Reading For Main Idea QUIA

Reading: Finding the Main Idea
The main idea sentence of a paragraph tells what the paragraph is about. The other sentences are
details. Read the story and find the main idea.
There are 40 questions in this activity. Practice several at a time.
1. There are many ways to learn about people. You can learn a lot 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 else's car, notice the music on the radio. The type of music played on
the station can tell a lot about the person!
This story mainly tells _______
how to guess where people walk
how to learn about people

how to listen to the radio
how to watch people
2. In real life, rattlesnakes try to avoid people and seldom attack. Most people are bitten only after
they step on these snakes. A rattlesnake may not even inject its poison when it bites. In fact,
more Americans die from insect stings than from snakebites!
how rattlesnakes aren't as dangerous as everyone believes
why insects kill people
when rattlesnakes use their poison
how snakes bite

3. Sharks have a keen sense of hearing and can smell blood from almost 2,000 yards away. Sharks
also have a special system of channels in their skin that helps them feel the vibrations of a
splashing swimmer. We know that in clear water, sharks can see dinner from about 50 feet
away. If you ever spot a shark, always swim away smoothly!
how well sharks hear
why sharks have poor vision

how sharks sense food
when to swim away smoothly
4. Every year hungry deer do millions of dollars' worth of damage to young pine trees. Scientists in
Washington have found a way to protect the trees. They use a substance called selenium.
Selenium produces a bad smell when dissolved. A bit of this element is put in the ground near
trees. Rain dissolves the selenium, and the trees absorb it. The bad smell keeps the deer away
until the trees are fully grown.
how much damage deer do to trees
how trees can be protected from deer
what selenium is
why deer eat pine trees
5. Kitty O'Neil wanted to become a stunt person. She performed incredible stunts, such as 100-
foot falls. O'Neill has been deaf since birth. She says she can concentrate better than most
people who can hear. She is not bothered by the sounds around her.
when O'Neill fell 100 feet
how long O'Neill has been deaf

how O'Neil's disability has helped her career
how to become a stunt person
6. Bob Geldof talked to the top musical talents of the world and asked them to sing at a concert to
raise moeny. The stars agreed. Geldof found a stadium, arranged for TV coverage, and set up a
trust fund. He said that none of the stars would get special treatment. Everyone would work
together. In 1985, the Live Aid concert raised more than $100 million for starving children.
how Geldof found a stadium
how many musical stars agreed to sing

why people are hungry in Africa
how a concert benefited starving children
7. When you take a multiple-choice test, do you ever change your answers? Some scientists think
that it is a smart thing to do. They found out that most students who change their answers
make the right decision and make better scores on their tests.
The story mainly tells _______
how to study for tests
what scientists think about answers

how to score better on a multiple-choice test
which answers to change on a test
8. Probably the best-known rodeo cowboy in the world is Larry Mahan. Mahan was the national
champion six times before he was 30. He was good at every event and was so successful that he
had his own plane. When he got too old to be in the rodeo, he didn't stop doing rodeo work. He
started a rodeo school.

where to ride bulls and rope calves
about the most famous rodeo cowboy in the world

how to get rich in the rodeo
where to go to rodeo school
9. Trousers are a recent style in the history of fashion. Men wore tights under short, loose pants
until the early 1800s when the first real pants for men appeared. Until the 1940s few women
wore long pants. During World War II, women factory workers started wearing long pants. The
fashion caught on.
that long pants are a somewhat new fashion
when men stopped wearing pantaloons

who wore tights
why women don't wear trousers
10. For years food chemists have tasted hot peppers used for chili sauce, catsup, and pizza, but
people had a hard time figuring out the spiciness of the peppers. After eating two or three, their
taste buds were burning. Now a machine can test different kinds of hot peppers. It measures
the chemicals that provide the spicy taste of the peppers.
how scientists measure chemicals
how hot and spicy peppers are used

why people have trouble tasting hot peppers
how a machine helps the hot-pepper industry
11. Product codes on items consist of bars and numbers on the product label. The first number tell
which company made the item. The last numbers identify the product and size. A laser reads the
bars at the checkout. A computer finds the price for that product and prints the price on the
cash-register slip. Store owners can change prices of items by changing the computer. The
records in the computer help the owners learn which goods sell well.

