Finding Topic
Main idea
Main idea & supporting details
Identify the topic
100

Basketball, hockey, tennis, and football 

The topic is...........

Sports

100

The whooping cranes had nesting regions in the wet prairie marshes of the United States and Canada. There they would find food such as shellfish, frogs, and water plants. In spring, they would migrate to their Canadian nesting grounds. 

What is the main idea of this paragraph?                
a. the two habitats for whooping cranes.
b. the food that whooping cranes eat in Canada.
c. how whooping cranes fly.

a. the two habitats for whooping cranes.

100

What is the main idea of a text?

a. information from the text that supports the topic.

b. what the text is mostly about.

c. the first sentence in a text.

b. what the text is mostly about.

100

Identify the topic of the following texts.

Soap is used for cleaning things. It is made by mixing fat or vegetable oil with a chemical such as caustic soda. It loosens dirt in clothes and carries it away. Today, chemical cleaners called detergents are often used instead.

Soap

200

rose, tulip, carnation, and daisy

The topic is......

Flowers

200

The frog sat on the side of the pond. He was very still. His green color made him hard to see. A bug flew near him. His tongue zipped out, and he gobbled it up. Then the frog was still again. He waited for the next bug. The main idea in this passage is: 

A.Frogs are green.

B. Frogs eat bugs. 

C.Frogs do not move.

D. Frogs live in ponds.

B. Frogs eat bugs.

200

What are supporting details? 

a. what the text is mostly about.

b. information from the text that supports the main idea.

c. what you think of when you read the text.

b. information from the text that supports the main idea.

200

The Nile is the longest river in the world.

What is the topic?

The Nile river

300

Tagalog, Mandarin, Dutch, Nepali, and Zulu

The topic is.....

Languages

300

Whooping cranes were dying off. The government tried to help by making a safe place for the cranes. The government set up the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Here the cranes could spend the winter in a protected place to make a home and find food. 

What is the main idea of this paragraph?                
a. Whooping cranes were extinct.
b. How the government helped whooping cranes survive.
c. The different ways that the government helps nature.

b. How the government helped whooping cranes survive.

300

When Salmon migrate, they travel upstream. They leap out of the water as they swim over thunderous waterfalls. The roaring current is so strong that the fish can be pushed downstream back to the ocean. 

What is a supporting detail from this paragraph?
a. the power of streams, rivers, and waterfalls.
b. the river has a strong current.
c. Salmon leap out of the water in order to swim over thunderous waterfalls.

c. Salmon leap out of the water in order to swim over thunderous waterfalls.

300

To celebrate Christmas, millions of Americans purchase and decorate Christmas trees every year.

What's the topic?

Christmas Trees!

400

bus, motorcycle, car, train, and bicycle.

The topic is.......

Transportation

400

The St. Lawrence Seaway was a joint project of the United States and Canada. Together, the two countries built a series of canals, locks, and channels. They connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the St. Lawrence River. The seaway opened up the central part of North America to shipping to and from Europe. It had been in use since 1959. The main idea in this passage is: 

A.the Atlantic Ocean 

B. the St. Lawrence Seaway

C. Europe 

D. the St. Lawrence River

the St. Lawrence Seaway

400

Some fish can swim in both salt and freshwater. These fish absorb freshwater through their skin. Then they expel, or get rid of, the water from their body. This keeps them from becoming waterlogged, or bloated with water. 

What is a supporting detail from this paragraph?        
a. the effects of freshwater.
b. fish that live in fresh and saltwater.
c. some fish absorb freshwater through their skin.

c. some fish absorb freshwater through their skin.

400

For the ancient Greeks, Zeus is the ruler of heaven and Earth.

What's the topic?

Zeus! The Ancient Greeks!

500

Crickets, Grasshopper, Cockroach, Dragonfly, and Wasp

The topic is........

Insects

500

The best selling albums have sold millions of copies. The best seller of all was Michael Jackson's Thriller. The second best seller was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Albums by the Beatles, the Eagles, and Mariah Carey are also in the top ten. So are some movie soundtracks, including Grease. Each of these albums has sold over 20 million copies. The main idea in this passage is: 

A. best albums 

B.  most famous

C. rock stars pop albums

D. there are many types of best-selling albums

 there are many types of best-selling albums

500

Ivy and her friend, Fern, went bowling last Thursday. Ivy had never bowled before, but she was excited to try. On the first frame, Ivy's ball landed in the gutter. She knocked down one or two pins on most of her turns. Ivy did not get any strikes or spares. Fern said to Ivy, “The score doesn't matter as long as we are having fun.” 

What is the main idea of this paragraph?                  
a. Ivy is an excellent bowler.
b. Ivy and Fern will go bowling again.
c. Ivy is a better bowler than Fern.
d. Ivy is not a good bowler.

d. Ivy is not a good bowler.

500

Ethel Waters made history in 1950 as the first Black American to star in a television show.

What's the topic?

Black people in television. 

History of Television. 

Ethel Waters career in television.