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TSIA2 ELAR practice questions

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Question 1Literary Analysis

Mara kept the dry seed in a jar beside her bed all winter, turning it in her palm each night. When spring came she pressed it into the thawing soil, and by June a thin green shoot stood where she had buried it. Which statement best expresses a theme of the passage?

  1. Gardening requires careful tools and planning.
  2. Children should not be trusted with seeds.
  3. Winter destroys most of what people plant.
  4. Patience through a hard season can bring growth. Correct answer.

Explanation

A theme is an insight about life that a text conveys as a whole, not a plot summary or a statement about gardening equipment. The passage traces a small act of patient care through a difficult season to a result, which supports the idea that endurance yields growth.

Question 2Literary Analysis

Devon counted the coins in his pocket twice before ordering the cheapest item on the menu, then dropped his last quarter into the tip jar. What do these details most suggest about Devon?

  1. He is thrifty but generous. Correct answer.
  2. He dislikes the food he ordered.
  3. He is angry at the restaurant staff.
  4. He is wealthy and careless with money.

Explanation

Indirect characterization asks readers to infer traits from actions rather than from direct statements. Counting coins and choosing the cheapest item reveal thrift, while giving away the last quarter reveals generosity.

Question 3Literary Analysis

"I checked the lock three times before I left the apartment, and I still came back to check it once more." Which point of view is used in this sentence?

  1. second-person
  2. third-person omniscient
  3. third-person limited
  4. first-person Correct answer.

Explanation

Point of view is identified by the pronouns and by how much access the narrator has to characters' minds. The pronoun "I" and the direct report of the speaker's own thoughts mark first-person narration.

Question 4Literary Analysis

Tomas knew who had broken the window. Telling the truth would end his friendship with Ray, but staying quiet would let an innocent classmate take the blame. Which type of conflict is central here?

  1. character against nature
  2. character against the self Correct answer.
  3. character against society
  4. character against another character

Explanation

Conflict is classified by what the protagonist struggles against. Tomas's struggle is internal, a clash between two values he holds, so the conflict occurs within him.

Question 5Literary Analysis

"The old dog moved through the kitchen like a slow tide of fur." Which figure of speech is used in this sentence?

  1. metaphor
  2. hyperbole
  3. personification
  4. simile Correct answer.

Explanation

A simile compares two unlike things using a word such as like or as. The dog's movement is compared to a tide through the word "like."

Question 6Literary Analysis

Fog pressed against the windows, and the old house creaked each time the wind shifted. A door at the end of the hall stood slightly open. Which mood does the description create?

  1. uneasy Correct answer.
  2. cheerful
  3. playful
  4. peaceful

Explanation

Mood is the feeling a description creates in the reader, built from details, imagery, and word choice. Fog, creaking, wind, and a partly open door combine to produce tension and apprehension.

Question 7Literary Analysis

Which element of a short story is the turning point at which the central conflict reaches its greatest intensity and the outcome begins to become clear?

  1. climax Correct answer.
  2. resolution
  3. falling action
  4. exposition

Explanation

Plot structure follows a pattern in which each stage has a distinct function. The climax is the point of highest tension, after which the outcome becomes inevitable.

Question 8Literary Analysis

Every time her father left for a long trip, Lila set a white candle in the window and did not blow it out until he came home. What does the candle most likely symbolize?

  1. Lila's fear of fire
  2. Lila's grief over a loss
  3. the family's wealth
  4. hope for her father's return Correct answer.

Explanation

A symbol is a concrete object that stands for an abstract idea through its role in the story. The candle is lit when the father departs and stays lit until he returns, so it represents waiting and hope.

Question 9Literary Analysis

A crew of firefighters finished a safety demonstration and returned to find their own station house in flames. Which term best describes this turn of events?

  1. foreshadowing
  2. verbal irony
  3. situational irony Correct answer.
  4. dramatic irony

Explanation

Situational irony occurs when an outcome is the reverse of what the circumstances led readers to expect. Firefighters returning from a fire-safety event to a fire in their own station inverts that expectation.

