Central Idea

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Rabbits and hares are not the same. Rabbits live together in burrows. Their babies are born blind and without fur. Hares live alone above ground. Their babies are born with fur and are not blind. In addition, hares are usually bigger than rabbits.

What is the central idea of the following passage? The ice cream cone was invented in 1904. It all started at the St. Louis World's fair when an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes for his ice cream. A man named Ernest Hamwi was selling waffles in the booth next door. He helped his neighbor out by making cone-shaped waffles to hold the ice cream. The rest, as they say, is history!

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Some types of roller coasters use magnets to make them stop. Strong magnets are put into both the coaster and the end of the track. As the coaster approaches the end of the track, the attracting forces of the magnets bring it to a gentle stop.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Julia Butterfly Hill lived in a giant Redwood tree for two years to keep it from being cut down. She climbed the tree, which was located in Northern California, on December 10, 1997. Many people helped her by bringing her food and supplies. She did not come down until the logging company promised never to cut the tree down.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? School children in Washington State are raising salmon! The Department of Fish and Wildlife gives each participating classroom 500 salmon eggs. When the eggs hatch, the children care for the baby salmon and learn about their life cycle. When the salmon are big enough, the class goes on a field trip to release the salmon into a stream or river.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Giant pandas are losing their habitats. Giant pandas live in bamboo forests in China. The average giant panda eats about 30 pounds of bamboo each day. Unfortunately, the forests are being cut down and the giant panda is endangered.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Incense cedar wood is perfect for pencils. Unlike many other kinds of wood, it does not break easily, but is soft enough to be sharpened without splintering. It also won't bend or warp in hot temperatures. Incense cedar trees are grown in California and Oregon.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? You can tell if an egg is hard-boiled by spinning it. Lay an egg on its side and try to make it spin. If it is not hard-boiled, the shifting liquid inside will make it spin poorly. If it is hard-boiled, the solid inside will make it spin faster and longer.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Did you know that the idea for Velcro came from nature? One day in Switzerland a man named George de Mestral decided to take his dog for a walk. When he got back to his house, he saw that there were many small burrs clinging to the dog’s fur. He examined under a microscope how the burrs were sticking, and ended up using what he saw to invent Velcro!

What is the central idea of the following passage? The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. It is located on a plateau in northern Chile. It almost never rains in the Atacama Desert. In fact, there are some areas of the desert where rainfall has never been recorded. The average yearly rainfall in the Atacama is just one millimeter.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Animals that live deep in a cave are called troglobites. Troglobites never leave the cave. They live in total darkness for their entire lives. Some troglobites do not even have eyes! Some troglobites include spiders, flatworms, cave fish, and blind salamanders.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? In Australia, cattle and sheep are raised on huge ranches called stations. A station may be so large that low-flying helicopters are used to herd the animals. You could drive for several days in one direction and never leave the station!

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Sharks have a lot of teeth. A shark may have up to 3,000 teeth at one time. Shark teeth grow in rows. When a shark loses a tooth, it is replaced by a new tooth from the row behind it. A shark may have over 20,000 teeth over the course of its life.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Kangaroos are very social animals. They spend most of their time in groups called mobs. Kangaroos communicate with each other with clicks, coughs, hisses, and growls. They also groom each other by picking dirt, insects, and dead skin from each other's fur.

Which is the central idea of the following passage? Before toothbrushes were invented, people cleaned their teeth with small twigs. The first toothbrushes were made from bones and bristles from boars, horse hairs, or even feathers. Today the bristles on most toothbrushes are made from nylon.