Main Idea
The definition of a main idea
What the passage is mostly about
Her hair was as soft as silk
Simile
Name three types of narrative elements
Plot, Conflict, Characters, Setting, Theme
Name the two things readers use to make an inference
Identifying similarities and differences in a passage
Compare and contrast
The author uses these to further explain the main idea of a passage.
Supporting Details
After the rain had passed, a rainbow reached across the sky.
Personification
Name two types of external conflict
Ind. vs. Individual; ind. vs. society; ind. vs. technology; ind. vs. supernatural; ind. vs. nature
Virgil slammed his fist against the locker. The hallway had been packed one minute ago, but now most of the students had filed into their classes. The bell would ring shortly. Virgil looked around urgently but saw no friendly faces. He faced the locker again and started spinning the lock, first right, then left, then right. He took a deep breath and pulled the lock. It held tight. Virgil cursed under his breath at the exact moment that the bell rang. Virgil grabbed the handle of the locker and yanked it repeatedly in a fit of frustration. Then he threw his arms against the locker and burrowed his head into his arms. Finally, he pushed himself off of the locker and went to look for a custodian.
Why did Virgil look for a custodian at the end?
He needed help opening his locker.
The organizational pattern an author would use for the events in a person's life
Chronological
This sentence in a paragraph can help readers determine the main idea of the paragraph.
The topic sentence; the first sentence.
While doing my routine during the pep rally, I mis-timed my flips and fell on my face. I died of embarrassment as the crowd laughed.
Hyperbole
This narrative element is the lesson or message of the story.
Theme
Warren pushed the back door open with his elbow. He was dragging a heavy black plastic sack behind him. Thud, thud, thud. The bag thumped each stair Warren descended. Thud, thud, rip, drip, drip. The bag had gotten caught on a nail and a foul, odorous juice poured out, splashing Warren's leg. "Ew... gross!" Warren shouted as he adjusted the bag. He walked out to the alley and deposited the bag in a large plastic container, closing the lid behind him as he left, still muttering about his pants.
What is Warren doing?
Warren is taking out the garbage.
When presenting a current issue and a possible fix to the issue, the author is using what type of organizational pattern?
Problem-Solution
State the main idea of the following passage:
Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today
Soccer is a popular sport across the world.
Tongue twisters are a good example of this type of figurative language
Alliteration
The main character confronts their conflict at this point of the story.
Climax
Mr. Johnson looked up at the sky. It was clear as far as the eye could see, except for the cruel sun. The insatiable sun drained the land of all moisture. He cursed the sun. Mr. Johnson ran his fingers through one of the rows of dirt and grabbed a handful. It was bone dry, almost powdery. He let the dirt sift through his fingers and it turned to dust in the wind. Mr. Johnson put his hands on his hips and surveyed the field. It was well seeded, that he knew. He had seeded it himself, yet nothing sprang from the dirt. "Well, there's only one thing left to do," he said to himself. Mr. Johnson headed to church.
Why is Mr. Johnson cursing the sun?
It had dried up his fields.
The future of gorillas in the wild is at risk. Gorilla meat is a dietary staple for 12 million people in Africa. Scientists predict that at the present rate of decline, in 30 years all of the world’s wild gorillas will be gone.
Name the type of organizational pattern used in the example above
Cause and effect
Give a title for the following passage
Marie Curie not only the first woman to have won a Nobel Prize, she is also the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences. Most notably, however, Marie Curie discovered radiation. She was also the first person to use radiation to treat tumors. Curie experimented extensively with radioactivity during her scientific career. Unfortunately the damaging effects of radiation were not known then. Her exposure to radiation most likely was the cause of her blindness and early death. Still today her scientific papers are considered too dangerous to handle without protective equipment. These documents are stored in lead-lined boxes. Even her cookbook is radioactive. She must have made some really hot food in her lifetime.
Marie Curie Discovers Radiation (various answers accepted - teacher's discretion)
"All round the house is the jet-black night; / It stares through the window-pane; It crawls in the corners, hiding from the light,"
Personification
Name all parts of the plot in their correct order
Exposition/Beginning, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
"Shh…" Dale whispered to his friend Jim. Jim stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at Dale. Dale was dressed in a fluorescent orange sweater with the hood up and a camouflage vest over the sweater. He saw Dale point his rifle at the horizon and squint, and then Jim looked where the barrel was aimed. A large 10-point buck trotted about thirty meters from the bushes behind which Jim and Dale were positioned.
What event will most likely take place next?
Dale will shoot the deer.
A recipe is an example of this type of organizational pattern.
Sequence