Question 10Literary Analysis

"'Wonderful,' she said, staring at the flat tire. 'Exactly what I needed today.'" Which word best describes the speaker's tone?

  1. frightened
  2. grateful
  3. nostalgic
  4. sarcastic Correct answer.

Explanation

Tone is the speaker's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice and context. The praise words clash with the flat tire, so the attitude conveyed is mocking rather than thankful.

Question 11Literary Analysis

On the first page Aunt Rosa chases everyone out of her kitchen; on the last page she is teaching her nephew to knead dough and laughing at his mistakes. Rosa is best described as which kind of character?

  1. a foil
  2. a stock character
  3. a static character
  4. a dynamic character Correct answer.

Explanation

A dynamic character undergoes a meaningful change in attitude or behavior over the course of a work. Rosa's movement from guarding her kitchen to sharing it marks exactly that kind of change.

Question 12Literary Analysis

In chapter two the narrator mentions the cracked rung on the orchard ladder and moves on. In chapter nine, a character falls from that ladder. The detail in chapter two is an example of which technique?

  1. foreshadowing Correct answer.
  2. flashback
  3. understatement
  4. allegory

Explanation

Foreshadowing plants a hint early in a narrative that prepares readers for a later event. The brief mention of the damaged rung quietly sets up the fall many chapters later.

Question 13Literary Analysis

"'I never exaggerate,' the narrator declares. 'Not once in my whole life have I stretched the truth - except for the part about the bear, and that was practically true.'" What do these lines most suggest about the narrator?

  1. The narrator knows every character's thoughts.
  2. The narrator is a distant third-person observer.
  3. The narrator reports only verified facts.
  4. The narrator's claims contradict each other. Correct answer.

Explanation

A narrator becomes unreliable when the telling undercuts the narrator's own credibility. Here the boast of never exaggerating is immediately disproved by the admission that follows.

Question 14Literary Analysis

A story opens with a woman refusing to board a plane. The next four pages describe a storm she survived as a child, and then the story returns to the airport. What is the main function of this section?

  1. It slows the story down to insert a comic scene.
  2. It resolves the story's main problem.
  3. It explains her present fear. Correct answer.
  4. It introduces a brand-new central conflict.

Explanation

A flashback interrupts the forward movement of a plot to supply information from the past. The childhood storm gives readers the background that makes the woman's refusal understandable.

Question 15Literary Analysis

A newspaper calls the city's plan to rebuild the pier "a gamble," while the mayor calls the same plan "an investment." How do the two words differ?

  1. Both words carry a strong suggestion of reckless risk.
  2. "Gamble" suggests risk; "investment," confidence. Correct answer.
  3. "Investment" implies the plan is dishonest and reckless.
  4. Both words are emotionally neutral labels.

Explanation

Words with the same denotation can carry different connotations, the associations they raise in readers. Choosing "gamble" frames the plan as risky, while "investment" frames it as a confident commitment.

Question 16Literary Analysis

The dock planks were rough under her bare feet, gulls screamed above the pilings, and the air tasted of iron. Which phrase is the clearest example of tactile imagery?

  1. the air tasted of iron
  2. gulls screamed above the pilings
  3. rough under her bare feet Correct answer.
  4. the dock planks

Explanation

Imagery appeals to the senses, and the sense engaged determines the type. Tactile imagery evokes the sense of touch, which is exactly what the roughness against bare feet does.

Question 17Literary Analysis

In every chapter of the novel, a clock appears: a broken wristwatch, a stopped grandfather clock, a ringing kitchen timer. What does this recurring detail most likely emphasize?

  1. the family's steadily growing wealth and status
  2. the narrator's dishonesty
  3. the isolation of the setting
  4. the characters' anxiety about time Correct answer.

Explanation

A motif is a recurring image or detail that carries meaning across a work. Clocks appear in many forms, and each form measures or halts time, pointing to the characters' troubled relationship with time.

