Broad Main Narrow

Although they look similar, rabbits and hares have many differences. Rabbits live together in burrows. Their babies are born blind and without fur. Hares live alone above ground. Their babies are born with fur and are not blind. In addition, hares are usually bigger than rabbits. 
What is the main idea of this passage?

• Hares and rabbits are not the same.
• Some kinds of animals look the same but are really very different. 
• Rabbits live together in burrows. 

It seems most people love eating ice cream on a cone, but do you know how the ice cream cone was invented? The ice cream cone was invented at the 1904 St. Louis World's fair when an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes. A waffle booth began making cone shaped waffles to hold the ice cream. The rest, as they say, is history!

Which of the following is a broad idea about this passage?

• Some foods may be invented to solve a problem.

• They ran out of dishes at the 1904 S. Louis World's Fair

• The ice cream cone was invented in 1904

Julia Butterfly Hill climbed a giant Redwood tree on December 10, 1997. She stayed in the tree, which was located in northern California for nearly two years. People brought her food and supplies. She did not come down until the logging company promised never to cut the tree down.

Which of the following is a narrow statement about this passage?

• Julia Butterfly Hill lived in the tree for two years.

• Redwood trees are worth protecting.

• Julia Butterfly Hill lived in a giant Redwood tree to keep it from being cut down.

In Washington State, The Department of Fish and Wildlife gives participating classrooms 500 salmon eggs. When the eggs hatch, the children care for the baby salmon and learn about their lifecycle. When the salmon are big enough, the class goes on a field trip to release the salmon into a stream or river. 
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Classrooms who participate recieve 500 salmon eggs. 
• Salmon have interesting lifecycles. 
• School children in Washington State are helping to raise salmon.

Incense cedar wood is used for making pencils because it does not break easily, but is soft enough to be sharpened without splintering. It also won't bend or warp in hot temperatures. Incense cedar trees are grown in California and Oregon. 
Which of the following statements is broad?

• Certain types of wood wouldn't make good pencils.
• Incense cedar wood is a perfect wood for making pencils. 
• Incense trees grow in Oregon.

Which statement best explains the main idea?

• One part, fact, or detail from the story
• Too general, not specific enough
• A summary of what the story is mainly about

What does it mean if a statement is too narrow?

• a summary of what the story is mostly about
• one fact, part, or detail from the story
• too general, not specific enough

What does it mean if a statement is too broad?

• a summary of what the story is mostly about
• one fact, part, or detail from the story
• too general, not specific enough

Here is something fun to try. Lay an egg on its side and try to make it spin. If it is not hard-boiled, the shifting liquid inside will make it spin poorly. If it is hardboiled, the solid insides will make it spin faster and longer. 
Which of the following is a broad statement?

• You can tell if an egg is hardboiled or not by spinning it. 
• Spinning eggs can be fun. 
• Liquid can shift inside an egg that is not hard-boiled. 

The Atacama Desert is located on a plateau in northern Chile. It almost never rains in the Atacama Desert. In fact, there are some areas of the desert where rainfall has never been recorded. The average yearly rainfall in the Atacama is just 1 millimeter. Nowhere else on earth is drier than the Atacama Desert!
Which of the following is a broad statement?

• The Atacama Desert is located on a plateau. 
• Deserts can be very dry.
• The Atacama Desert is the driest place on earth.