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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 6 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.Phones take photos.
  • B.Walls hold phones.
  • C.Telephones have changed a great deal over time.
2.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.Lava is hot.
  • C.Volcanoes behave in different ways.
3.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.Arctic foxes are suited to the cold.
  • B.Ice is slippery.
  • C.Arctic foxes are white.
4.A paragraph says: beavers fell trees with their teeth; they build dams of sticks and mud; their ponds give homes to fish and birds. What is its main idea?
  • A.Beavers have sharp teeth.
  • B.Fish live in ponds.
  • C.Beavers change the places where they live.
5.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.Libraries offer many free services to a town.
  • B.Children like clubs.
  • C.Computers are useful.
6.A paragraph says: coral reefs cover a tiny part of the sea floor; a quarter of all sea creatures live on them; many fish lay their eggs there. What is its main idea?
  • A.Fish lay eggs.
  • B.Coral reefs are very small.
  • C.Coral reefs are home to a great deal of sea life.
7.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.Mold grows in dishes.
  • C.Making penicillin into a medicine took the work of many people.
8.A paragraph says: earthworms tunnel through soil and let air in; they drag dead leaves underground; their waste makes the soil richer. What is its main idea?
  • A.Earthworms help keep soil healthy.
  • B.Earthworms live underground.
  • C.Leaves fall in the fall.

LessonPrint · RI.4.2 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Main Idea and Its Support

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Telephones have changed a great deal over time.
  2. 2.Volcanoes behave in different ways.
  3. 3.Arctic foxes are suited to the cold.
  4. 4.Beavers change the places where they live.
  5. 5.Libraries offer many free services to a town.
  6. 6.Coral reefs are home to a great deal of sea life.
  7. 7.Making penicillin into a medicine took the work of many people.
  8. 8.Earthworms help keep soil healthy.

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.