# 2 Analyzing text structures & Author's Point of view

Although many people confuse yoga with Pilates, these are, in fact, very different practices. Pilates is a form of fitness program while yoga is more of a lifestyle. Popularly practiced physical exercises like asanas of yoga aim on creating a harmony between mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is a form of meditation that whole the body helps achieve through breathing, balance, and relaxation. Yogis of ancient India practiced yoga to unite and heal the mind and body. All one needs to practice yoga is a knowledgeable instructor and willingness. This ancient tradition is being practiced in various forms all over the world.

Pilates was also developed for healing purposes. Joseph Pilates, a German self-defense instructor, developed a system of exercise in early twentieth-century England. Joseph rigged springs to hospital beds and enabled patients to exercise. To this day, Pilates makes a use of machines to develop abdominal strength, lengthen the spine, and improve balance. Many ballet dancers practiced Pilates when Joseph moved to America. Today, it is a very popular system of exercise.

How does the author's use of the organizational structure support his or her purpose?

• It relates how both yoga and Pilates make use of machines.

• It shows why people should not confuse yoga and Pilates.

• It describes the influence of yoga during modern times.

• It helps explain how Pilates is used for healing purposes.

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The latest fad in school, Silly Bandz—colored, stretchy bracelets—are extremely popular among young children. Loudly colored items like these have always been popular among children. Strong colors get the children's attention easily. In fact, children like these bracelets because when taken off the wrist, they can take the form of animals.

Many schools have banned Silly Bandz because they consider them distractions. School officials also claim that Silly Bandz can be shot like rubber bands. They also warn that wearing too many of them at once puts a person at the risk of cutting off blood circulation.

How does the organizational structure support the author's purpose in this passage?

• It gives a timeline to outline the events that led to the development of Silly Bandz.

• It divides Silly Bandz into the popular categories to describe its importance.

• It shows what causes Silly Bandz to be popular and be banned in some schools.

• It describes the idea of Silly Bandz and gives examples to define the concept.

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Because of the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, a growing number of people spend many hours on the Internet. Many games offered by these networking sites also have a growing number of users. Farmville is not just another game in Facebook. It consists of a series of chores on a digital farm. While the tasks may seem boring, many people spend hours doing them. Many of these hours are spent clicking a mouse to plant and harvest crops. The popularity of Farmville increased because people got pleasure "farming" the easiest way possible. More than 10% of Americans have digital farms thanks to Farmville.

Which of the following sentences best shows how the passage is organized?

• Many games offered by these networking sites also have a growing number of users.

• The popularity of Farmville increased because people got pleasure "farming" the easiest way possible.

• While the tasks may seem boring, many people spend hours doing them.

• Many of these hours are spent clicking a mouse to plant and harvest crops

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It was the most beautiful banana split that I had ever seen. In the middle of the bowl, there were three scoops of ice-cream: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. On top of the ice-cream were a banana and a thick web of chocolate and caramel sauces. A huge puff of whipped cream covered the sauces and a handful of crushed nuts dappled the whipped cream. On top of it all was a cherry, but I’ve never liked the soggy squish of cherries.

The author organizes this paragraph to contribute to the main idea that banana splits are delicious by--

• comparing banana splits to cherries

• telling how to eat a banana split

• describing what a banana split is made of

• describing the taste of the banana split

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No one knows the true origin of ice-cream, but the first published ice-cream recipe appears in “Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts,” a cookbook that was printed in London in 1718. Sometime around 1832, an African-American confectioner named Augustus Jackson created multiple ice cream recipes and invented a superior technique to manufacture ice cream. Ice cream soda was invented around 1874, but the real breakthrough may have been at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri when the American ice-cream cone was unveiled!

This author organizes this paragraph by--

• describing a timeline of events

• describing the ice cream cone

• presenting events that lead to the origin of the ice cream cone

• providing information about ice cream

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Getting to Know Giraffes

Giraffes

Ranging in size from 14–19 feet, the giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial animal. Giraffes are considered a part of the African even-toed ungulate mammal genus.¹ This genus includes only the Giraffa Camelopardalis species because previous species are now extinct.

