PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Reading Main Idea 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes a supporting detail in a passage?
- A piece of information that tells what the whole passage is about
- A specific fact or example that backs up the main idea (Correct answer)
- The author's opinion about the topic
- The conclusion at the end of the passage
Correct answer: A specific fact or example that backs up the main idea
Supporting details are specific facts, examples, or explanations that develop and reinforce the main idea rather than stating what the whole passage is about.
Question 2: A student reads a passage about exercise. Each paragraph explains a different health benefit of staying active. What is most likely the main idea of the passage?
- Running is better than swimming for fitness
- Exercise equipment can be expensive
- Regular physical activity improves overall health (Correct answer)
- Athletes train harder than average people
Correct answer: Regular physical activity improves overall health
Since every paragraph discusses a different benefit of staying active, the unifying main idea is that regular physical activity improves overall health — the point all the details support.
Question 3: Which sentence in a paragraph is most likely to state the main idea?
- A sentence that gives a specific statistic or number
- A sentence that introduces an example
- A broad sentence that the other sentences explain or support (Correct answer)
- The longest sentence in the paragraph
Correct answer: A broad sentence that the other sentences explain or support
The main idea is usually expressed in a broad, general sentence — often the topic sentence — while the other sentences provide examples, details, or evidence to support it.
Question 4: After reading a passage, a student cannot find one sentence that states the main idea. What should the student do?
- Choose the first sentence of the passage as the main idea
- Look only at the last paragraph for clues
- Combine the key points from each paragraph to figure out the implied main idea (Correct answer)
- Skip the question because no main idea exists
Correct answer: Combine the key points from each paragraph to figure out the implied main idea
When a main idea is implied rather than directly stated, readers must synthesize the key points across paragraphs to infer what the overall passage is about.
Question 5: A passage has the following sentences: 'Wolves hunt in coordinated packs. Each wolf plays a specific role during a hunt. Pack members communicate using howls and body language.' What is the main idea?
- Wolves are dangerous predators that should be avoided
- Wolves use teamwork and communication to hunt successfully (Correct answer)
- Howling is the most important skill a wolf can have
- Wolf packs are always led by the largest wolf
Correct answer: Wolves use teamwork and communication to hunt successfully
All three sentences describe aspects of how wolves cooperate — coordination, roles, and communication — making teamwork and communication during hunting the unifying main idea.
Question 6: Which title best reflects the main idea of a passage that describes the history of the printing press, how it spread literacy, and its effect on science and religion?
- Famous Inventors Throughout History
- How the Printing Press Changed the World (Correct answer)
- The Dangers of Early Printing Technology
- Books and Their Many Different Formats
Correct answer: How the Printing Press Changed the World
The passage covers the printing press's broad historical impact on literacy, science, and religion, so 'How the Printing Press Changed the World' captures that overarching main idea best.
PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Reading Main Idea 1
Which of the following best describes a supporting detail in a passage?