Show:
Main Idea
Summary
Inference
Theme
Author's Purpose
100
Define "main idea."
What the passage is (mainly) about. The most important thought.
100
Define "summary."
Retelling the most important information in your own words.
100
Define "inference."
To figure out the answer from what you read. The answer is not directly stated.
100
Define "theme."
The meaning, lesson, or moral of a passage.
100
Define "author's purpose."
The reason why an author has written something.
200
What is the main idea? Squirrel Hollow is not a big town. In fact, it is so small, he Water Department is a hand pump in the town square. And the Squirrel Hollow Fire Department is made up of one bucket, a pair of rain boots, and a red bicycle.
Squirrel Hollow is not a big town.
200
Grandma Jane was bustling around the kitchen. Her guests for Thanksgiving dinner were going to be there at any moment. She was busy setting the table, cutting the turkey, and putting the stuffing in a bowl. She was so caught up in her preparations that she didn't notice the smoke coming from the oven. A few minutes later her grandson walked in. "Grandma! What's that burning smell?" he asked. "OH NO! It's the pumpkin pie! I forgot all about it! Guess we'll be having ice cream for dessert tonight!" Everyone laughed.
Grandma was so busy she forgot about the pumpkin pie in the oven, and it burned.
200
Why was Miya upset? Miya came out of the bathroom with tears in her eyes. She ran down to the cafeteria and asked the staff if they had any rice. Fortunately for Miya, Ms. Lucille did. Ms. Lucille filled a red plastic cup about half way with white rice grains and handed it to Miya. Miya pulled a damp phone from out of her back pocket and pushed it into the dry rice grains inside of the plastic cup. She sincerely thanked Ms. Lucille and then went back to class. She felt relieved, but she was still a little worried.
She has gotten her phone wet.
200
What are four out of the five types of author's purpose?
Entertain, inform, persuade, teach, express
300
Automation is the use of machines to reduce the need for human labor. In other words automation is when jobs done by people become jobs done by robots. Automation can be a good thing. Because of automation, clothing, cars, and other manufactured products are available at good prices and in large supply. But automation can also be a bad thing. Because of automation, there are over 700,000 robots in America alone that do jobs once performed by humans. The way of automation may not be best for humanity, but it is the course we are taking.
Automation is both good and bad for humanity.
300
How do you say “Holy cow” in French? The fastest thing in France may just be the fastest ground transportation in the world. The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse: French for very high speed) is France’s national high speed rail service. On April 3rd, 2007, a TGV test train set a record for the fastest wheeled train, reaching 357.2 miles per hour. In mid 2011, TGV trains operated at the highest speed in passenger train service in the world, regularly reaching 200 miles per hour. But what you may find most shocking is that TGV trains run on electric power not petrol. Now if you’ll excuse me; I have a record to catch.
The TGV is a French train that set a record for the fastest wheeled train and the fastest passenger train service.
300
Why does Shawn suddenly liven up when his teacher announces the test? Shawn sat in his seat the morning bell rang and released a big yawn. He rubbed his eyes and could feel how baggy they were. He stretched as the teacher took to the front of the class and began talking, "Good morning, students! I'll take attendance while you start working on that test that I promised you." The class let out a collective groan, but Shawn's eyes widened. He began rummaging through his backpack and pulled out a crumpled notebook with some of the cover torn off of it. He frantically rifled through the pages, many of which were filled with just a few words or doodles. The teacher looked directly at Shawn as he said, "OK, class, put your notes away and clear off your desks. It's test time." Shawn began looking around the room frantically. He saw Cassie sitting next to him. Shawn whispered, "Psst... Cassie." She turned to him with a scowl. His eyes pleaded with hers. "Not gonna happen, Shawn," Cassie said at full volume. This startled Shawn and he jumped in his seat. The teacher looked at Shawn again, "No more talking class."
Shawn did not study and is not prepared.
