The art of training and cutting plants and trees into ornamental shapes is called topiary work. This art dates back to the days of the Romans. They enjoyed training plants to grow in geometric shapes and, later on, created animal designs and designs that resembled furniture. The Romans were also a dominant empire during their time. Due to topiary work, the Romans had many beautiful gardens. What is the main idea of this paragraph?

Topiary work dates back to the Romans.

Natural furniture is easily made by hand.

Landscaping takes up a great deal of time.

The Roman Empire existed a long time ago.

Wednesday morning, the Frankfurt Book Fair opened its doors. Over 280,000 visitors from all over came to Frankfurt, Germany for this event. This is the biggest book fair in the world. It also has the most visited book publishing website in the world. The German Publishers and Booksellers Association runs the fair. The association says that the book market is doing very well. Over 100 countries and almost 7,500 people are showing books at the fair this year. There are over 100,000 new books being shown out of nearly 400,000 books at the fair. Prizes are given to authors and publishers at the fair. There are also meetings about new ways to present books to the public. This paragraph is mainly about?

The opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The new ways to sell books to the public.

The prizes given at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The popularity of book fairs in the world.

In the Harry Potter books, Harry fights for good in the world of wizards. He and his friends must face many foes—human, animal, and magical. By the end of each book, Harry always seems to have the upper hand. What is one of the major reoccurring themes of the Harry Potter books?

Wizards use their powers for good.

Good always triumphs over evil.

Friends will not help to defeat evil.

Kayla always got whatever she wanted. Her father gave her a new bike, a nicer bike than any of her friends had. One day, Kayla went into a store and left the bike out front, and when she came back outside, the bike was gone. She didn't care; she could just get another one! Kayla's father said he would not buy her a new bike, and he said that she would have to do chores to earn enough money to buy another one. For the next two months, Kayla took out the trash, did the dishes, and scooped the dog's poop. Finally, Kayla's father told her that she had earned enough money for a new bike. "I'd better work for a few more days," she told him, "because I need enough money to buy a bike lock, too." Which of these themes is reflected in this passage?

Children should always volunteer to help with the chores.

Parents should never give anything to their children for free.

It is better to buy used bikes because they won't get stolen.

Children should always volunteer to help with the chores.

The characteristics of a hurricane are powerful winds, driving rain, and raging seas. Although a storm must have winds blowing at least 74 miles an hour to be classified as a hurricane, it is not unusual to have winds above one hundred and fifty miles per hour in a major hurricane. The entire storm system can be five hundred miles in diameter, with lines of clouds that spiral toward a center called the "eye." Within the eye itself, which is about 15 miles across, the air is actually calm and cloudless. But this eye is enclosed by a towering wall of thick clouds where the storm's heaviest rains and highest winds are found. What is the main idea presented in this paragraph ?

Hurricanes have very dangerous characteristics.

Hurricanes are more destructive than tornadoes.

Hurricanes have winds of at least 74 miles an hour.

The eye of a hurricane is about 15 miles across.

You read a long novel about many generations of a family living in the southern United States. Over and over again, the family makes a fortune and loses their fortune, first during the Civil War, again at the turn of the 20th century, and yet again during the Great Depression. No matter what they do, they can't seem to hold onto their wealth, and each generation has to start over again to build it back up. What is the reoccurring theme in such a novel?

Fortune is highly unpredictable.

Money is more valuable than family.

Hard work will lead to a huge fortune.

Fortune smiles on good-hearted people.

Anchorage , Alaska is one of the largest cities in the U.S., covering over 1,958 square miles. Many large cities cover an area of 100 square miles or less. Anchorage sports many tall buildings, malls, hotels, and bicycle paths. Anchorage received its current name in 1915. Its residents chose "Anchorage" because ships anchored there. What is the main focus of this paragraph ?

The description of Anchorage, Alaska.

The stories behind U.S. cities' names.

The reason behind tall buildings in cities.

The explanation of the size of large cities.

The art of training and cutting plants and trees into ornamental shapes is called topiary work. This art dates back to the days of the Romans. They enjoyed training plants to grow in geometric shapes and, later on, created animal designs and designs that resembled furniture. The Romans were also a dominant empire during their time. Due to topiary work, the Romans had many beautiful gardens. Which statement supports the idea that the Romans experimented with topiary work ?

The Romans created geometric shapes and animal designs with plants.

Topiary work includes training and cutting plants into shapes.

The Romans were a dominant empire with beautiful gardens.

Topiary work goes back to before the days of the Roman Empire.

