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Grade 4 · English Language Arts · Unit 1 of 10

Reading Detectives

Main idea, clues and summaries

What your child practises

Reading short original stories and articles, then finding the main idea and key details, making inferences from clues, working out word meanings and choosing the best summary.

BC Curriculum learning standard: Reading strategies (main idea, making inferences, summarizing); literary elements (character, problem, theme); supporting evidence

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What was most likely the special occasion?

    Kenji's Early Morning

    Kenji tiptoed into the kitchen before anyone else was awake. He took a bowl from the cupboard as quietly as he could, then held his breath when the door squeaked.

    He washed a handful of strawberries, sliced a banana with a butter knife and arranged the fruit in the shape of a smiling face. Then he folded a sheet of paper in half and drew a cake with candles on the front.

    When his grandmother came downstairs, the bowl and the card were waiting at her place at the table. She read the card, laughed, and gave Kenji a long hug.

    • a class picnic
    • the first day of school
    • his grandmother's birthday
    • Kenji's birthday
    Show answer

    his grandmother's birthday

    Hint: Kenji drew a cake with candles and left the card at his grandmother's place. Put those clues together.

  2. Question 2

    What did Kenji draw on the card?

    Kenji's Early Morning

    Kenji tiptoed into the kitchen before anyone else was awake. He took a bowl from the cupboard as quietly as he could, then held his breath when the door squeaked.

    He washed a handful of strawberries, sliced a banana with a butter knife and arranged the fruit in the shape of a smiling face. Then he folded a sheet of paper in half and drew a cake with candles on the front.

    When his grandmother came downstairs, the bowl and the card were waiting at her place at the table. She read the card, laughed, and gave Kenji a long hug.

    • a sleeping cat
    • a smiling face
    • a bowl of fruit
    • a cake with candles
    Show answer

    a cake with candles

    Hint: Careful! The smiling face was made of fruit. Look for what he drew on the paper.

  3. Question 3

    “Kenji tiptoed into the kitchen.” What does “tiptoed” mean?

    Kenji's Early Morning

    Kenji tiptoed into the kitchen before anyone else was awake. He took a bowl from the cupboard as quietly as he could, then held his breath when the door squeaked.

    He washed a handful of strawberries, sliced a banana with a butter knife and arranged the fruit in the shape of a smiling face. Then he folded a sheet of paper in half and drew a cake with candles on the front.

    When his grandmother came downstairs, the bowl and the card were waiting at her place at the table. She read the card, laughed, and gave Kenji a long hug.

    • walked quietly on his toes
    • ran very fast
    • crawled on his knees
    • jumped up and down
    Show answer

    walked quietly on his toes

    Hint: Break it apart: tip + toe. Walking on the tips of your toes is a quiet way to move.

  4. Question 4

    How did Kenji's grandmother feel at the end?

    Kenji's Early Morning

    Kenji tiptoed into the kitchen before anyone else was awake. He took a bowl from the cupboard as quietly as he could, then held his breath when the door squeaked.

    He washed a handful of strawberries, sliced a banana with a butter knife and arranged the fruit in the shape of a smiling face. Then he folded a sheet of paper in half and drew a cake with candles on the front.

    When his grandmother came downstairs, the bowl and the card were waiting at her place at the table. She read the card, laughed, and gave Kenji a long hug.

    • confused and upset
    • worried and nervous
    • happy and loved
    • tired and grumpy
    Show answer

    happy and loved

    Hint: She laughed and gave Kenji a long hug. What feelings do those actions show?

  5. Question 5

    What is the main idea of this passage?

    Nature's Engineers

    Beavers are sometimes called nature's engineers. An engineer is someone who designs and builds things, and beavers are amazing builders.

    Using their strong front teeth, beavers cut down small trees and branches. They pile the wood across a stream and pack the gaps with mud and stones. This dam slows the water and makes a deep pond.

    In the pond, beavers build a home called a lodge. Its entrance is underwater, which helps keep the family safe from predators such as wolves.

    Beaver ponds help other living things, too. Ducks, frogs, fish and moose often visit or live in the wetlands that beavers create.

    • Beavers are skilled builders whose work changes the land around them
    • Ducks and frogs live in ponds
    • Wolves are predators
    • Beavers have strong front teeth
    Show answer

    Beavers are skilled builders whose work changes the land around them

    Hint: The other choices are details. The main idea is the big idea that all the paragraphs support.

  6. Question 6

    Why does the author call beavers “engineers”?

    Nature's Engineers

    Beavers are sometimes called nature's engineers. An engineer is someone who designs and builds things, and beavers are amazing builders.

    Using their strong front teeth, beavers cut down small trees and branches. They pile the wood across a stream and pack the gaps with mud and stones. This dam slows the water and makes a deep pond.

    In the pond, beavers build a home called a lodge. Its entrance is underwater, which helps keep the family safe from predators such as wolves.

    Beaver ponds help other living things, too. Ducks, frogs, fish and moose often visit or live in the wetlands that beavers create.

    • Because they eat wood
    • Because they design and build things
    • Because they drive trains
    • Because they live underwater
    Show answer

    Because they design and build things

    Hint: The first paragraph tells you what an engineer is.

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