Identifying Author's Purpose (Grade 6)
A worksheet for 6th graders to practice identifying the author's purpose (to persuade, inform, or entertain) in various texts.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Identifying Author's Purpose
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read each passage or statement carefully. Determine the author's main purpose for writing: to persuade, to inform, or to entertain. Circle the correct answer for multiple-choice questions and write your answer for short-response questions.
Passage 1: The Giant Panda
Giant pandas are native to south-central China. They are easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around their eyes, over the ears, and across their round body. Though they are classified as carnivores, their diet consists almost exclusively of bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even birds or rodents. However, in captivity, they are fed bamboo, sugarcane, rice porridge, and specially prepared biscuits. Giant pandas are an endangered species, with fewer than 2,000 believed to be living in the wild.
1. What is the author's primary purpose in Passage 1?
To entertain the reader with a story about pandas.
To persuade readers to donate to panda conservation.
To inform the reader about giant pandas.
To describe the best places to see pandas.
Passage 2: The Boy Who Could Fly
Once upon a time, in a small village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived a boy named Leo. Leo was like any other boy, except for one secret: he could fly! Not with wings or a machine, but with pure joy. Whenever he laughed with all his heart, he would float up into the sky, soaring above the rooftops and dancing with the clouds. His greatest adventure began when a grumpy dragon stole the village's favorite bell, and only Leo's joyful flight could retrieve it.
2. What is the author's primary purpose in Passage 2?
To inform readers about the history of dragons.
To entertain the reader with a fictional story.
To persuade readers to learn how to fly.
To explain how joy can make you fly.
Passage 3: Why You Should Adopt a Pet
Are you considering getting a new furry friend? Instead of buying from a breeder, consider adopting from a local animal shelter. There are countless loving animals waiting for their forever homes. Adopting a pet gives a deserving animal a second chance at life and helps reduce the number of homeless pets. Plus, adoption fees are often much lower than purchasing a pet, and most animals from shelters are already spayed/neutered and vaccinated. Give a shelter pet a chance to bring joy into your home!
3. What is the author's primary purpose in Passage 3?
To inform readers about different types of pets.
To entertain readers with stories of adopted animals.
To persuade readers to adopt pets from shelters.
To describe the process of buying a pet.
Read each statement and determine the author's purpose. Write 'Persuade', 'Inform', or 'Entertain' in the blank.
4. A recipe for baking chocolate chip cookies.
5. A television commercial urging you to buy a new smartphone.
6. A thrilling mystery novel about a detective solving a puzzling case.
7. Think of a time you read something that made you laugh. What was the author's purpose, and how did you know?