Grade 3 ELA Practice Test: Main Idea and Key Details
- Main Idea and Key Details
- 10 questions
- 15 minutes
Questions 1-5 are about a passage on beavers, and questions 6-10 are about a passage on library buses. Tip: the main idea is what the whole passage is mostly about, not just one interesting fact.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Read the passage and answer questions 1-5.
Passage A: Busy Builders
(1) Beavers are some of the busiest builders in the animal world. When a beaver family finds a stream, they often build a dam across it. The dam holds back the water and makes a quiet pond.
(2) First, the beavers cut down small trees with their strong front teeth. Their teeth never stop growing, so chewing wood keeps them from getting too long. Next, the beavers drag the branches into the water and push them into the bottom of the stream.
(3) Then they pack mud, stones, and leaves between the branches. The mud fills the gaps so that water cannot rush through.
(4) The pond behind the dam keeps the beavers safe. They build their home, called a lodge, in the middle of the pond. The doors of the lodge are underwater, so wolves and other enemies cannot get in easily.
What is the main idea of the passage?
Correct answer: B
Every paragraph tells part of how beavers build a dam and why the pond keeps them safe. The growing teeth are only one detail from paragraph 2.
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Question 2
Use Passage A.
According to paragraph 2, how does chewing wood help a beaver?
Correct answer: A
Paragraph 2 says the teeth never stop growing, "so chewing wood keeps them from getting too long." The other choices are not in the passage.
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Question 3
Use Passage A.
What do the beavers do after they push the branches into the bottom of the stream?
Correct answer: D
Paragraph 3 begins with "Then," which shows the next step: packing mud, stones, and leaves into the gaps. Cutting trees happens first, not after.
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Question 4
Use Passage A.
Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that the lodge keeps beavers safe?
Correct answer: C
Only this sentence explains how the lodge protects the beavers from enemies. The other sentences are about building, not safety.
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Question 5
Use Passage A.
Why do the beavers put mud in the dam?
Correct answer: A
Paragraph 3 says the mud "fills the gaps so that water cannot rush through." The passage never says beavers eat mud or use it to warm the water.
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Question 6
Read the passage and answer questions 6-10.
Passage B: The Library on Wheels
(1) In some towns, the library does not stay in one place. It rolls down the street! A bookmobile is a bus or van filled with shelves of books.
(2) Bookmobiles visit neighborhoods that are far from a library building. They stop at schools, parks, and senior centers. People climb aboard, pick out books, and check them out just as they would at the main library.
(3) Many bookmobiles carry more than books. Some have computers, audiobooks, and puzzles. A few even bring a librarian who reads stories aloud to children.
(4) For people who cannot easily travel, a bookmobile can be the best way to find something new to read.
What is the main idea of Passage B?
Correct answer: D
The whole passage explains what a bookmobile is, where it goes, and what it carries. The passage never compares bookmobiles with school buses.
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Question 7
Use Passage B.
Which detail supports the idea that bookmobiles carry more than books?
Correct answer: C
Computers, audiobooks, and puzzles are things other than books, so this detail supports paragraph 3. The other details are about stops and checking out books.
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Question 8
Use Passage B.
Which place is NOT named in the passage as a bookmobile stop?
Correct answer: B
Paragraph 2 names schools, parks, and senior centers. A grocery store is never mentioned.
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Question 9
Use Passage B.
Which sentence best tells the main idea of paragraph 2?
Correct answer: D
Paragraph 2 is about where bookmobiles go and how people borrow books there. Bright colors are never mentioned, and computers belong to paragraph 3.
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Question 10
Use Passage B.
Which sentence would fit best if it were added to paragraph 3?
Correct answer: A
Paragraph 3 lists things besides books that bookmobiles carry, so board games fit there. The other sentences do not tell about what a bookmobile carries.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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