Main Idea & Supporting Details — Answer Key
Part A: Sort the Words
Sort each word or number into the correct category box.
1. Read each sentence about butterflies. Decide if it is a main idea or a supporting detail.
Main Idea or General Statement
Butterflies have four life stages.Butterflies go through amazing changes.Butterflies are insects. Supporting Detail
A caterpillar eats leaves to grow.A chrysalis forms when the caterpillar changes.Adult butterflies lay eggs. General statements tell the big idea about butterflies. Supporting details give specific facts about their life cycle.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Butterflies go through four life stages.
Butterflies go through four life stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult.
2. The main idea tells the biggest message of a passage.
The main idea is the biggest or most important message the author wants to share.
3. A detail about butterflies is that a caterpillar eats leaves.
Caterpillars eat leaves to grow before they become butterflies.
4. When you retell a passage, you share the most important parts.
Retelling means sharing the most important parts of a passage in your own words.
5. The topic of a passage about dogs is dogs.
The topic is the subject of the passage, which in this case is dogs.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. A supporting detail is the same as the main idea.
True False
A supporting detail gives extra information about the main idea, but it is not the same thing.
2. A passage about butterflies might have many details about their life.
True False
A passage about butterflies can include many details about their life stages, food, and habits.
3. The title of a passage can help you find the main idea.
True False
The title often gives a hint about the main idea of the passage.
4. Details that are off-topic help the reader understand the main idea.
True False
Off-topic details do not help. Only details that relate to the main idea help the reader understand it.