Question

summary
writers choose a structure that helps enhance and fulfill their purpose. some structures are better suited for one purpose than for another. to identify the structure and purpose of a text, you can ask yourself these questions: what is the relationship among the ideas in this text? what is the authors reason for writing? how does this structure help the author achieve his or her purpose?

vocabulary review
directions: complete the sentences using the following key terms and vocabulary words.
determine effective parallel plots problem-and-solution structure

1. the author used a _______________ in her article about dealing with water shortage during a drought.
2. she needed to _____________ which text structure would be most _____________ in making her point.
3. the novelist used _______________ to describe two characters who grew up in the same family lead very different lives.

skill review
directions: read the passage below. then choose the best answer to each question.

on march 24, 1989, a 987-foot oil tanker named the exxon valdez crashed into a reef in alaska. the ship was filled with oil. after the crash, approximately 11 million gallons of oil gushed out of the tanker into the prince william sound in alaska. by the end of the week, an oil slick spread across a huge area of formerly pristine alaskan coastline. the oil covered more than one thousand miles of shoreline and threatened to poison millions of animals living on the coast.
because oil is lighter than water, it spreads over the waters surface and washes up on beaches. it poisons the fish, shellfish, land animals, and birds that come in contact with it. rescuers in alaska tried to help the otters and waterfowl that had been coated with oil. despite the rescuers tireless efforts, thousands of animals died.

1. what is the main structure of the passage?

a. cause-and-effect
b. compare-and-contrast
c. description
d. problem-and-solution

1. how does the structure help achieve the purpose for writing?

a. it helps readers understand what can cause an oil tanker to crash.
b. it helps readers understand how the spill affected the oil industry.
c. it helps readers understand why the spill was devastating to wildlife.
d. it helps readers understand the differences between healthy beaches and polluted beaches.

Explanation:

Vocabulary Review

1. The sentence focuses on addressing a water shortage problem, so the matching structure term is used.
2. The first blank needs a verb to mean figure out, and the second needs an adjective for successful communication.
3. The sentence describes two separate character storylines in a novel, so the matching literary structure term is used.

Skill Review

1. The passage explains the crash (cause) and its environmental outcomes (effects).
2. The cause-and-effect structure links the oil spill to harm to wildlife, showing the disaster's impact.

Answer:

Vocabulary Review

1. problem-and-solution structure
2. determine; effective
3. parallel plots

Skill Review

1. A. cause-and-effect
2. C. It helps readers understand why the [spill] was devastating to wildlife.