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Central Idea

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 1hrs 6mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Find the central idea
 Being a clown isn't all fun and games.  Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform.  When cowboys dismount or are bucked off of bulls at riding competitions, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention.  In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider.  So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business
a)
Being a clown isn't all fun and games.
b)
Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.
c)
Rodeos are exciting.
d)
Clowns are good at riding bulls.
2.

Because lambs are sometimes eaten by coyotes, ranchers may hunt or trap the coyotes. However, killing coyotes may upset nature's balance. Scientists have found a way to protect sheep without killing coyotes. Coyotes are fed lamb meat treated with a drug. When they eat the meat, they get sick. Later, coyotes won't even go near lambs. They'll hunt rabbits instead.

This story mainly tells.....

a)

Coyotes prefer rabbits to lambs.

b)

Killing coyotes upsets nature's balance.

c)

Scientists are trying to protect sheep and coyotes.

3.
Most people think that gorillas are mean, but actually they are shy. It seems that such a huge animal with very large teeth would be aggressive. Hollywood movies help convey this image of the scary, ferocious gorilla. In fact, gorillas only attack if they are provoked. 
This author belives that:
a)
Gorillas are misunderstood as vicious animals.
b)
Gorillas are mean animals
c)
Gorillas don't like other animals.
4.
Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat. Sometimes they added berries and sugar. Then they pressed it into small cakes. They called these cakes pemmican. Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or going hunting. 
This passage is mainly about?
a)
who uses pemmican today
b)
what can be put into pemmican
c)
how pemmican was made by Native Americans
5.
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 central idea?
a)
They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.
b)
Soccer players learn how to dribble.
c)
Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.
6.
What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?
a)
Who is the main character?
b)
What is the main event?
c)
What is one important detail?
d)
What point is the author trying to make?
7.
Depression is a common illness that is easy to treat. Unfortunately, many people don't take their symptoms seriously and don't talk to their doctors about their problems. They don't know that depression has a physical cause; it is not a sign of weakness or a mood that will just go away.

Which of the following details would best support the main idea of this passage?
a)
Jorge doesn't feel like himself anymore.
b)
Girls are more likely to suffer from depression than boys.
c)
Depression often runs in families.
d)
Many people try to hide their depression and avoid getting help.
8.

Do you ever wonder how you taste things? You owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have 9,000 taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the roof of your mouth. You even have taste buds on the back of your throat.

What does the author want you to learn about the passage?

a)

Why we can taste only sweet things.

b)

that we taste through our nose

c)

Taste buds are found in different places.

9.
Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700’s.  He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires.  He also invented the Franklin stove.  The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel.  He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals.  This new kind of glasses helped people to read better.
a)
Benjamin Franklin thought reading was important.
b)
Benjamin Franklin was not afraid of fire.
c)
Benjamin Franklin was a great inventor.
d)
A Franklin stove can heat a whole room.
10.
We often let others know what we are thinking without using words. The name that we give for this kind of communication is body language. Body language includes gestures, facial expressions, and posture. Body language does not always mean the same thing to everyone.
What is the main idea of the paragraph?
a)
We sometimes use words to express ourselves.
b)
Body language may not mean the same thing to everyone.
c)
We use body language to communicate with others.
d)
Body language includes gestures, facial expression, and posture.
11.
 Imagine testing glass by throwing chickens at it? Sometimes fast moving airplanes fly through flocks of birds. If the birds hit the windshield of a plane, the glass could shatter and cause a crash. Airplane manufacturers have made a chicken cannon that fires rubber chickens at glass windshields. If the windshield doesn't break when the rubber chicken hits it, the designers know that the glass can withstand the force of a real crash.
a)
Why birds can be dangerous to airplanes
b)
How a chicken cannon checks glass
c)
How the Chicken cannon works
d)
How big a bird can hit a plane and bring it down
12.
Seated on his throne, King Midas wore a golden crown. He had golden rings on each finger and held a golden scepter. His vest was embroidered with golden thread and even his shoes had golden ornaments. He had a golden box filled with gold coins. He named his daughter Marigold.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
a)
King Midas loved gold.
b)
King Midas sold lots of gold.
c)
King Midas had a heart of gold.
d)
King Midas hated gold.
13.
What is the central idea?
 There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous mammals.  Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that incapacitates victims with excruciating pain.  Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses electroreception.  What this means is that the platypus uses its bill to sense the electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey.  The platypus neither sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through electroreception.  Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young.  The platypus is an odd creature indeed.  
a)
The platypus is an odd, poisonous creature.
b)
Platypus males have a poison ankle spur.
c)
Platypus can sense electricity
d)
None of these options
14.

