Author's Purpose/Message

Authors may have different messages, but what purpose—what reason for writing—is the same for every author of an autobiography?

• A.  to tell the true story of someone’s life other than the author’s

• B.  to make someone’s life more interesting by mixing fact with fiction

• C.  to write merely to entertain readers

• D.  to tell the true story of the author’s own life

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

Read the following passage from My Life With the Chimpanzees.

. . . they are as easy to tell apart as your classmates. Their faces look different, and they have different characters. David Greybeard, for example, was a calm chimp who liked to keep out of trouble. . . . Goliath had a much more excitable, impetuous temperament. William, with his long-shaped face, was shy and timid.

What is the most likely reason that Dr. Goodall includes this information?

• to provide a meaningful message about chimps and their behavior

• to describe her favorite chimp

• to support the idea that she is highly skilled at observation

• to explain why David Greybeard was the first chimp to approach her

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

Read the following passage from an autobiography.

I was young when I first realized that the world is as big as you see it. Everyone told me I would never make the baseball team because I was a girl, and girls couldn’t play well enough. I got discouraged. But one teacher encouraged me by pumping her fist and saying, “Go for it!” I was scared, but I went to tryouts. I made the team, but I almost hadn’t tried!

What choice identifies the most likely message of this autobiography?

• how much influence teachers have

•   how experiences affect future behaviors

• how pushing yourself can lead to success

• how life and social conditions change over time

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

What is the most likely part of speech of a word that contains the Latin suffix -able?

• verb

• noun

• adverb

• adjective

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

Read the following passage from My Life With the Chimpanzees.

Dominic was a wonderful cook and great company. He was not really reliable. So Louis Leakey asked Hassan to come all the way from Lake Victoria to help with the boat and engine.

Use your knowledge of the Latin Suffix -able, as well as context clues, to choose what Goodall means by saying that Dominic was “not really reliable.”

• He was not able to rely on others.

• He did not tend to rely on others.

• He could not be relied on by others.

• He did not allow others to rely on him.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Read the following passage from an autobiography.

There is no question about who is most deserving of the credit for my successes. It is my parents. For some reason, during my entire childhood, they always gave me the support and help I needed. Why they thought I could make something of myself is debatable, but I will always be glad they did.

Use your knowledge of the Latin suffix -able to choose the best synonym for debatable.

• foolish

• uncertain

• wonderful

• entertaining

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.4

What is the purpose of a comma between two independent clauses?

• to pause

• to put a fanboy

• to join two independent clauses

• to look smart

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence?

• People who spend time with chimps, and learn many things about them.

• Chimps are simply fascinating, so they want to study them.

• I read the selection about living with chimp, but wasn't enough to satisfy me.

• Jane Goodall discovered that chimps use tools eat a variety of foods, and live in small groups.

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

What grade are you in?

• 3rd

• 5th

• 7th

• 6th