Free Printable Identifying Main Idea #2

Worksheets

Identifying Main Idea #2 - UTT

Total questions: 12

Worksheet time: 6mins

Name

Class

Date

^{Passages from Main Idea and Summarizing (Beech)} A roller brigade glides down a boulevard in Paris. This group of in-line skaters is part of the city's police force. Their job is to keep bus lanes free of passenger cars on busy streets. They also pull over drivers who are chatting on mobile phones. The best part of their work is posing for pictures with tourists. The rollers wear helmets and knee pads as part of their uniform. Even so, it can be tricky to navigate some streets in Paris, especially those paved with cobblestones.

Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

Paris has a lot of automobile traffic

A rolleur wears a helmet and pads

Some police in Paris work on skates.

In-line skates are not just for fun.

At one time children in Nicaragua with hearing impairments were kept hidden. They were not taught any form of communication. Finally, in 1979 the government of this Latin American country set up two schools for these children. At first, the children could not understand their teachers. But they soon began communicating among themselves with their hands. They developed more and more signs, or signals. Now students learned them too. Today, Nicaraguan Sign Language is a recognized language. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

Nicaragua is in Latin America.

Children developed a sign language.

Children deserve to go to school.

How teachers and students communicate.

In the days of ancient Rome, taking a bath was a social event. Romans of all classes bathed in large public bathhouses. These buildings were decorated with mosaic floors, marble walls and painted walls. There were hot baths, warm baths, cold baths and hot-dry baths for sweating. People met their friends, heard the news and got clean all at the same time. Sometimes bathers even held business meetings. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

Business meetings in ancient Rome

Public bathhouses in ancient Rome

Decorations in Roman bathhouses

How Romans got clean long ago

Reefs and atolls are formed from masses of coral that surround volcanic islands. Over many years, a volcanic island gradually sinks, but the masses of coral grow upward and form a barrier between the island and the sea. The water between the island and the reef is called a lagoon. When the island completely sinks from view, the reef continues to grow and often forms a circle around the lagoon. This is called an atoll. The Pacific Ocean has many atolls. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

How lagoons are formed

What barrier reefs are made of

What happens to volcanic islands

How reefs and atolls are formed

People have used oil since early times. Ancient cultures learned that oil was sticky and useful for binding things together. They also noted that oil kept water out. For example, the Sumerians used the oil in asphalt to keep mosaics on walls and in floors. The people of Mesopotamia used the oil in bitumen to seal the joints in wooden boats. Other groups found that oil burned well to create light. Throughout the ages, hundreds of other uses for oil were discovered. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

The Sumerians used oil as glue.

When burned, oil creates light.

Oil has sticky qualities.

People have used oil through the ages

What is a gaggle? You probably know that it is a group of geese. "Gaggle" is a collective noun because it names a group. Many collective nouns name groups of animals. For example, a string is a group of ponies, and a troop is a group of kangaroos. What is a knot? If you're talking about toads, then a knot is a group of them. Have you ever found foxes together? Then you saw a skult. And if a group of elk crosses in front of you, you're looking at a gang. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

Meanings of collective nouns

A knot is a group of toads.

Names for different animals

How to use a collective noun

Willima Steig (1907-2003) was known for his cartoons and his children's books. For more than six decades, his cartoons amused readers of The New Yorker magazine. He was also responsible for the drawings on many of the publication's covers. Steig started writing and illustrating books for children in the 1970s. Some of his most famous titles include Sylvester and the magic Pebble, CDC?, Dr. DeSoto and Amos and Boris. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

The work of William Steig

The cartoons of William Steig

The life of william Steig

The books of Willima of Steig

Thanks to St. Lawrence Seaway, ships can carry cargo from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic Ocean. The trip covers 2,700 nautical miles. To create the Seaway, the St. Lawrence River had to be excavated. A 27-foot-deep channel between the city of Montreal and Lake Ontario was dug. Many locks were built so that ships could be raised or lowered as the height of the water changed on the route. Canals, roads and bridges were built as well. The Seaway officially opened in 1959. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

Building the St. Lawrence Seaway

A 2,700 mile nautical journey

Building locks for ships

Expanding the St. Lawrence River

Happy New Year! People say this all over the world; however, not everyone celebrates this day in the same way. In Iceland, New Year's Eve is a time to clean up trash and perform elf dances. Families in Ecuador dance around scarecrows and read lists of people's faults. Later, when they set the scarecrow on fire, both it and the faults go up in flames. In Belgium, children write down good deeds they hope to perform. Chinese and Japanese get off to a good start by paying all their debts. How do you celebrate? The main idea of this paragraph is _______________.

Performing good deeds in Belgium

New Year's traditions around the world

How Americans celebrate the New Year

A time to pay off debts

10.

Some expressions about feelings are very colorful! If you're sad, you might be "feeling blue." Have you ever been so excited that you "talked a blue streak"? Perhaps you were "tickled pink." If you've ever been jealous, you might have been "green with envy". Suppose you are scared. Then you might turn "as white as a sheet." Anger might make you "see red." Embarrassed about something? Well, you might turn "as red as a beet"? The main idea of this paragraph is _______________.

Using blue to describe feelings

"Seeing red" means being angry.

Idioms about unhappy feelings

Color phrases help express feelings.

11.

Not everyone in the world uses the same calendar. If you are a Hindu, you follow the Hindu calendar. It has 360 days divided into twelve months of thirty days each. The months are counted from full moon to full moon. A leap month is added every five years to keep the calendar in line with the seasons. Each month has two parts; Krsna is the first part, when the moon is getting smaller, and Sukla is the second part, when the moon is getting fuller. Some names of months are Chaitra, Asadha and Pausa. The main idea of this paragraph is _______________.

Calendars around the world

Two parts of a Hindu month

Understanding the Hindu calendar

A year of twelve months

12.

If you are a movie fan, you probably watch the Oscars on television. These awards for excellence in the film industry were first given in 1929. At that time there was no TV. Instead, 250 people attended a banquet in Hollywood sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The winning film that year was Wings, a war story. As for the name Oscar, a secretary at the academy said the statue looked like her Uncle Oscar. Which of the following best states the main idea of this paragraph?

How the Oscars were named

What movie fans do

The first Oscar awards

Wings won the first film award.

100 %

Identifying Main Idea #2 - UTT

Total questions: 12

Worksheet time: 6mins

Similar Resources on Wayground