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Class 7 English — Main idea and supporting detail

Find what a passage is mainly about, tell a supporting detail apart from the main idea, and separate what a passage says from what it does not.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Read this second passage. "The old well at the edge of the village had not held water for thirty years. Its steps were cracked and its walls were furred with weeds. Then a group of students began clearing it, bucket by bucket, after school. Two monsoons later the well was full again, and the hand pumps in the lanes nearby, which had run dry every summer, kept working all year." What is the main idea?

    • a) Students cleared an old well, and it brought the village its water back.
    • b) The monsoon comes twice a year.
    • c) Weeds grow quickly on old walls.
    • d) Hand pumps stop working in summer.

  2. 2.Sort each statement by whether the passage about the well says it. "The old well at the edge of the village had not held water for thirty years. Its steps were cracked and its walls were furred with weeds. Then a group of students began clearing it, bucket by bucket, after school. Two monsoons later the well was full again, and the hand pumps in the lanes nearby, which had run dry every summer, kept working all year."

    Groups: Stated in the passage · Not stated in the passage

    • Students cleared the well after school.
    • The well is the oldest one in the district.
    • The hand pumps used to run dry every summer.
    • The well had been dry for thirty years.
    • The well filled up after two monsoons.
    • The village has three hundred people in it.
    • The students were paid for the work.
    • A teacher told the students to do it.

  3. 3.Which sentence in a paragraph gives the main idea?

    • a) The last sentence
    • b) The sentence with the most facts in it
    • c) The sentence that all the others explain or support
    • d) The longest sentence

  4. 4.Sort each statement by whether the bee passage says it. "Honey bees do far more than make honey. As they move from flower to flower drinking nectar, grains of pollen stick to their bodies and are carried to the next flower. This is how many plants make seeds. Nearly a third of the food we eat depends on insects doing this work. When bee numbers fall, farmers notice it first: the fruit trees blossom as usual, but far less fruit forms."

    Groups: The passage says this · The passage does not say this

    • About a third of our food depends on insects.
    • A bee lives for about six weeks.
    • Bees sting when they are frightened.
    • Farmers notice when bee numbers fall.
    • Pollen sticks to a bee's body.
    • Wind also carries pollen.
    • Bees carry pollen from one flower to the next.
    • Honey is sold in every market.

  5. 5.Which would be the best title for the bee passage?

    • a) The life of a farmer
    • b) How to keep bees
    • c) More than honey
    • d) Fruit trees in blossom

  6. 6.Answer in one word. In the passage about the well, in which season did the hand pumps run dry every year?

  7. 7.In the bee passage, which detail supports the idea that bees matter to farmers?

    • a) Bees drink nectar.
    • b) Pollen comes in grains.
    • c) When bee numbers fall, far less fruit forms.
    • d) Bees make honey.

  8. 8.Answer in one word. According to the bee passage, what sticks to a bee's body as it moves between flowers?

Answer key — Class 7 English — Main idea and supporting detail

  1. 1. a) Students cleared an old well, and it brought the village its water back.
  2. 2. The well had been dry for thirty years. → Stated in the passage; Students cleared the well after school. → Stated in the passage; The hand pumps used to run dry every summer. → Stated in the passage; The well filled up after two monsoons. → Stated in the passage; The village has three hundred people in it. → Not stated in the passage; A teacher told the students to do it. → Not stated in the passage; The well is the oldest one in the district. → Not stated in the passage; The students were paid for the work. → Not stated in the passage
  3. 3. c) The sentence that all the others explain or support
  4. 4. Pollen sticks to a bee's body. → The passage says this; Bees carry pollen from one flower to the next. → The passage says this; About a third of our food depends on insects. → The passage says this; Farmers notice when bee numbers fall. → The passage says this; Honey is sold in every market. → The passage does not say this; A bee lives for about six weeks. → The passage does not say this; Wind also carries pollen. → The passage does not say this; Bees sting when they are frightened. → The passage does not say this
  5. 5. c) More than honey
  6. 6. summer
  7. 7. c) When bee numbers fall, far less fruit forms.
  8. 8. pollen