Unit 6 Reading Literary Text Review

Tim looked out the window. The house looked so lonely. Tim's father put the last suitcase in the trunk and started up the car. Thor, his dog, put his head on Tim's lap, like he understood how  Tim was feeling. "It's okay Thor," he said, "Dad says we will like California." Using inferences, what is happening?

• Tim is sad because his dog doesn't have a house to live in.

• Tim is taking a trip to visit peolpe he doesn't know.

• Tim is taking Thor to live with his grandmother.

• Tim is moving to California with his family.

Answer explanation

Inferences use clues from the text and your background knowledge about the subject to help you understand what is happening. Inferences are not directly stated.

Tiffany held her breath as her teacher returned the math test the class had taken last week.  Tiffany had not studied very hard or long for the test, and she was worried about her grade.  Her teacher handed Tiffany her test.  Tiffany groaned and put her head down on her desk. One can infer that is likely:

• Tiffany earned a bad grade on the test

• Tiffany received a good grade on the test

• Tiffany is tired

• Tiffany is angry at her teacher

Answer explanation

We can combine the clues of Tiffany getting her test back with the clue that she groaned and put her head down. This tells us she was probably not happy about the grade.

Jenny visited her grandmother in the hospital.  She saw how kind and helpful the nurses were to her grandmother.  Now she wants to be a nurse when she grows up.  She wants to help sick people get well. 
What is the main idea?

• Jenny got sick.

• Jenny wants to be a nurse.

• Her grandmother was in the hospital.

• Jenny was glad the nurses were being kind to her grandmother.

Answer explanation

The main idea tells what happened in the story.

What is the difference between THEME and MAIN IDEA?

• Theme is a universal lesson and the main idea is what the story is about.
• The theme is what the story is about and main idea is the universal lesson it teaches.

This tells what the story is mostly about. It's like a one-sentence summary.

• Main Idea

• Theme

Is this an example of theme or main idea?

George tries to take care of Lennie but eventually realizes that he can’t.

• Theme

• Main Idea

Answer explanation

This is a main idea because it tells what the story is about using character names.

A theme is a lesson the text teaches and does not use character names.

Is this a topic, main idea, or theme?

Even though it had been a terrible day, Joey came home in a pleasant mood, hoping to have a good night.

• Topic

• Main Idea

• Theme

Choose the theme from the choices below.

• The tortoise and the hare had a race.

• The tortoise was a show-off.

• Slow and steady wins the race.

• The hare was determined.

Answer explanation

A theme teaches a lesson and does not use character names. The lesson should be able to be applied to life in general.

Which line contains an idea that would be most important to include in a summary of this passage?

Rosa Parks has been called the "mother of the civil rights movement." She is one of the most important people of the 20th century. In December of 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. The bus driver had her arrested. She was sent to court. She was found guilty of breaking the law.

Her act sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks. Blacks refused to use the buses for more than a year. The boycott introduced the country to a man named Martin Luther King, Jr. People all over the country came to know King. Soon, the U.S. Supreme Court made segregation on city buses against the law.

Over the next forty years, Rosa Parks helped make Americans aware of the history of the civil rights struggle. She earned many honors, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize. She is an example of courage and strength. She inspires all Americans to live free.

• Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger.

• The boycott introduced the country to a man named Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Rosa Parks was sent to court. She was found guilty of breaking the law.

• Rosa Parks is an example of courage and strength. She inspires all Americans to live free.

Answer explanation

Summaries include only the most important ideas, the main ideas.

Which of the following sentences contains a simile?

• The mouse was quiet

• The mouse was whisper-quiet

• The mouse was quiet as a whisper

• The mouse's footsteps sounded whispery

Answer explanation

A simile makes a comparison using "like" or "as".