Author's Purpose & Point of View — Practice · Grade 6 English
Chapter: Reading Informational TextWhat this practice covers
By the end of Author's Purpose & Point of View you should be able to:
- I can identify whether an author's purpose is to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain.
- I can find clues in word choice and tone that reveal an author's point of view.
- I can explain how an author conveys their point of view in a text.
16 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.
Vocabulary used: author's purpose, point of view, tone, loaded language.
Problem 1
- Describe the weather
- Inform
- Persuade
- Entertain
Answer and explanation
Persuade
An editorial arguing for a specific action is meant to persuade readers to agree with that position.
Problem 2
- Argue that bees are the best insect
- Persuade readers to buy honey
- Entertain with jokes
- Explain how something works
Answer and explanation
Explain how something works
Walking a reader through how a process works, step by step, is writing to explain.
Problem 3
- This reckless, foolish rule will hurt every family in town.
- The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.
- The new park opened in June.
- The vote passed 5 to 2.
Answer and explanation
This reckless, foolish rule will hurt every family in town.
Loaded words like 'reckless' and 'foolish' signal a strong personal opinion, not neutral reporting.
Problem 4
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to support the bike-share program. Point of view: strongly in favor. Revealing words include 'fantastic,' 'finally,' or 'lazy,' which show the author's positive opinion of the program (and negative view of the town's current habits) rather than neutral reporting.
Problem 5
Answer and explanation
Yes — for example, a funny article about saving water might entertain readers with jokes while also informing them of real water-saving tips. Usually one purpose still leads, but a text can serve more than one at once.
Problem 6
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students.
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 7
Answer and explanation
The organizer advocates and reports a small group’s preference. The supervisor raises a staffing constraint. The record reports use on two trial days; it does not directly establish learning gains or whole-school preference.
The organizer advocates and reports a small group’s preference. The supervisor raises a staffing constraint. The record reports use on two trial days; it does not directly establish learning gains or whole-school preference.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 8
Answer and explanation
A persuasive source can use numbers, accurately or inaccurately. Identify the audience and proposed response, then evaluate the number’s group, method and relevance separately from purpose.
A persuasive source can use numbers, accurately or inaccurately. Identify the audience and proposed response, then evaluate the number’s group, method and relevance separately from purpose.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 9
Answer and explanation
In the first case, Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. In the changed case, The organizer advocates and reports a small group’s preference. The supervisor raises a staffing constraint. The record reports use on two trial days; it does not directly establish learning gains or whole-school preference. The method of defining the relationship and testing relevant evidence transfers; the particular source detail and scope must be checked anew.
In the first case, Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. In the changed case, The organizer advocates and reports a small group’s preference. The supervisor raises a staffing constraint. The record reports use on two trial days; it does not directly establish learning gains or whole-school preference. The method of defining the relationship and testing relevant evidence transfers; the particular source detail and scope must be checked anew.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 10
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students.
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 11
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. Keep the conclusion limited to the given scene or source. A competing interpretation must explain rather than ignore the detail that supports the first reading.
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. Keep the conclusion limited to the given scene or source. A competing interpretation must explain rather than ignore the detail that supports the first reading.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 12
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. Name the relevant detail before explaining its connection. A conclusion alone does not demonstrate the method.
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. Name the relevant detail before explaining its connection. A conclusion alone does not demonstrate the method.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 13
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. The new paragraph must name its own source detail and explain how the same method fits it; this model is not a substitute for reading.
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. The new paragraph must name its own source detail and explain how the same method fits it; this model is not a substitute for reading.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 14
Answer and explanation
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. Replace an unsupported always/proves claim with the scope the record supports. A language revision must preserve intended meaning.
Purpose: to persuade readers to oppose cutting school buses. Point of view: strongly against the plan, conveyed through loaded language like 'a huge mistake' and 'plain carelessness,' and by playing down the town's money-saving reason while playing up the harm to students. Replace an unsupported always/proves claim with the scope the record supports. A language revision must preserve intended meaning.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 15
Answer and explanation
First make a literal account: who acts, what changes and who tells it. An inference goes beyond an explicit statement but must be supported by a specific action or phrase. A narrator’s opinion is evidence about that voice; it is not automatically the author’s opinion or an objective fact about a group. Use an example from the supplied case and explain the limit in ordinary language.
First make a literal account: who acts, what changes and who tells it. An inference goes beyond an explicit statement but must be supported by a specific action or phrase. A narrator’s opinion is evidence about that voice; it is not automatically the author’s opinion or an objective fact about a group. Use an example from the supplied case and explain the limit in ordinary language.
Response criteria
- Answer the actual question with accurate details.
- Explain how the evidence or language choice supports the conclusion.
- State a relevant limit, alternative or justified revision.
Problem 16
Answer and explanation
Rowan’s storm-drain role supports the focus on short-interval routes and doorways. Dev’s dry-period garden work supports the emphasis on storage and later availability. Neither excerpt proves that all people in the same region think alike or that either writer never considers the other concern.
Rowan’s storm-drain role supports the focus on short-interval routes and doorways. Dev’s dry-period garden work supports the emphasis on storage and later availability. Neither excerpt proves that all people in the same region think alike or that either writer never considers the other concern.
Response criteria
- Answer the specified question accurately.
- Use a relevant detail or demonstrate the requested language choice.
- Explain the reasoning and keep an appropriate scope.