1. What is the main idea of the following passage?

Question

The renowned artist, Salvadore Dali, is most widely known for his style of paintings which
is called surrealism. In his paintings, he creates odd objects and alters the appearance of
everyday items in strange ways. One such painting is The Persistence of Memory which
features a variety of objects including some melting clocks and a dead-looking tree on a
table. Mysterious objects like these could be found in all of Dali’s paintings. It is indeed a
strange style of art that viewers could appreciate!

(2 points)
Responses

A. Dali’s melting clocks are famous now.
A. Dali’s melting clocks are famous now.

B. Dali’s paintings are full of mysterious objects.
B. Dali’s paintings are full of mysterious objects.

C. Dali was a very strange and mysterious person.
C. Dali was a very strange and mysterious person.

D. Nobody seems to understand Dali's paintings
D. Nobody seems to understand Dali's paintings
Question 2
2. What is the main idea of the following passage?

It was not so long ago that methods to find missing children were scarce. The
disappearance of Etan Patz in New York City in 1979 sparked a national movement to find
missing children. As awareness began to spread, hundreds of dairies got involved with an
innovative idea - they started placing pictures of these lost kids on the sides of their
cartons. This was a revolutionary technique that had never been seen before, and it has
become a lasting symbol for the fight against lost children ever since.

(2 points)
Responses

A. finding missing children has always been difficult to achieve
A. finding missing children has always been difficult to achieve

B. Etan Patz went missing in 1979 and was never found.
B. Etan Patz went missing in 1979 and was never found.

C. We can help find missing children through the Internet
C. We can help find missing children through the Internet

D. Milk cartons were once used to help find missing children.
D. Milk cartons were once used to help find missing children.
Question 3
3. What is the main idea of the following passage?

During the winter months of Antarctica, emperor penguins have a unique way of raising
their young. After the mother lays one egg, she immediately goes to find food. Meanwhile,
it's the father's responsibility to take care of the egg, keep it warm, and make sure that it is
kept off the ice. He does this for two months without consuming any food. A few days after
the egg hatches, the mother returns to nurture her newborn chick, and the father finally
leaves to eat.

(2 points)
Responses

A. How mother emperor penguins take care of their eggs
A. How mother emperor penguins take care of their eggs

B. why father emperor penguins do not eat in winter
B. why father emperor penguins do not eat in winter

C. how father emperor penguins take care of their eggs
C. how father emperor penguins take care of their eggs

D. how animals lay eggs in Antarctica’s freezing weather
D. how animals lay eggs in Antarctica’s freezing weather
Question 4
4. What is the main idea of the following passage?

At the age of 16, a young man named Morris Frank lost his sight completely. Three years
later, he reached out to Dorothy Harrison Eustis in hopes of training a dog to help him.
Frank met Buddy in Switzerland and took her home. She was the very first Seeing Eye dog
in all of North America. With Buddy's aid, Frank went to many places and experienced
much more freedom than before. Later on, Frank and Eustis started The Seeing Eye to
train dogs for other blind people.

(2 points)
Responses

A. the first Seeing Eye dog in North America
A. the first Seeing Eye dog in North America

B. how to train a Seeing Eye dog
B. how to train a Seeing Eye dog

C. different kinds of Seeing Eye dogs
C. different kinds of Seeing Eye dogs

D. a school called The Seeing Eye
D. a school called The Seeing Eye
Question 5
5. What is the main idea of the following passage?

Marcel Duchamp sent shockwaves through the art community back in 1917 when he
controversially exhibited a white, porcelain urinal at an art exhibition. The piece was called
Fountain, and it was signed with a fake name. Duchamp challenged the idea that art was
solely about beauty. He encouraged viewers to consider ideas over objects. At first, his
creative concept was met with rejection. However, eventually people shifted their mindset
when it came to art and started to interpret works of art based on their own personal
experiences. That is how we see art today

(2 points)
Responses

A. Duchamp’s Fountain changed people’s ideas about art.
A. Duchamp’s Fountain changed people’s ideas about art.

B. Art does not have the power to change people’s minds.
B. Art does not have the power to change people’s minds.

C. Art even changes the way people think.
C. Art even changes the way people think.

D. Beauty is in the eye of the viewer.
D. Beauty is in the eye of the viewer.
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Answer 1

Here are the main ideas for each passage along with their corresponding responses:

Question 1

Main Idea: B. Dali’s paintings are full of mysterious objects.

Question 2

Main Idea: D. Milk cartons were once used to help find missing children.

Question 3

Main Idea: C. how father emperor penguins take care of their eggs.

Question 4

Main Idea: A. the first Seeing Eye dog in North America.

Question 5

Main Idea: A. Duchamp’s Fountain changed people’s ideas about art.

These responses encapsulate the essence of each passage and reflect the main ideas expressed.