Summary & Main Idea
Doctors think that wearing red-tinted glasses can relieve sadness. Some people get very moody and sad in the winter. They may be affected by the short days. Bright lights can help some people, but not everyone. The reddish light coming through rose-colored glasses seems to make people feel happy.
What is the main idea of this selection?
A. Why happy people wear rose-colored glasses.
B. Why some people get sad.
C. How short the daylight is in winter.
D. How colored glasses may help people feel better.
D. How colored glasses may help people feel better.
You may have seen movies in which the Roman emperor shows that a gladiator should die by turning down his thumb. Actually, the gory Roman custom was to turn a thumb up toward the heart to indicate death. A thumb down meant that the soldier should be allowed to live.
You can tell from the passage that death probably occurred —
A. Once out of every five times.
B. When the emperor gave the thumbs down.
C. Only in the movies and not in real-life Rome.
D. When the emperor gave the thumbs up.
D. When the emperor gave the thumbs up.
Mosquitoes are a tremendous problem in the summer. Mosquitoes love hot weather. Then they can fly around and bite as many people as they want. Mosquitoes can’t beat their wings in cool weather. The temperature must be more than sixty degrees for mosquitoes to fly.
Based on information in the selection, the reader can infer that —
A. Mosquitoes die in cold weather.
B. Cool weather means fewer mosquito bites.
C. People are not bothered by mosquitoes.
D. Mosquitoes go south for winter.
B. Cool weather means fewer mosquito bites.
During the strike the factory was empty, and the machines were idle.
In the passage, the word idle means —
A. Busy.
B. Operating.
C. Occupied.
D. Inactive.
D. Inactive.
Eric had to be especially careful cleaning the gutters because he was the one on the ladder and his friend was there only to hold the ladder. Eric carried a hose and a gardening tool up the ladder with him. The tool had a long handle; with it he was able to reach up and remove the leaves from the gutter above him. Once all the leaves were out, Eric ran the hose into the gutter to make sure it was running freely. He also sprayed the roof. Then he descended to the ground.
According to the passage, what was the first thing Eric did?
A. Carry the hose up the ladder.
B. Clean out the gutters.
C. Put up the ladder.
D. Treated his friend to breakfast as a way of saying thanks.
A. Carry the hose up the ladder.
All bees can be nasty, especially when they feel that their home is being threatened. If bees are buzzing around you, remember that they will not attack a motionless object. So, stand still and stay calm. Then, move slowly and carefully away from the hive. Don’t run or scream or slap at the bees. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of being stung.
Which of these is the best summary of the selection?
A. All bees can be nasty.
B. Use strategies to avoid being stung by bees.
C. Stay away from beehives.
D. Stings around beehives are unavoidable.
B. Use strategies to avoid being stung by bees.
In New York's Federal Reserve Bank, workers handle money and other valuable metals. One of the heaviest things workers must carry is a gold brick. For this reason, some of them wear special shoes made of magnesium. These shoes protect workers’ toes if a brick falls on them.
Workers wear special shoes because —
A. They handle money.
B. They work in a bank.
C. They carry a gold brick.
D. They have special toes.
C. They carry a gold brick.
When Jim Abbott was born, part of his right arm had not formed completely. He had only one working hand, but Jim made the most of his situation. In college, Jim became the star pitcher of the baseball team. He played so well that he was later signed by a professional team. Jim Abbott became a major league player.
What can the reader infer based on this passage?
A. Abbott overcame his disability.
B. People were not impressed by Abbott’s skill.
C. In college, Abbott was lazy.
D. Abbott always regretted his disability.
A. Abbott overcame his disability.
Nurse Gibbons praised Kyle for being a very efficient hospital volunteer.
In the passage, efficient means —
A. Talkative.
B. Capable.
C. Iterating.
D. Slow.
B. Capable.
A trademark is the right a company has to own a brand name. No one else can use a trademark without permission of the company that is the proprietor.
What does the word proprietor mean in this paragraph?
A. Company name.
B. Writer.
C. Owner.
D. Same brand.
C. Owner.
Probably the best-known rodeo cowboy in the world is Larry Mahan. Mahan was the national champion six times before he was thirty. He was good at every event. He was so successful that he had his own plane. When he got too old to ride, he started a rodeo school.
This passage is mainly about —
A. Where to ride bulls and rope calves.
B. The most famous rodeo cowboy in the world.
C. How to get rich in the rodeo.
D. Where to go to rodeo school.
B. The most famous rodeo cowboy in the world.
The anabelps is a freshwater fish found in Mexico and parts of South America. It is unusual because of its eyes. A band of skin divides each eye in half, giving it four eyes. It stays near the top of the water. It can look above and below the water at the same time.
What is the best reason why the anabelps might have four eyes?
A. So it can live in Mexico.
B. So it can see better than other fish.
C. So it can live near the top of the water.
D. There is no reason.
B. So it can see better than other fish.
The parasol ant of South America gets its name from the way it carries a bit of leaf over its head. But native Brazilians call them doctor ants. They use the ants’ strong jaws to clamp down on deep cuts and keep them closed. Once the jaws clamp, the Brazilians pinch off the ants’ bodies to keep the wound sealed.
From the passage you can infer —
A. Parasol ants haven’t been named correctly.
B. Native Brazilians named the ants “parasol ants.”
C. The ants like sunshine.
D. The ants’ jaws stay closed after the ants die.
D. The ants’ jaws stay closed after the ants die.
The date of the track meet is March 5, 1998.
In which sentence does date have the same meaning as it does in the sentence above?
