If you can't figure out the main idea of a passage, what should you do?

Ask yourself general questions about the passage

Try to recall every specific detail from the passage

Read the passage over and over until you have it memorized

Read the passage once and don't look at it again.

What inference can you make about main ideas in writing?

To be effective, they should be supported by facts

They're always based on fact and never opinion.

In many essays, they have nothing to do with the topic

Most pieces of writing lack main ideas

One dinosaur had a brain that weighed about as much as three pencils. Its body weighed ten tons and was over twenty feet in length. As you can guess, this dinosaur did not think too clearly. It wasn't the world's brightest dinosaur! What is the main idea of this paragraph?

What one dinosaur's brain was like

Why one dinosaur had a small brain

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer. Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score. Most importantly, soccer players learn how to work together with their teammates. What is the main idea?

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.

They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.

Soccer players learn how to dribble.

They learn how to work together as teammates.

There are many fun things to do at the beach. Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people simply like to sunbathe. What is the main idea?

There are many fun things to do at the beach.

It is also fun to look for shells.

Some people simply like to sunbathe.

Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

Ballet dancers make dancing on their toes look easy. They do this by training for many hours each day. They must constantly practice to learn the difficult moves they make, and exercise to keep themselves in shape. While many dancers are good, only the most disciplined and talented dancers perform onstage as professionals.

Ballet dancers train very hard every day.

Ballet dancers are in good physical shape.

Most ballet dancers are processionals.

Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind! Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier. What is this selection mainly about?

Someday we will have robots that will be our personal servants.

We will be able to talk to robots and they will be able to respond.

Robots will be untiring workers.

Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Some ways that you can figure out the meaning of unknown words is to Look at

the root words, suffixes and Prefixes

Some common nonfiction text structures include:

Chronological, problem/solution, cause and effect, and compare and contrast.

inference definition example antonym Synonym

idiot detour excellent autopsy synergy

Main Topic Reading

Quiz

•

English

•

5th Grade

•

Practice Problem

•

Hard

•

CCSS

RL.5.2, RL.5.1, RI.3.5

+35

Standards-aligned

Margaret Anderson

FREE Resource

34 questions

Show all answers

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

What might be the main idea of a book titled "Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables?"

Tomatoes are good for you.

Strawberries have seeds on the outside.

It's important to eat vegetables and fruit.

Spinach is good for your bones.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Which chapter would have information about lions, tigers, and snow leopards?

"Lion, King of the Jungle"

"How Tigers get their Stripes"

"Save the Snow Leopards"

"Big Cats of the World"

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

A SUPPORTING detail explains the main idea in a paragraph. What does SUPPORT mean?

to search and find

to hold up and help

to end

to write

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

What is a main idea?

the central point of a piece of writing

the information that supports the topic sentence

the most interesting detail in a book

the punctuation used in a paragraph

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

If you read an essay about how important recycling is to our environment, what is the topic?

littering

plastic

recycling

paper

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

If you read an essay about how important recycling is to our environment, what is the main idea?

People shouldn't make so much plastic.

People should pick up trash.

People should eat healthy food.

Recycling is important to protect the environment.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

If you wanted to find the main idea of an article, where would you look?

In the first sentence

In the first sentence of the second paragraph

In the last sentence of the first paragraph

There is no one place where the main idea is always found

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

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Main Topic Reading

34 questions

What might be the main idea of a book titled "Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables?"

Which chapter would have information about lions, tigers, and snow leopards?

A SUPPORTING detail explains the main idea in a paragraph. What does SUPPORT mean?

What is a main idea?

If you read an essay about how important recycling is to our environment, what is the topic?

If you read an essay about how important recycling is to our environment, what is the main idea?

If you wanted to find the main idea of an article, where would you look?

If you can't figure out the main idea of a passage, what should you do?

What inference can you make about main ideas in writing?

An octopus isn't fast enough to swim after a fish. The octopus must wait for a fish to swim by. When the fish comes within reach, the octopus whips out his long arm to grasp it. Then the octopus has a tasty meal. What is the main idea?

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