Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

Finding the Facts
1.
What two things are being compared and
contrasted here?
2.
In what ways are these two things similar?
(There are four similarities; list them here.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
In what ways are these two things different?
(There is one aspect that is different; write it
here.)
Answers
1.
The two things being compared and contrasted are
a parent and a gardener.
2.
Gardeners are like parents in that: a) plants are
dependent on gardeners as children are on parents;
b) plants require care from gardeners as children
do from their parents; c) gardeners tidy up after
their plants, as parents do after children; and d)
gardeners protect their plants, as parents protect
their children.
3.
Gardeners are unlike parents in that their respon-
sibility for their plants ends when the plant dies or
goes into winter dormancy.
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S I M I L A R I T I E S A N D D I F F E R E N C E S : C O M PA R E A N D C O N T R A S T
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Finding the Main Idea
Now that you’ve answered those questions, consider
one more. Read the previous passage again, and then
answer this question:
4.
What is the main idea of this passage?
Did you notice that the opening sentence, “Planting
a garden is a lot like having a family,” is the topic sen-
tence that expresses the main idea of this paragraph?
The paragraph does mention a 
difference
between these
two roles, but notice that the topic sentence does not
claim that gardeners and parents are 
exactly
alike.
Instead, it asserts that they are “a lot” alike.