how the product codes are developed
how the product-code system is effective

how one machine reads the numbers and bars
how the numbers are assigned to companies
12. Computers have changed quite a bit through the years. An early model could add 18 million
numbers per hour. One person would have needed many years to do the same job. A modern
computer can add 1 1/2 trillion numbers in less than three hours.
who uses computers
how long one person takes to do a job

how computers have gotten faster over time
how fast modern computers can add
13. Many people in India don't eat beef, but they still find many uses for cattle. Cows provide milk
for drinking and for other dairy products. Young cattle are used for plowing fields and carrying
big loads.
how cows are used in India
where some people do not eat beef

which cows plow fields
what milk is used for
14. "The War of the Worlds" a radio story, once started a panic. Because many people didn't hear
that it was just a story about monsters from space, they thought the fake news bulletins were
true. People were frantic. It took hours to calm them down and convince them that it was only a
radio play.

what people thought about news stories
why people were afraid of the monsters
how a radio play fooled many people
where the monsters in the story came from
15. Because lambs are sometimes eaten by coyotes, ranchers may hunt or trap the coyotes.
However, killing coyotes may upset nature's balance. Scientists have found a way to protect
sheep without killing coyotes. Coyotes are fed lamb meat treated with a drug. When they eat
the meat, they get sick. Later, coyotes won't even go near lambs. They'll hunt rabbits instead.
why coyotes prefer rabbits to lambs
why killing coyotes upsets nature's balance

how scientists protect sheep and coyotes
what kind of people don't like coyotes
16. The temperature of Antartica once fell to 128 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. In the
summertime, temperatures average well below freezing. Most of the land is covered with ice
that is up to 2 miles thick. Only a few strong mosses and sturdy spiders can live on this big block
of ice. Since very little snow or rain falls there, Antartica is a desert.
about a desert with extremely cold temperatures
which plants and insects live in Antartica

how much snow and rain fall there
how low the temperature once fell
17. Can fish climb trees? It sounds like a fishy story, but mudskippers living in the swamps of Asia
really can climb trees. After filling their gills with air and water, they climb onto land.
Mudskippers use their front fins to move along the ground. Suckers on their fins help them
climb trees.

where mudskippers live
how they fill their gills
how mudskippers can climb trees
where mudskippers have suckers
18. The beaver's front teeth have a hard, bright orange covering. These teeth are used to cut and
tear the bark off trees. The back teeth are flat and rough and are used for chewing. There are
two flaps of skin between the front and back teeth. These flaps keep water and splinters from
entering the beaver's mouth.
about the color of the front teeth
how the two flaps of skin are used
about the specially designed mouth of the beaver
how splinters get into the beaver's mouth
19. Tap dancing started in America. It began as folk dancing that had much kicking and stamping.
Over time two kinds of dancing developed. In one kind the dancers wore hard shoes and danced
very fast. In the other they wore soft shoes and danced slowly and easily. There wasn't really
any tap in tap dancing until 1925. That's when someone put metal pieces on the toes and heels
of tap shoes.

how there are two kinds of tap dancing
how tap shoes are made
where some folk dances came from
how tap dancing developed
20. Faberge, a jeweler, made eggs from rare mentals and jewels. A Russian emperor liked them so
much that he often gave them away as gifts. The elaborate eggs are only a few inches high.
Some have tiny clocks inside them. Others hold small pictures or toys. The highest price ever
paid for a Faberge egg was more than $5.5 million!
what Faberge eggs are like
who bought and gave the eggs as gifts
what Faberge eggs have in them
how Faberge made the eggs
21. The rare Chinese panda lives on tender, young bamboo shoots. Most bamboo plants die right
after flowering. Without the bamboo the pandas starve. Because some people fear that the rare
pandas may die out, in some places food is given to the hungry animals. Some pandas are
airlifted to places where bamboo is still plentiful.

what the Chinese pandas usually eat
how the bamboo plants flower

how people are keeping pandas alive
why pandas sometimes starve to death
22. Some college teachers in Michigan have made a small computer that looks like an orange. It will
be picked and handled like real fruit. Since much fruit is damaged on its way to market, this
machine will measure shaking and temperature changes. The computerized orange will help
people find ways to avoid damaging fruits during shipping.
where the computerized orange was created
how the computer company helped make the machine

what the computerized orange looks like
about the purpose of the computerized orange
23. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite to help builders, but it was used for war, which made him feel
very guilty about the misuse of his invention. He was a rich man, so he set up a $9 million fund.
Today the fund is used to reward people who have improved human life. Nobel Prizes are
awarded in six fields, including peace, medicine, and chemistry.
what the Nobel Prizes are awarded for
why Nobel founded the Nobel Prize fund

how much money was set aside for rewards
what invention Alfred Nobel created
24. A scientist believes that millions of animals have died every 26 million years. He thinks that
comets are responsible for those deaths. Comets would explode on impact as they slammed
into Earth. Dust from the explosions blocked light and heat from the Sun. Plants and animals on
Earth could not withstand such conditions, so they died.

