Main Idea High School

Main Idea is 

• the theme

• what the text is mostly about

Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers.  They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.  Mrs. Jones works nights.  She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies.  Mrs. Brown works in the daytime.  She bakes bread and rolls.  Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers.
What is the main idea?

• Mrs. Jones bakes pies.

• Mrs. Brown bakes rolls.

• Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers

• They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.

Some people say that the White House has ghosts.  The most famous ghost is Abraham Lincoln.  He is often seen standing in his room looking out the window.  Even Eleanor Roosevelt said that she saw him.  There is a legend that old Abe walks back and forth all night before something terrible is about to happen.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• what Lincoln's ghost is like

• when Eleanor Roosevelt's ghost walked

• hwo many ghosts the White House has

• how ghosts show when something will happen

A bat can fly at night or even with its eyes closed.  But if you cover its ears, it can't fly very well.  Bats make sounds that people can't hear.  The bats find their way by listening to these sounds as they echo off things.  Bats even locate insects to eat by following the sounds that bounce off the bugs.  People use their eyes, but bats use their ears to know where they're going.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how bats use sound

• what things bats often eat as food

• how bats fly toward people

• how people can hear the sounds of bats

Toy cars and trucks were lying all over the floor. Ben had dumped his entire toy box in the middle of his room looking for his favorite blue car. His Uncle Lonnie had given it to him for his birthday. Uncle Lonnie was coming for a visit, and Ben wanted them to play together with it. Ben looked for about an hour and could not find the car. When his mother called him, he stepped on something hard. It was his blue car.
What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

• Ben had many toys and trucks

• Uncle Lonnie gave Ben a blue car

• Ben dumped his entire toy box in the middle of the floor

• Ben found the blue car his Uncle Lonnie gave him by stepping on it

Not all animals that live in the water are fish. Frogs and tadpoles, for example, spend part of their lives in water. They are amphibians, not true fish. Whales and seals are warm-blooded mammals. Some snakes live partly in water too. What is the main idea?

• Which animals live in water

• Why whales live in water

Jenny visited her grandmother in the hospital.  She saw how kind and helpful the nurses were to her grandmother.  Now she wants to be a nurse when she grows up.  She wants to help sick people get well. 
What is the main idea?

• Jenny got sick.

• Jenny wants to be a nurse.

• Her grandmother was in the hospital.

• Jenny was glad the nurses were being kind to her grandmother.

What is the main idea of a passage?

• A) The theme of the passage

• B) The central point or message

• C) The first sentence of the passage

• D) The conclusion of the passage

Which of the following best describes a simile?

• A) A comparison using 'like' or 'as'

• B) A statement of fact

• C) A type of metaphor

• D) A form of personification

Identify the main idea of the following passage: 'The sun is a star that provides light and heat to the Earth. It is essential for life on our planet.'

• A) The sun is a star

• B) The sun provides light and heat

• C) The sun is essential for life on Earth

• D) The sun is very hot