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Main Idea & Supporting Details

Total questions: 14

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the Main Idea of this passage?

a)

Weekends are times to travel

b)

The writer enjoys spending time with family

c)

The writer's grandparents live far away

d)

The writer is sad to leave her cousins.

2.

What is a supporting detail?

a)

We are all exhausted

b)

I can't wait until this weekend!

c)

I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousin.

d)

None of the above.

3.

What is the main idea of the passage?

a)

The Wright brothers worked hard.

b)

The Wright brothers were inventors who inspired other people.

c)

Inventors build kites and bicycles

d)

The flight was in 1903

4.

What is a supporting detail?

a)

Their flight lasted 12 seconds, but it inspired others.

b)

Wilbur and Orville were brothers who were inventors.

c)

They moved their first plane to Kitty Hawk.

d)

They had big dreams

5.

Which nonfiction text feature helps us identify the main idea of a section of a book?

a)

Glossary

b)

Index

c)

Table of Contents

d)

Maps

6.

All About Sharks Teeth

Which detail below does not support the main idea above?

a)

Sharks have very sharp teeth.

b)

Sharks hunt other living creatures for food.

c)

Sharks have an unlimited supply of teeth that always grow back when one is lost.

d)

A shark can go through as many as 20,000 teeth in it's lifetime.

7.

The rain began early in the morning. It fell as hard drops, one after another. The sky was full of dark purple clouds. Thunder began as a soft rumble and then became louder and louder. Lightning crashed every few minutes, making the sky a brilliant white.


What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a)

The farms needed rain.

b)

The thunder hurt people's ears.

c)

Lightning made the sky bright.

d)

The storm was very strong.

8.

Did you know that frogs and toads look alike but that they are actually very different? Frogs need to live near the water. Frogs have long legs to help them jump. They also have smooth, thick skin. Frogs are good swimmers because of their webbed feet. Toads live on land. They have shorter legs to help them hop. Their skin is rough and dry. Toads are not good swimmers. Many people do not know the difference between frogs and toads.


What would be a good title for this paragraph?

a)

Frogs

b)

Toads

c)

Comparing Frogs and Toads

d)

Living in Water

9.

The main idea is: The red fox is a very interesting animal.


Which detail below does not support this main idea?

a)

The red fox's tail helps it to stay balanced.

b)

Red fox live in dens which are usually underground.

c)

Red fox eat a wide variety of food including rabbits, rodents, fruit, vegetables, fish, and birds.

d)

It is interesting.

10.
Benjamin Franklin loved to write.  When he was twenty-two, he set up his own printing shop and started a newspaper.  He also printed a book called Poor Richard’s Almanac.  It had funny stories, information about the weather, and wise sayings.
a)
Benjamin Franklin loved to write stories and books.
b)
Benjamin Franklin worked very hard when he was young.
c)
Benjamin Franklin knew a lot about the weather.
d)
Benjamin Franklin was very poor.
11.
Floods can cause tremendous damage.  They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind.  It can take months to clean up after a flood.
a)
Floods can cause a lot of damage.
b)
Floods cause mudslides.
c)
Floods damage houses and roads. 
12.

Traysean started to reel in his line. The fish tugged and pulled hard. Judging by the weight of his catch, this fish could feed his family for three days. Traysean struggled to stay in the boat and not be pulled over the side. Finally his catch came into view. He had snagged a snapping turtle!

What is the main idea?

a)

Traysean finds enough food for his family.

b)

Traysean gets pulled out of his boat by a huge fish.

c)

Traysean didn't catch anything.

d)

Traysean catches a snapping turtle while fishing.

13.
If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?
a)
Sometimes people feel sad.
b)
You should do good things for others.
c)
We're not always happy.
d)
There are many ways to make yourself feel better. 
14.

What is the main idea?

Shells

Raine likes to swim with her family at the beach. The best part of going to the beach is collecting shells. She likes to use shells to make jewelry. Collecting shells is fun.

a)

Raine is a good swimmer.

b)

Raine likes to collect shells.

c)

Jewelry is fun to make.

d)

Raine likes to go fishing.