Main Idea
Honey bees communicate with each other. They can tell other bees where to find food. Honey bees return to the hive and do a dance that lets the other bees know where the food is located.
What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Honey bees can talk to other bees
B. Honey bees fly to far locations for food.
C. Honey bees dance to communicate.
C. Honey bees dance to communicate.
Dinosaur Cove was located near the South Pole. This means that for several months each year, the sun never rose. Instead, Dinosaur Cove was plunged into a dark, cold winter night that didn't end until the spring or summer.
What does the word plunged mean?
A. ran toward
B. pushed away
C. fell suddenly
D. walked slowly
C. fell suddenly
In his sophomore year of high school, Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team. Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. When he finally made the varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history. What is the theme of this story?
A. Jordan didn't let obstacles defeat him.
B. You need to be short to be successful
C. Michael Jordan is an inspiration to all
D. Never give up. Persistence pays off.
D. Never give up. Persistance pays off.
Earth's surface is always changing. Wind crumbles rocks and soil. Volcanoes erupt. Both of these things change the way earth looks. Changes happen on earth all of the time, and they occur in the ocean and on land. Underwater volcanoes add more land to our planet. Lava forms islands in the ocean.
Based on the text, what can be inferred?
a. Volcanoes are powerful
b. Changes only happen on earth’s surface
c. Lava is the only thing that causes changes on earth
d. Wind crumbles rocks and soil
a. volcanoes are powerful
Sam had many responsibilities. Beside school, he practiced trumpet every day and went to baseball practice two times a week. He also had a newspaper business and got up each morning an hour early to deliver the papers. Sam was an industrious person.
The word industrious means:
a. hard working b. steady c. lazy d. focused
a. hard working
Thomas Edison was born in 1847. His first great invention was the phonograph, a machine that could record sounds. He also made the motion picture camera and a useable electric light bulb.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
A. Edison was a great inventor
B. Edison invented the phonograph.
C. Edison is the reason music can be recorded.
A. Edison was a great inventor.
Wardian cases became extremely popular during the Victorian era. The Victorians loved exotic plants as well as fancy decorations. Wardian cases let them grow tropical plants right in their homes. And the cases could be as ornamental and expensive as a family's budget would allow.
What is the meaning of the word exotic as used in the passage?
A. familiar
B. unusual
C. local
D. unsteady
B. unusual
Laura and Clarissa hung out everyday after school. Sometimes Clarissa would make fun of Laura. She would also trick her into doing her chores - Clarissa hated cleaning her room, so it was nice that she could get Laura to clean it for her. One day, Laura told Clarissa that she was going to hang out with Brittany after school instead. Laura even stopped hanging out with Clarissa at recess.
Which theme best fits the story?
a. Friends support you even when you make mistakes
b. To have a good friend, you must be a good friend.
c. Be kind to your friends and you will be rewarded.
d. Friends do whatever it takes to help each other.
b. To have a good friend, you must be a good friend.
Many people think dinosaurs as the only prehistoric creatures, but there were actually other prehistoric animals. Megalodons were giant shark-like creatures living in oceans around the world measured about 50 feet long. Like a shark, the megalodon had huge, sharp teeth to bite their prey. In fact, one megalodon tooth was as big as a human head.
What can you infer about megaldon prey?
a. They were dinosaurs
b. They were whales
c. They swam fast
d. They were large
d. They were large.
Junko Tabei was a Japanese teacher and author. She is most famous for mountain climbing. An Avalanche struck the team's camp. It buried Tabei and four other climbers under snow. She was dug out and, after resting for two days, continued the climb. In 1992, she became the first women to climb the Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each continent).
What is the Main Idea of this passage?
A. Junko Tabei was an excellent mountain climber.
B. Junko Tabei was a teacher.
C. Junko Tabei tried to climb Mt. Everest.
D. Junko Tabei survived and avalanche.
A. Junko Tabei was an excellent mountain climber.
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, his wife Eleanor became first lady. Before Eleanor Roosevelt, the main job of a first lady was to greet important guests. Eleanor, though, wanted to do more. She traveled across the country talking to people who were out of work. During World War II, Eleanor went to Europe and Asia to help wounded soldiers. She also worked for equal rights for women, African Americans, and people around the world. Since Eleanor, first ladies have worked for the special causes that they believe in.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
A. Eleanor Roosevelt helped wounded soldiers during World War II.
B. Eleanor Roosevelt cared deeply for the American people.
C. Eleanor Roosevelt changed what people expected of first ladies.
D. Eleanor Roosevelt was married to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
C. Eleanor Roosevelt changed what people expected of first ladies.
When the first fruit is taken from the saguaro, we leave the peel red-side up at the base of the saguaro, open like a flower. Gina said this will help summon the summer rains.
What is the the meaning of the word summon?
A. bring forth
B. send away
C. catch
D. stop
A. bring forth
The Flies and the Honey Pot
A number of flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been overturned in a housekeeper's room, and placing their feet in it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were suffocated.
What is the theme of this story?
A. There is a price for greed.
B. Honey is very sticky.
C. Don't be a follower.
A. There is a price for greed.
"Things actually feel less heavy on your head." Kofi assured him, laughing. "My mom used to make food to sell at the markets. She loves to cook! She would make thing like banku, which is like dough, and a fish called tilapia. My favorite is red stew with fried plantains. Sometimes, I would go with my mom when she sold her food. I would wander around and look at all the street art. It made everything so bright and colorful! Then, sometimes, she would take me to the mall afterward---particularly on the hottest days. it's almost never cold in Ghana."
