Main Idea, Theme & Summary
What is a theme?
A. The lesson or message of a story
B. The characters in a story
C. The first sentence in a paragraph
D. The title of a book
A. The lesson or message of a story
What does it mean to make an inference?
A. To copy the sentence
B. To guess with no clues
C. To use clues + what you know to figure something out
D. To ask the teacher for the answer
C. To use clues + what you know to figure something out
What is a root word?
A. A word with no meaning
B. A word with a prefix or suffix
C. The base part of a word that holds the main meaning
D. A word that rhymes
C. The base part of a word that holds the main meaning
What does author’s purpose mean?
A. Why the author likes writing
B. The author’s reason for writing
C. The setting of the story
D. The title of the book
B. The author’s reason for writing
Which is a complete sentence?
A. Ran to the park.
B. The big brown dog.
C. We ate lunch outside.
D. Jumping high.
C We ate lunch outside.
Which sentence best describes a summary?
A. It tells every single thing that happens.
B. It tells only the title and author.
C. It retells the most important ideas in a short way.
D. It gives your opinion about the book.
C. It retells the most important ideas in a short way.
“When Maria opened the door, she saw balloons and people yelled, ‘Surprise!’” What can you infer?
A. Maria was sad.
B. Maria was at school.
C. Maria had a surprise party.
D. Maria was in the library.
C. Maria had a surprise party.
What is a prefix in “unhappy”?
A. happy
B. un
C. ly
D. appy
B. un
What is the purpose of a news report?
A. To persuade
B. To inform
C. To entertain
D. To confuse
B. To inform
What is the subject of: “The tall giraffe ate leaves from the tree.”
A. Ate
B. Tall
C. Giraffe
D. Tree
C. Giraffe
Read: “Max studied hard for his math test. Even though he was nervous, he didn’t give up. He passed and felt proud of his hard work.” What is a theme?
A. Don’t forget your homework.
B. Hard work pays off.
C. Max likes math.
D. Tests are fun.
B. Hard work pays off.
“The ancient castle had crumbling walls and broken windows. Ivy grew over the doors, and no one had lived there in years.” What can you infer about the castle?
A. It is new.
B. It is old and abandoned.
C. It is a popular hotel.
D. It is clean and shiny.
B. It is old and abandoned.
What is a synonym for “generous”?
A. Tall
B. Mean
C. Kind
D. Shy
C. Kind
If an author uses a lot of jokes and silly characters, the tone is probably:
A. Serious
B. Scary
C. Funny
D. Sad
C. Funny
Which sentence is written correctly?
A. me and my friend went swimming.
B. My friend and I went swimming.
C. Went swimming my friend and I.
D. My friend and I swimming went.
B. My friend and I went swimming.
Which sentence is NOT a good detail for a paragraph about “why recycling is important”?
A. Recycling helps keep trash out of landfills.
B. Recycling can turn old bottles into new items.
C. Many animals live in the forest.
D. Recycling helps save energy.
C. Many animals live in the forest.
“Despite his fear, Tim approached the snarling dog carefully.” What does despite mean?
A. Before
B. Without
C. Even though
D. After
C. Even though
Which word has the SAME root as “predict”?
A. Dictionary
B. Addict
C. Dictate
D. Prediction
D. Prediction
“All kids should eat healthy snacks instead of junk food. Fruits and veggies give you energy and keep you strong.” What is the author’s purpose?
A. To persuade
B. To entertain
C. To inform
D. To confuse
A. To persuade
Which word needs a capital letter?
A. saturday
B. School
C. Dog
D. Happy
A. saturday
Read: “Lena was sad when her friend moved away. She wrote letters and called her friend often. Over time, she made new friends too.” Which is the BEST summary?
A. Lena was sad.
B. Lena missed her friend but stayed in touch and made new friends.
C. Lena’s friend moved far away.
D. Lena liked writing letters.
B. Lena missed her friend but stayed in touch and made new friends.
“The hikers were parched after walking in the desert for hours.” What does parched mean?
A. Very hungry
B. Very thirsty
C. Very cold
D. Very sleepy
B. Very thirsty
*Choose the sentence where “light” means “not heavy”:
A. I like to read a light book before bed.
B. The box was light, so I could carry it easily.
C. Turn on the light in the room.
D. That joke was light and funny.
B. The box was light, so I could carry it easily.
Why might an author include bold words and headings in an article?
A. To make it look pretty
B. To help readers find information easily
C. To tell jokes
D. To hide the main idea
B. To help readers find information easily
Fix the run-on: “I love to read I go to the library a lot.”
A. I love to read, so I go to the library a lot.
B. I love to read because I go to the library a lot.
C. I love to read, I go to the library a lot.
D. I love to read at the library a lot.
A. I love to read, so I go to the library a lot.