Text Structures Practice

The flying beetle known as the firefly or lightning bug is named for its most noticeable feature: its nighttime bio-luminescence, or glow. The firefly's light-producing organ contains calcium, the pigment luciferin, the light-producing enzyme luciferase, and the chemical adenosine triphosphate (ATP). When oxygen is added to this mix, it creates light, and the insect glows. Scientists don't fully understand how the firefly makes its light blink, but one theory is that the firefly turns the light on and off by controlling the input of oxygen into the light-producing organ.

Which organizational structure does this text primarily use?

• problem and solution

• cause and effect

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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Chewing your fingernails can be an issue not only for how your hands look, but for your health, too. Your fingers may become infected, and your teeth may suffer damage. If you want to stop, it's best to address nail biting with a combination of "carrots" (positive rewards) and "sticks" (adverse consequences). For a "stick," you can paint your nails with bitter-tasting nail polish or another bad-tasting substance. You can also try wearing a rubber band around your wrist and snapping the rubber band whenever you're tempted to nibble your nails. As a "carrot," treat yourself to a massage, yoga, or other stress-reducing activities. Once you've succeeded in getting your nails healthy again, it should be easier to remember not to bite them.

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• problem-solution

• cause/effect

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CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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When a person ingests caffeine, whether in the form of a cup of coffee or tea, a caffeinated soda, or even a piece of dark chocolate, the drug begins to take effect almost immediately. First, caffeine enters the bloodstream through the membranes of the stomach and small intestine. It is then metabolized by the liver, which breaks it down into other chemicals. Within fifteen minutes of consumption, most people begin to feel the effects of caffeine, which can include increased heart rate and feelings of alertness or well-being. Within six hours of consumption, about half of the original dose of the drug will have been eliminated from the body. This is why some people drink a second cup of coffee in the afternoon.

Which organizational structure does this text primarily use?

• problem/solution

• sequence

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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Of the 1.3 billion residents of China, approximately 850 million speak Mandarin Chinese as their first language. For more than 60 million others, Cantonese Chinese is their first language. Although both languages are sometimes called "Chinese," the two sound so different that a Mandarin speaker and a Cantonese speaker cannot understand one another. Mandarin, spoken in Beijing and much of northern China, is the official language of mainland China. Cantonese, however, is more common in southern China and Hong Kong. Both languages are tonal, meaning that when pronouncing words, the voice must rise or fall in certain ways. However, Mandarin has four tones, while Cantonese has nine different ones.

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• sequence

• cause/effect

• problem/solution

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy swept onto the East Coast of the United States with peak winds hitting one hundred miles per hour. In addition to the strong winds, the storm generated heavy rain and flooding and resulted in more than one hundred deaths. Sandy also contributed to storm surges and rising water levels all along the coast, from Florida to Maine. Parts of New York experienced tides more than twelve feet above normal. More than eight million people lost their electricity. Dunes, boardwalks, and homes were destroyed. Overall, the storm produced more than fifty billion dollars in property damage and other losses.

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• cause/effect

• problem/solution

• description

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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A blacksmith makes objects such as tools, decorative items, horseshoes, and weapons from iron or steel. Before working with the metal, the blacksmith will first heat it. To do this, he or she places it in a fire or furnace, often holding it with tongs until it turns red hot. Then the metal is ready to work, and the blacksmith can hammer it flat, bend it, or twist it. As soon as the object is shaped just right, the blacksmith plunges it into a container of water. This quenches the metal, solidifying it quickly and hardening it.

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• problem / solution

• cause/effect

• sequential

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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Congress passed the Clean Water Act of 1972 to address the serious environmental crisis of water pollution. In New York's Hudson River, levels of toxic bacteria were 170 times the level considered safe. Oil floating on the the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio, burst into flames in 1969. Factories were dumping pollutants into waterways, untreated sewage flowed directly into rivers, and untold numbers of fish were dying. The Clean Water Act restricted discharges of pollution into the nation's waters and authorized the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce water quality regulations. It also provided money for sewage treatment plants. Although the work to clean up the nation's lakes and streams is ongoing, water quality today is much better than it was in the 1960s.

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• problem/solutoin

• sequence

• compare/contrast

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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In 1957, when the schools of Little Rock, Arkansas, were still segregated by race, nine African American students sought to attend the all-white Central High School. The reaction to their effort resounded throughout the country. On the first day of school, Governor Orval Faubus called upon the Arkansas National Guard to bar the nine students from entering the school, and a mob of protesters harassed and threatened them. In response to this embarrassing spectacle, President Eisenhower sent federal troops into Little Rock to protect the students, who became known as the Little Rock Nine. As Americans watched these events on television, the courage and grace of the Little Rock Nine helped turn the tide in favor of civil rights for African Americans.

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• sequential

• description

• cause/effect

• compare/contrast

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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Malaria and Zika are both diseases spread by mosquitos. Malaria is deadly, and people have been fighting it for centuries. Zika, though, emerged more recently. Although symptoms of a Zika infection are usually milder than those of a malaria infection, Zika is associated with birth defects in the babies of infected mothers. Malaria and Zika are spread by two distinct types of mosquitos: malaria by the Anopheles mosquito, and Zika by the Aedes mosquito. This means that different prevention techniques are recommended. Because Anopheles bite at night, using mosquito netting over beds can help people avoid malaria. Aedes, however, bite during the day. In areas where Zika is a concern, experts recommend using insect repellents and covering the skin with clothing.

Which organizational structure does this text primarily use?

• sequential

• problem/solution

• compare/contrast

• description

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

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In the 1990s, a group of women in the African country of Gambia organized to take action on plastic bags. Lacking any recycling programs, people had been throwing their used plastic bags on the ground, along with other trash. Because plastic doesn't decompose the way other waste does, piles of bags accumulated. What could they do? The women came up with a novel answer for the plastic bag puzzle. They collected and cleaned old bags, then reused them by cutting them into strips and crocheting or knitting items such as purses from the plastic. Selling their handiwork at markets, the women raised money for additional recycling programs, which enabled them to further reduce plastic litter.

Which organizational structure does this text primarily use?

• sequential

• problem/solution

• compare/contrast

• description

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.8.5