Main Idea 1
You can swim, snorkel, or build your dream sand-castle. If those activities don't suit you, you can play volleyball with your friends. Another thing to do on the beach is to lie down on the sand and sunbathe. If you are careful, you will get a nice tan and not a burn.
What is the main idea?
a. You can swim, snorkel, or build your dream sand-castle.
b. If you are careful, you will get a nice tan and not a burn.
c. The beach is a place to have fun and relax.
c. The beach is a place to have fun and relax.
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 can work like magic to make you feel better!
The main idea of this passage is:
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
d. There are many ways to make yourself feel better
The long hike up to the top of the mountain was extremely grueling.
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
a. loud
b. tiring
c. easy
b. tiring
Marcia is a novice soccer player. It is her first day of practice.
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
A. skilled
B. beginner
C. professional
B. beginner
You learn about Science, Math, Art, and many other subject areas in school. There are a lot of books for you to read, and the teachers create activities to make learning fun. There are also plenty of other kids here, who might be your friends, and you can study with them to make it more enjoyable and easier.
What is the main idea?
a. You learn about Science, Math, Art, and many other subject areas in school.
b. School is a great place to learn.
c. Teachers create activities to make learning fun.
b. School is a great place to learn.
Chances are very good that you’ve watched a video on YouTube®. It is one of the most popular websites in the world and is the default site to go to when someone wants to share a video. YouTube was founded in 2005 by three men who worked for a different web company. The very first video showed one of the founders at the zoo. YouTube grew quickly throughout the following year and was purchased by Google® for $1.65 billion in stock in 2006. Since then, YouTube has continued to grow. Now, many people create their own unique content for YouTube. People can actually become quite famous on YouTube, and some can even make a career out of it. The impact that YouTube has had on the world is remarkable considering that it was only established in 2005.
1. What is the central idea of the passage?
a. YouTube is a very popular website.
b. YouTube was founded in 2005 and has created jobs for some.
c. YouTube was founded in 2005 and has grown significantly since.
c. YouTube was founded in 2005 and has grown significantly since.
The conspicuous man wore a purple wig and large sunglasses.
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
a. easily noticed
b. beautiful
c. sleepy
a. easily noticed
Pete was envious of his brother’s cool new bicycle
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
a. jealous
b. confident
c. comfortable
a. jealous
Steel is a very important metal which is used for many things. Steel is used in putting up buildings. Cans and containers are made from steel. Steel is used to make farm and factory machines. In the United States, the automobile industry uses the most steel.
What is the Main Idea?
a. Steel is used for many purposes.
b. In the United States, the automobile industry uses the most steel.
c. Steel is used in putting up buildings.
a. Steel is used for many purposes.
The first ukuleles were developed in Hawaii in the 1800s as a result of Portuguese influence. Native Hawaiians enjoyed music from a Portuguese instrument called the machete and adapted it to suit Hawaiian tastes. The ukulele spread to mainland America during the 1910s, where it became an immediate sensation. They quickly became very popular because they could be quickly and cheaply made from a small amount of wood. After the World Wars, plastic ukuleles revitalized the declining ukulele fad by making them even more affordable to the average American. Today, ukuleles are still enjoyed by many enthusiasts and come in a wide variety of shapes and sounds.
What is the central idea of today’s passage?
a. Plastic ukuleles are important classical instruments.
b. Ukuleles developed in Hawaii and are still popular today.
c. Portuguese instruments inspired the ukulele.
b. Ukuleles developed in Hawaii and are still popular today.
The pioneers who had endured the long winter welcomed the warm spring.
What is the meaning of endured?
a. survived
b. wanted
c. closed
a. survived
The lost campers sweltered in the heat of the desert sun.
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
A. ate
B. burned
C. slept
D. sunbathed
B. burned
When the internet first became popular in the United States, Wi-Fi was not an option. Computers all across the country used phone lines to connect to the internet, which was known as dial-up internet. In hindsight, there were lots of problems with dial-up internet, but at the time it was the only option many people had to access the internet. Dial-up internet required an open phone line, so if someone’s parents were on the phone, then getting on the internet to do homework would have to wait. When someone called, the internet connection was often lost. Once internet service became popular, a lot of people had trouble connecting and would have to wait to log on to the internet. While there were many drawbacks to dial-up internet, the benefits outweighed them at the time.
1. What is the central idea of today’s passage?
a. Wireless internet is popular today.
b. Dial-up internet had its flaws, but was still useful.
c. There were many downsides to dial-up internet.
c. There were many downsides to dial-up internet.
Advances in technology and meteorology have led to more accurate forecasting of hurricanes days in advance of landfall. Those forecasts have likely saved countless lives, as people are able to prepare or evacuate. Unfortunately, those forecasts were not available to the victims of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Four days before the storm hit Galveston, Texas, the National Weather Service sent out an alert that a tropical storm had hit Cuba, but there were no real concerns about it making landfall in Galveston. There were isolated warnings that the hurricane was headed for Texas, but the warnings were ignored because of the calm weather at the time. The storm made landfall on September 8, and in addition to strong winds, a high storm surge covered the island in seawater, which destroyed thousands of buildings and caused many deaths.
1. What is the central idea of today’s passage?
a. A better warning system could have saved lives during the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.
b. People ignored the warnings in 1900.
c. The Galveston Hurricane was the deadliest storm.
a. A better warning system could have saved lives during the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.
The delightful aroma of food cooking in the kitchen made my mouth water.
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
A. smell
B. color
C. wealth
A. smell
Type writers became obsolete with the development of personal computers.
What is the meaning of obsolete?
A. popular
B. outdated
C. careful
D. leaves
b. outdated
Metaphors are a type of figurative language that students begin to learn in elementary school. At that level, the metaphor, a comparison that does not use like or as, is often taught as the companion to the simile, which is a comparison of two unlike things using like or as. As students begin to read more challenging texts, they find more complicated metaphors. Simple metaphors transition to more challenging examples of figurative language that can be difficult for students to identify and understand. The extended metaphor is a longer metaphor that builds throughout multiple sentences or paragraphs.
1. What is the central idea of this passage?
a. Students are introduced to metaphors in elementary school.
b. Metaphors are very similar to similes, but are not the same.
c. Metaphors are comparisons and can be complicated.
c. Metaphors are comparisons and can be complicated.
It may be difficult to tell when a story took place, unless an author explicitly states it, but the presence or absence of technology can help a reader make an approximate guess as to when the story was set. Only novels and short stories that were written very recently will include references to smartphones and apps. Storylines that include references to the internet were written within the past 25 years. If a story makes mention of a television, then it probably took place during or after the 1950s. The modes of transportation that people take are more examples of technology that can help the reader determine roughly when the story took place. If a character takes a plane ride, then the story very likely took place after World War II because commercial air travel became popular after the war. A character riding in a car wouldn’t happen before the 1900s. Of course, if the story mentions more recent advances like power windows or a driverless car, then it is far more recent. Train travel would put the setting within the past 200 years. The absence of technology doesn’t always mean that the story took place hundreds of years ago, it could just mean that mentioning technology was not necessary to tell the story.
1. What is a central idea of today’s passage?
a. Technology such as driverless cars and smartphones are recent inventions.
b. Mentions of technology can help a reader determine when the story took place.
c. A character riding in a car wouldn’t happen before the 1900s.
b. Mentions of technology can help a reader determine when the story took place.
The parking lot was so congested , it took half an hour to get out!
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
a. empty
b. hot
c. crowded
c. crowded
The impudent boy was rude to the policeman.
What is the meaning of the bolded word?
A. handsome
B. carefully
C. poor
D. bold
D. bold