Main Idea & Supporting Details — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Elephants are the biggest land animals. They use their trunks to drink water and grab food. Baby elephants stay with their mothers for many years. What is the main idea?
A) Baby elephants are cute.
B) Elephants are big and interesting animals.
C) Elephants drink a lot of water.
D) Trunks are long.
The passage gives facts about size, trunks, and baby elephants, and the only sentence that covers all of those ideas is that elephants are big and interesting.
2. Plants need sunlight, water, and soil to grow. Without sunlight, a plant cannot make food. Without water, a plant will dry out. What is the main idea?
A) Soil is brown.
B) Some plants are tall.
C) Water is important for drinking.
D) Plants need several things to grow.
The passage names sunlight, water, and soil, and then explains why each one matters, so the main idea must mention that plants need more than just one thing.
3. Owls hunt at night. They have big eyes to see in the dark. Their soft feathers help them fly quietly. What is the main idea?
A) Owls have feathers.
B) Night is dark.
C) Owls are built for hunting at night.
D) Big eyes are scary.
Big eyes for the dark and quiet feathers are both body parts that help with nighttime hunting, so the main idea ties those details to how owls are built for that job.
4. Recycling helps the Earth. We can recycle paper, plastic, and glass. When we recycle, we make less trash. What is the main idea?
A) Trash goes in a bin.
B) Glass can break.
C) Plastic is everywhere.
D) Recycling is good for the Earth.
Helping the Earth and making less trash are both positive effects of recycling, so the sentence about recycling being good for the Earth sums up every detail.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Elephants use their trunks to drink water and grab food.
An elephant's trunk works like a long arm and nose in one, so it can suck up water and pick up food from the ground.
2. Without sunlight, a plant cannot make food.
Plants use sunlight to turn water and air into their own food. Without that sun energy, a plant has no way to eat and will die.
3. Owls have big eyes to help them see in the dark.
Bigger eyes let more light in, which is why owls can spot mice and bugs even when it is very dark outside.
4. We can recycle paper, plastic, and glass.
Glass bottles and jars can be melted and made into new glass, so glass joins paper and plastic as one of the main things people recycle.
5. The main idea is the most important point the author wants you to know.
Writers plan their passage around one big point they really want readers to understand, and that point is called the most important idea, or main idea.