Cause and Effect Analysis

Cause and Effect Analysis

Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Pay close attention to the cause and effect relationships described in the text.

Passage 1: The Great Flood

The small town of Willow Creek was nestled beside the mighty Willow River. One spring, unusually heavy rainfall began to fall, day after day. The ground became saturated, and the river started to swell. Soon, the water overflowed its banks, causing a massive flood that swept through the town. Many homes were damaged, and residents had to evacuate. As a result of the flood, the town's bridge was destroyed, and power lines were knocked down, leaving the town without electricity for several days.

1. What was the main cause of the flood in Willow Creek?

2. What was an effect of the flood on Willow Creek?

3. Because the ground became saturated, the river began to  .

4. Power lines were knocked down, which caused the town to be without   for several days.

Passage 2: The Curious Case of the Missing Cookies

When Emily arrived home from school, she eagerly headed to the kitchen, excited for her favorite chocolate chip cookies her mom had baked that morning. To her dismay, the cookie jar was empty! Emily knew her younger brother, Sam, loved cookies even more than she did. She also noticed a trail of crumbs leading from the kitchen to Sam's bedroom. Furthermore, Sam was humming happily, and a suspicious smudge of chocolate was on his cheek. Emily concluded that Sam had eaten all the cookies.

5. True or False: Sam's humming happily was a cause of the missing cookies.

6. True or False: The trail of crumbs was an effect of Sam eating the cookies.

7. Explain how Emily used cause and effect to figure out what happened to the cookies.