Reading Comprehension: Finding the Main Idea
Read the passage carefully, then answer all the questions below.
The Amazing Honeybee
Honeybees are some of the hardest-working insects on Earth. A single bee may visit more than 1,000 flowers in one day just to collect nectar. Back at the hive, bees turn that nectar into honey, which feeds the whole colony through the long winter months.
Bees do not work alone. Each bee has a job. Worker bees gather food, guard the hive, and care for young bees called larvae. The queen bee has one very important role — she lays up to 2,000 eggs every single day. Drone bees help the queen start new colonies.
Honeybees also help humans more than most people realise. As bees fly from flower to flower, they carry tiny grains of pollen on their bodies. This process, called pollination, allows plants to grow fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Scientists estimate that bees help produce about one third of all the food humans eat.
Without honeybees, our gardens and farms would look very different — and our dinner plates would be far emptier.
Questions
1. Fill in the blank:
The main idea of this passage is that honeybees are \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ .
2. Multiple Choice:
Which title best fits the main idea of this passage?
- A) "How Honey Tastes Sweet"
- B) "Honeybees: Hard Workers That Help the World"
- C) "The Life of a Queen Bee"
- D) "Why Flowers Need Rain"
3. Fill in the blank:
The process where bees carry pollen from flower to flower is called \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ .
4. Multiple Choice:
Which sentence is a supporting detail, NOT the main idea?
- A) Honeybees are some of the hardest-working insects on Earth.
- B) Bees help produce about one third of all the food humans eat.
- C) The queen bee lays up to 2,000 eggs every single day.
- D) Without honeybees, our dinner plates would be far emptier.
5. Short Answer:
Write one sentence explaining why the author included information about pollination in this passage.
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6. Word Problem:
A worker bee visits 1,000 flowers each day. If she works for 5 days in a row, how many flowers does she visit in total? Show your working.
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Answer: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ flowers
7. True or False:
Circle your answer.
a) Drone bees collect nectar from flowers. TRUE / FALSE
b) The main idea of a passage is usually a small, specific detail. TRUE / FALSE
c) Bees help produce about one third of the food humans eat. TRUE / FALSE
8. ⭐ Challenge Question:
A student says: "The main idea of this passage is that the queen bee lays 2,000 eggs a day."
Do you agree or disagree? Write two to three sentences explaining your thinking, using evidence from the passage.
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Answer Key
1. Fill in the blank:
Accept answers similar to: important, hard-working insects that help both nature and humans (or equivalent). The answer should reflect the overall message of the passage, not just one detail.
2. Multiple Choice: B — "Honeybees: Hard Workers That Help the World"
(This title covers all three paragraphs, unlike the other options which focus on only one detail.)
3. Fill in the blank: pollination
4. Multiple Choice: C — "The queen bee lays up to 2,000 eggs every single day."
(This is a specific fact about one type of bee — it supports the main idea but is not the main idea itself.)
5. Short Answer:
Accept answers that explain the author included it to show how bees help humans or to support the main idea that bees are important to the world.
Example: "The author included pollination to show that bees do not just make honey — they also help grow the food that humans eat."
6. Word Problem:
1,000 × 5 = 5,000 flowers
7. True or False:
a) FALSE — Drone bees help the queen start new colonies; worker bees gather food.
b) FALSE — The main idea is the big, overall message of the whole passage, not a small detail.
c) TRUE
8. ⭐ Challenge Question:
Disagree. Award full marks for responses that include both of the following:
- The fact about 2,000 eggs is a supporting detail about just one bee, not the whole passage.
- The main idea covers all the bees and their importance to nature and humans.
Example response: "I disagree. The queen bee's eggs is just one small fact from the second paragraph. The main idea must cover the whole passage, which is about how all honeybees work hard and help both plants and people. A main idea is the big message, not one detail."