Question 18Literary Analysis

A tale describes a village that builds its wall higher each year to keep out a wolf no one has ever seen; critics read the wall as standing for fear-driven policy. A story whose surface events consistently map onto a second, abstract meaning is called what?

  1. an ode
  2. an allegory Correct answer.
  3. a memoir
  4. a farce

Explanation

An allegory is a narrative whose concrete elements stand for abstract ideas in a sustained, consistent way. The wall and the unseen wolf function as symbolic equivalents for a political idea throughout the tale.

Question 19Literary Analysis

The narrator spends three earnest paragraphs praising the town's "magnificent" library, which turns out to be one shelf of donated paperbacks behind a gas station. What is the author most likely doing?

  1. describing a well-stocked public library
  2. mocking the town's self-satisfaction Correct answer.
  3. persuading readers to donate books
  4. explaining how libraries are funded

Explanation

Satire uses exaggeration and mock praise to expose a weakness, and the gap between the grand language and the shabby reality is the signal. The author is exposing pride that outruns the facts.

Question 20Literary Analysis

The audience has watched Lena hide the letter inside the piano bench. On stage, Lena's sister says, "She will never think to look there." Which term best describes this moment?

  1. pun
  2. dramatic irony Correct answer.
  3. understatement
  4. oxymoron

Explanation

Dramatic irony depends on a gap between what the audience knows and what a character knows. The audience has seen the hiding place, so the sister's certainty lands as the opposite of the truth.

Question 21Literary Analysis

Jonah slid the bread under his coat and counted the guard's footsteps. Through the window he could see his sister's empty plate at home. The story is told in third person but never leaves Jonah's thoughts. How does this point of view most affect the reader?

  1. It makes the guard the story's central figure.
  2. It creates distance by reporting every character's thoughts.
  3. It builds sympathy by showing only Jonah's motives. Correct answer.
  4. It removes all information about the setting.

Explanation

Third-person limited narration filters events through one character's perceptions and reasons. Because readers see only Jonah's hunger and worry, they are guided to understand him rather than judge him.

Question 22Literary Analysis

The rain would not stop, and the roof leaked into a bucket that pinged all night. "Perfect weather for a picnic," the narrator writes in her journal. Which statement best distinguishes the tone from the mood?

  1. The tone is wry; the mood is dreary. Correct answer.
  2. The tone is neutral, while the mood is suspenseful.
  3. Tone and mood are the same here, since both are gloomy.
  4. The tone is dreary, while the mood is comic.

Explanation

Tone is the writer's or narrator's attitude, while mood is the feeling the text produces in the reader. The narrator's dry joke reveals a wry attitude, even though the rain and leaking roof create a dreary atmosphere.

Question 23Literary Analysis

At the end of the story, Ada leaves the porch light burning even after the house has been sold and her son has been gone for years. Which claim about this detail is best supported by the text?

  1. Ada is careless about her electricity bills.
  2. The house is haunted by a ghost.
  3. Ada keeps a habit tied to waiting for someone. Correct answer.
  4. The author forgets to resolve the ending.

Explanation

A defensible interpretation must be grounded in specific textual details rather than invented or dismissive. The light persists after the son's long absence, which supports reading it as a habit of waiting.

Question 24Literary Analysis

Early in the novel the river is where the children swim and fish. In the final chapter the same river floods and carries away the family's letters. What does the river's changing role most suggest?

  1. It exists only to mark the passing of seasons.
  2. It is a decorative setting with no meaning.
  3. It turns from play to a source of loss. Correct answer.
  4. It stands for the children's fear of water.

Explanation

When an object recurs with different associations, its meaning develops across the work. The river's movement from a site of childhood pleasure to an agent of destruction tracks that shift.

Question 25Literary Analysis

A runner wins the state final but learns afterward that his best friend, whom he had urged to skip practice, was hurt in a crash that night. Which statement best expresses a theme rather than a summary or a moral?

