Main Idea- Practice
Read each paragraph carefully. Choose the best answer to the questions that follow. Read the paragraph and ask, “What’s your point?”
1. Local pizza parlors are found in most neighborhoods throughout the country. Because costs are low and their products are popular, most are money-making operations. Estimates are that local pizza parlors and small chains take in well over a billion dollars each year. Nationwide, three chains take in even more money. Little Caesar's takes in over 2.2 billion dollars in sales. Domino's takes in $2.4 billion. And the leader of the pack is Pizza Hut. Yearly, they take in $4.5 billion, accounting for 28% of all pizza sales in the country.
What is the main idea of this paragraph? Underlinea detail that supports your answer.
a. No pizza chain will ever make as much money as Pizza Hut.
b. If you want to get wealthy, you should own a pizza parlor.
c. Everyone in the Unites States loves pizza.d. Pizza is big business in the United States.
2. 1. The term “killer bees” refers to a group of aggressive bees that escaped from an experiment in Brazil in 1957. 2.There have been reports the killer bees are larger than the European honeybees we have grown accustomed to in the U.S. 3. In truth, they are a little bit smaller. 4. Some people who have been stung have claimed they have been stung repeatedly. 5. This is not possible, as they lose their stinger with the first sting. 6. Other say the venom of a killer bee is stronger than other bees, but research proves it is actually the same as honeybees. 7. While they are more easily provoked, killer bees to do not hunt like some have ascertained. 8. There are over 20 species of bees.
Topic: ______Stated or Implied: ______
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Main Idea: ______
Which sentence is irrelevant? a. 2 b. 8 c. 5 d. 7 Explain: ______
3. The rules of conduct during an examination are clear. No books, calculators, or papers are allowed in the test room. Proctors will not allow anyone with such items to take the test. Anyone caught cheating will be asked to leave the room. His or her test sheet will be taken. The incident will be reported to the proper authority. At the end of the test period, all materials will be returned to the proctor. Failure to abide by these rules will result in a failing grade for the test.
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Main Idea: ______
4. Lighthouses are important to sea travelers. They have been used for thousands of years to warn ships that they are near land or dangerous rocks. Lighthouses are towers built near the shore or among the rocks. They have a bright beacon of light shining from the top. Long ago metal baskets with burning coal or wood were hung from poles at the top of the lighthouse to produce the warning light. Today a very large lens shaped like a barrel sends a beam of light far out to sea. Sailors learn where lighthouses are located. Each lighthouse has a special signal so that sailors can tell them apart. The lighthouses help the sailors sail safely out to sea, and they also help the sailors stay on course.
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5. A famous aviator since 1928 when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart was one of the most famous women of her time. A frequent record setter, she was the first woman to fly a helicopter, in those days called an autogiro. And she was the first woman to fly nonstop from Mexico City to New Jersey, the first woman to fly alone from Hawaii to California, and the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.
Which sentence from the paragraph expresses the main idea? Underlinea detail that supports your answer.
a. Amelia Earhart won a medal
b. Amelia Earhart flew an autogiro.
c. Amelia Earhart was the first famous female pilot.
d. Amelia Earhart flew nonstop from Mexico City to New Jersey
6. Some people believe that the word turtle is another word for tortoise. They believe that the two words are names for the same animal, but that is not true. Turtles and tortoises are related, and they are both reptiles. However,there are differences between these two animals. Most turtles live in salt water and can swim. They have hard shells and flippers for swimming. Tortoises usually live on land. Land tortoises have legs instead of flippers so that they can move on land. Sometimes tortoises live in fresh water, butnot in salt water like turtles. The tortoises, which live in freshwater, have webbed feet and sharp claws so that they can move well in water and on land, as well. Both turtles and tortoises hatch from eggs and both can grow to be very large. Both animals have been around since prehistoric times.
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7. (1) The last dinosaur died about 65 million years ago.(2)No one knows exactly why. (3) Allosaurus and Stegosaurus were meat eating dinosaurs. (4) Many scientist think climate changes caused the death of the dinosaurs. (5)Others think the dinosaurs food supply died out. (6) Another theory is that the dinosaur could not adapt to the evolving environment or the gradual drifting apart of the continents. (7) Scientists have several theories, but none are yet proven.
Which sentence is irrelevant?
a. 2 b. 3 c. 5 d. 7 Explain: ______
Is the main idea Stated or Implied: ______
8. Hummingbirds are the world's smallest birds. The Bee hummingbird of Cuba is only 2 inches long. This is just a little bigger than a penny. Hummingbirds live only in the western hemisphere. Most migrate north in the early spring and return south in early fall. Their life span is between nine and twelve years. The colorful birds are very curious. They are also aggressive toward each other. Perhaps their best known trait is their ability to fly backwards. They are the only bird in the world that can do this.
The main idea of this paragraph is: Underline a detail to back up your answer.
a. There are no hummingbirds in the eastern hemisphere.
b. There are a number of interesting facts about the hummingbird.
c. Hummingbirds are migratory birds that are curious, aggressive, and can fly backwards.
d. Hummingbirds are the most fascinating birds in the world.