Bees live in a house that is called a hive. They are of three kinds,—workers, drones, and queens. Only one queen can live in each hive. If she is lost or dead, the other bees will stop their work. They are very wise and busy little creatures. They all join together to build cells of wax for their honey. Each bee takes its proper place, and does its own work. Some go out and gather honey from the flowers; others stay at home and work inside the hive. The cells which they build, are all of one shape and size, and no room is left between them. The cells are not round, but have six sides. Did you ever look into a glass hive to see the bees while at work? It is pleasant to see how busy they always are. But the drones do not work. Before winter comes, all the drones are driven from the hive or killed, that they may not eat the honey which they did not gather. It is not quite safe for children to handle bees. They have sharp stings that they know well how to use in their defense.
What is the main idea of this passage?
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Correct Answer: B
The correct answer is "bees have important roles within the hive." This idea is emphasized throughout the passage as the author talks about the queen, the workers, and the drones, and the different jobs they do. The other answer choices are details, but they are not the main idea of the passage. For those reasons, the best choice is "bees have important roles within the hive."