- Which detail is most important for supporting the main idea that the ISS helps scientists learn in microgravity?
Answer: Researchers study how plants grow and how the human body changes when gravity is very low.
The main idea about microgravity is supported by the detail that researchers study plant growth and body changes in very low gravity, which is exactly what microgravity science is. Choice B supports that idea, so it is correct. Choice A is about teamwork, Choice C is about the station's orbit, and Choice D is about student events, so none supports the microgravity idea best.
- Which detail is most important for supporting the main idea that volcanoes erupt because pressure builds up underground?
Answer: Trapped gas inside magma acts like bubbles in a shaken soda, pushing hard against the rock above.
The main idea is that volcanoes erupt when pressure builds up underground. The best detail explains how trapped gas inside magma acts like bubbles in a shaken soda and pushes hard against the rock above — that pushing is exactly the pressure that causes an eruption. The choice about slow, gentle lava flow tells you what an eruption looks like, not why the pressure builds. The choice about ash making soil rich for farmers is about how volcanoes affect the land afterward, not about pressure. The choice about volcanoes forming along tectonic plate edges explains where volcanoes are, not why pressure makes them erupt. Only one choice actually connects to the cause named in the main idea.
- What are the three main ideas in this passage?
Answer: The sun powers evaporation; water condenses and falls as precipitation; and the cycle affects weather and fresh water.
The passage is built around three main ideas: the sun powers the cycle, water changes form and falls back to Earth, and the cycle affects weather and fresh water. Choice D names all three, so it is correct. Choices A and B each name only one detail, and Choice C twists the third idea into a scary claim, so none captures all three main ideas.
- Which statement best summarizes the entire passage?
Answer: Drip irrigation saves water by sending it to the roots and can improve plant health, but it has costs and upkeep.
A good summary covers the whole passage: drip irrigation saves water and can help plants grow, but it also costs money and needs upkeep, and towns support it. The choice saying it saves water and improves plant health while having costs and upkeep pulls all of those big ideas together, so it is the best answer. The choice about tubes, timers, and always watering in early morning takes one small detail and turns it into a rule the passage never makes. The choice claiming it is popular mainly because of rebates and that most farmers add plant food picks two minor details and treats them as the main point. The choice calling it the most expensive way to water and focusing on animals and clogged holes covers only the challenges section, not the whole passage. Only one choice sums up every part.
- Which two ideas are most important to understanding this passage?
Answer: Community gardens can provide fresh food and bring neighbors together, and they can also help the environment.
The passage is organized around three big ideas, one for each paragraph: gardens give people fresh food, gardens build stronger communities, and gardens help the environment. The answer naming fresh food, bringing neighbors together, and helping the environment captures all three, so it is the best summary. The choice about older gardeners sharing stories and schools visiting for science lessons only lists small details from the second paragraph, not its main point. The choice about composting keeping waste out of landfills and setting fair rules picks two supporting details from the last paragraph instead of its main idea. The choice about families growing food close to home and gardeners forming watering teams also names details, one from each of the first two paragraphs, rather than stating the ideas themselves. Only one answer names the passage's main ideas.
- Which information is essential to understanding the main idea that plastic harms wildlife?
Answer: Animals can mistake plastic for food or get tangled in it, and microplastics can enter the food chain.
The main idea that plastic harms wildlife is about how plastic hurts animals. The best answer says animals can mistake plastic for food or get tangled in it, and that microplastics can enter the food chain. That is exactly the kind of harm the passage describes, so it supports this main idea. The choice about plastic blowing from bins and moving through storm drains explains how plastic gets into the environment, not how it hurts animals. The choice about companies testing new packaging is about a solution that reduces plastic, which belongs to a different main idea. The choice about plastics not breaking down for many years also explains where plastic goes and how long it lasts, not the harm it causes to wildlife. Since only one choice describes animals being hurt, it is the essential information for this main idea.
- The author says that pollinators are important for food crops. Which detail best supports this?
Answer: Many fruits and vegetables, such as apples, cucumbers, and strawberries, depend on pollinators.
The point is that pollinators matter for food crops, and the detail that apples, cucumbers, and strawberries depend on pollinators directly supports it. Choice C is correct. Choice A is about how a yard looks, Choice B is about nesting, and Choice D is about helping bees, so none best supports the food-crop idea.
- Which statement best expresses the main ideas of the text?
Answer: The Great Barrier Reef is an important home and resource that faces threats, but people work to protect it.
The text has four connected parts: the reef is a home for sea life, it is a useful resource for people, it faces serious threats, and people are working to protect it. The best main-idea statement pulls all of those parts together, which is why the answer about it being an important home and resource that faces threats but is being protected is correct. The choice about corals building shells and starfish eating them only covers the home part, and it turns one small threat into the whole point. The choice about snorkeling, diving, fishing, and boat rides only covers the resource part. The choice about warmer water, runoff, and sea parks combines just the threats and the protection, leaving out the reef's role as a home and resource. Each of these captures a real piece of the text, but only one statement covers all the main ideas at once.
- Which detail is most important for supporting the main idea that solar panels create electricity by moving electrons?
Answer: Once sunlight strikes the silicon inside a cell, the freed electrons begin flowing, and that steady flow becomes the panel's electric current.
