★Informational Main Idea
Grade 3 Reading Worksheet
Circle the answer.
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Camels: Made for the Desert
Deserts are hot, dry places with very little water. Camels are well suited to this hard land. Almost every part of a camel's body helps it live there.
A camel's hump is a good example. Many people think the hump holds water, but it does not. It stores fat. When food is hard to find, a camel's body can use this fat for energy. A camel can go many days without eating.
Camels are also good at saving water. They lose very little water when they breathe or sweat. When a thirsty camel finally finds water, it can drink a huge amount in just a few minutes. Then it may not need to drink again for many days.
Sand and wind are another problem in the desert. Camels have two rows of long eyelashes that keep sand out of their eyes. They can close their noses tightly during a sandstorm. Their tough lips let them eat thorny desert plants without getting hurt.
Even a camel's feet are made for the desert. Each foot is wide and padded. The wide feet spread out on soft sand, so the camel does not sink. The pads also protect its feet from the hot ground.
For thousands of years, people have traveled across deserts with camels. These animals can carry heavy loads where cars and horses would struggle. Their bodies make them true desert travelers.
What is the main idea of this text?
- A camel's hump stores fat instead of storing water.
- Deserts are hot, dry places with very little water.
- People have crossed deserts with camels for many years.
- A camel's body has many parts that help it live in the desert.
What is the main idea of paragraph 3?
- Camels can go many days without eating.
- Camels are very good at saving water.
- Camels close their noses in sandstorms.
- Camels carry heavy loads across sand.
Which detail supports the idea that camels can handle sand and wind?
- They lose little water when they sweat.
- They drink a lot of water quickly.
- They have two rows of long eyelashes.
- Their humps store fat for energy.
Which sentence is true but too narrow to be the main idea of the whole text?
- Camels have bodies made for desert life.
- Camels need to drink water every day.
- Tough lips help camels eat thorny plants.
- Camels store extra water in their humps.
Which is the best summary of this text?
- People use camels for travel because cars and horses can never cross a sandy desert.
- Camels have a hump filled with fat, and they use the fat for energy when food runs out.
- A camel's hump, water saving, eyelashes, and wide feet all help it survive the desert.
- Deserts are hard places for animals because they are hot, dry, sandy, and very windy.
Which is the best title for this text?
- Built for Life in the Sand
- The Camel's Long Eyelashes
- Riding Horses Along the Beach
- How Deserts Are Formed
What is paragraph 5 mostly about?
- how hot the desert ground can become
- how a camel's feet help it walk on sand
- how camels carry heavy loads for people
- how camels find thorny plants to eat
What does a camel's body do when food is hard to find?
- It drinks a huge amount of water.
- It rests in the shade until night.
- It closes its nose very tightly.
- It uses fat stored in the hump.
Why does the author say many people think the hump holds water?
- to describe the shape of the hump
- to prove the hump holds water
- to correct a common wrong idea
- to explain how camels sweat less
Which paragraph best supports the idea that camels help people?
- the last paragraph
- the second paragraph
- the first paragraph
- the fourth paragraph
