You Do – Main Idea – Grade 8
The Bermuda Triangle
For more than forty years, the Bermuda Triangle has been considered a place of mystery and danger. Bounded by Miami, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, the Bermuda Triangle has also been called the "Devil's Triangle" due to its allegedly dark powers. According to oft-repeated stories, those who ventured into the triangle were never seen or heard from again. This legend began with a 1964 article in Argosy magazine. The article described how five military airplanes had set out on a training mission, flown over the Bermuda Triangle, and vanished. The cause of the planes' disappearance was considered inexplicable. Following the Argosy article, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle was taken up by several other magazines. All of them basically repeated the same point: The Bermuda Triangle was a dangerous place. Since nobody did any additional research into the planes' disappearance, it wasn't long before a legend was born. Turns out, when someone did do the research, there were a lot of practical reasons why the planes could have vanished. The leader of the mission was ill, and there was little up-to-date navigational equipment on board. The fuel supply was inadequate, and the crew members inexperienced. Any one of these factors alone could have accounted for the planes' mysterious disappearance without the Bermuda Triangle playing any role.
Cockroaches: Friend or Foe?
Despite the hatred that most people feel toward cockroaches, they do help humans in several ways. For example, they are perfect experimental animals and are used for scientific research in the laboratory. Breeding them is easy, for they thrive under almost any conditions. In studies on nutrition and food, cockroaches are good subjects because they will eat any kind of food. They can be used to study heart disease, and cancer researchers work with roaches because they grow cancerous tumors like those that are found in humans.
Study Strategies
Making a study schedule is one important step in becoming a successful student in college. Students should schedule one hour of study time for every one hour of class time. At exam time, more study time may be necessary. Also, students must study in an appropriate place. It is important to study in a quiet place away from the distraction of other people and such things as the television and the radio. Students should find a comfortable place with plenty of space for all the necessary study supplies. Then, students need to study the information in small amounts. It is a good idea to learn the required concepts slowly and thoroughly instead of trying to learn everything on the evening before the exam. Students who want to be successful in college should remember these three helpful study strategies.
Answers:
The Bermuda Triangle
The paragraph is talking about myths surrounding the Bermuda Triangle. Its focus other factors that could have cause the plane to vanish. A clear statement to connect these ideas is “There’s no solid evidence for the claim that the Bermuda Triangle has mysterious and deadly powers.”
Cockroaches: Friend or Foe?
This main idea is included in the 1st sentence of this paragraph. “Although most people hate roaches, they are useful to humans.
Study Strategies
This main idea is included in the last sentence of this paragraph, “Students who want to be successful in college should remember these three helpful study strategies.”
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