MAIN IDEA

1. MAIN IDEA • Floods can cause tremendous damage. They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind. It can take months to clean up after a flood • Floods can cause a lot of damage. • Floods cause mudslides. • Floods damage houses and roads. • Flood damage may take months to clean up

2. MAIN IDEA • North Carolina police may use germs to catch bank thieves. Important papers can be sprayed with harmless germs that will stick to the hands of anyone who touches the paper. If a dishonest employee steals the papers, things that he or she touches later will have the germs on them. A scientist can show that the person leaving the germs got them when stealing the treated papers. What is this story mainly about? • How some germs are harmless to people • How dishonest employees steal important papers • How important papers are treated • How police use germs to solve crimes

3. MAIN IDEA • Microchips provide the power for wristwatches. They are also the brains in our computers, and they control robots. These chips are used in video games and space shuttles. They make our cameras, radios, and televisions small and light. What is the story mainly about? • How computers work • Why televisions are small • How microchips are used • How cameras work

4. MAIN IDEA • Each year experts study the movie habits of Americans. The study shows some interesting facts. For example, did you know that young people go to more movies than any other age group? Almost one half of all Americans are over 35. But people under 35 go to the movies more than any age group. This explains the big success of movies about young people. What is this story mainly about? • Movie habits of young people in America • Movie habits of Americans • Why young people like movies • Why the smallest group of moviegoers is over 35

5. MAIN IDEA • The people of ancient Egypt created an advanced civilization. More than 6,000 years ago, they developed a calendar with 360 days divided into 12 months. The people made paper and learned how to write. They also built huge monuments with machines they invented. What is this story mainly about? • How people in Egypt made paper. • The creation of an advanced civilization in Egypt.. • How the people in Egypt built huge monuments. • Where an ancient calendar was developed.

6. MAIN IDEA • You can learn much about people by simply watching or talking to them. Looking at the floor can also give you information about people. You can tell where people walk most frequently because of the worn carpet. The next time you're riding in someone's car, notice the music on the radio. The kind of music played on the radio station can tell much about that person. Choose an appropriate topic sentence for this Paragraph: • There are many ways to learn where people walk. • There are many ways to learn about people. • There are many ways to listen to the radio. • There are many ways to watch people.

7. MAIN IDEA • During the Revolutionary War, a Yankee invented a submarine called the Turtle. A number of years later, Robert Fulton became interested in undersea craft. In 1800, he built the Nautilus. Then, during the American Civil War, another underwater craft was built. Choose an appropriate topic sentence for this paragraph: • For many years man tried to find ways to travel underwater. • For many years Robert Fulton was interested in undersea craft. • Underwater crafts were very important during American Civil War. • For many years man tried many ways to win the Revolutionary War.

8. MAIN IDEA • Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700?s. He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires. He also invented the Franklin stove. The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel. He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals. This new kind of glasses helped people to read better. • Benjamin Franklin thought reading was important. • Benjamin Franklin was not afraid of fire. • Benjamin Franklin was a great inventor. • A Franklin stove can heat a whole room.

9. MAIN IDEA • It was backward day at school. The students had to do things backwards. Some of them wore their t-shirt backward. They took a test before they studied the lesson! Dessert was served first instead of last at lunch. They tried to walk home backward, but they kept bumping into each other and fell down. What is the main idea of this passage? • Dessert is supposed to come last. • Students had a backwards day. • It is hard to do things backwards. • Students failed their test.

10. MAIN IDEA • Joey ran down the field kicking the soccer ball. He got close to the goal and kicked as hard as he could. The goalie caught the ball and threw it back out. Joey knew he would try again soon. • You can't use your hands in soccer. • Goalies have a hard job. • Joey's team is very good. • Joey is trying to score a goal.

11. MAIN IDEA • Jon held the ball in his hands. He bounced it slowly on the ground. Once. Twice. He crouched low and then jumped. The ball flew into the air. Up, up, up it went. Then down, down, down into the basket. "Yes!" he yelled. "Nothing but the net!" Based on the passage, what did the author want you to learn from this passage? • Jon can jump high. • Jon likes basketball. • Jon makes a basket. • How to throw a basketball

12. MAIN IDEA • The rainforest has four main layers. Different plants and animals live in each layer. Some layers get more sunlight than other layers. The names of these layers are the emergent layer, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. • We should take care of the rainforest. • The rainforest is an interesting place. • Many plants grow in the rainforest. • There are four main layers in the rainforest.

13. MAIN IDEA • There are many kinds of animals. Some animals live on farms in barns. Animals like horses, cows, and even some pigs live in barns. Some animals live with people in houses. Fish and crabs live in the sea. Owls and other birds live in trees. • There are many kinds of animal homes. • Animals live in the ocean. • Dogs live in houses. • Animals are happy in their homes.

14. MAIN IDEA • The first people to wear sunglasses were the Inuit (Eskimos) in North America. They needed sunglasses because the sun and the snow were too bright for their eyes. They made them out of the skin and bones of animals. The main idea of the story is about: • Americans • Islanders. • The History of Sunglasses

15. MAIN IDEA • When a person decides to get a dog, he or she has many kinds to choose from. As a rule, short-haired dogs are best for cities. Beagles, Boston Terriers, and Dachshunds make good city pets. Great Danes are short-haired, too. However, they are too big for city living. It is hard in a city to give them all the exercise they need. Setters, Springer Spaniels, and Collies are especially good as country dogs. What is the main idea? • Dogs are good pets. • Some dogs are better than others for city life. • There are many kinds of dogs. • Short-haired dogs are better for cities

16. MAIN IDEA • Is there a hairy monster in the Pacific Northwest? Some people think so. They say it lives in the mountains. They call it "Bigfoot." No one knows for sure if Bigfoot is real. Hundreds of people say they have seen the monster, and many more claim to have seen its huge footprints. Reports state that Bigfoot looks like an ape. It doesn't run, but it walks very fast. Bigfoot is said to be a fast swimmer as well. Reports of the strange Bigfoot make the monster an interesting puzzle. What is the main idea? • The Pacific Northwest is a nice place to visit. • Bigfoot looks like an ape. • Bigfoot is still a mystery. • Bigfoot's physical features