Text Structure — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Text 1 lists the rainforest's plants, animals, and weather using rich details. Its structure is description.
Description structure uses details and examples to help readers visualize a place or topic.
2. Text 2 explains how cutting trees in the rainforest causes habitat loss and climate change. Its structure is cause and effect.
Cause-and-effect structure connects an action like deforestation to its results, such as habitat loss.
3. Both texts cover the rainforest, but they have different structures.
Two texts can share a topic while using different structures to highlight different kinds of information.
4. A student writing about what a rainforest looks like should rely more on Text 1.
Text 1's descriptive structure provides the kind of sensory and detail-based information needed to picture the rainforest.
5. A student writing about why rainforests are in danger should rely more on Text 2.
Text 2's cause-and-effect structure explains the threats and consequences facing rainforests.
6. Words like 'leads to,' 'causes,' and 'results in' point to a cause and effect structure.
These signal words explicitly link causes to their effects, the hallmark of cause-effect organization.
7. Words like 'for example,' 'such as,' and 'including' are common in a description structure.
Descriptive transitions introduce examples and details that flesh out a topic.
8. Reading both texts together gives a fuller understanding of the rainforest than either alone.
Different structures spotlight different information, so reading both gives a more complete picture of the topic.
9. When comparing the two texts, a reader should notice which signal words and transitions each author chose.
Signal words and transitions are the clearest clues authors give about how their text is organized.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
'The canopy bursts with color: scarlet macaws, emerald frogs, and golden orchids.'
→ Description
Description
'When loggers clear trees, animals lose homes and rainfall patterns shift.'
→ Cause and effect
Cause and effect
'Unlike temperate forests, rainforests stay warm year-round, but both have layered canopies.'
→ Compare and contrast
Compare and contrast
'Many rainforests shrink each year; planting native trees can begin to restore them.'
→ Problem and solution
Problem and solution
Pairing excerpts with structures trains Grade 5 readers to identify organization quickly using transitions and content clues.