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Central ideas in complex texts
9th grade (Year 10 in England) · 16 questions · Common Core: RI.9-10.2, RL.9-10.2 · England: GCSE English Language, SAT Reading and Writing (Central Ideas and Details)
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Question 1
The invention of refrigerated shipping in the late 1800s did more than keep food fresh. It allowed meat from Argentina and New Zealand to reach European tables, reshaping farming, trade and diets across continents. Which choice best states the central idea?
- A. Food spoils without refrigeration.
- B. Argentina produces meat.
- C. Ships were slow in the 1800s.
- D. Refrigerated shipping had wide-reaching effects on global trade and food.
Two Texts on Memory
TEXT 1
For much of the twentieth century, many people imagined memory as a kind of recording device. An experience, according to this view, was stored somewhere in the brain like a film on a shelf; remembering meant taking the film down and playing it again. Forgetting was simply the film fading with age. This model was appealing because it matched how memory often feels: vivid, detailed and certain.
TEXT 2
Decades of experiments have undermined the idea that memories are fixed recordings. In one well-known type of study, participants watch a video of a car accident and are later asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" or when they "hit" each other. Those who heard "smashed" not only gave higher speed estimates but were more likely, a week later, to report seeing broken glass – although there was none in the video. Such findings suggest that each act of remembering is partly an act of reconstruction, shaped by later information, expectation and language. A memory can feel certain and still be wrong.
Question 2
Read "Two Texts on Memory". What view of memory does Text 1 describe?
- A. Memory works like a stored recording that is replayed.
- B. Memory is mostly language.
- C. Memory is rebuilt each time we remember.
- D. Memory is unaffected by time.
Rethinking Screen Time
Few debates generate as much anxiety among parents as the question of screen time. Headlines warn that smartphones are "destroying a generation", while technology companies insist that their products connect and empower young people. The truth, as so often, is more complicated than either side admits.
Part of the problem is that "screen time" is a crude measure. An hour spent video-calling a grandparent, coding a game or researching a school project is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through an endless feed of short videos. Researchers increasingly argue that what young people do on screens matters more than how long they spend on them.
That said, quantity is not irrelevant. Several large studies have linked very heavy use – more than five or six hours a day of recreational screen time – to poorer sleep and lower wellbeing. Screens can displace other activities that support health: exercise, face-to-face friendship and, crucially, sleep. Light from devices and the stimulation of social media late at night can delay sleep for teenagers, whose body clocks already push them towards later bedtimes.
It is worth noting, however, that most of these studies show correlation, not causation. Teenagers who are already unhappy may turn to their phones more, rather than their phones making them unhappy. Untangling cause and effect is notoriously difficult.
What, then, should families do? Rather than fixating on a single number, experts suggest asking three questions. Is screen use getting in the way of sleep? Is it crowding out exercise and real-world relationships? And does the young person feel in control of it, or controlled by it? If the answers are reassuring, the exact number of minutes may matter less than we fear.
Question 3
Read "Rethinking Screen Time". Which choice best states the central idea of the text?
- A. Technology companies are always honest.
- B. Smartphones are destroying a generation.
- C. Screen time has no effect on teenagers.
- D. The effects of screen time depend on how screens are used, not just how long, though heavy use can cause problems.
Question 4
For centuries, lighthouses guided ships with flame and later electric lamps. Satellite navigation has made many of them technically unnecessary. Yet communities have fought to preserve them, not for their function but for what they represent: safety, history and a sense of place. Which choice best states the central idea?
- A. Ships no longer sail near coasts.
- B. Satellite navigation is unreliable.
- C. Lighthouses used flames.
- D. Although lighthouses are less needed for navigation, people value them for their symbolic and historical meaning.
Two Texts on Memory
TEXT 1
For much of the twentieth century, many people imagined memory as a kind of recording device. An experience, according to this view, was stored somewhere in the brain like a film on a shelf; remembering meant taking the film down and playing it again. Forgetting was simply the film fading with age. This model was appealing because it matched how memory often feels: vivid, detailed and certain.
