Main Idea
Students can keep their teeth healthy by following a daily routine. They should brush twice a day, floss regularly and limit sugary snacks.
What is the main idea?
A. Sugary snacks are expensive.
B. Flossing is more important than brushing.
C. Daily habits help students keep their teeth healthy.
D. Students should brush after every snack.
C. Daily habits help students keep their teeth healthy.
What is the main job of a topic sentence?
A. To list every detail in the paragraph
B. To introduce the paragraph’s main idea
C. To bring the paragraph to an end
D. To introduce an unrelated idea
B. To introduce the paragraph’s main idea
Which part of unhappy is the prefix?
A. happy
B. un-
C. -y
D. hap
B. un-
On Friday afternoon, Amara visited the library to borrow a book about sea animals. She chose one about dolphins and began reading it on the bus home.
What was Amara’s book about?
A. Buses
B. Libraries
C. Dolphins
D. Fridays
C. Dolphins
After playing football in the hot sun, Joel was exhausted. He was so tired that he fell asleep on the sofa.
What does exhausted mean?
A. Very hungry
B. Very excited
C. Very tired
D. Very angry
C. Very tired
Every Wednesday, students meet in the school garden. Some plant seeds while others water vegetables. Another group removes weeds. Everyone has a task that helps the garden grow.
Which sentence best states the main idea?
A. Students work together to care for the school garden.
B. Watering vegetables is the most important gardening task.
C. The school garden opens only on Wednesdays.
D. Students prefer gardening to classroom lessons.
A. Students work together to care for the school garden.
Read the topic sentence:
Playing a team sport teaches students valuable skills.
Which sentence best supports it?
A. Football matches sometimes take place on Saturdays.
B. Our school uniform is blue and white.
C. Some professional players earn large salaries.
D. Players learn to cooperate and communicate with others.
D. Players learn to cooperate and communicate with others.
What does the suffix -less mean in careless?
A. Full of
B. Able to
C. Again
D. Without
D. Without
Heavy rain flooded the road leading to the school. As a result, the principal delayed the start of classes by thirty minutes so students could arrive safely.
Why did the principal delay classes?
A. Flooding made travelling to school difficult.
B. Teachers needed extra time to mark papers.
C. Students requested a longer break.
D. The school building needed cleaning.
A. Flooding made travelling to school difficult.
Unlike the timid kitten that hid under the chair, the brave puppy ran towards the visitors.
What does timid mean?
A. Shy or easily frightened
B. Friendly and playful
C. Noisy and restless
D. Strong or dangerous
A. Shy or easily frightened
Before a hurricane, families store drinking water and canned food. They charge their phones and check their flashlights. They also secure loose objects outside and learn where the nearest shelter is located.
Which title best expresses the main idea?
A. Choosing Food for Your Family
B. Finding the Nearest Shelter
C. Protecting Phones During Bad Weather
D. Preparing Your Family for a Hurricane
D. Preparing Your Family for a Hurricane
Read the paragraph:
Our school garden benefits students in several ways. It provides fresh vegetables for school meals. Students learn how to plant seeds and care for growing plants. Working in the garden also teaches patience and responsibility.
Which concluding sentence best completes the paragraph?
A. The garden therefore supports students’ health and learning.
B. Some students would prefer a larger football field.
C. Tomatoes need sunlight and regular watering.
D. Our school should also buy new computers.
A. The garden therefore supports students’ health and learning.
The teacher asked Jayden to rewrite his paragraph.
How does the prefix re- change the meaning of write?
A. It means to write again.
B. It means to write incorrectly.
C. It means to write before someone else.
D. It means to stop writing.
A. It means to write again.
Although the other students hurried onto the stage, Dwayne remained near the curtain. He gripped his speech tightly and took several deep breaths before stepping forward.
What can you infer about Dwayne?
A. He had forgotten to bring his speech.
B. He wanted to leave school early.
C. He was angry with the other students.
D. He felt nervous about speaking publicly.
D. He felt nervous about speaking publicly.
Water was scarce during the drought. Families could collect only one bucket each day, so they used every drop carefully.
What does scarce mean?
A. Unsafe to drink
B. Easy to find
C. Unpleasant to taste
D. Available in small amounts
D. Available in small amounts
At first, Malik avoided reading aloud because he feared making mistakes. His teacher encouraged him to practise with a partner. After several weeks, he volunteered to read a short passage to the class. He still stumbled over some words, but he finished with a smile.
