Lesson 2: Find the main idea. You learned about
topic sentences and how they express an assertion
about the subject of the paragraph. You saw how
the main idea must be general enough to encom-
pass all other sentences in the paragraph; it is the
thought that controls the paragraph, and the other
sentences work to support that main idea.
■
Lesson 3: Determine the meaning of words from context. You practiced looking for clues to
determine meaning in the words and sentences
surrounding the unfamiliar word or phrase.
■
Lesson 4: Distinguish between fact and opinion. You learned that a fact is something known to be
true, whereas an opinion is something believed to
be true. You practiced distinguishing between the
two and saw how good paragraphs use facts to
support opinions.
P r a c t i c e In this lesson, you will sharpen your reading compre-
hension skills by using all of these strategies at once.
This will become more natural to you as your reading
skills develop.
Practice Passage 1 Begin by looking at the following paragraph. Remem-
ber to read actively; mark up the text as you go. Then
answer the questions on the next page. An example of
how to mark up the passage, as well as the answers to
the questions, follow.
If any of these terms or strategies sound unfamiliar to you, STOP. Take a few minutes to review whatever lesson is unclear. – P U T T I N G I T A L L T O G E T H E R – 4 6 It is clear that the United States is a nation that needs to eat healthier and slim
down. One of the most important steps in the right direction would be for school
cafeterias to provide healthy, low-fat options for students. In every town and city,
an abundance of fast-food restaurants lure teenage customers with fast, inex-
pensive, and tasty food, but these foods are typically unhealthy. Unfortunately,
school cafeterias—in an effort to provide food that is appetizing to young
people—mimic fast food menus, often serving items such as burgers and fries,
pizza, hot dogs, and fried chicken. While these foods do provide some nutritional
value, they are relatively high in fat. Many of the lunch selections school cafete-
rias currently offer could be made healthier with a few simple and inexpensive
substitutions. Veggie burgers, for example, offered alongside beef burgers, would
be a positive addition. A salad bar would also serve the purpose of providing a
healthy and satisfying meal. And tasty grilled chicken sandwiches would be a far
better option than fried chicken. Additionally, the beverage case should be
stocked with containers of low-fat milk.
