Controlling Idea & Evidence
100: What is the controlling idea or thesis of an informational text?
A) A fun fact related to the topic
B) The main argument or point the author wants to make
C) The first sentence of the text
D) A summary of the conclusion
Answer: B
Explanation: The controlling idea is the main point the author wants to communicate.
100: What is the author's purpose when writing to inform?
A) To entertain readers with a story
B) To explain or teach facts about a topic
C) To persuade readers to believe something
D) To confuse the reader
Answer: B
Explanation: Informational texts teach or explain facts to the reader.
100: How do you determine the key ideas in a text?
A) By evaluating important details and evidence that support the main points
B) By ignoring the details and guessing
C) By looking only at the pictures
D) By reading the title only
Answer: A
Explanation: Key ideas are supported by important details and facts in the text.
100: What does it mean to make an inference while reading?
A) To guess what will happen next with no clues
B) To use clues and evidence from the text to figure out something not directly stated
C) To write a summary of the text
D) To memorize the entire text
Answer: B
Explanation: An inference uses hints in the text and your knowledge to understand more.
100: What is a good way to write a response that shows understanding of a text?
A) Summarize the main ideas and use examples from the text to support your points
B) Copy the entire text word for word
C) Write about an unrelated topic
D) Only write one sentence
Answer: A
Explanation: Summarizing with examples shows you understand the text.
200: Which of the following is an example of text evidence?
A) Your opinion about the story
B) A direct quote or detail from the text
C) A picture in the book
D) A summary written by someone else
Answer: B
Explanation: Text evidence includes facts or quotes directly from the text to support understanding.
200: What is one common organizational pattern an author might use in informational text?
A) Fairy tale structure
B) Cause and effect
C) Dialogue only
D) Rhyming
Answer: B
Explanation: Cause and effect is a common way to organize information by showing reasons and results
200: Why is it important to evaluate details within text evidence?
A) To find the most interesting parts
B) To decide which details best support the main ideas
C) To skip parts you don’t like
D) To find spelling mistakes
Answer: B
Explanation: Evaluating details helps you focus on facts that strengthen your understanding.
200: What clues help you make an inference?
A) Pictures only
B) Text evidence, details, and background knowledge
C) The author’s name
D) The font size
Answer: B
Explanation: Combining text clues and what you already know helps you infer meaning.
200: Why should you include examples from the text in your response?
A) To support your ideas with evidence
B) To make your answer longer
C) To copy the author’s words exactly
D) To confuse the reader
Answer: A
Explanation: Examples prove your points and show careful reading.
300: If a passage has many supporting details, what are those details supporting?
A) The title of the text
B) The author’s biography
C) The controlling idea or thesis
D) The page numbers
Answer: C
Explanation: Supporting details explain or prove the main controlling idea.
300: How can understanding the author's purpose help you understand the message?
A) It tells you why the author wrote the text
B) It helps you find the pictures
C) It shows you how long the text is
D) It tells you the author’s favorite color
Answer: A
Explanation: Knowing the purpose clarifies what the author wants you to learn or think about.
300: What should you do if some details seem unrelated to the main idea?
A) Include them in your summary
B) Ignore or set them aside
C) Assume they are the main idea
D) Memorize them
Answer: B
Explanation: Unrelated details don’t help explain the main idea and can be set aside.
300: How can you use text evidence to support an inference?
A) By finding quotes or facts that back up your idea
B) By ignoring the text
C) By guessing randomly
D) By copying the title
Answer: A
Explanation: Evidence from the text strengthens your inference.
300: When comparing two texts on the same topic, what should you look for?
A) Differences and similarities in how the authors present information and their messages
B) Which one has the longest paragraphs
C) Which one is more colorful
D) Which one has more pages
Answer: A
Explanation: Comparing presentation and messages helps you understand both texts better.
400: How does identifying the controlling idea help you understand a text better?
A) It helps you find the funniest parts
B) It helps you focus on the most important information
C) It helps you skip to the end
D) It helps you learn new vocabulary
Answer: B
Explanation: Knowing the controlling idea helps you focus on key information and understand the text’s purpose.
400: Describe how an author’s message is different from the topic of the text.
A) The message is the lesson or idea the author wants you to understand; the topic is what the text is about
B) The message is the title of the book; the topic is the last paragraph
C) The message is a summary; the topic is a question
D) There is no difference
Answer: A
Explanation: The topic is the subject, while the message is the deeper meaning or lesson.
400: How can distinguishing between important and unimportant details improve comprehension?
A) It helps you focus on what really matters in the text
B) It makes the text longer
C) It confuses the reader
D) It changes the author’s purpose
Answer: A
Explanation: Focusing on important details clarifies the text’s meaning.
400: Give an example of an inference you might make from a text about animals.
A) The animal is fast because it has long legs
B) The animal is green
C) The animal lives in water because it swims
D) The animal is a dog
Answer: C
Explanation: The fact that the animal swims suggests it lives in water.
How can comparing sources from different genres help deepen understanding?
A) It shows different ways to present information and ideas
B) It makes reading harder
C) It wastes time
D) It shows which one is better
Answer: A
Explanation: Different genres offer varied perspectives and styles.
500: Explain how to use multiple pieces of text evidence to support a controlling idea.
A) By guessing what the author meant
B) By combining different facts and quotes that all relate to the main point
C) By repeating the same sentence many times
D) By using unrelated details
Answer: B
Explanation: Using several pieces of related evidence strengthens your support for the controlling idea.
500: How can analyzing the organizational pattern reveal the author's message?
A) It shows how the author arranges ideas to support the message
B) It tells you the length of each paragraph
C) It helps you find the pictures faster
D) It explains why the author wrote the text
Answer: A
Explanation: The way information is organized helps highlight the author’s main message.
Explain how evaluating details helps in summarizing an informational text.
A) It helps you choose the most relevant information to include
B) It helps you write more words
C) It makes the text harder to read
D) It lets you copy the whole text
Answer: A
Explanation: Selecting key details helps create a clear and concise summary.
500: Why is making inferences important for understanding informational texts deeply?
A) It helps you read faster
B) It allows you to understand ideas the author doesn’t state directly
C) It helps you memorize facts
D) It makes the text easier to skip
Answer: B
Explanation: Inferences help you read between the lines for deeper meaning
What should you include when writing a response that compares sources within and across genres?
A) Only your opinion without text support
B) A clear explanation of how the sources are similar and different, supported by evidence
C) Just a summary of one source
D) Irrelevant personal stories
Answer: B
Explanation: To compare sources effectively, you need to explain similarities and differences clearly and support your ideas with evidence from the texts.