St.

Paul University Philippines

Intercultural Institute for Languages 1

Recalling Facts and Details

You know the importance of understanding the main idea of what you are reading. To
find the main idea, you need to recognize and recall the facts and details.
Suppose you read a news article about a heroic deed. The main idea is that heroism can
save a life. The facts and details describe the action.

Who took How did

part? it happen?

Where did
Why did
it take
it happen?
place?

Heroism What
When did
can save exactly
it happen?
a life. happened?

When you are reading a nonfiction selection, such as a news article, biography, or
science essay, the details will be mostly facts. (A fact is something known to be true.) When
you are reading a fiction selection, the details may or may not be true-to-life. However, the
details explain the story further and support the main idea.

Understanding a Facts/Details Web

A facts/details web will help you recognize the supporting information in a paragraph
or a longer selection. You will see how the details contribute to your understanding of the main
idea.
Here is a passage and its facts/details web. For a longer selection, you might create a
web for each paragraph and/or a web or two containing the most important details that support
the main idea of the selection as a whole. To group details together and keep the web a
reasonable size, you will need to put most of the facts and details in note form, in your own
words.
Periodic Meteor Showers
(Paragraph 1)
Meteors are streaks of light that flash across the night sky. These streaks are
sometimes called shooting or falling stars because they look a little like stars
dashing across the sky. They are scattered like stars; most nights, an observer
might see one or two. However, meteors are really space dust. When this dust
enters earth’s atmosphere, the friction between the fast-moving particle and the
atmosphere causes it to glow. This burning up of the dust creates the glowing
trail of light.

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Meteors are
really space
Meteors are dust.
called shooting Dust enters the
stars because atmospehere
they look like and glows due
stars dashing to friction.
across the sky.

Meteors are This burning

Most nights, an streaks of up of the dust
observer might light that creates the
see one or two. flash across glowing trail of
the night sky. light.

A facts/details web helps you clearly see the details that support the most important idea
of the passage so that you can answer specific questions about the passage.
What is a meteor?
A flash of light in the night sky, caused by space dust burning up in the atmosphere.
Periodic Meteor Showers
(Paragraph 2)
As earth travels in its orbit, it regularly crosses orbits containing streams of
these dust particles, the leftover of comets. When earth travels through the comet
dust, hundreds of particles pass into the atmosphere. So many meteors occur that
the group is given a name. The Perseids occur around August 12 each year, the
Orionids around October 21, and the Leonids around November 17. The greatest
numbers of meteors come in these and the other meteor showers.
Specific dated
In orbit, earth showers
crosses include
streams of Perseids,
particles. Orionids, and
Leonids.
Hundreds of
Particles are
these particles
leftovers from
burn up in the
comets.
Meteor atmosphere.
Showers

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A facts/details web organizes the information so that you can see and remember the
main idea, or topic, and the supporting details.

As you read, ask yourself:

➢ What information helps you understand the main idea?
➢ What information tells who, what, when, why, or how something happens?
➢ What specific facts and details reveal the people, places, or things?

Read this paragraph about flowers. The main idea is found in the last sentence and is
underlined for you. As you read, think about the sentences that help explain the main idea.
A world without flowers would be a world without the sweet perfume of the
lilac or the lily. No one could gaze upon the delicate beauty of an orchid or the
sturdy robustness of a sunflower. No one would be able to feel the satin softness
of a rose petal or the tickle of a buttercup. A world without flowers would truly
be a world void of a unique beauty. Flowers enrich our world and make it
beautiful.
The sentences that help explain the main idea are:
➢ A world without flowers would be a world without the sweet perfume of the lilac or the
lily.
➢ No one could gaze upon the delicate beauty of an orchid or the sturdy robustness of a
sunflower.
➢ No one would be able to feel the satin softness of a rose petal or the tickle of a buttercup.
➢ A world without flowers would truly be a world void of a unique beauty.
Sentences that help explain the main idea are facts and details. Facts and details support and
tell more about the most important idea in a paragraph.
➢ Facts and details help you understand the main idea more completely.
➢ Facts or details often tell about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the main
idea.