TEXT 2
Decades of experiments have undermined the idea that memories are fixed recordings. In one well-known type of study, participants watch a video of a car accident and are later asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" or when they "hit" each other. Those who heard "smashed" not only gave higher speed estimates but were more likely, a week later, to report seeing broken glass – although there was none in the video. Such findings suggest that each act of remembering is partly an act of reconstruction, shaped by later information, expectation and language. A memory can feel certain and still be wrong.
Question 5
Read "Two Texts on Memory". What view of memory does Text 1 describe?
- A. Memory works like a stored recording that is replayed.
- B. Memory is unaffected by time.
- C. Memory is mostly language.
- D. Memory is rebuilt each time we remember.
Rethinking Screen Time
Few debates generate as much anxiety among parents as the question of screen time. Headlines warn that smartphones are "destroying a generation", while technology companies insist that their products connect and empower young people. The truth, as so often, is more complicated than either side admits.
Part of the problem is that "screen time" is a crude measure. An hour spent video-calling a grandparent, coding a game or researching a school project is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through an endless feed of short videos. Researchers increasingly argue that what young people do on screens matters more than how long they spend on them.
That said, quantity is not irrelevant. Several large studies have linked very heavy use – more than five or six hours a day of recreational screen time – to poorer sleep and lower wellbeing. Screens can displace other activities that support health: exercise, face-to-face friendship and, crucially, sleep. Light from devices and the stimulation of social media late at night can delay sleep for teenagers, whose body clocks already push them towards later bedtimes.
It is worth noting, however, that most of these studies show correlation, not causation. Teenagers who are already unhappy may turn to their phones more, rather than their phones making them unhappy. Untangling cause and effect is notoriously difficult.
What, then, should families do? Rather than fixating on a single number, experts suggest asking three questions. Is screen use getting in the way of sleep? Is it crowding out exercise and real-world relationships? And does the young person feel in control of it, or controlled by it? If the answers are reassuring, the exact number of minutes may matter less than we fear.
Question 6
Read "Rethinking Screen Time". Which choice best states the central idea of the text?
- A. Technology companies are always honest.
- B. The effects of screen time depend on how screens are used, not just how long, though heavy use can cause problems.
- C. Screen time has no effect on teenagers.
- D. Smartphones are destroying a generation.
Question 7
Many people assume that creativity is a rare gift. Psychologists, however, increasingly describe it as a skill that grows with practice, feedback and a willingness to fail. Which choice best states the central idea?
- A. Creativity may be a learnable skill rather than an inborn gift.
- B. Psychologists study failure.
- C. Most people are not creative.
- D. Feedback is always negative.
Two Texts on Memory
TEXT 1
For much of the twentieth century, many people imagined memory as a kind of recording device. An experience, according to this view, was stored somewhere in the brain like a film on a shelf; remembering meant taking the film down and playing it again. Forgetting was simply the film fading with age. This model was appealing because it matched how memory often feels: vivid, detailed and certain.
TEXT 2
Decades of experiments have undermined the idea that memories are fixed recordings. In one well-known type of study, participants watch a video of a car accident and are later asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" or when they "hit" each other. Those who heard "smashed" not only gave higher speed estimates but were more likely, a week later, to report seeing broken glass – although there was none in the video. Such findings suggest that each act of remembering is partly an act of reconstruction, shaped by later information, expectation and language. A memory can feel certain and still be wrong.
Question 8
Read "Two Texts on Memory". What view of memory does Text 1 describe?
- A. Memory is rebuilt each time we remember.
- B. Memory is unaffected by time.
- C. Memory is mostly language.
- D. Memory works like a stored recording that is replayed.
Rethinking Screen Time
Few debates generate as much anxiety among parents as the question of screen time. Headlines warn that smartphones are "destroying a generation", while technology companies insist that their products connect and empower young people. The truth, as so often, is more complicated than either side admits.
