Main Idea & Supporting Details — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The main idea is the most important part of a passage.
The most important part of a passage is called the main idea, so main is the word that fits in the blank.
2. Dogs make great pets. This sentence is a detail.
Saying dogs make great pets gives extra information about dogs, which makes it a detail that supports a bigger idea.
3. Supporting details give facts about the main idea.
Supporting details share little pieces of true information, so they give facts about the main idea.
4. The title of a story can be a clue to the main idea.
A title often hints at what the story is about, which makes it a clue that points to the main idea.
5. A topic is a group of sentences about one idea.
When sentences are grouped together because they all talk about one idea, that group is a topic.
6. Details help the reader understand the main idea.
Details add information and examples, which help the reader understand what the main idea is saying.
7. The main idea tells the big message of a story.
The main idea shares the big message of a story, the most important thought the writer wants you to take away.
8. We can find the main idea by reading all the details.
By reading all the details and putting them together, we can figure out the main idea, so details is the word that fits.
9. A good title tells what the whole passage is about.
A good title gives a short hint about what the whole passage is about, so title completes the sentence.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Cats are fun pets.
→ A detail about pets
A detail about pets
Apples are healthy.
→ A detail about food
A detail about food
Rain helps plants grow.
→ A detail about weather
A detail about weather
Fish live in water.
→ A detail about animals
A detail about animals
Each sentence on the left names a small fact that goes with a topic on the right. Cats are fun pets is a detail about pets, Apples are healthy is a detail about food, Rain helps plants grow is a detail about weather, and Fish live in water is a detail about animals.