how often animals died
why comets may come near Earth

where the dust comes from
about a possible cause of animal deaths in the past
25. It takes more than food to make babies grow up to be healthy and happy. If babies are not
patted and hugged, they grow more slowly and are less healthy. Also they will not be as smart
or happy when they become adults. Many studies show that love is the most important thing in
children's lives.
why good food is important to babies
what makes babies grow up
that children need love to grow up healthy
how to have smart children
26. The diamond is a hard element that can cut through almost any metal. That is why it is often
used for industrial purposes. Whole diamond stones are set into tools. Dust from crushed
diamond stones is used for coating the edges of tools. Care must be taken when exposing
diamonds to extreme heat because heat can turn them into graphite. Graphite is the soft
material used in the manufacture of lead for pencils.

how to turn a diamond into a graphite
how diamonds are used in industry
how diamond dust coats tool edges
when diamonds are used in pencils
27. The spots on a fawn's coat let it hide in shady areas without being seen. The viceroy butterfly
looks like the bad-tasting monarch, so birds avoid both. The hognose snake hisses and rolls on
its back when it fears another animal. When the opossum is attacked, it plays dead. Distressed
turtles hide in their shells until they're sure it's safe to come out again.
how some animals protect themselves
why some harmless animals look dangerous
why spots or stripes make animals less visible
why birds don't like monarch butterflies
28. Garlic is one of the ingredients that makes pasta sauce taste so good. Now doctors think garlic
has healing powers, too. Early tests show that it can kill harmful germs. Garlic also has been
found to have a good effect on the blood. Doctors think it can help protect people against heart
disease.

how garlic can help keep people healthy
what goes into pasta sauce
how garlic kills harmful bacteria

how garlic affects the blood
29. The harmless hognose snake is a champion bluffer. When this snake is threatened, it hisses and
acts as if it will bite. If you don't run away, the hognose snake "plays dead." It rolls over on its
back, wiggling around as if it's in distress. Then it "dies" with its mouth open and tongue hanging
out. If you turn it on its stomach, the snake will roll over on its back again.
where the hognose snake is found
what things frighten the hognose snake

how dangerous the hognose snake is
how the hognose snake bluffs
30. Ages ago living things like bugs and leaves got trapped in soft tree resin. The resin hardened into
what we know as amber. It kept the trapped bugs and leaves in perfect shape. Now scientists
are learning much about the distant past from amber samples. Some scientists say they are
more useful than fossils.
where bugs and leaves got trapped
what hard resin is called

why amber samples are important to scientists
what scientists think of fossils
31. Imagine testing glass by throwing chickens at it? Sometimes fast moving airplanes fly through
flocks of birds. If the birds hit the windshield of a plane, the glass could shatter and cause a
crash. Airplane manufacturers have made a chicken cannon that fires rubber chickens at glass
windshields. If the windshield doesn't break when the rubber chicken hits it, the designers know
that the glass can withstand the force of a real crash.

why birds can be dangerous to airplanes
how a chick cannon tests glass
how big a bird has to be to damage an airplane

how the chicken cannon works
32. Virginia Hamilton started writing at a young age. People in her family were great storytellers.
She loved to listen to their tales about her African American heritage. When she grew up,
Hamilton brought the tales to life in stories. Now she is a famous writer of books for children.
when Virginia Hamilton started writing
how Hamilton's family told stories

how family stories led to a writing career
what kind of tales Hamilton's family told
33. Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat.
Sometimes they added berries and sugar. Then they pressed itinto small cakes. They called thse
cakes pemmmican. Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or
goint hunting. Today explorers still carry and eat this food.
who uses pemmican today
what can be put into pemmican