Giraffe Characteristics

Giraffes have very defined characteristics. Their long legs, which are shorter in the back than they are in the front, appear to be the same length. The giraffe's most distinguished characteristic is its extremely long neck, which is topped with horns that are covered in hair.

Distinctive Coats

The pattern of a giraffe's coat varies based upon the region of Africa where it comes from. The coat of a giraffe acts as a sort of camouflage for a particular habitat. Giraffes can be found as far north as Chad, as far south as South Africa, as far west as Somalia, and as far east as Niger. Although giraffe coats have similarities based on region, no two giraffes have the same coat.

Giraffe Sounds

It is often believed that giraffes do not make sounds, but in the rare instances when they do, they make a variety of sounds, including moos, roars, and grunts. One sound that giraffes make when they're alarmed is a snort. When threats are perceived, they use sounds as early warning signals for other Savannah animals.

¹genus: a group of related living things

Which section best explains the giraffe's scientific relationship to other animals?

• Giraffes

• Giraffe Characteristics

• Giraffe Sounds

• Distinctive Coats

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You have probably heard of gypsies before. This word is often used to refer to people who spend their lives traveling from place to place. Many people enjoy seeing different parts of the world. But could you imagine not having a country to call home?

A stateless person is someone who does not have a citizenship. Sometimes, countries cease to exist. A new government needs to be established in order for the people there to have citizenship. If a new country is not formed, the people who live there could be considered stateless. This can also happen in places where there is a dispute over territory. Countries also sometimes refuse to give citizenship to groups of people altogether.

Other times, countries may decide to take a person’s citizenship. One case where this might happen is if someone fights in a country’s army that opposes his or her home country. The country may decide to strip this person of his or her citizenship.

How does the organizational structure of this passage support the author's purpose?

• It gives arguments to persuade people that denying citizenship is right.

• It gives facts and explanations about the idea of statelessness.

• It compares the causes of statelessness and lists many of its effects.

• It compares and classifies the different kinds of citizenships and residencies.

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Food allergy and food intolerance are both the body’s reactions to some ingredient in food. However, they affect different body systems.

When a person is allergic to a food, his or her body mistakes an ingredient in the food as harmful. A protein in a food is usually the culprit. The body’s immune system tries to attack the food. The most common food allergies are to nuts, milk, soy products, fish, shellfish, and wheat.

On the other hand, food intolerance is a digestive system problem. When someone is intolerant to a food, it means that his or her body cannot properly digest or break it down. The food irritates his or her digestive system. Lactose (the sugar found in dairy products like milk and cheese) is the most common food intolerance.

While some of the symptoms of food allergy and intolerance are the same—nausea and stomach pain—most of them are drastically different. Common symptoms of food intolerance are mostly annoying or uncomfortable. They include diarrhea, gas, cramps, bloating, and headaches. Food intolerance can be treated with over-the-counter medication.

Food allergies can be very severe. Some people develop rashes or hives, have chest pains or shortness of breath, and in some cases, they can even go into shock. When this happens, a person may not be able to breathe, and his or her blood pressure drops very quickly. Food allergies can even result in death. Many people have to carry around medicine that is prescribed by a doctor in case they have an allergic reaction.

In what ways are food allergies and food intolerance similar?

• Both have mild symptoms that are easily treated.

• They both are caused by an immune system reaction.

• Affected persons must see a doctor for medical treatment.

• They both involve the body's reaction to certain foods.

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I love to watch birds! It always amazes me

how they can build those nests! I like to leave

scraps of hair and yarn out for them to find.

They'll use these things and weave them into a

nest. Being a parent is a hard job, and the birds

can use all the help they can get.

What is the author's perspective?

• Humans should help birds build their nest

• Birds are interesting animals

• Humans should never interfere with wild animals

• Birds use lots of things to build their nest

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Deer are beautiful creatures.

They are so graceful to watch as

they run through the forest. It's

hard to understand how anyone could do anything to harm these beautiful animals.

What is the author's perspective?

• The author favors deer hunting

• The author thinks there are too many deer

• The author thinks deer harm the environment

• The author does not favor deer hunting

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