RI 6.5 Parts of Text Structure Practice!

Which organizational structure does the text below primarily use?

When the Apollo 13 mission took off, its goal was to land on the moon. However, before it reached the moon, an onboard oxygen tank exploded, damaging the spacecraft and reducing its power. The astronauts faced a life-threatening situation. NASA quickly developed an emergency plan. The three astronauts climbed into the lunar landing module onboard the spacecraft. Though initially intended to keep two men alive while landing on the moon, the lunar module would now help all three return home. The astronauts rerouted their ship to slingshot around the moon, using the moon's gravity to propel them back to Earth. They survived to land safely back in the ocean.

• Problem-solution

• Compare-contrast

• Description

• Chronological

Which organizational structure does the text primarily use?

Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall were both great African American civil rights leaders, but they endorsed differing approaches. King, a preacher, advocated civil disobedience (peaceful protest) and was jailed for his efforts. Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer, brought legal actions in court instead. Marshall filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of African Americans who were denied their rights, taking many cases to the Supreme Court. Marshall was the winning lawyer in Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 case declaring school segregation unconstitutional. When King began leading protests and boycotts, Marshall disapproved of his breaking the law. But Marshall, who worked for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), used NAACP funds to bail out King's followers.

• Compare-contrast

• Sequential

• Description

• Cause and Effect

Which organizational structure does the text primarily use? *

To be nominated as a major party's candidate for president of the United States requires endurance. The process can be confusing to voters, but the basics are clear. First, the candidate must comply with each state's legal requirements to get his or her name listed for the primary elections and caucuses. Then, the candidate must campaign and win votes in the primaries and caucuses. Those votes determine how many delegates supporting that candidate will attend the Party's nominating convention. The various state elections stretch over many months, from February to June. At last, the summer before the election, the Party holds its national convention. There, all the states' delegates gather to formally select their Party's presidential candidate.

• Sequential/Chronological

• Compare-contrast

• Cause and Effect

• Description

Which of the following best describes the structure of the text? *

Clouds get their names in two ways. One way is by where they are found in the sky. Some clouds are high up in the sky. Low clouds form closer to Earth’s surface. In fact, low clouds can even touch the ground. These clouds are called fog. Middle clouds are found between low and high clouds. Another way clouds are named is by their shape. Cirrus clouds are high clouds. They look like feathers. Cumulus clouds are middle clouds. These clouds look like giant cotton balls in the sky. Stratus clouds are low clouds. They cover the sky like bedsheets.

• The author describes the height of different kinds of clouds and then gives examples of their shapes.

• The author lists all of the different names of clouds and describes how quickly each kind of cloud moves.

• The author compares the shapes of large clouds to the shapes of smaller clouds.

• The author explains the science behind how clouds form.

How does paragraph 2 contribute to the development of Eliza in the text? *

"Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore wished to turn the 'old dump heaps' along the Potomac River Basin in Washington, D.C., into a beautiful park by planting Japanese cherry trees. But no one listened. Eliza, who had grown up in the capital during the Civil War, didn’t want to become a mother, nurse, or teacher like other girls of her time. Instead, she became a successful writer of articles and books, earning enough money to travel the world. She also became the first woman elected to the board of the National Geographic Society. Still active today, the society is committed to exploring and protecting our planet."

• It shows how Eliza challenged what was expected of her in her time.

• It reveals why Eliza was always interested in cherry blossoms.

• It proves that Eliza ignored many of her responsibilities.

• It reveals that Eliza's actions offended many people during her time.

How does the author introduce the subject of ski wax? *

"When the world’s top skiers face off this week at the Winter Olympics, they will be relying on years of training, mental preparation — and a good deal of chemistry. The chemistry of ski wax. The fastest skiers usually have the fastest skis. And speedy skis need their bottoms waxed with the right stuff. All ski wax is not the same. The recipe an athlete uses must be tailored to match the feats they’ll attempt and the snow they’ll encounter. A wetter snow, for instance, will require a different wax than dry fluff. And downhill racers get a different recipe than cross-country skiers."

• He describes his personal experiences using ski wax.

• He acknowledges the risks of using ski wax during a race.

• He stresses the important role that ski wax plays in races.

• He discusses how difficult it is to develop the right ski wax formula.

The following paragraph appears in the MIDDLE of an article, titled "The Underground Railroad," about several heroes who helped slaves escape. How might it contribute to the ideas developed throughout the text?

Perhaps the most outstanding “conductor” of the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman. Born a slave herself, after she escaped to Philadelphia, she began working on the railroad to free her family members. Throughout the 1850s, Tubman made 19 separate trips into slave territory. She was terribly serious about her mission. She threatened to shoot any slave who had second thoughts with the pistol she carried on her hip. By the end of the decade, she was responsible for freeing about 300 slaves. When the Civil War broke out, she used her knowledge from working the railroad to serve as a spy for the Union.

• The paragraph provides an example of a famous train conductor who shipped pistols to the North to help them win the war.

• The paragraph is used to show that Harriet Tubman is the only true hero of the Underground Railroad.

• The paragraph is used to provide an example of a famous woman who worked on the Underground Railroad and the great impact she had on history.

• The paragraph is used to demonstrate that most of the slaves that escaped to the North were shipped to the North on boxes in trains.

The following section appears in the BEGINNING of a text titled "Chocolate from Children." How does Sametta’s story in paragraph 2 contribute to the text?

Have you had some chocolate recently? Most Americans eat about 12 pounds of it each year! But many people don’t know that children in West Africa pick most of the world’s cocoa beans. (Cocoa is the main ingredient in chocolate.) People who buy chocolate are becoming more and more worried about child labor (the illegal work that children take part in).

Imagine this. Ten-year-old Sametta lives in Cote d’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast), a country in West Africa. She wakes up at 4:00 a.m., eats millet porridge, and then walks two miles to her family’s cocoa bean field. For the next 12 hours, she picks cocoa pods and then breaks them open. She scoops out the 30 to 50 seeds, or “beans,” that are inside the pods. (About 400 beans are needed to make one pound of chocolate.) Sametta does not have time to go to school. Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive. Her health is also at risk. The cocoa pods are sprayed with poisonous pesticides. She also uses a knife with a long, sharp blade when she works.

• Sametta’s story helps the reader better understand the author's purpose.

• Sametta’s story provides introductory details to help the reader get to know the topic.

• Sametta’s story shows readers how difficult the life of a child laborer is.

• Sametta’s story is a good example that shows how difficult the life of a child laborer is.

The following section called MAKING HER MARK appears in the MIDDLE an article titled "Simone Biles." How do these paragraphs contribute to the development of ideas in the text?

Since then, Simone has taken the gymnastics world by storm. She is the first female to win three straight All-Around World Championships, earning a total of 14 medals, 10 of them gold.

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Simone added five medals to her total: golds in team, individual all-around, vault, and floor exercise, and bronze on beam.

• They show how long Simone Biles has been competing in gymnastics.

• They help readers understand how hard Simone Biles has worked.

• They stress that sometimes even Simone Biles doesn’t win gold.

• They emphasize Simone Biles’ widespread success in gymnastics.