WorksheetsAnalyzing Central Ideas in Texts
Total questions: 24
Worksheet time: 13mins
Which term best describes the main point or message of a text?
Supporting detail
Central idea
Author’s tone
Text structure
What is a supporting idea in a text?
The main argument
A detail that helps explain or prove the central idea
The author’s opinion
The conclusion
Which of the following is NOT a step in writing an objective summary?
Stating your personal opinion
Identifying the central idea
Including key supporting details
Using your own words
What does it mean to “analyze the development” of a central idea?
To memorize the central idea
To examine how the central idea changes or grows throughout the text
To ignore supporting details
To rewrite the text
Which of the following best describes an objective summary?
A summary that includes personal opinions
A summary that only lists facts and main ideas from the text
A summary that uses quotes from the text
A summary that is longer than the original text
If a text’s central idea is “the importance of teamwork,” which of the following would be a supporting idea?
Teamwork helps people achieve common goals.
The author likes soccer.
Teams are always successful.
Teamwork is not important.
Read the following sentence: “The author describes how recycling can reduce waste in landfills.” What is the central idea of this sentence?
Recycling is expensive.
Recycling can help reduce landfill waste.
Landfills are dangerous.
People do not recycle.
A text describes the process of photosynthesis and its importance to plants. Which of the following is a supporting idea?
Photosynthesis allows plants to make their own food.
Plants are green.
Photosynthesis is a long word.
Plants need water.
Which of the following best shows the relationship between a central idea and supporting ideas?
Supporting ideas provide evidence and examples that explain the central idea.
Supporting ideas are unrelated to the central idea.
The central idea is less important than supporting ideas.
Supporting ideas are only found in the introduction.
After reading a text about climate change, which of the following would be the best way to identify its central idea?
Look for repeated concepts or themes throughout the text.
Focus only on the first sentence.
Ignore the conclusion.
Only read the title.
A text begins by describing the problem of plastic pollution, then explains how recycling can help, and finally discusses community clean-up efforts. How does the central idea develop over the course of the text?
It starts with a problem and ends with solutions.
It only talks about recycling.
It ignores the problem.
It focuses on community events.
You are asked to write an objective summary of a text about healthy eating. Which of the following should you include?
The main idea and key supporting details from the text
Your personal opinion about healthy eating
Only the author’s name
Unrelated facts
A text’s central idea is “reading improves vocabulary.” Which supporting idea best develops this central idea?
Reading exposes people to new words and phrases.
Reading is fun.
Reading takes time.
Reading is difficult.
A text describes how exercise can improve mental health, listing benefits such as reduced stress and better sleep. What is the central idea?
Exercise is expensive.
Exercise can improve mental health.
Sleep is important.
Stress is unavoidable.
Given a text about the history of the internet, how would you analyze the development of its central idea?
By tracking how the author explains changes in technology over time
By listing every date mentioned
By ignoring supporting details
By focusing only on the conclusion
A text discusses the dangers of distracted driving, provides statistics, and shares stories from accident victims. How does the author use supporting ideas to develop the central idea?
By providing evidence and real-life examples to emphasize the risks
By ignoring statistics
By focusing only on stories
By listing unrelated facts
If you are asked to analyze the relationship between the central idea and supporting ideas in a text about renewable energy, what should you do?
Explain how each supporting idea helps clarify or prove the central idea
Only list the supporting ideas
Ignore the central idea
Focus on unrelated details
A text’s central idea is “technology can improve education.” The author describes online learning, educational apps, and virtual classrooms. How would you summarize the development of the central idea?
The author explains different ways technology enhances learning, using examples to support the main point.
The author only talks about apps.
The author ignores technology.
The author focuses on sports.
Which sentence from the text best supports your answer in Part A?
The girls were all different sizes and shapes.
The four of us were splitting up for the first time in our lives.
Carmen had gotten them from a secondhand place without even bothering to try them on.
By the time Carmen pulled them on, we knew something extraordinary was happening.
Which evidence from the text supports the claim that Leslie is not very active?
Leslie's bed can be folded into a couch but never has been.
Leslie's bed has numerous pillows in different sizes and colors.
Leslie has a plasma TV mounted on the wall of his bedroom.
Leslie spends the entire day sprawled on his bed.
What is the central idea of the passage?
In 1981, a new television channel was introduced to showcase musicians performing their songs in music videos. This channel was called MTV, or Music Television. Since the channel first went on the air, viewership has increased, and the channel has expanded to countries all over the world. Today, MTV not only shows music videos, but a variety of other television programming as well.
MTV has been a ground-breaking TV channel
MTV offers interesting videos
Watching MTV is a great way to see musicians
MTV is a channel that is broadcasted around the world
What is the central idea of the passage?
In 1969, Apollo 11’s successful landing on the moon was seen on TV all around the world. At last, men had walked on the moon for the first time ever! Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became famous American heroes. This mission was a great achievement for the U.S. space program, and led to six more Apollo flights in the years to come. The mission's success also led to further deep space explorations by the United States and other countries around the world.
Apollo 11’s landing was an important moment in history
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin are heroes
People were surprised about Apollo 11's success
Millions watched the Apollo 11 moon landing
What is the central idea of the passage?
Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. Many beautiful three-dimensional creations are made with this art. Starting with only one square of paper, you can fold and fold and fold, until you’ve created amazing models. With practice, you can learn to make abstract designs or recognizable animals such as cranes (a type of bird) or even dinosaurs.
Origami is an interesting and beautiful art form
The art of origami came from Japan
Origami is three-dimensional art
Origami is a good way to show creativity
What is the central idea of the passage?
Jackie Robinson did something nobody had ever done before. He was not only a three-sport athlete at UCLA. He was the first African-American to play on a Major league baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson had to deal with racism all over the country. He was treated very poorly by the by other players and fans in the stadiums he visited. But, whenever things got difficult, his courage and determination kept him going. Today his number 42 is retired on every team in major league baseball, and he is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jackie Robinson is an important figure in American History
Jackie Robinson played many different sports
Jackie Robinson is in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
