Informative & Explanatory Writing — Practice · Grade 6 English

Chapter: Writing

What this practice covers

By the end of Informative & Explanatory Writing you should be able to:

15 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: informative/explanatory writing, topic sentence, elaboration, transition, concluding statement.

Problem 1

What is the main purpose of informative/explanatory writing?
  1. To tell an exciting personal story
  2. To argue against someone else's opinion
  3. To persuade the reader to take a side
  4. To explain a topic clearly and fairly
Answer and explanation

To explain a topic clearly and fairly

Informative writing aims to explain and build understanding, not to persuade or entertain.

Problem 2

Which sentence is a topic sentence that still needs elaboration to be complete?
  1. Volcanoes are interesting.
  2. About 75% of the world's active volcanoes ring the Pacific Ocean.
  3. For example, Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.
  4. Volcanoes form in three main ways, one being where plates pull apart.
Answer and explanation

Volcanoes are interesting.

"Volcanoes are interesting" is vague and adds no real information yet — it needs facts or examples to develop it.

Problem 3

What job do transition words like 'for example' and 'as a result' do in informative writing?
  1. They make the piece longer
  2. They guide the reader from one idea to the next so the writing feels connected
  3. They prove the writer's opinion is correct
  4. They replace the need for a topic sentence
Answer and explanation

They guide the reader from one idea to the next so the writing feels connected

Transitions act like road signs, connecting ideas so a piece reads as one explanation instead of a pile of separate facts.

Problem 4

A student writing an informative report on sharks includes the sentence 'Sharks are the most awesome animals in the whole ocean.' Why doesn't this sentence belong, and how could it be fixed?
Answer and explanation

The sentence states a personal opinion ('most awesome'), but informative writing is supposed to explain the topic fairly, not praise it. It could be fixed by replacing it with a fact, such as 'Some shark species can detect a single drop of blood diluted in a large amount of water,' which explains why sharks are remarkable without giving an opinion.

Problem 5

A body paragraph opens with 'Recycling helps the planet' and then jumps straight to the next paragraph. What is missing, and how could the writer fix it?
Answer and explanation

The paragraph is missing elaboration — specific facts, examples, or explanations that develop the point. The writer could fix it by adding details, such as how much energy is saved by recycling a certain material, or what happens to trash that isn't recycled, so the reader understands how recycling helps rather than just being told that it does.

Problem 6

Write a topic sentence and one elaborating detail for a body paragraph about how honeybees make honey, in a report whose topic is introduced as 'Honeybees turn flower nectar into honey through a series of steps.'
Answer and explanation

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.'

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.'

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

Plan a clearer explanatory paragraph without turning it into unsupported persuasion.
Answer and explanation

Define the pathways, explain how surface conditions can affect them and use the labeled model to show accounting. Do not conclude every garden is superior or invent measured results. Explain a process before recommending a policy.

Define the pathways, explain how surface conditions can affect them and use the labeled model to show accounting. Do not conclude every garden is superior or invent measured results. Explain a process before recommending a policy.

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

Identify the precise error and write a corrected explanation.
Answer and explanation

Explain runoff, infiltration and storage with their conditions. The source supplies a mechanism, not evidence for an unlimited policy claim. A recommendation would need additional site evidence and comparison.

Explain runoff, infiltration and storage with their conditions. The source supplies a mechanism, not evidence for an unlimited policy claim. A recommendation would need additional site evidence and comparison.

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

Compare the reasoning in the two cases. What method transfers, and which source detail must be checked again?
Answer and explanation

In the first case, Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' In the changed case, Define the pathways, explain how surface conditions can affect them and use the labeled model to show accounting. Do not conclude every garden is superior or invent measured results. Explain a process before recommending a policy. 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, Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' In the changed case, Define the pathways, explain how surface conditions can affect them and use the labeled model to show accounting. Do not conclude every garden is superior or invent measured results. Explain a process before recommending a policy. 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

Explain how two relevant details support the model’s conclusion. Name the actual words or actions rather than writing “the text says.”
Answer and explanation

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.'

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.'

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

Write a fair alternative or a meaningful limitation to this conclusion, then explain which evidence would test it.
Answer and explanation

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' 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.

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' 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

A student copies the conclusion without giving any evidence. Add a supporting detail and the missing reasoning.
Answer and explanation

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' Name the relevant detail before explaining its connection. A conclusion alone does not demonstrate the method.

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' 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

Use the linked local reading to write one developed paragraph applying this unit. Cite a chapter, paragraph or distinctive brief phrase.
Answer and explanation

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' 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.

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' 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

Revise a sentence from your response so its meaning and scope are more precise. Show both versions and explain the change.
Answer and explanation

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' Replace an unsupported always/proves claim with the scope the record supports. A language revision must preserve intended meaning.

Topic sentence: 'The process begins when worker bees collect nectar from flowers.' Elaboration: 'A single worker bee may visit more than a thousand flowers in one trip, storing the nectar in a special stomach used only for carrying it back to the hive.' 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

Explain this method to a younger learner with one example and one warning about an error.
Answer and explanation

A topic names a subject; a central idea states what the text explains about that subject. Read the full selection, identify its question and distinguish a main claim from an illustrative example. An objective summary attributes disputed claims to their source without adding the summarizer’s approval. Use an example from the supplied case and explain the limit in ordinary language.

A topic names a subject; a central idea states what the text explains about that subject. Read the full selection, identify its question and distinguish a main claim from an illustrative example. An objective summary attributes disputed claims to their source without adding the summarizer’s approval. 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.

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