Author's Point of View and Purpose

Once you have completed steps 1-3 in determining an author's point of view, what do you do next?

• reread

• put it all together

• analyze the text

• write a strong response

What is step 2 in determining an author's point of view?

• actively read and highlight the text

• check out text features

• annotate

• determine text structure

What is the author's purpose?

• to persuade

• to inform

• to entertain

• to explain

Many people buy vegetables in the grocery store without knowing where they were grown or how they arrived at the store. Supermarkets should be required to label each fruit or vegetable with a sign telling shoppers where and when the food was grown and how far it traveled to the supermarket. What is the author's purpose?

• Inform

• Entertain

• Persuade

• Criticize

• Instruct

Today, it is not uncommon to see women wearing high-heeled shoes. However, the first high-heeled shoes were actually made for men back in the 1500s. The heels helped soldiers keep their feet in the stirrups of their saddles as they rode into battle. What is the author's purpose?

• Perdusade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Instruct

• Criticize

The stars were burning brightly in the night sky. The evening breeze felt cool on my skin. It was the last night of summer break and I was calm, oddly calm. It's not that I was excited to go back to school. I wasn't. School is a lot of work for me. But I was excited to see my friends again, and I knew that she would be there.

• 3rd Person Objective

• 2nd Person

• 1st Person

• 3rd Person Limited

What is the author's main purpose in including paragraph 4 in the passage?

• to focus on Harriet's disappointment after finding that her husband had remarried

• to question Harriet's decision to lead the fugitives to Canada during the winter

• to highlight Harriet's willingness to work a variety of jobs to have a better life

• to provide a sequence of Harriet's continued efforts to help others become free

Which phrase from the passage best describes the author's point of view?

• "... important to finish this task ..." (paragraph 2)

• "... would be easier to toss than a football or baseball." (paragraph 4)

• "... meant to minimize the risk for injuries ..." (paragraph 5)

• "... surely laid an important foundation for the game." (paragraph 8)

Which sentence from paragraph 7 best supports the author's view that the Titanic failed to provide adequate safety for its passengers?

• The Titanic was equipped to carry sixty-four lifeboats, but she only had twenty when she set sail.

• Animals were also on board the ship.

• It was recorded that two dogs did survive the sinking.

• Strangely enough, it was considered lucky to bring cats on board a vessel going to sea, but the Titanic carried none.

What is the author's purpose for including paragraph 3?

• to highlight Harriet's struggles throughout her journey

• to increase the reader's anger towards Harriet's former master

• to focus on the reasons why Harriet regretted leaving the South

• to emphasize the idea that freedom is not what Harriet thought it would be