Main/Key Idea

Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

• Penguins are interesting creatures.

• Penguins are unable to fly.

• Penguins live in the Antarctic.

• Penguins are excellent swimmers.

What is this article mainly about?

• The history of rodeos.

• How rodeos have changed.

• How entertaining rodeos are.

• The safety of rodeos.

What is the paragraph mainly about?

• Where geysers can be found.

• Why geysers are dangerous.

• How geysers form.

• What a geyser eruption is like.

Seated on his throne, King Midas wore a golden crown. He had golden rings on each finger and held a golden scepter. His vest was embroidered with golden thread and even his shoes had golden ornaments. He had a golden box filled with gold coins. He named his daughter Marigold.

Which key idea is presented in this paragraph?

• King Midas loved gold.

• King Midas sold lots of gold.

• King Midas had a heart of gold.

• King Midas hated gold.

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.

This author believes that:

• Gorillas are misunderstood as vicious animals.

• Gorillas don't like other animals.

• Gorillas are mean animals

The deep-sea divers pursuing profit must carefully research their sites to make sure it is legal to take artifacts from the location. They must also take measures to preserve the artifacts so that they don't corrode and lose value once they are recovered. For these deep-sea divers, the measure of their success is the dollar value of the treasure they find.

what is the central idea of this paragraph?

• Divers need to make sure they are not losing money.

• The divers must take measure to make sure the site legal to research.

IDENTIFY THE MAIN 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 bulls buck them off, 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. Of course, this is a very dangerous thing to do. So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business.

• Sometimes clowns can mean serious bussiness.

• Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.

• Cowboys and Rodeo Clowns are constantly in danger.

• A Rodeo bull's attention is easily caught by Rodeo clowns.

Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.

This selection is mainly about -

• The origins of Halloween

• The New Celtic Year

• Primitive traditions

• Why the skeleton costume is the best for Halloween