Wolverines are medium sized mammals. They weigh no more than 50 lbs. Yet they have earned their reputation for ferocity by killing prey many times their size. But why do they get in so many fights? The reason why wolverines have so many conflicts with other animals (including wolves, cougars, and even bears) is probably because of the wolverine's preferred hunting style. Rather than chasing down or tricking its prey like most hunters, the wolverine prefers to take its meals directly from other hunters. So while a polar bear or a lone wolf might be enjoying a hard earned carcass, a hungry wolverine may try to take his lunch. As you might imagine, this style of hunting get the wolverine in plenty of fights.


What is the CENTRAL IDEA in the above paragraph?

a)

Wolverines are medium sized animals who get very hungry.

b)

Wolverines have a aggressive hunting style.

c)

Despite their size, Wolverines are ferocious animals.

d)

Wolverines get into many fights.

15.

It's no surprise that exercise increases energy. The physical challenge prepares your body in a variety of ways. Blood sugar is more quickly converted to fuel, more oxygen is supplied to your cells, and fight-or-flight hormones are released. Instead of leaving you exhausted, exercise energizes. Do it in the morning for an all-day high or later in the afternoon for a pick-me-up.


What is the CENTRAL IDEA of the paragraph above?

a)

Exercise increases your energy.

b)

Everyone should exercise daily.

c)

Exercise is easier than it looks.

d)

Exercise makes you live longer.

16.

When Americans think of earthquakes, they tend to think of California, a state known for its frequent seismic activity. In recent years, however, people in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas have been feeling the ground shake more often. An increase in oil and gas drilling in these states has led to "human-induced" earthquakes—those resulting from human activity. When wastewater is disposed of during gas and oil drilling, the water is forced deep underground. The resulting buildup of pressure can cause fault lines (cracks in the earth's crust) to shift. According to Mark Petersen, head of the U.S. Geological Survey's earthquake hazard mapping project, "In the past five years, the USGS has documented high shaking and damage in areas of these six states, mostly from induced earthquakes."

a)

An increase in oil and gas drilling has caused a corresponding increase in earth quakes in six states

b)

Residents of six U.S. states have experienced an increase in earth quake activity in recent years

c)

The resulting buildup of pressure can cause fault lines to shift

d)

Earth quakes in America happen primarily in the state of California, but can also happen in a few others

17.

Fifth grade is a good time to show additional responsibility. Fifth graders could show additional responsibility by getting a cell phone. As fifth graders, we are starting to stay after school for clubs or sports, and when we go into middle school, we will do more of this. With this added responsibility after school, we need a way to get in touch with our parents. Also, fifth graders are old enough to understand how to use a cell phone responsibility. A fifth grader understands that a phone is not just for playing games and listening to music. A fifth grader can show responsibility by not using all of the phone minutes or data on the phone for fun. Parents could help fifth graders set time limits for games and music. Finally, a phone is an expensive item, and you have to take care of it. A fifth grader can show responsibility by keeping up with the phone and not losing it.


Which of the following would best support the main idea if added to the paragraph?

a)

A phone could also be used to text friends and family members.

b)

It takes responsibility not to break the rules that parents set for how to use the phone.

c)

If there is an emergency at school, a cell phone would be useful.

18.
The earth's surface is constantly changing.  All over the world everyday there are earthquakes, floods and volcanoes that quickly change our world. Some changes are too small to see.  Others cause tremendous damage and costs millions of dollars to clean up.
What is the main idea?
a)
It is expensive to clean up the damage
b)
Sometimes we can't see the changes. 
c)
The Earth's surface is always changing.
19.

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA

Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.

a)

The origins of Halloween

b)

The New Celtic Year

c)

Primitive traditions

d)

Why the skeleton costume is the best for Halloween

20.

What is the CENTRAL IDEA of a nonfiction text?

a)

What the text is MOSTLY about.

b)

A full paragraph SUMMARY of a text.

c)

The type of CONFLICT used throughout a text.

d)

The universal truth, moral lesson, or message that the author intends for the audience.