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 is what the whole passage is about.
Supporting details are usually little true statements that back up the main idea, and little true statements are called facts — so facts fills the blank.
2. A fact is a piece of information that supports the big idea.
When an idea is the most important one in a story, we call it the main idea — so the word that fits in front of idea is main.
3. Good readers look for the key detail in a story.
Hints hidden in the text that point to the main idea are called clues, so the blank here is filled with clues — more than one, since stories often have several.
4. Every paragraph has one big topic.
The one subject every sentence connects to is called the topic, so the missing word that tells what a story is about is topic.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. Every story has a main idea.
True False
False — details are actually very important because they give the facts and examples that help a reader fully understand the main idea.
2. The main idea is always the first sentence.
True False
True — the main idea is the biggest thought a writer wants to share, which is exactly what the story is mostly about from start to finish.
3. Details help explain the main idea.
True False
True — the pictures in a book are often giant clues about the main idea, since what the illustrator draws usually shows what the story is really about.