  1. Runners should never skip practice.
  2. Victory can be shadowed by its cost. Correct answer.
  3. The boy wins the state final.
  4. Friendship is impossible to sustain.

Explanation

A theme states an insight about human experience in general terms, drawn from the specifics of the plot. This statement generalizes from the runner's situation without retelling it or issuing advice.

Question 26Literary Analysis

A story opens: "I have kept my brother's letters in a shoebox for thirty years, and I have never answered one." Which point of view does the story use?

  1. Second person, addressing the reader as a character
  2. First person, narrated by a character in the story Correct answer.
  3. Third person limited, following one character's thoughts
  4. Third person omniscient, moving among all the characters

Explanation

The pronouns "I" and "my" mark a narrator who speaks in the first person and takes part in the events being told. A third-person narrator would refer to characters as he, she, or they, and a second-person narrator would address the reader as "you."

Question 27Literary Analysis

Read this sentence: "Her laughter was a kettle coming to a boil." Which term best identifies the figure of speech used?

  1. Simile, since the two things are joined by like or as
  2. Hyperbole, since the description is an exaggeration
  3. Metaphor, since it asserts one thing is another Correct answer.
  4. Personification, since an object is given human traits

Explanation

A metaphor states that one thing is another thing without using a word of comparison such as like or as. Here the laughter is identified directly with a kettle, so the comparison is implied rather than announced.

Question 28Literary Analysis

Read this sentence: "The wind shouldered its way between the houses and rattled every shutter it passed." What does the writer achieve by describing the wind this way?

  1. The wind seems deliberate and forceful, as if it had a will Correct answer.
  2. The wind seems distant, since the scene is reported only by sound
  3. The wind seems harmless, since only the shutters are disturbed
  4. The wind seems frightened and confused, like a panicked animal

Explanation

Giving the wind a shoulder and the ability to push its way through a gap personifies it, making it read as a purposeful force. The verb "rattled" reinforces that impression of force being applied on purpose.

Question 29Literary Analysis

A narrator describes her father as "a Moses who never reached his own promised land." What does the allusion suggest about the father?

  1. He was a wanderer who refused to settle in one place
  2. He was a strict lawgiver who set rules for his household
  3. He led others toward a goal he did not live to reach Correct answer.
  4. He was a quiet man who rarely spoke to his children

Explanation

The allusion calls up the biblical Moses, who led his people toward a destination but died within sight of it rather than entering. Paired with "never reached his own promised land," the reference implies the father guided others toward something he himself never attained.

Question 30Literary Analysis

A story ends: "She had carried the umbrella for twenty years, and only then, standing in the dry street, did she understand why she had never opened it." Which term best describes this moment?

  1. Flashback: a scene that interrupts the present to show earlier events
  2. Allusion: a reference to a well-known story or figure
  3. Epiphany: a sudden insight that changes understanding Correct answer.
  4. Suspense: tension created when an outcome stays uncertain

Explanation

An epiphany is a moment of sudden realization in which a character grasps a truth about the self or situation. The phrase "only then did she understand" marks exactly that flash of insight, arriving at the story's close.

Question 31Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Many people think of the library as a quiet place to read. In fact, it offers far more. Patrons can borrow tools, attend job workshops, and use free Wi-Fi. The library has become a community center.' What is the main idea?

  1. The library has become a community center where people gather to chat.
  2. The library now offers many services beyond books. Correct answer.
  3. Patrons can borrow tools, attend job workshops, and use free Wi-Fi.
  4. The library is a quiet place where people go to read.

Explanation

A main idea must cover everything in the paragraph, not just one example. The tools, workshops, and Wi-Fi are specific details that support the broader point that the library does more than lend books. The final sentence restates that broad point in different words.

Question 32Main Idea and Supporting Details

Which statement best describes the difference between a topic and a main idea?

  1. A topic names the subject; a main idea states the point about it. Correct answer.
  2. A topic summarizes the passage, and a main idea lists the supporting details.
  3. A topic is a single word, and a main idea is always a whole paragraph.
  4. A topic appears only in the title, and a main idea appears only at the end of a paragraph.