Part of the problem is that "screen time" is a crude measure. An hour spent video-calling a grandparent, coding a game or researching a school project is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through an endless feed of short videos. Researchers increasingly argue that what young people do on screens matters more than how long they spend on them.
That said, quantity is not irrelevant. Several large studies have linked very heavy use – more than five or six hours a day of recreational screen time – to poorer sleep and lower wellbeing. Screens can displace other activities that support health: exercise, face-to-face friendship and, crucially, sleep. Light from devices and the stimulation of social media late at night can delay sleep for teenagers, whose body clocks already push them towards later bedtimes.
It is worth noting, however, that most of these studies show correlation, not causation. Teenagers who are already unhappy may turn to their phones more, rather than their phones making them unhappy. Untangling cause and effect is notoriously difficult.
What, then, should families do? Rather than fixating on a single number, experts suggest asking three questions. Is screen use getting in the way of sleep? Is it crowding out exercise and real-world relationships? And does the young person feel in control of it, or controlled by it? If the answers are reassuring, the exact number of minutes may matter less than we fear.
Question 9
Read "Rethinking Screen Time". Which choice best states the central idea of the text?
- A. Screen time has no effect on teenagers.
- B. The effects of screen time depend on how screens are used, not just how long, though heavy use can cause problems.
- C. Smartphones are destroying a generation.
- D. Technology companies are always honest.
Question 10
Many people assume that creativity is a rare gift. Psychologists, however, increasingly describe it as a skill that grows with practice, feedback and a willingness to fail. Which choice best states the central idea?
- A. Creativity may be a learnable skill rather than an inborn gift.
- B. Psychologists study failure.
- C. Most people are not creative.
- D. Feedback is always negative.
Two Texts on Memory
TEXT 1
For much of the twentieth century, many people imagined memory as a kind of recording device. An experience, according to this view, was stored somewhere in the brain like a film on a shelf; remembering meant taking the film down and playing it again. Forgetting was simply the film fading with age. This model was appealing because it matched how memory often feels: vivid, detailed and certain.
TEXT 2
Decades of experiments have undermined the idea that memories are fixed recordings. In one well-known type of study, participants watch a video of a car accident and are later asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" or when they "hit" each other. Those who heard "smashed" not only gave higher speed estimates but were more likely, a week later, to report seeing broken glass – although there was none in the video. Such findings suggest that each act of remembering is partly an act of reconstruction, shaped by later information, expectation and language. A memory can feel certain and still be wrong.
Question 11
Read "Two Texts on Memory". What view of memory does Text 1 describe?
- A. Memory is rebuilt each time we remember.
- B. Memory is unaffected by time.
- C. Memory is mostly language.
- D. Memory works like a stored recording that is replayed.
Rethinking Screen Time
Few debates generate as much anxiety among parents as the question of screen time. Headlines warn that smartphones are "destroying a generation", while technology companies insist that their products connect and empower young people. The truth, as so often, is more complicated than either side admits.
Part of the problem is that "screen time" is a crude measure. An hour spent video-calling a grandparent, coding a game or researching a school project is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through an endless feed of short videos. Researchers increasingly argue that what young people do on screens matters more than how long they spend on them.
That said, quantity is not irrelevant. Several large studies have linked very heavy use – more than five or six hours a day of recreational screen time – to poorer sleep and lower wellbeing. Screens can displace other activities that support health: exercise, face-to-face friendship and, crucially, sleep. Light from devices and the stimulation of social media late at night can delay sleep for teenagers, whose body clocks already push them towards later bedtimes.
It is worth noting, however, that most of these studies show correlation, not causation. Teenagers who are already unhappy may turn to their phones more, rather than their phones making them unhappy. Untangling cause and effect is notoriously difficult.