When tourists remember South Dakota, most of them think of the Black Hills National Forest and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The Black Hills includes 100 miles of pine woods. Its main attraction is Mount Rushmore, which sports 70-foot-high faces of four Presidents, carved 600 feet above the valley. One of the most well-known presidents, Abraham Lincoln was known as “Honest Abe”. South Dakota is a truly beautiful place to visit. Mount Rushmore is a famous monument that tourist often visit. Which sentence best supports this idea ?

Mount Rushmore is the main attraction of the Black Hills.

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most well-known presidents.

The Black Hills National Forest is over 100 miles of woods.

The Black Hills National Forest is located in South Dakota.

Dogs, especially sniffer dogs, have a far better sense of smell than humans because their smell receptors are much longer than those in human noses. Human noses differ from person to person, but they can affect the way a person tastes food. Sniffer dogs are used by police and security personnel throughout the world to detect drugs in airports and other busy places. They are specially trained and can pick up even the lightest scents of drugs or firearms. Which sentence supports the idea that sniffer dogs are excellent drug detectors?

Dogs can pick up the lightest scent of drugs or firearms.

Sniffer dogs detect drugs in airports and other busy places.

Dogs' smell receptors are smaller than humans' are.

Human noses can affect the way a person tastes food.

Wednesday morning, the Frankfurt Book Fair opened its doors. Over 280,000 visitors from all over came to Frankfurt, Germany for this event. This is the biggest book fair in the world. It also has the most visited book publishing website in the world. The German Publishers and Booksellers Association runs the fair. The association says that the book market is doing very well. Over 100 countries and almost 7,500 people are showing books at the fair this year. There are over 100,000 new books being shown out of nearly 400,000 books at the fair. Prizes are given to authors and publishers at the fair. There are also meetings about new ways to present books to the public. Which statement best supports the idea that books are very popular ?

Over 280,000 visitors came to the book fair on opening day.

The Frankfurt Book Fair has the world's most visited website.

Authors and publishers can get prizes at this large book fair.

There are many new ways to present books to the public.

As audio technology changes, so do the ways people listen to music. When music was mostly on vinyl albums, those large discs called records, music listening happened at home. The turntable used to play albums is not very portable. Eight-track tapes made listening to music in the car possible. Then devices got smaller, and music became even more portable. The invention of the Walkman portable cassette player meant a person could carry music everywhere. Portable CD players were also easy to carry. However, they often skipped if they were bumped. MP3 players are still relatively new and are the most portable music option of all. A person with an MP3 player can carry as much as 40 days worth of music at once and never have to worry about the music skipping. Which sentence best supports the main idea of the passage ?

"As audio technology changes, so do the ways people listen to music."

"MP3 players are still relatively new and are the most portable music option of all."

"The invention of the Walkman portable cassette player meant a person could carry music everywhere."

"The turntable used to play albums is not very portable."

As audio technology changes, so do the ways people listen to music. When music was mostly on vinyl albums, those large discs called records, music listening happened at home. The turntable used to play albums is not very portable. Eight-track tapes made listening to music in the car possible. Then devices got smaller, and music became even more portable. The invention of the Walkman portable cassette player meant a person could carry music everywhere. Portable CD players were also easy to carry. However, they often skipped if they were bumped. MP3 players are still relatively new and are the most portable music option of all. A person with an MP3 player can carry as much as 40 days worth of music at once and never have to worry about the music skipping. Which sentence supports the idea that music became more portable as audio devices got smaller?

"The invention of the Walkman portable cassette player meant a person could carry music everywhere."

"The turntable used to play albums is not very portable."

"When music was mostly on vinyl albums, those large discs called records, music listening happened at home."

"As audio technology changes, so do the ways people listen to music."

There are many recurring themes in Shakespeare's plays. In Twelfth Night, the character of Viola disguises herself as a boy and then falls in love with the Count Orsino, the man she is serving. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet takes a sleeping potion the Friar has given her to pretend she is dead. When Romeo sees her lying apparently lifeless, he kills himself. What theme do these two plays have in common ?

Things are not always what they appear.

Love makes people do crazy things.

Never pretend that you are dead.

ELA - Central Ideas Text Quiz

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

School uniforms are far cheaper than the currently popular fashions. Many students work long hours at a paying job instead of doing homework because they feel they have to "keep up appearances." If students wore uniforms, there would be no need for most of them to have jobs that take away from their study time.

