Question

Part A Which statement best states a central idea of this text? Good people volunteer and spend most of their time helping others. When helping others, it is important to act; words alone are not enough. In times of crisis, young people must lean on the wisdom and expertise of older people. Most people are too consumed by everyday worries to offer help to a stranger. Part B Which detail from the text best helps to shape the central idea in Part A? "The post already had more than 50 responses offering thoughts and prayers to the family, and several people—including many of Jerome’s teammates—had written that Martin could call on them if he needed anything." "Jerome wandered through the morning with the weight of Martin’s news crowding his thoughts." "Later that night while he sat with his family to watch the news, Jerome got a text from Martin thanking him again for being there. Only then did Jerome realize that no one else had stopped by the entire afternoon despite the plethora of messages offering to help Martin and his dad." "He explained to her that Martin’s mom had died, and told her how he felt about his friend’s loss. 'What do you plan to do for him?' his mother asked."

Answer 1

Part A: The statement that best states a central idea of this text is the second option: "When helping others, it is important to act; words alone are not enough."

The first option  ("Good people volunteer...") is incorrect because the text makes no generalizations about good people at all; the third option ("In times of crisis...") is incorrect because the interaction between older and younger people in the text is not relevant; the fourth option ("Most people...") is incorrect because the person who needs help in the text is not a stranger, but a friend.

Part B: The essential detail from the text that helps to shape the central idea in Part A is the fact that, despite receiving over fifty messages in social networks offering support (words), Martin and his father were actually only visited by Jerome that day (actions).