Main Idea

Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake. They use an instrument called the Richter scale. The Richter scale compares the strength of different earthquakes. Earthquakes  below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake and can cause tremendous damage.
What is the main idea?

• Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake.
• Strong earthquakes can cause lots of damage.
•  Some earthquakes are very small. 
• There is a type of scale called a Richter scale

Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today.
 What is the main idea?

• Soccer is important at the Olympics.
• Soccer is a worldwide sport.
• Soccer is also called football.
• Soccer is played by men and women.

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.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

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

Irish immigration to the U.S. began during the early development of the American colonies. It is estimated that 200,000 Irish came to the U.S. in the 17th and 18th centuries. The numbers swelled from 1820 to 1850 to almost 2 million Irish immigrants. Most of these were fleeing the potato famine from 1845 until 1852. Steady numbers continued to arrive during the late 19th and 20th centuries. Today, over 36 million Americans claim some level of Irish ancestry.
What is the main idea?

• The potato famine caused many Irish to immigrate to the U.S.
• The U.S. is a country of immigrants.
• The Irish are coming to the U.S. still today.
• The Irish came in large numbers to the U.S.

What is the main difference between THEME and MAIN IDEA. 

• Theme is a universal lesson and main idea is what a story is about.
• Theme is what a story is about and main idea is the universal lesson it teaches.
  

Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind! Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier.
What is this selection mainly about?

• Someday we will have robots that will be our personal servants.
• We will be able to talk to robots and they will be able to respond.
• You should give up if you are the Robots will look and behave much like real humans.
• Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Where is the main  idea located?

• First Sentence
• Anywhere in the passage
• In the End
• Nowhere

Do you ever wonder how you taste things? You owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have 9,000 taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the roof of your mouth. You even have taste buds on the back of your throat.
What does the author want you to learn from the passage?

• Why we can taste only certain things.
• That we taste through our noses
• Where taste buds are found
• We have taste buds on our tongues

Yesterday was my birthday. When I woke up, I noticed my brother Josh hung up a big sign that said,"Happy Birthday, Charles!" Mom made spaghetti for dinner.
It's my favorite food in the whole world. My friend Dave came over and handed me a wrapped gift. I wondered what it was. It was a new basketball! I had a great day.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Josh got lots of gifts.
• Charles got a lot of gifts.
• Charles had a great birthday.
• Josh had a great birthday.

Scrabble is a game that provides hours of challenging fun for you and your friends. In this game you use your letters to build new words from words already on the game board. Scrabble is a fun way to learn new words and meanings.
What is the main idea of the passage?

• Scrabble is challenging and fun.
• Scrabble is a good game for Scrabble is a good game for building vocabulary.
• It takes skill to play a good game.
• Scrabble can take hours to play.