Comparing Text Structures

Which of the following passages has a compare and contrast text structure?

• In a rural community, there are not many lights from buildings to block the stars. As a result, you can see many stars when you look up at the night sky.

• Urban and suburban communities both have stores, schools, banks, libraries and buildings. However, these things are more spread out in the suburbs than they are in urban communities.

• The tallest skyscraper in the world is Burj Khalifa in a city called Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It has 163 stories and is 2,723 feet tall.

• 
  People may move to the suburbs so that they can have more space but still enjoy the city. Suburbs are usually so close to a city that you can get to the city and back in the same day.

Which of the following passages has a description text structure?

• Rhesus monkeys and baboons are part of a group called Old World monkeys. Like rhesus monkeys, baboons have tails. However, baboons usually weigh more than rhesus monkeys. Baboons live in Africa and Arabia, while rhesus monkeys live in Asia.

• 
  Scientists were preparing to send the first humans into outer space. However, they didn’t yet understand the effects that space would have on the human body. They didn’t want to put humans in danger. As a solution, they started by sending rhesus monkeys into space and studying the effects on them.

• 
  Rhesus monkeys are primates with brown bodies and red faces. They come from Asian countries, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. They are very intelligent, and some have even adapted to live near humans. Rhesus monkeys are good climbers and swimmers.

• 
  In 1947, scientists first discovered the Zika virus in a rhesus monkey in Uganda. A year later, they learned that Zika was spread by mosquitoes. In 1952, the first cases of Zika in humans were found. The virus did not make people very sick.

Read the following passage. Piping plovers are losing their habitats. This is because humans are taking many of the beaches where they live to construct buildings. Humans have also changed the level of water in the piping plovers’ homes. Sometimes, there is too much water or too little water. As a result of the loss of their habitats, piping plovers have become an endangered species. In the passage above, the underlined sentence provides...

• 
  a cause that led to piping plovers losing their habitats.

• 
  an effect of humans changing the level of water in piping plovers’ homes.

• 
  a cause that led to there being too many piping plovers.

• an effect of piping plovers leaving their homes.

Read the following passage. Many people think that Thomas Edison built the first light bulb. He did not, but his inventions greatly changed the effect that electricity had on people’s lives. The light bulbs that existed before Edison were not practical for most people to use inside their homes. They needed too much power and were too bright. So Edison developed a new type of light bulb called an incandescent bulb. It was affordable and reliable. It used less power than existing models and became a success. Which detail from the passage above best describes a problem?

• “He did not, but his inventions greatly changed the effect electricity had on people’s lives.”

• 
  “It used less power than existing models and became a success.”

• 
  “So Edison developed a new type of light bulb called an incandescent bulb.”

• 
  “The light bulbs that existed before Edison were not practical for most people to use inside their homes.”

Read the following passage and determine the text structure: "Many animals hibernate during the winter. Bears, for example, eat a lot in the fall to store fat. Then, they sleep through the cold months. Frogs also hibernate, but they do so by burying themselves in mud."

• Chronology

• Comparison

• Cause/Effect

• Problem/Solution

Answer explanation

The passage compares how different animals hibernate. It highlights the similarities and differences in their hibernation methods, such as bears storing fat and sleeping, while frogs bury themselves in mud.

Read the following passage and determine the text structure: "Some birds migrate to warmer areas during winter. Others, like the cardinal, stay in the same place all year round."

• Chronology

• Comparison

• Cause/Effect

• Problem/Solution

Answer explanation

The passage compares two types of birds: those that migrate to warmer areas and those, like the cardinal, that remain in the same place year-round. This highlights the differences in behavior, making 'Comparison' the correct text structure.

An article about the discovery of a new frog and comparing to a similar frog is an example of which text structure?

• Cause/Effect

• Problem/Solution

• Compare/Contrast

• Descriptive

Read the following passage and determine the text structure: 'The city of Paris is known for its art and culture, while New York is famous for its skyscrapers and business.'

• A) Chronology

• B) Comparison

• C) Cause/Effect

• D) Problem/Solution

Which text structure is used in the following sentence? 'Unlike cats, dogs are usually more social and enjoy being around people.'

• A) Chronology

• B) Comparison

• C) Cause/Effect

• D) Problem/Solution

Identify the text structure: 'Both the iPhone and Android phones have touch screens, but the iPhone is known for its user-friendly interface.'

• A) Chronology

• B) Comparison

• C) Cause/Effect

• D) Problem/Solution