Main Idea & Supporting Details — Answer Key
Part A: Trace the Words
Trace each word carefully by following the dotted lines.
1. topic
2. main
3. detail
4. clue
5. fact
6. idea
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The main idea tells what a story is about.
The whole story builds around one big thought, and that big thought is called the main idea — so idea is what goes in the blank after main.
2. A detail gives more information about the main idea.
Small pieces of extra information that tell us more about the big idea are called details — so the blank is filled with the word detail.
3. The topic of a paragraph is the big message.
When you can say in one word what the paragraph is about, that one-word subject is the topic — so the big message sits under the word topic.
4. We look for clues to find the main idea.
Writers drop hints like repeated words and picture details so readers can figure out the main idea — those hints are called clues.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. The main idea is the most important point of a story.
True False
True — the main idea really is the big central thought that the writer builds every other sentence around, so it is the most important point.
2. Supporting details are not related to the main idea.
True False
False — supporting details are called supporting because they give extra facts that prop up the main idea, so they must be connected to it.
3. A story can have more than one supporting detail.
True False
True — a good story usually has many details all pointing back to the same main idea, giving readers lots of information about the topic.