The main idea here is that solar panels make electricity by moving electrons. The best detail explains that when sunlight strikes the silicon cell, freed electrons flow, and that flow becomes the current — it shows exactly how moving electrons create electricity. The choice about cloudy days and nighttime describes a limit on when panels work, not how they produce electricity, so it does not support this main idea. The choice about governments giving money and tax credits is about cost and affordability, a different main idea in the passage. The choice about not burning fuel and not sending smoke into the air supports the environment idea, not the idea about electrons making a current. Only one choice actually explains the electron-to-electricity process the question asks about.
- Which statement best summarizes the entire passage?
Answer: Earthquakes happen along faults and can damage buildings, but preparation and safer building can lower the risk.
The passage covers what causes earthquakes, the damage they can do, and how preparation and safer building lower the risk, so the best summary joins those ideas. Choice A does that, so it is correct. Choice B is a false claim, Choice C names only one detail, and Choice D contradicts the passage, which says scientists cannot predict the exact time, so none summarizes the whole text.
- Which statement best summarizes the entire passage?
Answer: A watershed is an area where water drains to one place; watersheds connect upstream and downstream and can be protected.
A good summary covers the whole passage. The correct answer names what a watershed is, explains that watersheds link upstream and downstream places, and adds that people can protect them—so it touches every main section. The choice about hills and wetlands only pulls two small details from different paragraphs and leaves out the big ideas. The choice about planting trees and picking up trash covers just the last paragraph, which is one part, not the whole. The choice about small creeks, large rivers, and border-like hills stays inside the first paragraph and misses connections, wildlife, and protection. Only the correct answer summarizes the entire passage instead of a single piece of it.
- Which detail best supports the main idea that solar ovens work by collecting and trapping heat?
Answer: Many designs use shiny panels to reflect sunlight toward a dark pot, and a clear cover traps warm air inside.
The main idea in the first paragraph is that solar ovens collect and trap heat. The best support is the detail about shiny panels reflecting sunlight toward a dark pot while a clear cover traps warm air — this shows exactly how heat is gathered and held. The choice about smoke harming lungs in small kitchens supports a different main idea: saving fuel and cutting pollution, not trapping heat. The choice about ovens failing at night or on cloudy days tells when they do not work, not how they collect heat. The choice about Jamal's padding is one student's engineering test; it explains a change he made, not how ovens trap heat in general. So the panels-and-cover detail is the only one that directly backs the heat-trapping idea.
- Read the passage, then answer the question.
In many cities, people are adding green roofs (roofs covered with plants) to buildings. One main idea is that green roofs help manage rainwater. When rain falls on a regular roof, water runs quickly into storm drains and can cause flooding. On a green roof, soil and plants absorb water like a sponge. Some green roofs can hold back more than half of the rain from a small storm. The extra water slowly drains out later, which helps keep sewers from overflowing. As a bonus, the plants can filter some dirt and chemicals from the water before it reaches rivers.
Another main idea is that green roofs make buildings more energy-efficient. In summer, dark roofs soak up heat from the sun. A green roof shades the roof surface and cools the air through evaporation. This can lower indoor temperatures and reduce the need for air conditioning. In winter, the soil layer adds insulation, helping buildings keep warm air inside. A school in one city reported lower energy bills after adding a green roof, although results can vary by building size and local weather.
A third main idea is that green roofs support living things in crowded places. Cities often have fewer natural habitats because of pavement and tall buildings. Green roofs can provide food and shelter for insects and birds. Some roofs are planted with native flowers to attract pollinators like bees. However, not every roof can hold heavy soil, so engineers must check safety first. People also need to plan for maintenance, such as weeding and watering during dry weeks.
Which statement best summarizes the entire passage?
Answer: Green roofs help cities by absorbing rainwater, saving building energy, and providing habitat, but they must be safely designed and maintained.
A good summary of the whole passage must include all three main ideas. The passage explains that green roofs manage rainwater, save building energy, and give living things a habitat, and it also warns that roofs must be safe and maintained. The correct answer names all three benefits plus that important caution, so it captures the entire passage.
The choice about looking nice, pollinators, soil, and watering only covers pieces of the third section, so it is an incomplete summary. The choice about dark roofs and evaporation is true, but it only describes the energy idea, missing rainwater and habitat. The choice about engineers checking roofs and overflowing storm drains focuses on one detail and adds a claim the passage never makes, since green roofs actually hold back rain rather than overflow drains. A summary should cover the big ideas of the entire text, not just one part, so only the answer listing all three benefits works.
- Which two ideas are most important to understanding this passage?
Answer: The Amazon is a huge region full of habitats and species, and it is threatened by deforestation but can be protected.
A summary names the biggest ideas that hold the whole passage together. The best answer says the Amazon is a huge region full of habitats and species and that it is threatened by deforestation but can be protected. That covers the passage's main points from beginning to end. The choice about warm, rainy weather and the river to the Atlantic is true, but it only describes one part of the first section, so it is too narrow to be a main idea. The choice about sloths in the trees and jaguars on the forest floor gives real details, yet these are small examples inside the biodiversity section, not the passage's biggest ideas. The choice about satellite images and buying fruits and nuts is also true, but these are only two ways people protect the forest, so it misses most of what the passage is about. Only one choice pulls together the whole passage.