This passage is mostly about?

popular fashions being expensive

school uniforms being a good idea.

students working many hours at jobs.

teens enjoying wearing uniforms.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Shuttle Endeavour will thunder into orbit this week with an American flag on its right wing. The ship will carry its most international crew ever launched. The spaceship is headed for the International Space Station. Four Americans are on board, along with Russian, Canadian, and Italian astronauts. This multinational crew will be symbolic of those who will work and live on the growing outpost. The station is a joint project of 16 nations on four continents.

This passage is mostly about?

the American flag on the space shuttle's wing.

the brand new International Space Station.

the Russian aboard the American space shuttle.

the cultural crew aboard the space shuttle.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Before weight machines, stationary bikes, and step aerobics, people practiced yoga for spiritual and physical health. Yoga's origins predate written history. Archaeologists have found stone carvings that show figures in yoga positions. These stones, from the Indus Valley, are at least 5,000 years old! Yoga can still contribute plenty to your weight loss program in the 21st century.

This passage is mostly about?

Aerobics is very similar to yoga.

Yoga has existed for centuries.

Yoga came from the Indus Valley.

Everyone needs to try yoga.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

It's no surprise that exercise increases energy. The physical challenge prepares your body in a variety of ways. Blood sugar is more quickly converted to fuel, more oxygen is supplied to your cells, and fight-or-flight hormones are released. Instead of leaving you exhausted, exercise energizes. Do it in the morning for an all-day high or later in the afternoon for a pick-me-up.

This passage is mostly about?

Exercise increases your energy.

Exercise is easier than it looks.

Everyone should exercise daily.

Exercise makes you live longer.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Camp David is a secure location where the President can get away from it all. Established in 1942 by President Roosevelt, Camp David is located in Maryland, about 70 miles from Washington, D.C. in a heavily wooded area. U.S. Marines patrol the area providing optimal security. The Marines are part of the Navy. Because Camp David is so close to Washington, the president can be back at the White House very quickly in the event of a crisis.

This passage is mostly about?

U.S. Marines

The president

Washington, D.C.

Camp David

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Carl was the most miserable he'd ever been. For a split second after the bullet struck, the deer stood motionless. Then his body shot straight upward, twisting in pain, then fell silently to the ground. Carl ran to the deer. The moment he thought would be so exciting, turned out to be one of the saddest moments of his life. To this day, it still haunts him.
This passage is mostly about?

Deer hunting is illegal.

Hunting as a sport is old fashioned.

The sadness of death makes hunting easy.

Killing a deer has forever affected Carl.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

During World War I, many soldiers died because their wounds became infected. Antibiotics had not been discovered at that time. During World War II, many more soldiers died while in combat. Antibiotics are used to treat infections because they kill bacteria in the body. They are easily the most widely prescribed drug in the world.

What is this passage mainly about?

bacteria

soldiers

World War I

antibiotics

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

8.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Most people want to think that they are in control of their pets. However, a study by Karen McComb at the University of Sussex found that cat owners are controlled by their cats. Cat owners probably won’t have too much trouble believing this. Cats make a fairly loud noise by mixing a purr with a cry. The sound seems to be less annoying to humans than straight meowing. Using this sound, cats tell humans when they want to eat and when they want the door opened. The purr part of the sound keeps humans from becoming too annoyed, so the cat gets exactly what he or she wants.

Which sentence from the paragraph supports the idea that cats have a smart way of getting what they want?

"Most people want to think that they are in control of their pets."

"The purr part of the sound keeps humans from becoming too annoyed."

"Cat owners probably won't have too much trouble believing this."

"Cats make a fairly loud noise by mixing a purr with a cry."

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

9.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

On Wednesday, the Senate passed a $1.35 trillion tax cut package. This is the biggest reduction in twenty years. The measure lowers all income tax rates. The package now goes to a House-Senate conference committee. In the committee, Congressional and White House negotiators will quarrel over the size and timing of the tax cuts. In the final tally, 62 senators voted for the bill and 38 voiced against it. All 50 Republicans and 12 Democrats joined in support of the package.
What is this news story mainly about?

The vote on the tax cut was 62 to 38.

Negotiators will argue about the timing.

The Senate passed a large tax cut.

Taxes are way too high in America.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

10.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

In the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," a brother and sister find a house made of candy in the forest. They are invited inside by an old woman. They are almost cooked and eaten by the woman, who turns out to be a witch. In "Little Red Riding Hood," a little girl is on her way through the forest to see her grandmother and tells a wolf where the grandmother lives. The wolf races ahead of the little girl and eats her grandmother.

What recurring theme is present in both stories?

Do not trust strangers.

Always be prepared.

Wolves and witches are mean.

The forest is a dangerous place.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

ELA - Central Ideas Text

30 questions

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