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Third Grade (Grade 3) Main Idea Questions

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Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
The rules for lining up are very clear. Wait until the teacher calls your group, then stand up and push in your chair. Walk to the door and stand in a straight, quiet line. Anyone not following the rules will be told by the teacher to please sit down. This can cause the class to be late for their transition.

What is the main idea of this passage?
  1. You don't want to be late for transition.
  2. The rules for lining up are very clear.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RL.3.2
Catie and Katie had the same name. It sounded the same when anyone said it. But one Catie started with the letter "C" and the other with the letter "K." How could they know who was being called? They decided that "Catie" would stay the same and "Katie" would shorten her name to "Kate" to avoid confusion.

What is the main idea of the passage?
  1. Catie didn't want to change her name to "Cate."
  2. Catie and Katie solved the problem of having similar names.
  3. "Catie" looked prettier in print than "Katie."
  4. Catie and Katie thought it was fun to have the same-sounding name.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.1, RI.3.1
Please come home soon! The children and I miss you. I miss how you would always wag your tail when you saw me. Your fur was so shiny and smooth. I loved going on walks with you. Please come home soon!

The main idea of this passage is " I miss you." Which of these sentences supports the main idea?
  1. Your fur was so shiny and smooth.
  2. The children and I miss you.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
Scrabble is a game that provides hours of challenging fun for you and your friends. In this game you use your letters to build new words from words already on the game board. Scrabble is a fun way to learn new words and meanings.

What is the main idea of the passage?
  1. Scrabble is challenging and fun.
  2. Scrabble is a good game for building vocabulary.
  3. It takes skill to play a good game.
  4. Scrabble can take hours to play.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
It was backward day at school. The students had to do things backwards. Some of them wore their t-shirts backward. They took a test before they studied the lesson! Dessert was served first instead of last at lunch. They tried to walk home backward, but they kept bumping into each other and fell down.

What is the main idea of this passage?
  1. Dessert is supposed to come last.
  2. Students had a backwards day.
  3. It is hard to do things backwards.
  4. Students failed their test.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
Sonny watches too much television. A toddler shouldn't spend hours sitting in front of a television screen. Worse yet, some of his wild behavior has been inspired by those awful cartoons he watches. His parents should spend more time reading or playing games with him and pull the plug on the TV! Toddlers nee more attention than just keeping them occupied and quiet.

What is the main idea of this passage?
  1. Watching a lot of television is good for a baby.
  2. Books are good to read to a toddler.
  3. All cartoons are bad.
  4. Watching a lot of television is bad for Sonny.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind! Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier.

What is this selection mainly about?
  1. Someday we will have robots that will be our personal servants.
  2. We will be able to talk to robots and they will be able to respond.
  3. Robots will look and behave much like real humans.
  4. Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
Joey ran down the field kicking the soccer ball. He got close to the goal and kicked as hard as he could. The goalie caught the ball and threw it back out. Joey knew he would try again soon.

What is the main idea of this passage?
  1. You can't use your hands in soccer.
  2. Joey is trying to score a goal.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RL.3.2
Getting a New School

They are building a new school near my house. Every day I watch the workers drive huge tractors and push a ton of dirt. They have big cranes that help them place tall beams in the ground. The workers build walls using bricks. Every day it looks more and more like a school. Mom says I will go there in the fall.

Why do you think this story is called "Getting a New School?"
  1. Because a tractor can move a lot of dirt.
  2. Because big cranes help put tall beams in place.
  3. Because school walls are made with bricks.
  4. Because a new school is being built.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.3, RI.3.3
Please come home soon! I miss you so much Maria. I can't sleep when you are gone. I need to hear your soft sweet voice and see your quiet brown eyes. I miss the special way you like to eat your spaghetti with your fingers. Please come home soon!

What is this selection mainly about?
  1. Maria, you have bad manners.
  2. Maria, you need to clean your room.
  3. Maria, I miss you.
  4. Maria, I have lost my appetite.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.1, RI.3.1
The rainforest has four main layers. Different plants and animals live in each layer. Some layers get more sunlight than other layers. The names of these layers are the emergent layer, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor.

The main idea of this passage is "There are four main layers in the rainforest."
Which of these sentences supports the main idea?
  1. The names of these layers are the emergent layer, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor.
  2. The rainforest is huge.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.1, RI.3.1
When a person decides to get a dog, he or she has many kinds to choose from. As a rule, short-haired dogs are best for cities. Beagles, Boston Terriers, and Dachshunds make good city pets. Great Danes are short-haired, too. However, they are too big for city living. It is hard in a city to give them all the exercise they need. Setters, Springer Spaniels, and Collies are especially good as country dogs.



What is the main idea?
  1. Dogs are good pets.
  2. Some dogs are better than others for city life.
  3. There are many kinds of dogs.
  4. Short-haired dogs are better for cities
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
What does the story below mainly tell?

We all know that babies make funny sounds. Little by little, babies learn that some sounds will get them food. Yet some sounds will bring them nothing at all. Babies learn to talk by finding out which sounds work best.
  1. which babies make the loudest noises
  2. how babies learn to talk
  3. when babies first start to make noises
  4. how babies aren't smart
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
Jacques Cousteau was a famous explorer. He studied the life at the bottom of the sea. He made photos of plants and animals. He could only stay underwater a short time. He wanted to stay down longer, so he and his friend built a new kind of diving machine. Cousteau wrote many books about the oceans. He also made films showing the bottom of the sea.