A. What is today’s date?
B. Scientists used carbon dating to date fossils.
C. Will Mary be Jesse’s date for the dance?
D. The date palm produces sweet fruit.
A. What is today’s date?
Bob had two left feet. He was so embarrassed that he would never get up and dance. One day, he decided to do something about it, so he signed up for dance lessons. The dance instructor told him how to move his feet. It was supposed to be a box step; unfortunately, Bob tripped over his own feet.
After several lessons, Bob could do the box step smoothly and with confidence. He couldn’t wait to get up and dance.
With which statement would the author of this passage most likely agree?
A. Some people should never try to dance.
B. Do not give up.
C. Lessons never help you improve.
D. Some people are natural born dancers.
B. Do not give up.
Dogs have been called our best friends, but they are also good helpers. They can be used in many ways. Some dogs hunt, while others guard animals and property. Boxers and German shepherds can be trained to lead blind people. Doctors test some medicine on dogs. A dog named Laika was the first animal in space.
What is this passage mostly about?
Dogs are awesome, and useful to humans.
Kay threw her bike down wherever she stopped. More than once, she had left her bicycle in the driveway. Several times her dad had pointed out what could happen when she did this. One morning, as her dad was leaving for work, Kay heard a crashing sound outside.
What will Kay probably do next?
A. Run outside.
B. Walk to school.
C. Buy a new bicycle.
D. Put her bicycle away.
A. Run outside.
The giant saguaro cactus plant is often seen in American Western movies. Although the largest plants grow to be forty feet tall, they grow very slowly at first. The stem of the plant grows about one inch during its first ten years, but later it grows at a faster rate. The largest saguaros can live for almost two hundred years.
Based on the information in the passage, the saguaro would most likely be found —
A. In Japan.
B. In New York.
C. In Arizona.
D. In the Middle East.
C. In Arizona.
Mom can maneuver the car through heavy traffic easily.
In which sentence does maneuver have the same meaning as it does in the sentence above?
A. Pilots learn to maneuver their planes in emergency situations.
B. The movement of thousands of troops in an hour was a huge maneuver.
C. The soldiers practiced the maneuver all weekend.
D. She can maneuver her way out of any uncomfortable situation.
A. Pilots learn to maneuver their planes in emergency situation
Would you like to come home after a long day and walk into an elephant? You would do that if you lived in The Elephant House in Margate, New Jersey, which was built in 1881 by James Lafferty. Herbert Green built a chicken-shaped house in 1962. Sarah Winchester spent 38 years building a ghost-proof house with fake chimneys, doors that opened into walls, and stairs that led nowhere. And a man named Baldasera spent forty years building an underground house with ninety rooms for about $300. If you think your plans for a house are too unusual, think again!
This author believes that —
A. No house plans are too unusual.
B. People should stick with traditional designs.
C. Underground houses are impractical.
D. Homes should be built quickly.
A. No house plans are too unusual.
Most slaves did not become famous, but Aesop was unusual. He was a clever, witty Greek slave who earned his freedom through his cleverness. He used his animal fables for the purpose of teaching people to respect the rights of others. Two thousand years later, people continue to use his stories to teach lessons or gain helpful advice.
Which of these is the best summary of the selection?
A. Aesop’s fables are still used to teach important lessons.
B. Some Greeks were slaves.
C. People have finally learned to respect others.
D. Many slaves became famous after they were freed.
A. Aesop’s fables are still used to teach important lessons.
Mary worked as a cook in a café. One day she got the great idea to cook the world’s largest pancake. For days she worked to build a giant frying pan. Then, she mixed pancake batter into the pan and heard the familiar sizzle.
What might happen next?
A. Mary will go to work in the café.
B. Mary will become famous.
C. The pancake will burn.
D. Mary will have to prove that her pancake is the world’s largest.
D. Mary will have to prove that her pancake is the world’s largest.
In Greek legends, Orpheus was a singer of sweet music. As a young man, he married a beautiful woman named Eurydice. But then she stepped on a poisonous snake and died. Orpheus was filled with grief, and he decided to go to the underworld to win his wife back from death. In the dark caverns below the earth, he charmed Hades, king of the underworld, with his sad song. Hades agreed to release Eurydice on one condition: Orpheus could not look back at her until they reached the earth’s surface. Orpheus agreed, and he began to lead his wife from the darkness. But just once, to make sure she was still following, Orpheus looked back. His dear wife vanished instantly.
Based on the passage, which character is very powerful?
A. Hades
B. Orpheus
C. Eurydice
D. None of these characters
A. Hades
Courtney is helping Rodney build a new pen for the cattle.
Which sentence below has the same meaning as the italicized word in the passage above?
A. How did the pigs get out of their pen?
B. May I please borrow a pen?
C. Where is Dad going to pen the sheep?
D. Why did that author pen such an awful book?
C. Where is Dad going to pen the sheep?
“I don’t want to write a story about girls! I don’t know anything about girls,” Louisa May Alcott told her publisher, Mr. Niles. But she was desperate for money. So Louisa wrote a simple story about growing up with four sisters in a family that had no money. Her book, Little Women, took a year to write. Mr. Niles thought the book was dull, and so did Louisa, but in three months, all the copies of Little Women had sold. Mr. Niles thought he could sell three or four hundred more copies. With a great sign of relief, Louisa was about to write to her family, “Paid off all the debts, thank the Lord! Now I feel I could die in peace.”
Louisa May Alcott did not want to write Little Women because —
A. The story was too exciting for most readers.
B. She hated children.
C. Mr. Niles did not offer her enough money.
D. She felt she didn’t know enough about girls.
D. She felt she didn’t know enough about girls.