300
Money Mark was born rich. He never had to work a day in his life and he got everything handed to him on a silver platter. When he was six, Money Mark wanted to go to a basketball game. His father paid the starting five of the Bulls and Celtics to play a private game of Nerf-ball in Money Mark's bedroom. When Money Mark turned thirteen, he wanted to start a band. His father hired the Rolling Stones to play with him every Saturday at the family's private concert hall, though his family was never there. By the time he was twenty-one, Money Mark was bored with life. He was surrounded by a bunch of possessions that he didn't appreciate and Money Mark could find nothing new or exciting in his life. Despite his vast wealth, Money Mark never found happiness. Penny Petal was born poor. Her family hardly had anything to eat, but they loved each other. Penny Petal appreciated every thing she got. When she was six, her father walked her around the United Center before the Bulls played the Celtics. She was excited by the crazy fans and feeling in the air. She looked forward to the day that she could see a real game. When she was thirteen, she learned to play the buckets. She was an extremely talented musician, a natural percussionist, and everyone on the block loved the rhythms that poured from her palms. By the time she was twenty-one, Penny was a successful businesswoman. Now she had everything that she had ever dreamed of and she truly loved to share her wealth and happiness with her family who supported her through all of the hard times.
Money doesn't buy happiness. You don't appreciate the things for which you don't work.
300
From airplanes to forklifts, hydraulic power is the strength behind many amazing technologies that affect our daily lives, even the breaks on your school bus, but how do they work? First, fluid is rapidly released into a chamber through a valve. As the fluid collect, the valve is slammed shut which causes a pressure spike. Because the chamber is sealed, the pressure has nowhere to go. The hydraulic mechanism channels the pressure and provides great power. And that's how, with the help of hydraulics, Grandma can stop a car with one foot.
To inform or teach how hydraulics work.
400
Fellow Members of the Springfield Robotics Club: It has come to my attention that the workshop has been left an absolute mess on at least two separate occasions. Remember, that this is a shared space, so we must clean up behind ourselves after every meeting. It is in the spirit of keeping our club meeting space that we establish this rule: when you take a tool off the rack, put it back. If everyone puts their tools back immediately after they are done using them, there will be minimal mess to clean up, and we won't get kicked out of the spot. So, if you like having a meeting place, put your tools back.
A new procedure for clean up for members of a robotics club.
400
Ninjas used many different tools and weapons to get the job done: throwing stars, bows, acid-spurting tubes to name a few, but the favorite weapon of most ninjas was probably the katana. The katana is a long, curved sword with a single blade and a long grip to accommodate two hands. This sword was often carried in a sheath or scabbard on the ninja's back. Though the sword was primarily used for fighting and killing, the scabbard served a number of purposes too. The ninja could remove the sword, angle the scabbard against a wall, and use it to climb to a higher place. Or, while stealthy negotiating their way through a dark place (such as an enemy's residence at night), ninjas may have used the scabbard as a walking stick, feeling or probing their way around objects so as not to knock into anything and alert the enemy. Perhaps the ninja's most sinister use of the scabbard was to put a mixture of red pepper, dirt, and iron shavings at the top of the scabbard, so that when the ninja drew his sword, his opponent would be blinded. I wonder what a ninja could have done with a Swiss Army knife.
The katana was a powerful fighting sword, but the scabbard had additional uses as a climbing tool, a probing tool, and a blinding weapon.
400
What is the meaning of the word "stealthy?" Ninjas used many different tools and weapons to get the job done: throwing stars, bows, acid-spurting tubes to name a few, but the favorite weapon of most ninjas was probably the katana. The katana is a long, curved sword with a single blade and a long grip to accommodate two hands. This sword was often carried in a sheath or scabbard on the ninja's back. Though the sword was primarily used for fighting and killing, the scabbard served a number of purposes too. The ninja could remove the sword, angle the scabbard against a wall, and use it to climb to a higher place. Or, while stealthily negotiating their way through a dark place (such as an enemy's residence at night), ninjas may have used the scabbard as a walking stick, feeling or probing their way around objects so as not to knock into anything and alert the enemy. Perhaps the ninja's most sinister use of the scabbard was to put a mixture of red pepper, dirt, and iron shavings at the top of the scabbard, so that when the ninja drew his sword, his opponent would be blinded. I wonder what a ninja could have done with a Swiss Army knife.
sneaky
400
6. Jimmy didn't have any money, but he wanted to show Jane that she meant a lot to him, so he decided to make her a Valentine's Day card. He got some nice, thick cardstock paper and folded it in half. He cut it into the shape of a heart and drew a cherub on the front of it. Then, he wrote a thoughtful message on the inside. When he gave it to Jane, she was so touched that she cried and her tears stained the front of the card. Thinking the card ruined, Jimmy was so offended that he broke up with her calling her a "crybaby" as he left.
Things are not always are they appear.
