Author's Purpose — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A fiction novel and a science article have different purposes; the novel aims to entertain while the article aims to inform.
Fiction novels aim to entertain through storytelling; science articles aim to inform with facts.
2. An advertisement and a mystery story both grab attention, but the ad's purpose is to persuade.
Advertisements aim to persuade readers to buy; mystery stories aim to entertain.
3. A biography of Abraham Lincoln is written mainly to inform readers about his life.
Biographies present factual information about a person's life — their primary purpose is to inform.
4. Some texts have more than one purpose; a funny commercial both entertains and persuades.
A commercial that uses humor entertains the viewer while also persuading them to buy the product.
5. A poem about a beautiful sunset is most likely written to entertain the reader.
Descriptive poetry about beauty primarily aims to engage and entertain the reader.
6. "The rain forest is home to millions of species..." This text type is most likely a nonfiction article.
Factual content about the natural world is typically found in nonfiction articles.
7. A letter to the school principal asking for new playground equipment is written to persuade.
A letter requesting something aims to persuade the reader (principal) to agree and act.
8. An author's purpose is the main reason they wrote a particular text.
Author's purpose is the reason behind writing a text — to persuade, inform, or entertain.
9. A textbook chapter with diagrams and vocabulary words has the purpose of informing students.
Textbooks with diagrams and vocabulary are designed to teach (inform) students.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Fairy tale about a talking dragon
→ Entertain — engages readers with an imaginative story
Inform — reports facts about current events
Newspaper article about a local election
→ Inform — reports facts about current events
Persuade — convinces viewers to buy a product
Television commercial for cereal
→ Persuade — convinces viewers to buy a product
Inform — explains a natural phenomenon with facts
Encyclopedia entry about volcanoes
→ Inform — explains a natural phenomenon with facts
Entertain — engages readers with an imaginative story
Fairy tale = entertain; newspaper article = inform (current events); TV commercial = persuade; encyclopedia = inform (natural phenomenon).