Identifying Main Idea #1 - UTT

^{Passages from Main Idea & Summarizing (Beech)}                    You probably know that guide dogs are used to lead blind people.  Did you know that a few blind people have guide horses?  These are miniature horses trained much as guide dogs are.  The small horses respond to more than 24 commands.  They can see well in the dark.  They are also trained to tap with a hoof on the door if they need to go out.  One man has even taken his guide horse on an airplane.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• How guide dogs are trained
• A guide horse on an airplane
• The use of small horses as guides
• Why blind people like animals

Dictionary writers are always busy.  That's because the English language keeps changing. People stop using some words,  and new words keep popping up.  Where do new words come from?  Many recent words are from technology.  For example, "snailmail" came into use after people started using the much faster e-mail.  Other new words come from books, television, movies and fads.  Do you know what a "wannabe" is?  If not, you can look it up in a recently published dictionary.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• Dictionaries show changes in English.
• How television affects English
• Why dictionary writers are so tired
• How to find new words in a dictionary

Ashrita Furman likes to break records. In fact, over the years Furman has set or broken more than 79 records listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Two of his feats include race-walking the fastest mile while twirling a hula hoop and walking 81 miles with a milk bottle on his head. He has also held records for balancing 75 glasses on his chin, and for going up and down Mt. Fuji in Japan on a pogo stick. Why? Mr. Furman feels these activities bring him inner peace. What is the main idea of this passage?

• The Guinness Book of World Records

• Walking with a bottle on your head

• How to climb Japan's Mt. Fuji

• Furman likes to break records.

In 2003 scientists sighted a new object in our solar system. This object, which scientists are calling Sedna, is far beyond Pluto and takes 10,500 years to orbit the sun. Sedna is very cold - minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit - and has a reddish color. It also appears to be shiny. Scientists believe this astronomical body is made up of ancient rock and ice. Is Sedna a planet? Not exactly. For now, scientists are calling it a planetoid. What is the main idea of this passage?

• A planet of primitive rock and ice

• Sedna is found in our solar system

• Orbiting bodies in our solar system

• Sedna is almost as red as Mars

Where do you build the world's largest jet airliner?  First, you have to put up the world's largest building.  That's just what happened in Everett, Washington.  An airline factory there covers more than 98 acres under one roof.  More than 75 NFL football fields could fit inside!  More than 15 railcars a day deliver parts to the factory.  Workers use overhead cranes and forklifts to assemble the large pieces.  Buyers from all over the world purchase the finished airplanes.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• Looking for the largest jet airliner
• The largest building is a jet factory
• Railcars deliver parts to the factory
• How to build airiplanes indoors

People in ancient Egypt celebrated many different kinds of festivals.  Some of these honored nature.  For example, there were festivals when the Nile River flooded, making the riverbanks fertile for farming.  Other festivals celebrated at the beginning of spring and at harvest time.  At the celebrations, families enjoyed foods such as watermelon, grapes, and figs that were sold at stalls. People also listened to musicians and watched entertainers such as acrobats.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• Why the Nile was important to Egypt
• Watermelon was sold at food stalls.
• Ancient Egypt had many festivals.
• The festivals honored nature.

A jingle dress is for special occasions among the Ojibwa people. Often, Ojibwa women and girls wear a jingle dress at powwows. These are social gatherings where people do traditional dances and have fun. A jingle dress has small metal cones hanging from it like a fringe. The dress makes a jingling sound when a girl dances. According to a story, a jingle dress helped to cure a young girl. That is why the Ojibwa believe that the jingle dress is a healing garment. What is the main idea of this passage?

• The dress makes a jingling sound.

• People get cured from jingle dresses..

• A jingle dress is for special Ojibwa events.

• A powwow is a social gathering.

The hippopotamus spends a lot of time in water.  In fact, the name of this large African animal means "river horse."  During a hot day, a hippo will spend its hours in rivers and lakes.  Only its eyes, ears, and nostrils can be seen above water.  This helps to keep the hairless animal from getting sunburned  Although it eats water plants, the hippo goes ashore at night to find larger plants.  If it is the dry season and the water is low, hippos roll in mud to cover their large bodies.  This way their skin doesn't dry out.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• A hippopotamus is a water horse.
• This animal eats water and land plants.
• Hippos live only in Africa.
• A hippo spends a lot of time in water.

Do you eat every day?  Researchers have found that people who eat a balanced breakfast are likely to be healthier than those who don't.  One reason is that most people eat whole grains at breakfast, and these promote good health.  Breakfast eaters also tend to have fewer weight problems than those who skip the meal.  People who don't eat breakfast usually eat too much later in the day  Often, these foods are not healthy and cause weight gain and other problems.  So, be sure to eat breakfast.  It is the most important meal of the day.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• Breakfast is the most important meal.
• Skipping breakfast makes you hungry.
• Breakfast is a delicious meal.
• Breakfast eaters have fewer weight problems.

Once, shoes were made entirely by hand.  The hardest step was connecting the upper part of a shoe to the innersole.  A worker had to stretch the leather over a wooden form called a "last".  Jan Matzeliger changed all that in the 1880s.  He invented a "lasting" machine to do this difficult work.  Matzeliger's machine meant that many more shoes could be made in a day and for less money.  The price of shoes came down, and more people could afford them.  What is the main idea of this passage?

• Once shoes were made by hand.
• Jan Matzelliger was an inventor.
• Matzeliger changed how shoes are made.
• More people could now afford shoes.