Read this paragraph about the roses. The main idea is found in the first sentence and is
underlined for you. As you read, look for the facts and details that help explain the main
idea. Then answer the questions.
Roses: More than Just a Flower
Long ago, roses were valued for their healing properties as well as for their
beauty. Rose petals were used to make many homemade medicines. Added to
vinegar, they were believed to cure a headache. A special syrup made from
Damask Rose was thought to bring relief from stomach pains. Roses are no
longer considered a source of medicine. However, one part of the plant is an
excellent source of vitamin C. Rose hips are growths that form from the stem

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beneath the flowers. In fact, some people feel their day isn’t complete without a
hot cup of rose hip tea.
Rose hips are added to tea in order to _____.
A. cure a headache
B. relieve a stomachache
C. provide a source of vitamin C
D. make a special kind of syrup
Which detail describes something about rose petals?
A. They are added to many teas and vitamins to provide a source of vitamin C.
B. Roses are no longer considered a source of vitamin C.
C. However, one part of the plant is an excellent source of vitamin C.
D. Added to vinegar, they were believed to cure a headache.
Remember: Facts and details explain or support the main idea.
➢ Look for sentences that provide information about the main idea.
➢ Look for sentences that explain the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the main
idea.

Read this selection from the beginning of a novel.

My story begins at Bramley Hall. For those of you who have not had the
misery of spending time at the Hall, Bramley is a large house with over 30
rooms. It was fashioned many years ago from dull gray stone taken from a
nearby quarry. The glass of the windows is so thick and the panes so small, each
separated by a thick bar of lead, that little sunlight is ever able to reach inside the
house.
A guide book I once read described Bramley Hall as imposing and majestic,
but the book was very old. Whatever majesty the house once had had long since
vanished by the time I first touched the front door’s tarnished brass knocker.
How is Bramley Hall described?
A. as a large house with over 30 rooms
B. as a nearby quarry
C. as a room inside a majestic building
D. as a boarding school
Bramley Hall is constructed of _____.
A. thick bars of lead
B. dull gray stone
C. thick panes of glass
D. tarnished brass

Remember: Facts and details give additional meaning to the main idea of a reading passage.
When you read, look for sentences that:

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➢ describe a person, place, or thing

➢ tell the order in which things happen
➢ explain how to do something
➢ share an experience, idea, or opinion
➢ help you picture where a story takes place
➢ understand what characters are like.

Read this journal entry written long ago.

January 5, 1838
Somewhere in Kansas
Today, I turned twelve years old, but no one remembered. There has never
been a day when I felt more lonely or dejected.
Our food ran out days ago, and none of us has eaten for days. Our trip has
taken longer than Pa and the others anticipated. Pa and the other men left camp at
dawn and, as the sun begins to set on yet another gloomy day, they have not yet
returned. He and the other men from our wagon train left to hunt for food, mostly
buffalo.
Ma has been with little Mary all day, trying to help her get over the fever.
Me? Well, I’ve been alone, except for the company of Pete, my dog. And, I’m
cold to the bone. I spent most of the day, trying to keep warm, sitting by the
campfire and thinking about the life we left behind.
I hope next year, when I turn thirteen, things will be like the old days in
Virginia. Then my family and I will sit down to a large dinner. We’ll sing songs
and tell stories in front of the fire. There will be gifts and laughter, long into the
night. If we arrive in Nevada soon, maybe life will return to normal and be good
again.
What is the setting of the journal entry?
A. Virginia
B. Kentucky
C. Kansas
D. Nevada
Which detail helps explain the main idea of paragraph 3?
A. I’ve been alone, except for the company of Pete, my dog.
B. Our trip has taken longer than Pa and the others anticipated.
C. My family and I will sit down to a large dinner.
D. Today, I turned twelve years old but no one remembered.
Who was sick with a fever?
A. Ma
B. Pa
C. Mary
D. the writer

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Most of the details in the journal entry _____.

