuits will be hard to break.

• "Swimming is a popular sport."

• "Swimmers have broken 30 world records while wearing Jaked swimsuits."

• "FINA is the group that makes the rules for the sport of swimming."

• "There are swimming championships all around the world."