What inference about Kofi's mom is supported in this paragraph?
A. She is good at cooking food from Ghana.
B. She loves the colorful street art.
C. She knows how to carry things in a basket on her head.
D. She is tired of the constant hot weather in Ghana.
A. She is good at cooking food from Ghana.
Using clues from the story, plus what you already know, to figure out what is NOT being said
Inference
There are more than two thousand species, or kinds of brittle sea stars. They come in different shapes and sizes but have some important things in common. One of the brittle sea star's most important features is its arms. Most brittle sea stars have five arms. They use one or two of their arms to search for food. The other arms help them stay on the ocean floor. Brittle sea stars' arms are important to their survival in another way; they break off very easily when a predator pulls on them. This stops the predator from eating the whole sea star. Brittle sea stars can regrow the arms they lose.
What is the main idea of paragraph 2 of "Brittle Sea Stars?"
A. There are more than two thousand species of brittle sea stars.
B. Brittle sea stars come in different shapes and sizes.
C. One of the brittle sea star's most important features is its arms.
D. They use one ot two of their arms to search for food.
C. One of the brittle sea star's most important features is its arms.
Many people say I am very different from my twin sister. She is reticent, while I am very friendly and outgoing.
What is the meaning of the word reticent?
a. rude b. shy c. nervous d. playful
b. shy
The Math Test
Cody had not studied for the big math test. When he got his test he quickly realized that he had no idea how to solve the problems. Luckily, Cody sat right behind Emily. Emily was the best math student in the class and he could see her paper. Cody copied all of Emily's answers.
The next day when Mrs. Jenkins passed back the graded tests, she told the class that only two students had gotten A's. Since these two students had done so well, she would have them explain some of the more challenging problems to the class.
What is the theme of the passage?
A. Cheating does not pay off in the end.
B. Cody got in trouble for cheating on his test.
C. It is important to study for a test.
A. Cheating does not pay off in the end.
Long ago, some families went to new states. They were given land for a small fee. On the land, the people could plant their own foods. They had to make their own homes too. It took many hours to pull up weeds. It also took a long time to cut grass too.
What is most likely true?
a. People had to work hard on their new land
b. Life is the same today as it was long ago
c. There were only a few people that cut grass
d. Lots of families moved to new states
a. People had to work hard on their new land
Excerpt from "Life Without Gravity"
In space, the much weaker gravity makes the human body change in many unexpected ways. In low gravity, your blood is rerouted, flowing from the legs, which become thin and sticklike to the head which swells up. The extra liquid in your head also makes you feel like you're hanging upside down or have a stuffed-up nose.
What is the meaning of the word rerouted in this paragraph?
A. pumping extra blood
B. going the same way
C. changing the direction
D. hanging upside down
C. changing the direction
As important as water conservation is, it is also very easy. A few simple habits can significantly reduce the water consumption of a household. One way to save water is to turn off the faucet when you are brushing your teeth. Also, don’t allow faucets to drip; one drip can waste a large amount of water over a short period of time. Baths require less water than showers, so by taking a bath instead of a shower, you can reduce the amount of water your home uses. In the kitchen, running a dishwasher when it is completely full, rather than half full, can save up to 20 gallons a day. These simple changes will save water and save money.
What is the main idea of the paragraph?
A) Water conservation is important
B) Consumers can save money by conserving water
C) A few simple changes can save water at home
D) Baths take less water than showers
C) A few simple changes can save water at home.
Regina remembered when she had just two pairs of shoes. Now, her closet holds a plethora of shoes in almost every color and every style.
What is the meaning of the word plethora?
a. size b. great quantity c. color d. few
b. great quantity
Rochelle begged and begged her mom for a new pet. Her mom was hesitant at first, since this was Rochelle's first pet but agreed in the end since Rochelle promised to take care of it.
Rochelle brought her new puppy home from the pound and named it Patches. Patches was an active, sweet puppy but very untrained. On the first day, he chewed up Rochelle's new shoes and made chew marks on her furniture. Rochelle quickly learned that having a puppy wasn't everything she thought it would be.
What is the Theme of this passage?
A. Be careful what you wish.
B. Sacrifice brings reward.
C. Accept others differences.
D. You can do anything you put your mind to.
B. Sacrifice brings reward
Soil can be put into different groups based on the characteristics of each type. Soils are categorized based on the size of their particles. Particle size affects how much water a soil can hold. Loam is soil that has mostly sand and silt which allows water to filter quickly. It contains a smaller amount of clay which holds water. Loam is often thought of as the best type of soil for growing crops.
Why is loam most likely the best type of soil?
a. It contains more particles than silt soil.
b. It enables enough water to reach the roots.
c. It can break down minerals.
d. Soil can be put into different groups
b. It enables enough water to reach the roots.
Wilbur and Orville Wright were brothers who were inventors, even from a young age when they built kites and bicycles. Many people credit the Wright Brothers with designing and building the first successful airplane. In 1903, their first flight only lasted 12 seconds, but it continues to inspire people all over the world to learn about science and math, to work hard to realize their dreams and to use imagination to achieve success.
The Main Idea of this passage is:
A. The Wright Brothers worked hard.
B. The Wright Brothers were inventors who have inspired many people.
C. Inventors build kites and bicycles.
D. The first flight was in 1903.
B. The Wright Bothers were inventors who have inspired many people.