Explanation

A topic is the subject under discussion, usually expressed as a word or phrase, while a main idea is a full statement that makes a point about that subject. For example, the topic might be 'recycling' and the main idea 'recycling saves cities money.' The other choices confuse the two terms or add rules about placement that do not exist.

Question 33Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Bees do more than make honey. As they move from flower to flower, they carry pollen that helps plants reproduce. Without them, many fruits and vegetables would disappear from our tables.' Which sentence is the topic sentence?

  1. As they move from flower to flower, they carry pollen that helps plants reproduce.
  2. Without them, many fruits and vegetables would disappear from our tables.
  3. Honey is the most important product made by bees.
  4. Bees do more than make honey. Correct answer.

Explanation

A topic sentence states the point the rest of the paragraph develops. Here the other two sentences explain how bees help plants, which supports the claim that bees do more than make honey. The topic sentence comes first and announces that broad idea.

Question 34Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Each spring, millions of monarch butterflies travel up to 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada. They navigate using the sun and Earth's magnetic field. No single butterfly makes the whole trip; the journey takes several generations.' Which title best fits the paragraph?

  1. How Butterflies Find Nectar
  2. Insects of North America
  3. How the Sun and Earth's Magnetic Field Guide Insects
  4. The Monarch's Long Journey Correct answer.

Explanation

A good title names the topic and hints at the main idea, which here is the monarch's extraordinary migration. A title should be broad enough to cover the whole paragraph without becoming vague. Options that focus on nectar, insects generally, or navigation alone cover only part of the passage.

Question 35Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Recycling helps cities in several ways. It reduces the amount of trash sent to landfills. It also saves energy, because making new products from raw materials takes more power than reusing old ones. In addition, recycling programs create jobs.' Which sentence is a supporting detail rather than the main idea?

  1. Recycling helps cities in several ways.
  2. Recycling is a topic that many people discuss.
  3. Recycling programs create jobs. Correct answer.
  4. Cities must do more to help their residents.

Explanation

The first sentence of the paragraph is the general claim, and the sentences that follow give specific evidence for it. Job creation is one of those specific benefits, so it is a supporting detail. The remaining choices are either the main idea itself or statements not found in the paragraph.

Question 36Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Sleep does more than rest the body. During deep sleep, the brain sorts memories and stores what it has learned. Students who sleep well often remember more of what they studied than students who stay up late.' Which sentence best summarizes the paragraph?

  1. Sleep helps the brain organize and remember what we learn. Correct answer.
  2. Students should study late at night before a test.
  3. The body rests at night while the brain stays completely idle.
  4. Deep sleep is one of several stages of the sleep cycle.

Explanation

A summary states the main idea in the writer's own words without adding or distorting information. The paragraph's point is that sleep is active mental work that supports memory and learning. The other choices either contradict the passage or focus on a minor detail.

Question 37Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'The price of fresh fruit changes with the seasons. Strawberries cost the most in winter, when they must be shipped from far away. Apples are cheapest in autumn, right after the harvest. Even oranges vary from month to month.' What is the main idea?

  1. Apples are usually cheapest right after they are harvested.
  2. Strawberries are expensive in winter.
  3. Fresh fruit prices rise and fall through the year. Correct answer.
  4. Oranges cost different amounts in different months.

Explanation

When a paragraph is built from examples, the main idea is the general statement those examples illustrate. Strawberries, apples, and oranges all show that fruit prices shift with the seasons. Picking out one example gives a detail rather than the main idea.

Question 38Main Idea and Supporting Details

Which detail best supports the point that owning a pet can improve a person's health?

  1. Pets require food, water, and regular visits to a veterinarian each year.
  2. Dog owners who walk daily exercise more than those who do not. Correct answer.
  3. Some apartments do not allow residents to keep pets.
  4. Many people adopt pets from animal shelters.

