Central Idea & Supporting Details — Practice · Grade 6 English

Chapter: Reading Informational Text

What this practice covers

By the end of Central Idea & Supporting Details you should be able to:

15 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: central idea, topic, supporting detail, summary.

Problem 1

The central idea of an informational text is best described as…
  1. The main point the whole text builds and supports
  2. The author's personal opinion of the reader
  3. The first word of the title
  4. One small fact that appears a single time
Answer and explanation

The main point the whole text builds and supports

The central idea is the overall main point the whole piece builds and supports, not a single detail or the title.

Problem 2

Which of these is a central idea rather than just a topic?
  1. A book about volcanoes
  2. Volcanoes can create new land as well as destroy it
  3. The word 'eruption'
  4. Volcanoes
Answer and explanation

Volcanoes can create new land as well as destroy it

A topic is just a word or phrase ('volcanoes'); a central idea makes an actual point about that topic.

Problem 3

Which of these is a supporting detail rather than a central idea?
  1. People should protect bees.
  2. Honeybees are important to farms in many ways.
  3. One study found a single bee colony can pollinate millions of flowers in a day.
  4. Bees matter.
Answer and explanation

One study found a single bee colony can pollinate millions of flowers in a day.

The specific study and number is a detail used as evidence for the broader central idea about why bees matter.

Problem 4

Read: "Deserts may look empty, but they are full of life. Many desert animals sleep in cool burrows during the day and hunt at night. Cactus plants store water in their thick stems to survive months without rain. Some desert lizards can even go their whole lives without drinking, getting all the water they need from their food." State the central idea in one full sentence.
Answer and explanation

Deserts are not really empty — they are full of living things that have special ways to survive with very little water.

Problem 5

Explain the difference between a text's topic and its central idea, and why mixing them up can lead to a weak summary.
Answer and explanation

A topic is just what the text is about in a word or two, while the central idea is the actual point the text makes about that topic. If you mix them up, your summary might name the subject ('this is about wolves') without ever explaining the point the author was making about it, so it fails to capture what the text was really saying.

Problem 6

Read this original passage and identify (1) the central idea and (2) two supporting details.
Answer and explanation

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes.

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 7

State the central idea and explain the example’s role.
Answer and explanation

The article explains several pathways after rainfall. The balanced 100-unit model illustrates accounting across pathways; it is not an actual school measurement or proof every storm has those proportions.

The article explains several pathways after rainfall. The balanced 100-unit model illustrates accounting across pathways; it is not an actual school measurement or proof every storm has those proportions.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 8

Identify the precise error and write a corrected explanation.
Answer and explanation

The numbers illustrate a labeled hypothetical account; the central explanation concerns different water pathways. Retain that explanation and identify the numbers as a model rather than a universal measurement.

The numbers illustrate a labeled hypothetical account; the central explanation concerns different water pathways. Retain that explanation and identify the numbers as a model rather than a universal measurement.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 9

Compare the reasoning in the two cases. What method transfers, and which source detail must be checked again?
Answer and explanation

In the first case, Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. In the changed case, The article explains several pathways after rainfall. The balanced 100-unit model illustrates accounting across pathways; it is not an actual school measurement or proof every storm has those proportions. The method of defining the relationship and testing relevant evidence transfers; the particular source detail and scope must be checked anew.

In the first case, Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. In the changed case, The article explains several pathways after rainfall. The balanced 100-unit model illustrates accounting across pathways; it is not an actual school measurement or proof every storm has those proportions. The method of defining the relationship and testing relevant evidence transfers; the particular source detail and scope must be checked anew.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 10

Explain how two relevant details support the model’s conclusion. Name the actual words or actions rather than writing “the text says.”
Answer and explanation

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes.

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 11

Write a fair alternative or a meaningful limitation to this conclusion, then explain which evidence would test it.
Answer and explanation

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. Keep the conclusion limited to the given scene or source. A competing interpretation must explain rather than ignore the detail that supports the first reading.

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. Keep the conclusion limited to the given scene or source. A competing interpretation must explain rather than ignore the detail that supports the first reading.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 12

A student copies the conclusion without giving any evidence. Add a supporting detail and the missing reasoning.
Answer and explanation

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. Name the relevant detail before explaining its connection. A conclusion alone does not demonstrate the method.

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. Name the relevant detail before explaining its connection. A conclusion alone does not demonstrate the method.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 13

Use the linked local reading to write one developed paragraph applying this unit. Cite a chapter, paragraph or distinctive brief phrase.
Answer and explanation

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. The new paragraph must name its own source detail and explain how the same method fits it; this model is not a substitute for reading.

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. The new paragraph must name its own source detail and explain how the same method fits it; this model is not a substitute for reading.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 14

Revise a sentence from your response so its meaning and scope are more precise. Show both versions and explain the change.
Answer and explanation

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. Replace an unsupported always/proves claim with the scope the record supports. A language revision must preserve intended meaning.

Central idea: Bats are surprisingly helpful to people — they control insects and help plants grow. Supporting details: one little brown bat can eat up to a thousand insects in an hour, protecting crops; fruit and nectar bats spread seeds and pollinate plants like bananas and mangoes. Replace an unsupported always/proves claim with the scope the record supports. A language revision must preserve intended meaning.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

Problem 15

Explain this method to a younger learner with one example and one warning about an error.
Answer and explanation

A topic names a subject; a central idea states what the text explains about that subject. Read the full selection, identify its question and distinguish a main claim from an illustrative example. An objective summary attributes disputed claims to their source without adding the summarizer’s approval. Use an example from the supplied case and explain the limit in ordinary language.

A topic names a subject; a central idea states what the text explains about that subject. Read the full selection, identify its question and distinguish a main claim from an illustrative example. An objective summary attributes disputed claims to their source without adding the summarizer’s approval. Use an example from the supplied case and explain the limit in ordinary language.

Response criteria

  • Answer the actual question with accurate details.
  • Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
  • State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.

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