Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

 1. What is the first paragraph mostly about?
A 
where catfish noodling is done
B 
what catfish noodling is
C 
what noodlers do with catfish
D 
why people like to noodle
 2. Where will a noodler most likely find a catfish?
A 
near the surface of a river
B 
along the shoreline of a lake
C 
inside an underwater hole
D 
on top of a pile of twigs
 3. What is the passage mostly about?
A 
how to stay safe while noodling
B 
how to prepare catfish for dinner
C 
the dangers and joys of noodling
D 
the jobs of catfish fishers
 4. Catfish noodlers need spotters because 
.
A 
noodlers need help throwing catfish back
B 
the law requires that noodlers use spotters
C 
noodlers need help locating catfish
D 
noodlers can be dragged underwater
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Was there any part of the passage you did not understand right away? How did you 
figure it out?
 
 
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48
Daily Reading Comprehension • EMC 3458 • © Evan-Moor Corp.
Name: 
WEEK 7
DAY 2
Main Idea and Details
READ THE PASSAGE
Look for details that support the main idea in each paragraph.
Colors in the Night Sky
Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing it turn from black to pulsing purple or green. This 
strange phenomenon is called the 
aurora borealis
, or Northern Lights. Although the light displays are 
most common in the Far North, such as around Alaska or Canada, they can occur almost anywhere in the 
Northern Hemisphere. In 1989, an 
aurora borealis
was seen in Europe and North America—even as far 
south as Cuba. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same lighting events can occur, but they are called the 
aurora australis
, or Southern Lights.
Auroras are unusual, beautiful displays of light, and for many years, people associated them with 
magic or mythology. Today, modern science can tell us exactly what causes auroras. An aurora begins on 
the surface of the sun, when a cloud of gas is ejected. Sometimes the gas will travel all the way to Earth 
and collide with Earth’s magnetic field. The collision gives off charged particles, some of which crash into 
atoms of oxygen and nitrogen. This produces the amazing colors and patterns that make up the aurora.
The patterns in auroras can include ripples, pulsing globs of light, or steady glows. The colors we see 
are determined by the height of the aurora. Blue and purple occur when the aurora is less than 60 miles 
high, green auroras are produced between 60 and 150 miles up, and red happens when the phenomenon 
is over 150 miles in the sky. This glorious light show has its downside, however. Auroras can damage 
satellites in orbit and power grids on Earth. Auroras have been known to cause massive power outages, 
and it can take quite some time for workers to get electrical systems back online.