Free ParaPro Author's Purpose and Point of View Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage begins: 'Every student deserves access to quality education, regardless of income level. Schools must eliminate fees for extracurricular activities immediately.' What is the author's primary purpose?
- To entertain readers with a story about school clubs
- To persuade readers to support eliminating school activity fees (Correct answer)
- To inform readers about the history of extracurricular activities
- To describe a typical school day for low-income students
Correct answer: To persuade readers to support eliminating school activity fees
The author uses commanding language ('must eliminate') and an argument grounded in fairness to convince the reader of a specific position. This persuasive intent is the primary purpose. Informing would present facts neutrally, and entertaining would use narrative or humor.
Question 2: Which clue in a passage most strongly signals that the author's purpose is to inform rather than persuade?
- The passage uses emotional language like 'devastating' and 'urgent'
- The passage presents statistics from multiple studies without recommending any action (Correct answer)
- The passage ends with a call to action asking readers to donate
- The passage uses first-person pronouns like 'I believe'
Correct answer: The passage presents statistics from multiple studies without recommending any action
Objective presentation of data from multiple sources without pushing the reader toward a conclusion is a hallmark of informational writing. Emotional language, calls to action, and first-person opinion statements are all markers of persuasive writing.
Question 3: An author writes a humorous story about a dog who believes he is in charge of the household. The author's purpose is most likely to:
- Persuade readers to adopt rescue dogs
- Inform readers about dog behavior and training
- Entertain readers with a lighthearted narrative (Correct answer)
- Warn readers about the dangers of untrained pets
Correct answer: Entertain readers with a lighthearted narrative
A humorous story told from a playful perspective is written primarily to entertain. While it features a dog, it does not aim to teach training techniques (inform) or argue for a specific action (persuade). The lighthearted, narrative tone is the defining clue.
Question 4: A magazine article states: 'Scientists report that global temperatures have risen 1.1 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Researchers project further increases without significant emission reductions.' The author's point of view is best described as:
- Biased in favor of fossil fuel companies
- Objective, reporting scientific findings without personal opinion (Correct answer)
- Opposed to all industrial development
- Skeptical of climate research
Correct answer: Objective, reporting scientific findings without personal opinion
The passage uses neutral, reported speech ('scientists report,' 'researchers project') and presents data without inserting personal opinion or advocacy. This reflects an objective, informational point of view. None of the other options are supported by the neutral language used.
Question 5: A passage uses phrases like 'unfortunately,' 'the troubling reality is,' and 'we cannot ignore this crisis.' These words reveal that the author's tone is:
- Cheerful and optimistic
- Neutral and detached
- Concerned and urgent (Correct answer)
- Sarcastic and dismissive
Correct answer: Concerned and urgent
Words like 'unfortunately' and 'crisis' carry negative emotional weight, while 'we cannot ignore' implies urgency and calls for attention. Together these signal a tone that is concerned and urgent — the author wants readers to feel the seriousness of the issue.
Question 6: Two authors write about the same historical event. Author A focuses on military strategy; Author B focuses on the suffering of civilians. How do their points of view differ?
- Author A is biased while Author B is completely objective
- They choose different aspects of the same event, revealing different perspectives and priorities (Correct answer)
- Author B's account is more historically accurate
- Author A is persuading readers; Author B is entertaining them
Correct answer: They choose different aspects of the same event, revealing different perspectives and priorities
Both authors may be accurate and honest, but each selects different details that reflect their focus and perspective. This is a fundamental concept in understanding point of view: what an author chooses to highlight reveals their priorities and angle, not necessarily a bias or inaccuracy.
Free ParaPro Author's Purpose and Point of View Questions and Answers 2
A passage begins: 'Every student deserves access to quality education, regardless of income level.
Schools must eliminate fees for extracurricular activities immediately.' What is the author's primary purpose?