Question

read the passage.
the baseball’s history
the modern baseball has come a long way from early baseballs. in the 1840s and 1850s, pitchers often made their own balls by hand. one of the most popular balls of the time was known as the \lemon peel\ ball. the lemon peel ball was composed of a single piece of leather wrapped around a core with four lines of stitching. todays major league baseball must measure between 9 and 9.25 inches and weigh between 5 and 5.25 ounces. however, there were no standards for lemon peel balls, which were generally smaller and lighter than todays balls. while todays official ball must be white and stitched with waxed red thread, the lemon peel ball was often a dark brown leather and had a variety of stitching colors.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
the lemon peel ball was one of the most popular early baseballs.
the lemon peel baseball was made of one piece of leather with four lines of stitching.
today’s baseball is quite different from early balls such as the lemon peel.

Explanation:

The passage compares modern baseballs with early ones (like the lemon peel ball) in terms of size, weight, color, and stitching. The first option focuses only on the lemon peel ball's popularity, the second on its construction. The third option captures the overall comparison of today's baseball with early ones.

Answer:

Today’s baseball is quite different from early balls such as the lemon peel.