Author's Purpose
Grammar
Figurative Language
Non-Fiction Text Structures
Random
100
EXPLAIN THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE BEHIND WRITING THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE.
Place four eggs in a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by one inch. Slowly bring the water to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the pan from the burner. Cover it and let the eggs sit for about ten minutes. Then, drain the water from the pan. You will notice, though, that a hot hard-boiled egg is not easy to peel. To cool the eggs, rinse them with cold water. Then, when you're ready to peel an egg, gently tap it on the counter until the shell cracks.
Expository: To explain how to make boiled eggs.
100
Which sentence uses a comma correctly?
A. Lila studied for hours, and she still felt nervous.
B. Lila studied for hours and, she still felt nervous.
C. Lila, studied for hours and she still felt nervous.
D. Lila studied, for hours and she still felt nervous.
A.
A comma before a coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses.
100
DETERMINE THE FIGURE OF SPEECH FEATURED IN THIS SENTENCE.
You've reached Steven Chapman's voicemail. Please leave a detailed message at the beep, and I will return your call at my earliest convenience.
Onomatopoeia
100
Where can you find information in a non-fiction text with chapter titles and which page to find the chapter, located at the beginning of a book?
The Table of Contents.
100
Which word in the sentence is a pronoun?
'After the team won the game, they celebrated loudly.'
The pronoun in this sentence is "they."
200
Our school's plan to start classes at 7:15 a.m. ignores a significant body of scientific research. Multiple studies by sleep researchers at major universities have concluded that adolescents experience a biological shift in their sleep cycles during puberty. This shift makes it nearly impossible for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 p.m. — no matter how disciplined they are.
Argumentative: To persuade the reader that adolescents should not attend school so early.
200
Choose the correct verb form: 'Neither the players nor the coach ___ happy with the result.'
A. were
B. are
C. was
D. is
Verb agrees with closest subject.
('coach' = singular 'was').
200
Which sentence contains a simile?
A. The moon climbed slowly over the mountains.
B. Her laughter was music to his ears.
C. He ran like the wind across the finish line.
D. The stars whispered secrets to the night.
C.
'He ran like the wind' uses 'like' to compare — that's a simile.
200
Which kind of text structure would be used in:
A book about ancient Greece explains how the Spartan women were different from the Athenian women.
or
A book about moths and butterflies describes how they are similar and how they are different.
Compare and contrast writing
200
What is a CONJUNCTION's role in a sentence?
A conjunction connects words, phrases, clauses, or sentences, establishing relationships between different parts of a sentence.
Remember: FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
300
EXPLAIN THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE BEHIND WRITING THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE.
Despite popular belief, most bats are not blind. Many species have excellent vision, especially in low light. Their nighttime lifestyle developed not because they cannot see by day, but because the night offers an ecological advantage: fewer predators and less competition for food.
Informative: To inform people that bats are not blind.
300
Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?
A. The childrens' playground was rebuilt last summer.
B. The children's playground was rebuilt last summer.
C. The childrens playground was rebuilt last summer.
D. The children's' playground was rebuilt last summer.
B.
'Children' is irregular plural; possessive = children's.
300
DETERMINE THE FIGURE OF SPEECH FEATURED IN THIS SENTENCE.
"Judge Taylor looked daggers at Atticus, as if daring him to speak."
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Idiom - his eyes looked "sharply" or aggressively at Atticus.
300
What kind of text structure would be used in:
a book about weather, showing how specific weather patterns can cause extreme weather such as a blizzard or a hurricane.
or
A book about volcanoes describes how eruptions occur when an opening develops in the Earth’s crust and the molten (magma) is forced through the crack.
Cause and effect
300
What kind of writing narrates an event or story with characters, setting, conflict, point of view, and plot?
Daily Double Bonus: What kind of graphic organizer is used to track information from this type of writing?
Narrative writing
Daily Double Bonus: You may use a plot map graphic organizer to track information from this type of writing.
400
I step outside. First, it's a quick, cold intake of breath, then a warm, cloudy exhale into the new winter day. Dots of ice—tiny, sharp, frozen drops land and vanish on my still-warm cheeks.
I am packaged in wool, fleece, and thick nylon on top, and my feet are sheltered in warm rubber boots. "Shhh shhh shhh," whisper my snow pants as I walk.
One inch of snow is everywhere now, and the quiet world says, "shush." Weightless crystals glint in the light around me. It is the first one—the first day of snow!
How does this passage show that the author's purpose is to describe the experience of going outside in the snow?
The author uses sensory language that appeals to the readers' senses - shhh shhh shhh and tiny, sharp frozen drops.
400
ADD 1 COMMA IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE TO MAKE IT GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT.
SS Central America sank in 1857 but nearly one thousand ounces of gold were recovered from
SS Central America sank in 1857, but nearly one thousand ounces of gold were recovered from
400
DETERMINE THE FIGURE OF SPEECH FEATURED IN THIS SENTENCE.
"Let the rain kiss you."
—Langston Hughes, "April Rain Song"
Personification
400
This type of non-fiction text structure presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen. This is often found in expository writing (written to explain how to do something or how something happened).
Chronological, Process, or Sequence
Uses transitions like "first," "then," "next," "finally," etc.
When used to tell how to do something, it is called "procedural."
400
When pluralizing something in writing, when do you add "-es"?
If the word ends in:
-"s," "z," "x," "sh," or "ch"
-consonant + "o"
-consonant + "y" --> change the "y" to "i" and add "es"
500
1. A pamphlet urging people not to eat animals or use products made from animals or animal suffering because the author thinks that is cruel and unnecessary.
2. An instructional booklet describing how to operate an MP3 player.
3. The Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, where two young lovers are forbidden from seeing one another due to a centuries old blood feud between their two families.
1. Argumentative (Persuasive)
2. Explain (Expository)
3. Entertain
500
Determine where to put the correct "to/too/two" and "your/you're" by rewriting the sentence.
[Your/you're] so lucky. Mom said you get [to/too/two] bring [to/too/two] of [your/you're] friends [to/too/two] the beach. I want [to/too/two], [to/too/two]!
You're so lucky. Mom said you get to bring two of your friends to the beach! I want to, too!
500
Carrie gazed at the ancient pug that seemed to sleep all day and noted, "You're an energetic puppy!"
Verbal irony
500
Which kind of text structure would be used in:
A book about climate change explains what causes it and what we can do to reverse the dangers.
or
An article about social media being linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression in young people, so Australia and other countries are banning its use for those under the age of 16.
Problem and solution
500
DETERMINE THE ADVERBS IN THE STORY BELOW. Hint: there are 8 of them!
At lunchtime, students at our school quickly rush to the cafeteria. They stand impatiently in line because the food in our cafeteria tastes great. The sandwiches are piled high with meat. The money flows out of their pockets quickly to buy the delicious food. The pizza never disappoints them. The students swallow their food greedily. They are extremely fast eaters. After lunch, the students move quite slowly to their 4th hour classes.
quickly, impatiently, high, quickly, never, greedily, extremely, slowly