Which statement best expresses the implied main idea?
A. Reading aloud is the best way to learn every new word.
B. Practice and encouragement can help someone become more confident.
C. Students should volunteer only when they can read without mistakes.
D. Working with a partner makes difficult tasks easy immediately.
B. Practice and encouragement can help someone become more confident.
These sentences belong in one paragraph:
Which order creates the clearest paragraph?
A. 4, 2, 5, 1, 3
B. 3, 2, 4, 1, 5
C. 3, 4, 2, 5, 1
D. 1, 3, 4, 5, 2
C. 3, 4, 2, 5, 1
Read the sentence:
The handwriting was unreadable, so the teacher could not understand the message.
Which explanation correctly uses both affixes to work out the meaning of unreadable?
A. un- means “again” and -able means “without”: without reading again.
B. un- means “before” and -able means “full of”: full of earlier reading.
C. un- means “not” and -able means “capable of being”: not capable of being read.
D. un- means “wrongly” and -able means “a person who”: a person who reads wrongly.
C. un- means “not” and -able means “capable of being”: not capable of being read.
The students were reluctant to join the clean-up at first. However, after seeing their teacher collecting litter alone, they picked up bags and began helping.
Which explanation best shows the meaning of “reluctant”?
A. They were unable to help because they had no bags.
B. They were unwilling at first but later decided to help.
C. They were excited and began helping immediately.
D. They were confused about where the litter belonged.
B. They were unwilling at first but later decided to help.
Although the school bag looked small, it was sturdy. It held several heavy textbooks every day without tearing or losing its shape.
What does sturdy mean?
A. Light and easy to carry
B. Strong and well made
C. Large and expensive
D. Colourful and attractive
B. Strong and well made
The school introduced tablets to help students complete research. Students could find information quickly and use videos to understand difficult topics. However, some copied information without checking its accuracy, while others became distracted by games. Teachers began showing students how to compare sources and manage their time online.
Which statement best captures the whole passage?
A. Tablets make research faster than printed books do.
B. Students need to check whether online information is accurate.
C. Tablets can support learning when students receive guidance on using them responsibly.
D. Teachers introduced rules because tablets caused more problems than benefits.
C. Tablets can support learning when students receive guidance on using them responsibly.
Read the paragraph:
Reading regularly can improve students’ writing. Books introduce readers to unfamiliar words. Readers also notice different ways to begin and connect sentences. These experiences give students more choices when expressing their own ideas. Therefore, reading regularly guarantees that every student will become an excellent writer.
Which revision would most improve this paragraph?
A. Replace the topic sentence with “Many students own books.”
B. Replace the ending with “Regular reading can therefore help students develop their vocabulary and sentence skills.”
C. Remove the sentence about unfamiliar words because it does not support the topic.
D. Add a sentence about the cost of schoolbooks after the topic sentence.
B. Replace the ending with “Regular reading can therefore help students develop their vocabulary and sentence skills.”
Read the sentence:
The coach praised the team’s __________ to practise, even after a difficult defeat.
Using the base word willing, which word correctly completes the sentence, and why?
A. unwilling, because un- creates a noun meaning readiness.
B. willingness, because -ness creates a noun naming the quality of being willing.
C. willingly, because -ly creates an adjective describing the team.
D. unwillingness, because un- and -ness create a noun meaning eagerness.
B. willingness, because -ness creates a noun naming the quality of being willing.
The school opened its computer room during lunch so students could complete assignments. During the first week, every computer was occupied, but several students used them to watch entertainment videos. The following week, the school introduced a booking system and required students to state the assignment they intended to complete. More students then finished their assignments during lunch.
Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?
A. Students learn more from computers than from teachers.
B. Entertainment videos prevented every student from completing work.
C. Clear procedures helped students use the computer room for its intended purpose.
D. The booking system allowed every student to use a computer each day.
C. Clear procedures helped students use the computer room for its intended purpose.
Keisha was reluctant to enter the race. She stayed at the back and shook her head when her friends called her. After some encouragement, she finally agreed to take part.
Which answer gives the meaning of reluctant and the best supporting clue?
A. Confused — her friends called her.
B. Unable to run — she stayed at the back.
C. Unwilling at first — she shook her head before finally agreeing.
D. Eager to begin — she agreed to take part.
C. Unwilling at first — she shook her head before finally agreeing.