Understanding Author's Purpose in Texts

Read the following excerpt from an informational text: *"Many scientists believe that recycling is essential for protecting our environment. By reusing materials, we can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and conserve natural resources."* What is the author’s main purpose in this excerpt?

• To entertain readers with a story about recycling

• To inform readers about the benefits of recycling

• To describe how landfills are built

• To persuade readers to stop recycling

An author writes an article explaining how solar panels work and includes diagrams and step-by-step instructions. What is most likely the author’s purpose for including these features?

• To confuse the reader with too much information

• To help the reader understand how solar panels function

• To entertain the reader with funny stories

• To persuade the reader to buy solar panels

After reading an informational text about the dangers of plastic pollution, you notice the author uses strong words like “harmful,” “urgent,” and “crisis.” What does this choice of words reveal about the author’s perspective?

• The author is neutral about plastic pollution

• The author believes plastic pollution is a serious problem

• The author thinks plastic pollution is not important

• The author is confused about plastic pollution

An informational article about healthy eating includes statistics about childhood obesity and quotes from doctors. What evidence does the author use to support their perspective?

• Personal opinions and jokes

• Statistics and expert quotes

• Fictional stories

• Unrelated facts

A writer describes the process of photosynthesis and explains why it is important for plants and animals. What is the author’s likely purpose?

• To persuade readers to plant more trees

• To inform readers about how photosynthesis works

• To entertain readers with a story about plants

• To criticize people who don’t like science

Read the following sentence from an informational text: *"The author argues that using reusable water bottles can greatly reduce plastic waste in our oceans."* Based on this sentence, what is the author’s perspective?

• The author does not care about plastic waste

• The author supports using reusable water bottles to help the environment

• The author thinks plastic waste is not a problem

• The author is unsure about the benefits of reusable water bottles

An informational text about volcanoes includes a section titled “How to Stay Safe During an Eruption.” What is the author’s purpose for including this section?

• To inform readers about safety measures during a volcanic eruption

• To entertain readers with stories about volcanoes

• To persuade readers to visit volcanoes

• To describe the history of volcanoes

After reading an article about the importance of exercise, you notice the author includes both the benefits and possible risks of exercising too much. What does this suggest about the author’s perspective?

• The author is only interested in the risks of exercise

• The author wants to provide a balanced view on exercise

• The author does not believe in exercising

• The author is trying to scare readers

An author writes an informational text about the water cycle and uses diagrams to show each stage. What is the main reason the author includes these diagrams?

• To make the text look more colorful

• To help readers understand the stages of the water cycle

• To entertain readers with pictures

• To persuade readers to study science

You read an article where the author repeatedly mentions the importance of protecting endangered animals and provides examples of animals that have gone extinct. What is the author’s perspective?

• The author does not care about endangered animals

• The author believes protecting endangered animals is important

• The author thinks extinction is not a problem

• The author is unsure about the topic