Reading Comprehension Text Structure and Organization 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage describes how the invention of the printing press led to the spread of literacy. What text structure is being used?
- Cause and effect (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
- Problem and solution
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Cause and effect
The passage explains how one event (the printing press) caused another outcome (spread of literacy), which is cause-and-effect structure.
Question 2: A paragraph first describes a city's traffic congestion and then proposes building a new subway line. What text structure does this represent?
- Sequence
- Problem and solution (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
- Descriptive
Correct answer: Problem and solution
Presenting an issue followed by a proposed remedy is the classic problem-and-solution text structure.
Question 3: Which signal word BEST indicates a compare-and-contrast text structure?
- Therefore
- Similarly (Correct answer)
- First
- Consequently
Correct answer: Similarly
'Similarly' signals comparison between two ideas, which is characteristic of compare-and-contrast structure.
Question 4: A passage lists the steps for conducting a science experiment in the order they must be performed. What text structure is this?
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Sequential/Chronological (Correct answer)
- Descriptive
Correct answer: Sequential/Chronological
When a text presents steps or events in the order they occur, it uses sequential or chronological structure.
Question 5: An author uses vivid sensory details to describe the sights, sounds, and smells of a busy marketplace. What text structure best describes this paragraph?
- Descriptive (Correct answer)
- Problem and solution
- Cause and effect
- Sequential
Correct answer: Descriptive
Using sensory details to paint a picture of a subject is the hallmark of descriptive text structure.
Question 6: A passage begins with a topic sentence and follows with three supporting facts. What is the organizational pattern?
- Compare and contrast
- Main idea with supporting details (Correct answer)
- Chronological order
- Problem and solution
Correct answer: Main idea with supporting details
A topic sentence followed by evidence or facts that reinforce it is the main-idea-with-supporting-details pattern.
Reading Comprehension Text Structure and Organization 1
A passage describes how the invention of the printing press led to the spread of literacy.
What text structure is being used?