5 Finding and Using Information Free Online FlashCards

What is a passage’s main idea?

The main idea is the most important point a passage or section makes about its topic.

What do supporting details do?

Supporting details explain, prove, or illustrate the main idea. They can be facts, examples, reasons, or descriptions.

What questions can help identify a section’s main idea?

Ask what the section is mostly about and what the author wants readers to understand about that topic.

Can a heading alone tell you a section’s main idea?

Headings preview a section’s topic, but you must read the section itself to determine its main idea.

How can recognizing a passage’s structure help?

Recognizing structures such as sequence, cause and effect, comparison, or problem and solution can help readers follow relationships among details.

How can a table of contents or index help a reader?

A table of contents or index helps locate a chapter or a specific topic.

What information can a caption or labeled diagram provide?

A caption or labeled diagram can identify or explain what an image shows.

What should you check before interpreting a chart, graph, or map?

Charts, graphs, and maps can help readers find and compare data or locations. Check their titles, labels, units, and captions before interpreting them.

How might a text feature relate to the main text?

A text feature may add information, repeat an idea in another form, or provide a specific example. Use it alongside the main text when a question calls for both.

How do you connect information across sections?

Locate the relevant section or feature, read nearby sentences, seek related information elsewhere, and explain how the details connect with evidence for each part.

What is an inference?

An inference is a reasonable conclusion about something the passage does not state directly, built from clues in the text or features and, when appropriate, relevant background knowledge.

How can you check or revise an inference?

Check that the evidence makes the conclusion reasonable and consider whether other details fit. Reconsider the inference if new evidence conflicts with it.