Main Idea Worksheets - Free Printable

Let’s solve this step by step.

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First Question: What is the main idea? Circle the correct answer.

We need to find what the whole story is mostly about.

The story says:
- There was a new family in the neighborhood.
- Fiona heard they had a girl her age.
- She wanted to meet her.
- The first time she saw her, she smiled and said hello.
- They met on the bus, talked, found out they both liked French fries.
- One day, Fiona invited her over to play — that’s how they became friends.

So the big point of the story is: Fiona made a new friend.

Now look at the options:

A. Fiona takes the bus to school.
→ That’s just one small detail. Not the main idea.

B. There is a new family in the neighborhood.
→ True, but it’s only part of the setup. The story is really about Fiona making a friend from that family.

C. Fiona is a very friendly girl.
→ This is true too — she smiled, said hello, invited the girl over — but again, it’s describing *how* she acted, not the main point of the whole story.

Wait — actually, let’s think again.

The title is “The New Girl” — which suggests the focus is on the new girl (Rona) and how Fiona connected with her.

But none of the options say “Fiona makes a new friend.” So we have to pick the best among these.

Option B: “There is a new family in the neighborhood.” — This starts the story, but doesn’t cover the friendship part.

Option C: “Fiona is a very friendly girl.” — This explains why the friendship happened. The whole story shows Fiona being friendly: smiling, saying hello, talking on the bus, inviting Rona over.

Actually, looking back — the question asks for the main idea.

In reading comprehension, the main idea is what the entire passage is centered around.

This passage is about how Fiona met and became friends with the new girl, Rona — because Fiona was friendly.

So Option C captures the theme: Fiona’s friendliness led to the friendship.

But wait — let’s check the second question to see if it helps clarify.

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Second Question: Which of the following is a supporting idea?

Supporting ideas are details that help explain or prove the main idea.

Options:

A. Fiona smiles and says hello. → This is an action showing she’s friendly.

B. The family has a girl about Fiona’s age. → This sets up why Fiona wants to meet her.

C. There is a new family in the neighborhood. → Again, background info.

If the main idea is “Fiona is a very friendly girl,” then A (“Fiona smiles and says hello”) supports that — it’s evidence of her friendliness.

If the main idea were “There is a new family...”, then C would be redundant — you can’t support the main idea with itself.

Similarly, B is also background.

So likely, the intended main idea is C: Fiona is a very friendly girl, and A: Fiona smiles and says hello is a supporting detail.

That makes sense.

Also, in many elementary texts, when a character does kind/friendly things throughout a story, the main idea is often about their personality trait — like being friendly, brave, etc.

So I’ll go with:

Main Idea: C. Fiona is a very friendly girl.

Supporting Idea: A. Fiona smiles and says hello.

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Final Answer:

What is the main idea?
C. Fiona is a very friendly girl.

Which of the following is a supporting idea?
A. Fiona smiles and says hello.