Explanation

A relevant detail must directly support the specific claim being made. The claim concerns health, so evidence about exercise fits, while information about adoption, care costs, or housing rules does not. Notice that the correct choice links pet ownership to a measurable health benefit.

Question 39Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'When the town's only grocery store closed, residents had to drive forty minutes to buy food. The nearest pharmacy shut down a year later. Now the school board is debating whether to consolidate with a neighboring district.' What is the implied main idea?

  1. The school board has not yet decided whether to consolidate.
  2. Residents now drive forty minutes to reach the nearest pharmacy.
  3. The town is losing the services that keep it viable. Correct answer.
  4. The grocery store closed because it had too few customers.

Explanation

An implied main idea is never stated directly, so the reader must combine the details into a general point. A closed grocery store, a closed pharmacy, and a possible school merger all point to a community losing basic services. The details themselves must not be mistaken for the idea they suggest.

Question 40Main Idea and Supporting Details

Which sentence is general enough to serve as the main idea of a paragraph?

  1. Shade from trees can lower summer cooling bills by ten percent.
  2. City trees provide benefits that far outweigh their cost. Correct answer.
  3. In 2019, the city planted 400 trees along Main Street.
  4. The city hired a crew to water the new trees twice a week.

Explanation

A main idea must be broad enough to be supported by several details, while a detail is narrow and specific. The claim about benefits and cost could be developed with facts about shade, air quality, or maintenance. The other choices give single facts that could serve as support for such a claim.

Question 41Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Visitors often walk past the museum's smallest room without stopping. That room holds the museum's most valuable collection. Its drawers contain thousands of insect specimens gathered over a century. Researchers still request them from around the world.' What is the main idea?

  1. Visitors usually skip the museum's smallest room.
  2. Thousands of insect specimens were gathered over a century.
  3. A little-noticed room holds a prized collection. Correct answer.
  4. Researchers request specimens from museums worldwide.

Explanation

Not every paragraph states its main idea first. Here the second sentence carries the point, and the sentences before and after it describe and support that point. A sentence that merely sets up the paragraph, such as the description of visitors walking past, is not the main idea.

Question 42Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Some managers believe that longer meetings produce better decisions. However, studies show that groups who meet briefly tend to reach the same conclusions and report less frustration. Length, it seems, adds little.' What is the main idea?

  1. Shorter meetings work as well as longer ones. Correct answer.
  2. Groups that meet briefly tend to argue more than other groups.
  3. Long meetings are the best way to reach decisions in groups.
  4. Managers rarely agree about how long meetings should last.

Explanation

Contrast words such as 'however' signal that the writer is turning away from an opposing view toward his or her own point. The final sentence confirms the claim that meeting length adds little. The belief mentioned in the first sentence belongs to others, not to the author.

Question 43Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Cats and dogs are both popular pets, but they suit different owners. Dogs need daily walks and thrive on constant company. Cats are content alone for hours and require little exercise. Choosing one is less a matter of quality than of lifestyle.' What is the main idea?

  1. The right pet depends on the owner's daily routine. Correct answer.
  2. Dogs are more demanding pets than cats are in most homes.
  3. Cats require very little exercise compared with most dogs.
  4. Both cats and dogs are popular choices for families today.

Explanation

In a comparison paragraph, the main idea is usually the point being made by the comparison rather than either item described. The passage contrasts the two animals in order to conclude that lifestyle should guide the choice. Descriptions of dogs and cats are the evidence for that conclusion.

Question 44Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Before the invention of the printing press, books were copied by hand, a process that could take months. A single volume might cost as much as a small farm. When movable type arrived in the fifteenth century, copies became cheap and plentiful, and literacy spread.' Which sentence best summarizes the paragraph?

  1. A single handwritten book could cost a great deal of money.
  2. Cheap printed books helped more people learn to read. Correct answer.
  3. Hand-copied books often took months to complete.
  4. Movable type was invented in the fifteenth century.

Explanation

A strong summary captures the passage's overall point, including its result, rather than one fact from it. This paragraph moves from the expense of hand-copied books to the spread of literacy after printing became cheap. Choices that describe only the old method or only the invention leave out the key consequence.

