Cause/Effect
Kira was so pleased. She looked at the award on her desk. She had won first place in the piano contest. It was such a good feeling to have some confidence. Before she won the award, she did not believe in her ability. Now she knew better.
What effect did the award have on Kira?
What is Kira now had confidence in herself (ability)?
Lantern fish are very unusual. They have organs, or glands, on the sides of the head and body, which give off light much like a lantern. Whether it swims deep in the ocean or up near the surface, the lantern fish lights its own way.
The lantern fish lights up so that:
A) people can see it.
B) it can see where it is going.
C) its enemies will know it's coming.
What is "B"?
San Francisco is the best city in the world. It has parks, surfing areas and interesting buildings. Did you know the city is built on 43 hills? A terrible earthquake hit San Francisco in 1906. Much of the city had to be rebuilt. Today people catch crabs and clams in San Francisco Bay. What is the author's purpose?
What is "to persuade you to believe that San Francisco is the best city in the world"?
Many types of bacteria are helpful. For example, some are able to take nitrogen from the air. They then put it into the soil. This makes the soil better for growing plants. Some bacteria are helpful in making cheese. Other bacteria are helpful in making vinegar.
What is the main idea of this text passage?What is "C.) Some types of bacteria helps humans."?
Why didn't Maria know what to order?
What is there were so many choices?
Sea otters are excellent swimmers. They dive deep in the water to gather clams for their food. When night comes, the sea otter wraps itself in seaweed near the shore. The weeds make a soft anchor that keeps the otter from floating into open water near the dangerous sharks. Make an inference about sea weed.
What is "seaweed is important for the safety of the sea otters"?
Julie and her mother went shopping. First, they went to the bank. Inside the bank there was a large box where money was kept. Julie's mother told Julie not to touch the box or an alarm would go off. Julie touched the box by mistake.
What was the author's purpose?
What is "to entertain you with a story about a girl who did not listen to her mother"?
Long ago people often got lost when they traveled far from home. Many roads were without signs. Other roads had signs that just pointed to the next town. Only when roads were named or given numbers were people able to find their way without getting lost.
The paragraph is mostly about...
What is "why people got lost long ago"?
Mrs. Smith drove up to the bank's automatic teller (ATM). The machine wasn't working. Mrs. Smith was in a hurry so she didn't have time to go inside. She rarely went into the bank. The last time she had to go inside was months ago when she applied for a loan. She parked her car and rushed inside.
Why did Mrs. Smith go into the bank?
What is "because the ATM wasn't working"?
There are 5 quarts of blood in an adult's body. The 5 quarts pass through the heart in about 1 minute when the body is resting. When the person is working very hard, all 5 quarts pass through the heart about two-and-a-half times in just 1 minute. What can you conclude about the speed of blood?
What is "blood moves faster when someone is working hard (exercising)?
In a new kind of rodeo, cowboys or cowgirls try to ride wild mules instead of horses. People who have seen a mule rodeo say the mules are much wilder than horses. Mule raisers send their wildest, meanest, most stubborn mules to the rodeos. What was the author's purpose?
What is "to inform you about mule rodeos"?
Rattlesnakes do most of their hunting at night. They do not locate their enemies by sight. They can tell just where the animal is by the heat the enemy gives off. The snakes have a pair of organs that tell them the location of their warm-blooded enemies.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
What is "how rattlesnakes locate their enemies at night"?
The house had been for sale for months. It had a fresh coat of paint, and beautiful flowers were blooming in the garden. The house was perfect except for one thing. The house was near some train tracks. Trains rumbled by the house several times a day. People didn't like the noise.
What effect did the noise of the trains have on people?
What is "they didn't want to buy the house"?
What is "die of starvation"?
Mrs. Jefferson met the class at the museum door. She would be their guide for the day. She took them to see the dinosaur skeleton. The children were a little scared when they saw how big it was and how many sharp, pointy teeth it had. It was the best thing they saw all day. What is the author's purpose?
What is "to entertain you with a story about the best thing a class saw at the museum"?
For decades, drinking eight glasses of water every day has been recommended by various health professionals in order to prevent dehydration in adults. There are many signs of dehydration, including dry lips, sunken eyes, rapid breathing, and in extreme cases, confusion. However, the best way to determine if you are becoming dehydrated is whether you are thirsty.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
What is "It is mostly about the signs of dehydration."?
Mrs. Boyd heard about the damage caused by the hurricane. She wrote a letter to the Red Cross. Her company wanted to help the victims of the hurricane. She sent a check. All the company's workers had contributed to it. She also had told the Red Cross what a great job they were doing.
Why did Mrs. Boyd write to the Red Cross?
What is "She wanted to help the victims of the hurricane AND to tell them what a great job they were doing"
You can use invisible ink to write secret messages. Just dip a toothpick in juice or onion juice, and use it to write your message on paper. Let the juice dry. Later your friend can make the message appear by holding the paper next to a hot lightbulb. Make an inference about how the message shows up.
What is "the heat from the light bulb makes the message show up"?
Whippets make great pets. The whippet is a beautiful dog. It looks like a little greyhound. Whippets are graceful. They are very quick because they were bred to race. It is a pleasure to watch them run. The best thing about a whippet is its gentle nature. It makes a loving and loyal friend. What is the author's purpose? How do you know?
What is "to persuade you that whippets make great pets"?
What is "used words like 'beautiful, graceful, pleasure, loving, loyal, gentle"?
Honeybees form large hives. There are thousands of bees in a hive. One bee is the queen. She lays the eggs. Some bees gather nectar and pollen from flowers to make honey. Other bees protect the hive. Some bees keep the hive clean. Still other bees help the queen.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
What is "Each bee has a job to do in a beehive."