how pemmican was prepared by Native Americans
why people eat pemmican today
34. The Marines had a problem in World War II. Orders were sent in code, but the enemy kept
learning the code. Nothing could be kept secret. Then someone thought the Navajo soldiers
could help the Marines. Since very few other people could speak Navajo, this language was used
as a code. No one on the enemy side knew Navajo, so the messages stayed secret.
how Navajo people kept secrets
when the secret code was used

how the Marines used Navajo as a code
why the original code had to be changed

35. Doctors think that wearing red-tinted glasses can relieve sadness. Some people get very moody
and sad in the winter. They may be affected by brief days. Bright lights help some people but
not everyone. The reddish light coming thorugh rose-colored glasses seems to make people feel
happy.
why happy people wear rose-colored glasses
when some people get sad

how short the daylight in the winter is
how colored glasses may help people feel better.
36. Dolly Madison was the wife of President James Madison. She was quite a brave First Lady. When
the White House burned down, Dolly rescued important government papers. She also saved the
portrait of George Washington that hangs in the East Room today.
who Dolly Madison's husband was
how the White House burned down

about Dolley Madison's courageous acts
where the portrait of George Washington hangs
37. Air plants, such as mosses and lichens, grow on buildings and stones and get their food and
water from the air around them. Other plants such as mistletoe get their food and water from
the trees they live on. Sometimes these trees die if the plants take away too much food or
water.
This story mainly tells
_______
what kinds of plants grow on buildings
why mistletoe sometimes kills trees

how some plants don't live in soil
how mosses and lichens get food and water

38. Dogs have been called our best friends, but they are also good helpers. They can be used in
many ways. Some dogs hunt while others guard animals and property. Boxers and German
sheperds are trained to lead people who are blind. A dog named Laika was the first animal in
space.
how many types of dogs there are
what the name of the space dog was
what kind of dogs can lead people who are blind
how dogs are useful
39. The peanut is a humble plant with hundreds of functions. Most peanuts are roasted in their
shells and lightly salted. About half the peanuts eaten in the United States are ground into a
thick paste called peanut butter. The rich oil made from peanuts is good for frying foods and is
used for oiling machines and making soaps and paint. Even peanut shells are used to make
plastics and to fertilize soil.
why peanut oil is used for frying
how much peanut butter is eaten in the United States

about the many uses of the peanut
why peanut shells make good fertilizer
40. The lack of gravity in space makes even simple tasks a challenge. Astronauts have to wear boots
that hold their feet to the floor so that they can walk around. Eating is a real chore. Dried and
frozen foods are stored in plastic bags. To eat chicken soup, the astronauts cut a hole in one end
of the bag and squeeze the soup into their mouths.
why there is little gravity in space
why easy tasks are challenging in space

why space food is stored in plastic bags
how to eat chicken soup

Reading For Main Idea QUIA

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Reading: Finding the Main Idea

There are 40 questions in this activity. Practice several at a time.

This story mainly tells _______

how to guess where people walk

how to learn about people

how to watch people

This story mainly tells _______

how rattlesnakes aren't as dangerous as everyone believes

why insects kill people

when rattlesnakes use their poison

how snakes bite

This story mainly tells _______

how well sharks hear

why sharks have poor vision

when to swim away smoothly

This story mainly tells _______

how much damage deer do to trees

how trees can be protected from deer

why deer eat pine trees

when O'Neill fell 100 feet

how long O'Neill has been deaf

how to become a stunt person

This story mainly tells _______

how Geldof found a stadium

how many musical stars agreed to sing

how a concert benefited starving children

The story mainly tells _______

how to study for tests

what scientists think about answers

which answers to change on a test

The story mainly tells _______

about the most famous rodeo cowboy in the world

where to go to rodeo school

The story mainly tells _______

that long pants are a somewhat new fashion

when men stopped wearing pantaloons

why women don't wear trousers

This story mainly tells _______

how scientists measure chemicals

how hot and spicy peppers are used

how a machine helps the hot-pepper industry

This story mainly tells _______

how the product-code system is effective

how the numbers are assigned to companies

This story mainly tells _______

who uses computers

how long one person takes to do a job

how fast modern computers can add

This story mainly tells _______

how cows are used in India

where some people do not eat beef

what milk is used for

This story mainly tells _______

how a radio play fooled many people

where the monsters in the story came from

This story mainly tells _______

why coyotes prefer rabbits to lambs

why killing coyotes upsets nature's balance

what kind of people don't like coyotes