booty: valuable stolen goods
Let's practise
Robinson spent part of each day sorting his booty and storing it away properly in the cave. He also improved his shelter, raising the fence and making a ladder to get in and out, and building a kind of big, wooden porch for the cave entrance with timber from the ship. And in between doing all that, he and Toby explored as much of the island as possible.
'I think we're going to be fine, Toby,' Robinson said as they were heading home late one afternoon. It was the twelfth day since the wreck. 'It's not such a scary place as I thought. There aren't any dangerous wild animals here, just lots of goats, and I can hunt them for meat. I might even be able to catch a few and keep them for their milk. And there are fish in the lagoon, so Freckles and Rufus can have the occasional treat.'
That evening, Robinson sat in his cave surrounded by his supplies in their neat piles, his tools and weapons all neatly arranged too.
Tony Bradman and Tony Ross: from The Orchard Book of Heroes and Villains (Orchard Books, 2008)
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What is the main thing that Robinson is trying to do in the text?
Tick one.
Explore the island.
Protect himself from wild animals.
Make a new life for himself.
Organise his tools.
1 mark
- Read the question and read it again. What is it asking?
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The question is asking you to choose the answer that describes the main idea in the text.
- Is the text only about Robinson exploring the island?
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In between doing the jobs he explores the island but he is doing lots of other things. This is a possibility. I'll leave it until the end.
- Is protection from wild animals an idea that runs throughout the text?
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The shelter is raised from the ground and he doesn't think there are wild animals. I will eliminate this choice.
- Read the last two choices. Can either of them be eliminated?
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Organise his tools. It only mentions that at the end of the text, and this is not something he does throughout the text.
- That leaves you with choices 1 and 3. Which one is closest to giving the main idea?
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The third choice.
- Reread the text to make sure that you are confident choice 3 is the main idea of the text. Then tick the correct box.
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The main idea is that he is making a new life for himself.
- Check your answer.