Reading Comprehension: Identifying Key Details

What is the main purpose of identifying the main idea in a text?

• To understand the author's writing style

• To summarize the text's overall message

• To critique the author's argument

• To memorize the text's details

Which of the following would be considered a supporting detail?

• The theme of the story

• A fact that proves the main idea

• The genre of the text

• The author's biography

Why is it important to determine supporting details in a text?

• To increase reading speed

• To understand the text's structure

• To argue against the author's point of view

• To better understand and remember the main idea

What question can you ask to identify the main idea of a text?

• Who is the author?

• What is this text mostly about?

• How many characters are in the story?

• Where is the setting of the story?

Which of the following is NOT a way to find the main idea?

• Reading the title and subtitles

• Looking at the first and last sentences of paragraphs

• Focusing only on the illustrations or graphics

• Summarizing the text in your own words

When a detail in the text is described as a "supporting detail," it means that the detail:

• Can stand alone without the main idea

• Is more important than the main idea

• Helps to explain or prove the main idea

• Is unrelated to the main idea but interesting

Identifying the main idea of a text is similar to:

• Painting a picture

• Solving a math problem

• Deciding the outcome of a story

• Finding the summary of the story

A supporting detail should:

• Introduce new topics not covered by the main idea

• Directly relate to and support the main idea

• Contradict the main idea to provide a balanced view

• Be an interesting fact unrelated to the main idea