What is the main idea of the paragraph?
  1. Jacques Cousteau made a new kind of diving equipment.
  2. Jacques Cousteau was a famous underwater explorer.
  3. Jacques Cousteau made photos of plants and animals.
  4. Jacques Cousteau wrote many books about the oceans.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
What is the story below mainly telling?

Camels have one or two humps on their backs. The humps are made of fat. The fat stores energy. When there isn't much food, the camel lives off the energy from its humps.
  1. about the humps of camel
  2. how many humps a camel has
  3. how much fat is in a camel's humps
  4. how heavy a camel's humps can be
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.1, RI.3.1
Joey ran down the field kicking the soccer ball. He got close to the goal and kicked as hard as he could. The goalie caught the ball and threw it back out. Joey knew he would try again soon.

The main idea of this passage is "Joey is trying to score a goal." Which of the following supports the main idea?
  1. He got close to the goal and kicked as hard as he could.
  2. Joey liked playing soccer.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RL.3.2
What is the theme of the poem below?


When You Can Read
by Bobbi Katz


When you can read, then you can go
from Kalamazoo* to Idaho**-
Or read directions that explain
just how to build a model plane-
Or bake a cake or cook a stew-
The words will tell you what to do!
When you can read, then you can play
a brand new game the proper way-
Or get a letter from a friend
and read it...to the very end.

* Kalamazoo - a city in Michigan
** Idaho - a state in the United States
  1. When you read, you can build a model plane.
  2. When you read, you can do many things.
  3. When you read, you can bake a cake or cook a stew.
  4. When you read, you can play a brand new game.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RL.3.2
A Real Grandma
by Joan Strauss


Grandma wasn't like the grandmas Beth saw in books. Those grandmas were in the kitchen with aprons on, baking cookies. They sat in rocking chairs with cats in their laps.

Beth's grandma wore jeans. Instead of a cat, she had a yellow Lab named Sunny.

Beth wondered, Is my grandma a real grandma?

"Can we bake cookies?" Beth asked.

"When we're not so busy," Grandma said, "we'll bake oatmeal cookies with raisins. They're my favorite."

"Why can't we bake them today?" Beth asked.

"Today we're taking Sunny to cheer up the people in the nursing home," Grandma said.

The people in the nursing home liked playing with Sunny. But there was no time to bake cookies.

The next time Beth visited Grandma she asked, "Can we bake cookies today?"


"We're going to build a bluebird house today," said Grandma. "Spring's here. The bluebirds need a house."

Beth had fun hammering nails and painting the bluebird house. It took the whole day. There wasn't any time left to bake cookies.

At Beth's next visit, she and Grandma rode their bikes through the park. By the time they got back, it was too late to bake cookies.

"Grandma's always too busy to bake cookies," said Beth. "I wish I had a real grandma."

"She is a real grandma," Mom said. "She's just a busy grandma. She doesn't have time to bake."

Beth sat quietly, her chin propped in her hand. She smiled. "I know! Since I have time, I'll bake cookies for Grandma, oatmeal cookies with raisins. Will you help me, Mom?"

"What a good idea. Of course, I'll help."

Beth mixed the cookie batter and stirred in the raisins. She dropped spoonfuls of batter onto the cookie sheets.

Mom slid the pans into the oven. The cookies turned a beautiful golden brown. Beth and Mom each ate one. Beth packed the rest in a shiny cookie tin for Grandma.

19When they arrived at Grandma's house, she was digging in her garden. Beth jumped out of Mom's car. She held out the cookie tin. "Grandma, I've got a surprise for you!"

Grandma leaned back on her heels then stood up. "A surprise? For me?" Grandma opened the tin without even taking off her muddy gardening gloves. "Oatmeal cookies with raisins! How wonderful!"

"I baked them for you," Beth said.

"That's even more wonderful." Grandma hugged and kissed Beth.

Beth snuggled into Grandma's arms. She didn't care about Grandma's muddy gloves. Grandma might not be like the grandmas in books, but Beth knew her grandma was a real grandma.


An important message in this story is that...
  1. nature is full of beautiful things
  2. doing things for others brings happiness
  3. outdoor exercise is fun for everyone
  4. working in a garden is harder than baking
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
The Peace Corps is a part of the U.S. government. It sends men and women to work in other countries. The men and women stay in the country for two years. They are called "volunteers." They help people in these countries solve problems. They work with the people and teach them new skills. Some volunteers are school teachers. Some help people take better care of their land. Some volunteers help the people get clean water. Others help the people stay healthy.

What is the main idea of this passage?
  1. The Peace Corps sends men and women to help people in other countries.
  2. The men and women who work for the Peace Corps are called volunteers.
  3. Some of the Peace Corps volunteers help to teach people new skills.
  4. Some Peace Corps volunteers help people stay healthy, just like doctors do.
Grade 3 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, RI.3.2
The bald eagle is a strong bird. It is a large, brown bird. It has a white head and tail. The word "bald" does not mean that this bird doesn't have feathers. The word comes from the old word "piebald." The old word means "marked with white." The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. You can see a picture of the bird in many places. It is on the Great Seal, the President's flag, and it is on the one-dollar bill.
adapted from Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government for Kids

This paragraph is mostly about
  1. featherless birds.
  2. large birds.
  3. the Great Seal.
  4. the bald eagle.
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