400
Jimmy didn't have any money, but he wanted to show Jane that she meant a lot to him, so he decided to make her a Valentine's Day card. He got some nice, thick cardstock paper and folded it in half. He cut it into the shape of a heart and drew a cherub on the front of it. Then, he wrote a thoughtful message on the inside. When he gave it to Jane, she was so touched that she cried and her tears stained the front of the card. Thinking the card ruined, Jimmy was so offended that he broke up with her calling her a "crybaby" as he left.
To entertain by sharing a sad, yet humorous, story of a Valentine's Day disaster.
500
Many people use the words cyborg and android interchangeably when, in fact, they have different meanings. Both terms refer to beings powered by robotics, but an android is powered entirely by robots. Though androids are completely mechanical, they are designed to look like humans. They may have synthetic skin, hair, and other features, but no human organs. On the other hand, cyborgs are part human and part machine. They may have robotic hands, legs, or eyes, but all cyborgs have surgically implanted technologies that enhance their abilities.
This paragraph compares and contrasts androids and cyborgs.
500
The image of the ninja wearing all black is a popular one indeed, but there is really no evidence that ninjas ever wore such a costume. In fact, it is much more likely that ninjas dressed as regular civilians, which would have been far more effective camouflage in most situations than an all black suit. The use of disguises amongst ninja is common and well-documented. Ninja often dressed as monks, entertainers, fortune-tellers, merchants, or farmers. Each of these disguises carried advantages that dressing in all black did not. Dressed as monks, ninjas could conceal weapons in their robes. Dressed as entertainers, they could spy in enemy buildings without arousing suspicion. Dressed as fortune-tellers, they could extract information from unknowing targets. Dressed as merchants, they could travel freely across enemy borders. And while dressed as farmers, ninja carried simple gardening tools (such as sickles or trowels) and used them as deadly weaponry. In this way if a ninja were caught by authorities, he could claim that his deadly apparatus were tools, not weapons. Though they may not have been wearing all black stealth suits, ninjas were always well-disguised.
Ninjas probably did not actually wear black suits as they are popularly depicted. It is likely that they wore more advantageous disguises such as farmer, fortune-teller, merchant, or monk.
500
What does Amanda want to talk to Michael about? Why does she want to have the talk? Michael was the star quarterback of the football team and he was dating Amanda Barnes, the captain of the cheerleading squad. Everything was going perfectly for them until Michael was seriously injured during one of the last games of the season. The doctors told him that he would probably never play football again and that he would have to wear a large cast on his leg for several months. Amanda stayed really close with Michael immediately after the injury, but then she started to change. She would not visit him often. She would not wait by his locker or help him carry his books to class anymore. Also, he noticed that she was talking more and more with Ken Madsen, the new quarterback. This upset Michael greatly. Then one day Amanda told him that she and Michael needed to have a talk after school. Michael did not like the sound of that.
Amanda wants to break up with Michael. Amanda wants to date an athlete.
500
Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton's reading class. Mr. Morton wasn't too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. He did all of his homework in his other classes but never bothered to complete Mr. Morton's reading assignments, figuring that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton assigned the night that he assigned it. She had to stay up a little later, but she didn't want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. Tammy knew reading was a core subject and that she had to keep "C" average for the entire year or she would have to go to summer school. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Enchanted Castle amusement park, but Mr. Morton called Sammy's mother, and she grounded Sammy until he turned in all of his work. That weekend was horrible for Sammy. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn't complete all of the assignments. The whole while, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle, watching movies late at night, and enjoying her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a "C" minus in reading while Tammy earned an "A." Sammy still hasn't learned his lesson and probably won't complete this activity either.
It is better to do things right the first time. Work hard, play hard.
500
The next day, the 22nd of March, at six in the morning, preparations for departure were begun. The last gleams of twilight were melting into night. The cold was great; the constellations shown with wonderful intensity. In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross – the polar bear of Antarctic regions. The thermometer showed 12 degrees below zero, and when the wind freshened it was most biting. Flakes of ice increased on the open water. The sea seemed everywhere alike. Numerous blackish patches spread on the surface, showing the formation of fresh ice. Evidently the southern basin, frozen during the six winter months, was absolutely inaccessible. What became of the whales in that time? Doubtless they went beneath the icebergs, seeking more practicable seas. As to the seals and morses, accustomed to life in a hard climate, they remained on these icy shores.
To inform about the conditions in the Antarctic region.