Main idea
Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Practice
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The main idea of a paragraph is what the whole paragraph is
mostly about.
The details are small pieces of information that make the
paragraph more interesting.
The details give small pieces of information about the main idea.
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As you read the story, think about the main idea of each paragraph.
Benjamin Sees a Sloth
Benjamin’s class was learning about unusual animals. Today they
were going on a field trip to the zoo to see some of the animals they
had learned about. Benjamin’s favorite was the sloth. He had never
seen one, but he had learned a lot about them, and seen pictures of
them. They were so cute. They had big round eyes, and looked like
they were wearing a mask. The sloths in all of the pictures looked like
they were smiling.
Benjamin remembered a story he had read about sloths. The
story said that many sloths live in the tropical forests in the South
American country of Bolivia. Santa Cruz, a large city in Bolivia, has
many large parks with old and beautiful trees. Years ago, many sloths
lived in these trees. People liked to come to the parks and look for the
sloths. Even though there were many sloths in the parks, they were
hard to see. Their fur was as green as the leaves of the trees they
lived in. Benjamin wished he could have visited one of those parks.
He was sure he would have been able to spot the sloths, even if they
were hard to see.
The story went on to say that there was a problem with the sloths
in the parks. Even though sloths don’t move very often, and are very,
very slow, they do not like to be bothered. And if they are bothered,
their long curved claws make very good weapons. Children in the
parks of Santa Cruz, and even some adults, would poke at the sloths
to try to get them to move. Some of these people got serious
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scratches and cuts from the sloths’ sharp claws. The city decided to
move the sloths out of the parks and back to the forests that were
their natural home. Benjamin decided that had been a good idea. The
sloths would be safer, and so would the people.
Benjamin’s class arrived at the zoo, and they finally came to the
section where the sloths lived. The sign said there were two sloths. It
was a large area, with many trees. Benjamin looked and looked, but
he didn’t see the sloths. He was very disappointed. Then his teacher
said, “Look there!” and pointed. And there was one of the sloths, just
ten feet away from Benjamin, a little higher than his head. And it was
even cuter in person than it was in the pictures.
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. Benjamin’s class was learning about unusual animals.
B. Benjamin’s class was going on a field trip to the zoo.
C. Benjamin had learned a lot about sloths.
D. The sloths in all of the pictures looked like they were smiling.
2. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Many sloths live in the tropical forests of Bolivia.
B. Years ago, many sloths lived in the city parks of Santa Cruz.
C. People liked to come to the parks and look for the sloths.
D. Benjamin wished he could have visited one of those parks.
3. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
A. There was a problem with having the sloths in the city parks.
B. Sloths don’t move often, and are very slow when they do move.
C. The sloth’s long curved claws make very good weapons.
D. Some people got serious scratches and cuts from the sloths’ claws.
4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. The sign said there were two sloths.
B. It was a large area, with many trees.
C. Benjamin looked and looked, but he didn’t see the sloths.
D. The sloth was even cuter in person than it was in pictures.
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5. What is one interesting detail from the last paragraph?
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Answer Key
1. A
2. B
3. A
4. C
5. Accept any reasonable response.
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