Main Idea & Supporting Details — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A supporting detail gives more information.
More information about an idea comes from a supporting detail, so detail is the word that completes the sentence.
2. The main idea is what a story is mostly about.
What a story is mostly about is its main idea, the big thought that ties the whole story together.
3. We use details to support the main idea.
Details are like helpers for the main idea, so we use them to support it by adding facts and examples.
4. A detail about dogs might say they are loyal.
Saying dogs are loyal tells us something extra about dogs, which makes it a detail that backs up the main idea.
5. The big point of a story is its main idea.
The big point of a story is the same as its main idea, the most important thing the writer wants to share.
6. Clues in the text help us find the main idea.
Clues in the text, like the title and key words, point us toward the main idea, so main is the word that fits.
7. Each detail connects back to the topic.
Every detail in a passage links back to the topic, the one thing all the sentences are really about.
8. Details can be found from a passage.
Details are pieces of information found inside the passage, picked out as we read, so found completes the sentence.
9. A paragraph has one main idea and many details.
A paragraph is built around one main idea and many details that explain it, so idea is the missing word.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
The zoo has many animals.
→ A main idea about the zoo
A main idea about the zoo
We play at recess.
→ A main idea about school
A main idea about school
Books help us learn.
→ A main idea about reading
A main idea about reading
Winter is very cold.
→ A main idea about seasons
A main idea about seasons
Each sentence on the left states the big point about a different topic on the right. The zoo has many animals is a main idea about the zoo, We play at recess is a main idea about school, Books help us learn is a main idea about reading, and Winter is very cold is a main idea about seasons.