OSSLT Understanding Supporting Details 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads a paragraph claiming that urban gardens reduce food insecurity. Which detail would BEST support this claim?
- Gardens look attractive in city neighborhoods.
- Community gardens in Toronto provided over 50,000 pounds of produce to local food banks last year. (Correct answer)
- Many people enjoy gardening as a hobby.
- Urban areas have limited green space.
Correct answer: Community gardens in Toronto provided over 50,000 pounds of produce to local food banks last year.
Specific data showing produce donated to food banks directly supports the claim about reducing food insecurity.
Question 2: In a news article, the author states that sleep deprivation affects academic performance. Which supporting detail is LEAST relevant?
- Students who sleep fewer than 7 hours score lower on standardized tests.
- Lack of sleep impairs memory consolidation needed for learning.
- Some teenagers stay up late using social media. (Correct answer)
- Sleep deprivation reduces concentration and attention span in class.
Correct answer: Some teenagers stay up late using social media.
The reason teenagers stay up late is background information, not a detail that directly supports the effect of sleep deprivation on academics.
Question 3: Which sentence functions as a supporting detail rather than a main idea?
- Climate change poses a serious threat to global ecosystems.
- Rising ocean temperatures have caused widespread coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef. (Correct answer)
- Governments worldwide must act urgently to reduce carbon emissions.
- The effects of climate change are already visible around the world.
Correct answer: Rising ocean temperatures have caused widespread coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef.
The coral bleaching example is a specific piece of evidence that supports a broader claim, making it a supporting detail.
Question 4: A paragraph about the importance of exercise includes these sentences. Which is the supporting detail?
- Exercise has numerous benefits for both physical and mental health.
- Regular physical activity should be part of everyone's daily routine.
- A 30-minute walk can reduce symptoms of depression by up to 47%. (Correct answer)
- Health experts agree that exercise is essential for wellbeing.
Correct answer: A 30-minute walk can reduce symptoms of depression by up to 47%.
The specific statistic about walking and depression is a concrete detail that supports claims about exercise's mental health benefits.
Question 5: When identifying supporting details in a persuasive text, what is their primary purpose?
- To introduce new topics unrelated to the main argument.
- To provide evidence, examples, or reasons that strengthen the author's claim. (Correct answer)
- To summarize what the reader already knows.
- To contradict the opposing viewpoint with emotional language.
Correct answer: To provide evidence, examples, or reasons that strengthen the author's claim.
Supporting details in persuasive texts exist to back up the author's central argument with evidence, examples, or reasoning.
Question 6: A text about water conservation states: 'Fixing a leaky faucet can save up to 3,000 gallons of water per year.' This sentence is BEST described as:
- The main idea of the passage.
- A supporting detail that provides a specific example. (Correct answer)
- A concluding statement.
- An opposing viewpoint.
Correct answer: A supporting detail that provides a specific example.
This specific statistic illustrates a concrete way to conserve water, making it a supporting detail.
Question 7: Which strategy BEST helps a reader identify supporting details in a non-fiction passage?
- Read only the first and last sentences of each paragraph.
- Look for specific facts, examples, statistics, or anecdotes that explain the main idea. (Correct answer)
- Focus on words that are bolded or italicized throughout the text.
- Skip sentences that contain numbers or dates.
Correct answer: Look for specific facts, examples, statistics, or anecdotes that explain the main idea.
Supporting details are typically specific facts, examples, statistics, or anecdotes that explain or prove the main idea.
OSSLT Understanding Supporting Details 2
A student reads a paragraph claiming that urban gardens reduce food insecurity.
Which detail would BEST support this claim?