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The author’s purpose is the intention of the passage. The content of a passage offers clues about the author’s purpose in writing it.
• If the piece contains many comical details, the purpose is probably to amuse.
• If the author presents facts in an objective manner, the purpose is probably to inform.
• If the author uses argumentative language and reveals a bias, the purpose is probably to persuade.
• If the author explains an unfamiliar concept, the purpose is probably to explain.
• If the author narrates a story, the purpose is to tell a story.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage about Theodore Roosevelt. Then answer the questions that follow it.
• If the piece contains many comical details, the purpose is probably to amuse.
• If the author presents facts in an objective manner, the purpose is probably to inform.
• If the author uses argumentative language and reveals a bias, the purpose is probably to persuade.
• If the author explains an unfamiliar concept, the purpose is probably to explain.
• If the author narrates a story, the purpose is to tell a story.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage about Theodore Roosevelt. Then answer the questions that follow it.
Determining Author’s Purpose
1 Theodore Roosevelt held many positions during his life: police commissioner of New York City, governor of New York, secretary of the Navy, vice president, and president. Yet, the title he probably enjoyed most was being called the “Conservation President.”
2 Roosevelt’s first loves as a child were animals and the outdoors. At the age of seven, he started his own “natural history museum” with animals and plants he gathered. He became a keen observer of nature and was never found without a pencil and paper on which to take “scientific notes.” Yet, instead of becoming a naturalist, he chose a life of law and politics to honor his father. Nature became his hobby and passion.
3 In the 1880s, Roosevelt made his first trip west, to Dakota territory. It was a place he would return to again and again, especially when he needed to think. He believed the wilderness should remain a treasure for all.
4 Yet, over the years, Roosevelt began to notice progress creeping into Dakota Territory. Trees were being clear-cut. Lakes and streams were drying up. The buffalo population was nearly extinct. The promise of the western frontier would soon be gone if action wasn’t taken.
5 As a private citizen, he founded the Boone and Crockett Club in 1887. The Club pushed for laws to protect Yellowstone Park and the great sequoia trees in California, and successfully got the government to establish preserves for nature and sea life.
6 As an elected official, Roosevelt became a champion of environmental causes. As governor of New York, he worked to curb pollution in the waterways of the Adirondack Park. As president, he set about educating people about the dangers of pollution and how conservation was necessary to preserve natural areas for future generations to enjoy. During his presidency, the United States established 150 national forests, more than 50
bird and game reserves, 5 national parks, and 16 national monuments.
7 Thanks to the efforts of Theodore Roosevelt, endangered plants and animals and areas
of natural and historical significance have been saved from development.
2 Roosevelt’s first loves as a child were animals and the outdoors. At the age of seven, he started his own “natural history museum” with animals and plants he gathered. He became a keen observer of nature and was never found without a pencil and paper on which to take “scientific notes.” Yet, instead of becoming a naturalist, he chose a life of law and politics to honor his father. Nature became his hobby and passion.
3 In the 1880s, Roosevelt made his first trip west, to Dakota territory. It was a place he would return to again and again, especially when he needed to think. He believed the wilderness should remain a treasure for all.
4 Yet, over the years, Roosevelt began to notice progress creeping into Dakota Territory. Trees were being clear-cut. Lakes and streams were drying up. The buffalo population was nearly extinct. The promise of the western frontier would soon be gone if action wasn’t taken.
5 As a private citizen, he founded the Boone and Crockett Club in 1887. The Club pushed for laws to protect Yellowstone Park and the great sequoia trees in California, and successfully got the government to establish preserves for nature and sea life.
6 As an elected official, Roosevelt became a champion of environmental causes. As governor of New York, he worked to curb pollution in the waterways of the Adirondack Park. As president, he set about educating people about the dangers of pollution and how conservation was necessary to preserve natural areas for future generations to enjoy. During his presidency, the United States established 150 national forests, more than 50
bird and game reserves, 5 national parks, and 16 national monuments.
7 Thanks to the efforts of Theodore Roosevelt, endangered plants and animals and areas
of natural and historical significance have been saved from development.
Source: The Princeton Review (2001). READING STRATEGIES AND LITERARY ELEMENTS. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. pages 29-30