Central Idea and Supporting Details
A Grade 8 ELA worksheet focused on identifying the central idea and supporting details in various texts.
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Central Idea and Supporting Details
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Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Identify the central idea and the supporting details that prove it.
Regular exercise is crucial for maintaining both physical and mental health. Physically, it strengthens your heart and lungs, builds muscle, and helps manage weight, reducing the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Mentally, exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects and can help alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety. It also improves cognitive function, including memory and focus, making it easier to perform well in school and other activities. Therefore, incorporating physical activity into your daily routine is vital for a healthy and balanced life.
1. What is the central idea of the passage?
2. List three supporting details that reinforce the central idea.
3. Which of the following sentences best states the central idea of the paragraph below?
The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized the spread of knowledge. Before its creation in the 15th century, books were copied by hand, a slow and expensive process that limited access to information. The printing press made it possible to produce books quickly and affordably, leading to a dramatic increase in literacy rates and the widespread dissemination of new ideas across Europe. This technological advancement played a key role in the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution.
Books were expensive before the printing press.
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century.
The printing press significantly changed the way knowledge was shared and accessed.
The printing press led to the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution.
4. The central idea is the main or message of a text, while supporting details are the , examples, and facts that explain or prove that main point.
5. Read the following sentence: 'Many animals living in the desert have adapted unique ways to survive the extreme heat and lack of water.' Provide two supporting details that could follow this central idea.
6. A text can have multiple central ideas that are equally important.
True
False
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