Main Idea and Key Details

What is the main idea of the text?

• Kangaroos have sharp claws and teeth.

• Kangaroos are the fastest mammal on land.

• Kangaroos can protect themselves by kicking, clawing, biting and hopping away.

• Kangaroos will kick if threatened.

When one hears the term "reality" applied to a show, one might expect that the events portrayed occurred naturally or, at the least, were not scripted. This is not always the case. Many reality shows occur in unreal environments, like rented mansions occupied by film crews. Such living environments do not reflect what most people understand to be "reality." Worse, there have been accusations that events not captured on film were later restaged by producers. Worse still, some involved in the production of "reality" television claim that the participants were urged to act out story lines premeditated by producers. With such accusations floating around, it's no wonder many people take reality TV to be about as real as the sitcom.

What is the main idea?

• Reality TV is definitely real.

• Reality TV is super cool.

• Reality TV isn't always real.

• Reality TV shows are like sitcoms.

• Reality TV makes everyone a star.

Key details give important information to support the main idea.

• True
• False

What do the key details help us find out about the story?

• The topic sentence
• The main idea
• The details
• The paragraph

Why are key details important?

• To help me understand the main idea.
• They are the names of the characters.
• They are always written in bold print.
• They are our vocabulary words.

Which supporting detail best supports this topic sentence?
It takes a lot of hard work to become a professional athlete. 

• The pros live the good life.
• People like professional football players make a lot of money.
• Professional athletes spend countless hours practicing their sports.
• All of us can be professional athletes. 

In the area in and around Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, wolves were once abundant. Once the park was founded, people hunted the wolves in great numbers. By the early 1900s, there were no more in the area. In 1995 and 1996, around 60 gray wolves were reintroduced to the area. The hope was that this effort would help this endangered species survive. In the years since the population in the area has grown to over 1,000 wolves. The animal is still considered endangered in Wyoming, but the growth of its numbers in the region is very encouraging.

What is the main idea of this passage?

• Wolves communicate with other wolves by howling.

• Wolves communicate with other wolves by howling.

• A wolf's size changes greatly over its life.

• Wolves are endangered in Wyoming despite efforts to revive the population.

Were you born after 1985? If so, how long do you expect to live? Most people born after 1985 can expect to live more than 70 years. Of course, this is just a guess based on past records. By the way, females can expect to live about six years longer than males. That’s taken from past records too!
What is the paragraph mostly about?

• how long you might expect to live

• about the health of females

• why people live to be 70

• tells that people live to be 100