FSA Reading Practice

A central idea is ________________

• the most important idea in one of the paragraphs.

• the same thing as a supporting detail.

• the most important point the writer is trying to make about the article.

• a fact from the article.

Though forks were first used in China thousands of years ago, it took a long time for them to make their way to what is now the United States. 
Ancient Greeks began using forks after the Chinese. However, they did not use forks for eating. They used them for serving food. From Greece, forks moved to the Roman Empire. Romans first used long forks for cooking and serving. By the 300s, they began using table forks to feed themselves. 
The table fork spread from there to what is now the Middle East and Turkey, before arriving in Italy and becoming popular in the 1000s. It stayed popular in southern Europe, but was not used much in northern Europe until it first became popular in France and Spain in the 1700s. 
The table fork arrived in England from France before making its way to the North American colonies, where it first became popular shortly before the American Revolution.

• The fork changed after arriving in the Roman Empire.
• Roman forks were longer than Greek and Chinese forks.

Tags

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Most people think that Johann Sebastian Bach played the piano, but this is not true. The piano was not invented until just two years before he died. Bach's main instrument was the organ. He was a great organist. He wrote a lot of wonderful music for that instrument. He also played other keyboard instruments that were ancestors of the piano. Among these instruments was the harpsichord. Along with Mozart, Bach is considered to be one of the all-time great composers
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Mozart and Bach did not compose music for the piano.
• Johann Sebastian Bach was a great organist and writer.
• The piano had not been invented three hundred years ago.
• The harpsichord was a keyboard instrument before the piano.

We often let others know what we are thinking without using words. The name that we give for this kind of communication is body language. Body language includes gestures, facial expressions, and posture. Body language does not always mean the same thing to everyone.
What is the main idea of the paragraph?

• We sometimes use words to express ourselves.
• Body language may not mean the same thing to everyone.
• We use body language to communicate with others.
• Body language includes gestures, facial expression, and posture.

What does it mean to paraphrase?

• the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
• to put someone else's word in your own words
• to quote
• none of the above

Excerpt from: The Great Blue Hole
By: Rebecca Sparling
The poor water circulation inside most blue holes makes them anoxic. This means that oxygen levels are extremely low at certain depths. The unfavorable environment makes it difficult for marine plants and animals to survive, but large numbers of bacteria seem to flourish in these holes. Some divers claim to spot the occasional shark in the deeper parts of the hole where the water is much clearer. Explorers and scientists believe that a series of underwater tunnels might connect the hole to the mainland. The hazards of exploring such a network make this theory difficult to verify. 
Q: In this passage the word verify means

• invest 
• locate
•  protect 
• prove

Depression is a common illness that is easy to treat. Unfortunately, many people don't take their symptoms seriously and don't talk to their doctors about their problems. They don't know that depression has a physical cause; it is not a sign of weakness or a mood that will just go away.

Which of the following details would best support the main idea of this passage?

• Jorge doesn't feel like himself anymore.
• Girls are more likely to suffer from depression than boys.
• Depression often runs in families.
• Many people try to hide their depression and avoid getting help.

Benjamin Franklin loved the city of Philadelphia.  He started the city’s first hospital and fire department.  Ben also started Philadelphia’s first public library. Benjamin Franklin worked very hard to make Philadelphia a better place to live.

• Benjamin Franklin worked hard to make his city a great 
    place to live. 
• Benjamin Franklin worked for the fire department. 
• Benjamin Franklin knew a lot about books.
• Benjamin Franklin went to school in Philedelphia.

Benjamin Franklin was very interested in electricity.  One day he tried a very dangerous experiment to prove that lightning was electricity.  He attached a key to a kite string and flew the kite during a thunderstorm.  When the lightning hit the kite, sparks flew from the key.  Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning was electricity.

• Benjamin Franklin liked to play in the rain.
• Benjamin Franklin performed an experiment that proved
  lightning was electricity. 
• Benjamin Franklin knew a lot about thunderstorms.
• Benjamin Franklin invented a new kind of kite.

Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700’s.  He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires.  He also invented the Franklin stove.  The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel.  He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals.  This new kind of glasses helped people to read better.

• Benjamin Franklin thought reading was important.
• Benjamin Franklin was not afraid of fire.
• Benjamin Franklin was a great inventor.
• A Franklin stove can heat a whole room.