Question

Excerpt from Marsupials

Carole Jenkins

When people think of kangaroos, they often picture a baby kangaroo 1peeking out of its mothers’ pouch. Animals that carry their young in pouches are a kind of mammal called a marsupial. Although the kangaroo is probably the most well known, 2there are many others that live in various parts of the world. Kangaroos live in Australia and come in many sizes. Wallabies are the smallest and are about the size of a rabbit. 3Large kangaroos may way as much as 200 pounds and may reach a height of seven feet. Baby kangaroos are called joeys and are only about an inch long when they are born. 4A joey may live, and develop in its mother’s pouch for as long as 6 months. Kangaroos live in groups called mobs. They are basically very timid animals and 5exscape from their enemies by jumping away on their strong and powerful hind legs. They are vegetarians with sharp teeth to eat grasses and foliage close to the ground.

Which sentence from the first paragraph expresses the main idea of this passage?
A) Animals that carry their young in pouches are a kind of mammal called a marsupial.
B) Although the kangaroo is probably the most well known, there are many others that live in various parts of the world.
C) They are basically very timid animals and escape from their enemies by jumping away on their strong and powerful hind legs.
D) When people think of kangaroos, they often picture a baby kangaroo peeking out of its mothers’ pouch.

Answer 1

B

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

The correct answer is option A. The passage clearly talks about Marsupials since it mentions its characteristcs such as their physical appearance, way of living and place, among other details. Although it talks about kangoroos mostly, it also mentions and characterizes another marsupial, that is Wallabies. Option B does not capture the main idea of the passage, since it talks about both kangoroos and other marsupials. Options C and D refer to specific features of kangoroos, they are too specific to be considered a summary of the main idea of the passage.