STAAR Reading Nonfiction

In many countries around the world people are unable to find clean water to drink. Clean water is necessary for a healthy life. One program called The Water Project is taking matters into their own hands by digging wells in Africa so that locals can have clean water. They know this will not fix the issue everywhere but it’s a step in the right direction.

The organization of this paragraph contributes to the author's main idea by---

• Comparing Africa's water system to the rest of the world.

• Emphasizing that the Water Project has come up with a solution for Africa to have clean water.

• Offering a vivid picture of how Africa's water system works.

• Showing the cause of Africa's water problem.

Have you ever wanted to buy something but didn’t have enough money? As a kid, one way to resolve this dilemma is to help your parents. Many times parents will pay children an allowance to complete extra chores. Another possible way to take care of this issue is by offering to help your neighbors, rake their yard, help clean, or walk a dog.

Which text structure best describes how this paragraph is written?

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

• Sequence or Chronological Order

• Cause and Effect

Have you ever wanted to buy something but didn’t have enough money? As a kid, one way to resolve this dilemma is to help your parents. Many times parents will pay children an allowance to complete extra chores. Another possible way to take care of this issue is by offering to help your neighbors, rake their yard, help clean, or walk a dog. By using a problem-and-solution organizational pattern in this paragraph, the author of the selection is able to---

• demonstrate how children never have money when adults always do

• emphasize how not having money as a child can lead to coming up with creative ways to earn money

• show the effects of not having an allowance

• highlight how both adults and children can earn spare cash

to persuade, inform, and entertain

• main idea

• footnote

• conclude

• author's purpose

What does the word convey mean?

• What the author is trying to tell me

• the ending

• How the passage is organized

• main idea

Paragraph 7 mainly focuses on - 
What skill are you being asked to use for this question?

• summary

• main idea

• context clues

• conflict

The author organizes this selection by - 
What skill are you being asked to use in this question?

• main idea

• conflict

• supporting details

• text structure

Which sentence from the selection states an opinion? Which one of the following strategies will help you determine the answer to this question?

• Reread the entire selection and separate all the facts from opinion. 

• Read the answer choices and look for opinion words (such as: definitely, obviously, clearly, unfair). 

• Write a summary of the selection. 

Which sentence from the blog entry is an example of stereotyping?
What is stereotyping?

• being racist against someone

• denying someone the same rights

• making a general statement about a group of people

• a type of font used in blogs

What is the main purpose of nonfiction texts?

• To entertain the reader

• To provide factual information

• To tell a fictional story

• To confuse the reader