Question 45Main Idea and Supporting Details

Which detail best supports the claim that urban gardens improve neighborhoods?

  1. Blocks with gardens report less litter and friendlier neighbors. Correct answer.
  2. The city requires gardeners to apply for a permit each year.
  3. Some urban gardens grow tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.
  4. Many urban gardens are located on empty lots.

Explanation

A supporting detail must connect directly to the specific word in the claim, which here is 'improve.' Evidence about litter and neighbor relations shows improvement, while facts about location, crops, or permits do not. Always check whether the detail proves the claim or merely mentions the topic.

Question 46Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Trucks idle for hours outside warehouses, burning fuel and releasing exhaust. Drivers wait in long lines because loading schedules are not coordinated. Idling engines also wear out faster. Clearly, tighter scheduling would cut both pollution and costs.' Which sentence states the main idea?

  1. Tighter scheduling would cut both pollution and costs. Correct answer.
  2. Idling engines wear out faster than engines that are shut off.
  3. Drivers wait in long lines because loading schedules are not coordinated.
  4. Trucks idle for hours outside warehouses, burning fuel and releasing exhaust.

Explanation

A topic sentence can appear at the end of a paragraph, especially when the writer builds up evidence first. The word 'Clearly' signals that the final sentence draws a conclusion from everything before it. The earlier sentences describe problems that support that conclusion.

Question 47Main Idea and Supporting Details

Which sentence would work as the main idea of a paragraph whose supporting details describe a chef, a nurse, and a firefighter?

  1. Some jobs demand quick decisions under pressure. Correct answer.
  2. Firefighters train regularly to keep their skills sharp.
  3. Nurses often work long shifts in crowded hospitals.
  4. A chef must time every dish so the meal arrives together.

Explanation

An umbrella statement is broad enough to cover every example that follows it. The three professions all involve fast decisions in demanding situations, so a sentence about pressure at work can unify them. The other choices each describe only one profession.

Question 48Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this section: 'Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from plant foods. It also supports the immune system and helps wounds heal. Because the body cannot store it, people need some every day.' Which heading best fits the section?

  1. How the Body Absorbs Iron
  2. Foods That Contain the Vitamins You Need
  3. Why Vitamin C Matters Daily Correct answer.
  4. The Immune System at Work

Explanation

A heading works like a main idea: it should cover everything in the section while staying brief. All three sentences concern vitamin C and the need for it each day. Headings that focus on iron, food sources, or the immune system alone cover only part of the section.

Question 49Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'Cities should replace their concrete playgrounds with green spaces. Concrete surfaces reach dangerously high temperatures in summer. Grassy areas absorb rainwater that would otherwise flood streets. Children, studies show, play longer outdoors when shade is available.' Which sentence is the main claim?

  1. Cities should replace concrete playgrounds with green spaces. Correct answer.
  2. Concrete surfaces reach dangerously high temperatures in summer.
  3. Grassy areas absorb rainwater that would otherwise flood streets.
  4. Children play longer outdoors when shade is available.

Explanation

The main claim is the statement the other sentences are offered to prove, and here it is the recommendation in the first sentence. The details about heat, flooding, and play are evidence for that recommendation. A claim can often be recognized because it calls for action or takes a position.

Question 50Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read this paragraph: 'The new highway was promised to cut commute times. Two years later, traffic on it crawls during rush hour, and the old road is no busier than before. Meanwhile, the cost has run forty percent over budget.' What is the main point?

  1. The highway has made commuting faster for most drivers.
  2. The highway has failed to deliver what it promised. Correct answer.
  3. Highway projects usually go over budget by about forty percent.
  4. The old road cannot handle the volume of traffic it receives.

Explanation

Sometimes the main idea must be inferred from the writer's attitude as well as the facts. Each detail here undercuts the original promise: traffic is slow, the old road is unchanged, and costs are high. The cumulative effect is a judgment that the project did not succeed.