Organization Purpose Practice-MRJH-7th Grade ELAR

We called our robot Nomad. We had designed it to explore remote places, just as a space robot explores other planets. Nomad had to be able to travel over rough ground and drive for long distances. It had to be able to look arounds, study objects that we had programmed it to look for, and send its information back to humans. So we gave Nomad a sturdy frame, four wheels, lots of sensors and computers, and wireless access so that humans could communicate with it.

Nomad had already explored a dessert in South America, but before we went to Antarctica we had to make some changes. We added heaters to keep the computers and sensors warm, and we added studs to the tires so Nomad could move on the ice without slipping.

The author structures the above paragraphs so that they –

• show that Nomad has been searching for meteorites for a long time.

• explain the changes that were made to Nomad before it could be used at the South Pole.

• report early success Nomad had while meteorite hunting in South America.

• emphasize the difficulties Nomad might encounter while being used in Antarctica.

Mother kept a large bowl of fruit on the buffet in the dining room of our home. Depending on the season, the bowl held mangoes or sweet limes, pomegranates or guavas, papayas or apples, as well as bananas, and oranges. In short, the bowl held everything monkeys like, except peanuts.

One morning Mother came walking in from the back garden, through the veranda and past the kitchen. She had just picked roses and thought they would look nice in a vase placed beside the fruit bowl. But when she walked into the dining room, there it was! Sitting right next to the bowl and helping herself to its contents was a mother monkey.

The author includes paragraph 1 most likely to show –

• why his mother decided to fill a bowl with fruits that monkeys like

• why he often encountered monkeys when living in India

• what similarities his family had with the monkey

• what tempted the monkey to come into his family’s house.

Before the late 1800s the construction of tall buildings wasn’t very practical. Early building materials such as clay and stone were heavy. To support the weight of high walls, the base of a building had to be thick and wide, restricting usable space in the lower part of the structure. Too many windows made the walls weak, so tall buildings were often dark inside. With stairs providing the only way up, reaching the top of a tall structure meant climbing a seemingly endless flight of steps.

The organization of paragraph 2 focuses on the limitations of buildings in the early nineteenth century to show that –

• The available technology prevented skyscrapers from being built

• People preferred to have buildings with many windows.

• The cost of materials prevented people from building skyscrapers

• People were not interested in improving tall buildings.

Imagine climbing a 1,700-foot cliff, walking more than 300 miles, or riding a bike for 24 hours nonstop. Now, try to imagine a six-inch robot tackling all those challenges.

The author includes the information in paragraph 1 most likely to –

• cause the reader to reflect upon personal accomplishments

• build the reader’s interest by presenting an improbable situation

• present the most important information about the topic first.

• explain the various reasons for writing about the topic of robots.

When Aaron Fotheringham was eight, he watched his older brother rocket a bike down the ramp at a local skate park. With his brother’s support, he tried the ramp in his wheelchair. At first he crashed, but despite bumps, bruises, and a few broken wheelchairs, Aaron kept trying. With a helmet always firmly in place, he sometimes spent 30 hours a week mastering new tricks. Over time he tried more-challenging jumps and flips. He grew to love the sport he calls “hard-core sitting.”

The author wrote the above paragraph to show –

• that Fotheringham grew up watching people compete in extreme sports.

• how long it took Fotheringham to develop enough tricks to perform in competitions.

• how Fotheringham became interested in extreme sports.

• which safety precautions Fotheringham took while he practiced

Christmas Island is an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. The island is actually a plateau at the top of a mountain that is mostly underwater. Only 1500 or so people lived on the island as of 2010. But Christmas Island is a special place. It is home to the red crabs.

The author included the above paragraph most likely to –

• provide background information about the home of the red crabs.

• explain why it is important for red crabs to reach the ocean

• provide reasons for visiting Christmas Island during the red crab migration

• explain why Christmas Island is a perfect place for red crabs to life.

Meteorites are important to NASA because they can tell us more about what is in space. Some were blasted off the surface of Mars long ago by asteroids¹. They have given us clues about the red planet. Even older meteorites hold clues about the birth of the solar system.

1 - asteroids: a small rocky body orbiting the sun

What is the most likely reason the author included the above paragraph?

• To explain why scientist are interested in studying meteorites

• To demonstrate how technology can be used to help robots find meteorites

• To show that a few people hunt for meteorites every summer

• To describe how a meteorite falls from space onto an ice field.

Carl Terrell Mitchell, better known by his stage name Twista, was born in 1972. Nineteen years later Mitchell’s first album, “Runnin’ Off at da Mouth,” debuted. In 1997, after appearing on a hit song, Twista was signed to Atlantic Records. Under that label he released “Adrenaline Rush” and formed the group Speedknot Mobstaz in 1998. His 2004 album Kamikaze went to number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart.

The author organizes the paragraph above by –

• Describing the different songs sung by Carl Terrell Mitchell.

• Presenting facts about hit songs written by Carl Terrell Mitchell.

• Highlighting musical achievements by Carl Terrell Mitchell in chronological order.

• Explaining the reason why Carl Terrell Mitchell made music a career.

No one knows exactly what causes tornadoes, but some scientists believe that when warm air meets cold air, a tornado may form. The reason for this is that the warm air is lighter than the cold air, so it rises up fast and meets different winds moving different directions. Under the right conditions, this can cause a tornado. Though there is still much mystery surrounding tornadoes, many people believe that when warm moist air meets cool dry air, tornadoes can result.

The author most likely wrote the above paragraph to –

• Describe a possible cause of tornadoes.

• Give the sequence of events that leads to the creation of a tornado.

• Highlight a problem with tornadoes.

• Giving examples of different types of tornadoes.

The ice-cream shop around the corner from my house has the best ice-cream in the city. When you first walk inside, there is a long chrome counter with matching stools extending to alongside the far wall. Right where the counter stops, the booth seating begins. There are lots of old-timey knickknacks on the walls and chrome napkin holders on all the tables. My favorite part of the shop is behind the counter glass, where they keep all of the ice-cream flavors. A rainbow of delicious sugary flavors is kept cool and delicious behind the counter glass.

The organization of the paragraph above contributes to the author’s main idea by –

• Describing the layout of an ice cream shop near the author’s house.

• Explaining how the ice cream shop works.

• Comparing the ice-cream shop to other shops in the neighborhood.

• Highlighting the effects the ice-cream shop has on people.