Author's Tone and Purpose

Indicate whether the primary purpose of each sentence is to inform, to instruct, to persuade, or to entertain.

 If you spend a dollar every minute, it will take you about twenty centuries to spend a billion dollars. 

• Persuade
• Inform
• Entertain
• Instruct

By selling candy and other junk food in the lunchroom, public schools are teaching poor nutrition; such “lessons” should not be allowed. 

• Inform
• Persuade
• Entertain
• Instruct

I asked my boss for a raise, so he moved my office from the basement to the second floor. 

• Inform
• Persuade
• Instruct
• Entertain

People should not be allowed to have children until they take a parenting class. 

• Inform
• Instruct
• Entertain
• Persuade

How to Make an Apple Mummy—Put an apple slice in a plastic cup. Mix 1⁄2 cup of baking soda and 1⁄2 cup of salt. Pour the mixture over the apple until the apple slice is completely covered. Store the apple slice away from light and moisture for one week. 

• Inform
• Persuade
• Instruct
• Entertain

Between 93 and 95 percent of all fertile married couples choose to have children. 

• Entertain
• Instruct
• Persuade
• Inform

Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids. 

• Inform
• Persuade
• Instruct
• Entertain

Have your eyes checked at the We Care Eye Care Center, where we sell glasses at a discount to families. 

• Entertain
• Persuade
• Instruct
• Inform

Write the letter of the tone that applies to the passage. 

1Strawberries are now available in the markets, and what a winning crop! 2In contrast to last year’s berries, which were badly affected by poor weather conditions, these are plentiful, delicious, and relatively inexpensive. 3They will make a fine climax to any meal, whether under a dollop of sour cream laced with brown sugar or crushed over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 4In fact, these luscious berries are so sweet, they can stand very well on their own. 5Strawberry lovers won’t be disappointed. 

• enthusiastic
• forgiving
• ironic
• annoyed

1I visited my grandmother in a nursing home yesterday. 2Ninety-two years old and partially paralyzed by a stroke, she now struggles to feed herself and is irreversibly bound to her bed or wheelchair. 3Once vital and fiercely independent, she is now frail and incapable of even using the bathroom unassisted. 4Mortified by her dependence on others, her moods range from quiet acceptance to whining complaint. 5I do not see evidence of a divine plan in this situation. 6Maybe there is no divine plan, or perhaps I am just not wise enough to see it. 

• Ironic
• Distressed
• Annoyed
• Forgiving