A. explain how to do something
B. share an experience
C. tell the order in which things happen
D. help the reader picture where the story takes place

Read this story that takes place long ago about cowboys.
The Stranger
It was a starry Montana evening, and the cowboys were sitting around the
campfire. Bucky was poking at the burning logs with a stick. Lucky was quietly
strumming his guitar and looking at the moon. Cookie was telling tales that the
others had heard a thousand times and hadn’t believed the first time they had
heard them. Things were just about the way they usually were, when a tall, dark-
haired stranger suddenly appeared and startled the men.
Being so far away from a town or road, the cowboys were surprised to see a
stranger. And to have a stranger come up on foot from nowhere! Why, any man
worth a lick of salt had a horse. And while the stranger carried a fine saddle, he
had the look of a city slicker. When he spoke, the stranger displayed all the
qualities of a fine cowboy. Soon, the men offered him some of their dinner and a
cup of coffee.
What is one detail that tells about the stranger?
A. It was a starry Montana evening.
B. Lucky was quietly strumming his guitar.
C. Things were just about the way they usually were.
D. He had the look of a city slicker.
Which sentence would best fit the story?
A. The cowboys sat around the campfire sharing tall tales and fanciful stories.
B. Cowboys still exist today, but they are fewer in number.
C. Many tourists consider Montana to be a place of breathtaking beauty.
D. The crickets chirped in perfect rhythm as the sun set.
What was Cookie doing when the stranger approached?
A. He was cooking dinner.
B. He was telling stories.
C. He was playing his guitar.
D. He was looking at the moon.
Which sentence tells about the setting of the story?
A. It was a starry Montana evening, and the cowboys were sitting around the campfire.
B. A tall, dark-haired stranger suddenly appeared and startled the men.
C. Soon the men offered him some of their dinner and a cup of coffee.
D. When he spoke, the stranger displayed all the qualities of a fine cowboy.

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Remember: A test question about facts and details may:

➢ ask you about something that happened or is stated in a reading passage;
➢ ask you about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the main idea.
Read this story about a boy who moved to a new city.
We were moving! Again! It seemed that we had barely arrived in Baltimore,
when Dad came home and said that his company wanted him to work in a
different office. This one was in Atlanta!
Mom tried to smile. Our last move had been a disaster. We had arrived in
Baltimore with broken dishes and scratched furniture. Many of my toys were
missing, and some of my special treasures had been left behind.
“This time,” Mom said, “we are hiring a moving company.”
Acme Movers promised that we wouldn’t have to lift a finger. They would
come in and pack everything. They would put all of our belongings on the truck
in Baltimore and drive it to Atlanta. They would unload the truck and bring all of
our belongings into our new house.
“Now this is going to be fun,” said Mom.
We arrived in Atlanta a few hours after the movers. I raced around the new
house. It was strange to see our stuff in a new place. I couldn’t decide if I felt
homesick or not.
Then I saw our old wastepaper basket near the door. It was already full. Old
copies of the Baltimore Sun and papers from my old school were spilling out
over the sides. The movers had even brought our trash to Atlanta! I had to laugh!
It’s hard to feel homesick when even the garbage is familiar.
When did the narrator and his family arrive in Atlanta?
A. a few hours after the movers
B. the same time as the movers
C. before the movers
D. a week before the movers
The narrator’s family had to move because _____.
A. his mother got a new job
B. his father lost his job
C. his father got transferred
D. his father’s company was sold

Read this article about a special way of preparing food.

The word kosher means “fit.” Kosher is used to describe foods that,
according to ancient rules, are fit for Jewish people to eat. According to Jewish
beliefs, these rules were given by God to the Jewish people.
Many of these rules have to do with meat. According to these laws, only
certain meats can be eaten. Beef and lamb are permitted when they have been

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prepared by a butcher who observes kosher rules. Pork is not allowed under any
conditions. Some seafood is allowed. Fish with scales and fins are considered
kosher. Shrimp, for example, would not be considered kosher, but salmon would
be.
Meat cannot be served with milk or any other dairy products, such as cheese.
Meat and dairy products cannot be prepared together either. Kosher homes have
two sets of pots and pans and two sets of dishes. One set is for meat dishes, and
the other set is for foods that contain milk. The two sets cannot be washed and
dried together and are kept in different cupboards.
Not all Jewish people follow kosher rules. Those who do not, however,
usually make a special effort to serve kosher foods during Jewish holidays.
A food that is considered kosher is _____.
A. pork
B. salmon
C. shrimp
D. all kinds of meat
According to kosher rules, which of these foods cannot be served together?
A. eggs and toast
B. beef and lamb
C. milk and meat
D. salmon and beef

Special English Language Course: Reading