What, then, should families do? Rather than fixating on a single number, experts suggest asking three questions. Is screen use getting in the way of sleep? Is it crowding out exercise and real-world relationships? And does the young person feel in control of it, or controlled by it? If the answers are reassuring, the exact number of minutes may matter less than we fear.
Question 12
Read "Rethinking Screen Time". Which choice best states the central idea of the text?
- A. Smartphones are destroying a generation.
- B. The effects of screen time depend on how screens are used, not just how long, though heavy use can cause problems.
- C. Screen time has no effect on teenagers.
- D. Technology companies are always honest.
Question 13
Urban foxes are often seen as pests: they tip over bins and wail at night. Yet studies suggest they also control rat populations and rarely pose a danger to people. Understanding their role may help cities manage them more humanely. Which choice best states the central idea?
- A. Foxes are dangerous and should be removed.
- B. Rats are a growing problem in cities.
- C. Urban foxes have benefits as well as drawbacks, which should shape how cities treat them.
- D. Foxes tip over bins.
Two Texts on Memory
TEXT 1
For much of the twentieth century, many people imagined memory as a kind of recording device. An experience, according to this view, was stored somewhere in the brain like a film on a shelf; remembering meant taking the film down and playing it again. Forgetting was simply the film fading with age. This model was appealing because it matched how memory often feels: vivid, detailed and certain.
TEXT 2
Decades of experiments have undermined the idea that memories are fixed recordings. In one well-known type of study, participants watch a video of a car accident and are later asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" or when they "hit" each other. Those who heard "smashed" not only gave higher speed estimates but were more likely, a week later, to report seeing broken glass – although there was none in the video. Such findings suggest that each act of remembering is partly an act of reconstruction, shaped by later information, expectation and language. A memory can feel certain and still be wrong.
Question 14
Read "Two Texts on Memory". What view of memory does Text 1 describe?
- A. Memory is mostly language.
- B. Memory is rebuilt each time we remember.
- C. Memory works like a stored recording that is replayed.
- D. Memory is unaffected by time.
Rethinking Screen Time
Few debates generate as much anxiety among parents as the question of screen time. Headlines warn that smartphones are "destroying a generation", while technology companies insist that their products connect and empower young people. The truth, as so often, is more complicated than either side admits.
Part of the problem is that "screen time" is a crude measure. An hour spent video-calling a grandparent, coding a game or researching a school project is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through an endless feed of short videos. Researchers increasingly argue that what young people do on screens matters more than how long they spend on them.
That said, quantity is not irrelevant. Several large studies have linked very heavy use – more than five or six hours a day of recreational screen time – to poorer sleep and lower wellbeing. Screens can displace other activities that support health: exercise, face-to-face friendship and, crucially, sleep. Light from devices and the stimulation of social media late at night can delay sleep for teenagers, whose body clocks already push them towards later bedtimes.
It is worth noting, however, that most of these studies show correlation, not causation. Teenagers who are already unhappy may turn to their phones more, rather than their phones making them unhappy. Untangling cause and effect is notoriously difficult.
What, then, should families do? Rather than fixating on a single number, experts suggest asking three questions. Is screen use getting in the way of sleep? Is it crowding out exercise and real-world relationships? And does the young person feel in control of it, or controlled by it? If the answers are reassuring, the exact number of minutes may matter less than we fear.
Question 15
Read "Rethinking Screen Time". Which choice best states the central idea of the text?
- A. Screen time has no effect on teenagers.
- B. The effects of screen time depend on how screens are used, not just how long, though heavy use can cause problems.
- C. Technology companies are always honest.
- D. Smartphones are destroying a generation.
Question 16
Many people assume that creativity is a rare gift. Psychologists, however, increasingly describe it as a skill that grows with practice, feedback and a willingness to fail. Which choice best states the central idea?
- A. Most people are not creative.
- B. Psychologists study failure.
- C. Creativity may be a learnable skill rather than an inborn gift.
- D. Feedback is always negative.
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