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Main Idea and Its Support is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on working out a main idea from the details that support it, aligned to Common Core standard RI.4.2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 5 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Main Idea and Its Support

RI.4.2

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.A paragraph says: early phones were fixed to the wall; later phones had no cord; today's phones fit in a pocket and take photos. What is its main idea?
  • A.Telephones have changed a great deal over time.
  • B.Walls hold phones.
  • C.Phones take photos.
2.A paragraph says: Roman roads ran straight for miles; they were laid in layers so water drained away; some are still used today. What is its main idea?
  • A.Water drains away.
  • B.Roman roads were built to last.
  • C.Romans liked straight lines.
3.A paragraph says: libraries lend books for free; many offer computers anyone can use; they run reading clubs for children. What is its main idea?
  • A.Computers are useful.
  • B.Children like clubs.
  • C.Libraries offer many free services to a town.
4.A paragraph says: Arctic foxes grow a thick white coat in winter; their small ears lose little heat; fur on their paws stops them slipping. What is its main idea?
  • A.Ice is slippery.
  • B.Arctic foxes are white.
  • C.Arctic foxes are suited to the cold.
5.A paragraph says: Fleming saw mold kill germs; Florey and Chain found a way to make it in large amounts; by 1944 it was treating soldiers. What is its main idea?
  • A.Soldiers were wounded in 1944.
  • B.Making penicillin into a medicine took the work of many people.
  • C.Mold grows in dishes.
6.A paragraph says: plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down; turtles mistake them for jellyfish; many towns now charge for bags. What is its main idea?
  • A.Turtles eat jellyfish.
  • B.Stores sell bags.
  • C.Plastic bags harm the natural world.
7.A paragraph says: trains ran to schedules across the country; each town had kept its own time; the railways needed one time everywhere. What is its main idea?
  • A.The railways led to one time for the whole country.
  • B.Trains were often late.
  • C.Towns had clocks.
8.A paragraph says: some volcanoes pour out rivers of lava; others explode in clouds of ash; some have been quiet for thousands of years. What is its main idea?
  • A.Ash is gray.
  • B.Volcanoes behave in different ways.
  • C.Lava is hot.

LessonPrint · RI.4.2 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Main Idea and Its Support

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Telephones have changed a great deal over time.
  2. 2.Roman roads were built to last.
  3. 3.Libraries offer many free services to a town.
  4. 4.Arctic foxes are suited to the cold.
  5. 5.Making penicillin into a medicine took the work of many people.
  6. 6.Plastic bags harm the natural world.
  7. 7.The railways led to one time for the whole country.
  8. 8.Volcanoes behave in different ways.

More practice for RI.4.2

State the main idea, show the details behind it, and summarize.

Teaching this next? The Main Idea and a Summary is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 4 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.4.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.