Question

Dinosaur Valley State Park

K. Reiter

Dinosaur Valley State Park is located in Glen Rose, Texas. It covers 1,587 acres of land. Visitors come from miles around to view the giant dinosaur tracks left on the bed of the Paluxy River, a tributary of the Brazos River. Most of the tracks are Sauropod tracks left by Sauroposeidon proteles. These tracks are large elephant-like tracks.

The other type of tracks that can be seen are Theropod tracks. These tracks are smaller and often show a distinct three-toed pattern. These tracks are believed to have been made by the Acrocanthosaurus, a smaller relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
In 1908, a flood destroyed bridges and culverts on the river and scoured the riverbed. A year later, a nine-year-old boy named George Adams discovered a large, three-toed track in the limestone bed of the river.

Nearly 30 years later, R.T. Bird, a fossil collector for the American Museum of Natural History in New York, saw one of the tracks in a shop in New Mexico. He wanted to check it out for himself, so he headed to Texas. He discovered that there were not only the three-toed theropod tracks but also what looked like sauropod tracks. This was the first proof that sauropods walked on land. In 1972, the Dinosaur Valley State Park opened with a mission to preserve the tracks and allow visitors to enjoy them. When families visit the park, they will be greeted by a 70 feet Apatosaurus and a 45 feet T-Rex near the front entrance. The models were displayed in 1964-65 at New York’s World’s Fair. They were donated to the park in 1970. Families are sure to have fun and learn some history at the Dinosaur Valley State Park.
question:
What is the controlling idea of this passage?
Responses
A Dinosaur tracks can be viewed at the Dinosaur Valley State Park. Dinosaur tracks can be viewed at the Dinosaur Valley State Park.
B The Dinosaur Valley State Park is located in Glen Rose, Texas. The Dinosaur Valley State Park is located in Glen Rose, Texas.
C The Acrocanthosaurus tracks are smaller than the Sauroposeidon proteles tracks.The Acrocanthosaurus tracks are smaller than the Sauroposeidon proteles tracks.
D The nine-year-old boy first discovered the tracks at the bottom of the river. The nine-year-old boy first discovered the tracks at the bottom of the river.

Answer 1

A. Dinosaur tracks can be viewed at the Dinosaur Valley State Park.

Step-by-step explanation:

The controlling idea of a passage is the main point or central theme that the passage is trying to convey. In this passage, the main point is to inform the reader about Dinosaur Valley State Park and the dinosaur tracks that can be viewed there. The passage describes the location of the park, the types of dinosaur tracks found there (Sauropod and Theropod), the history of their discovery, and the purpose of the park, which is to preserve these tracks and allow visitors to enjoy them. The passage revolves around the idea that Dinosaur Valley State Park is a place where people can see and learn about dinosaur tracks, making option A the controlling idea of the passage.