Using Nonfiction Text Features

In the book she's reading, Jenny sees a picture of a plant with different parts labeled. This is a ________.

• diagram

• table

• caption

• vocabulary word

A graph or chart ________.

• explains a photograph

• provides additional description in words

• displays and organizes facts and numbers

• shows you all the photographs a book contains

Which text feature would you use to find the names of all chapters in a book and the pages where they started?

• a heading

• a caption

• the table of contents

• the glossary

Which text feature would tell you the major topic or main idea in one chapter of a text?

• the heading

• the caption

• the glossary

• the table of contents

Juan is writing a report on Italian food. He finds a book titled “Foods of the World.” He opens to Chapter 2 on page 12 and reads the word “Spain” in large letters. Further down on the page, he reads the word “Northern Spain ” in smaller letters. Page 12 of Juan’s book ________.

• had no text features

• had a diagram but no other text features

• had the table of contents only

• had a heading and a subheading

Juan decides to skip the chapter about Spain. He turns to Chapter 3 on Italian food. He begins reading. Which of the following is most likely true?

• Juan will have to read Chapter 2 later in order to write his report.

• Juan is using the text features correctly to skim the text and find the information he needs.

• Juan is reading the book from cover to cover.

• Juan is not using text features correctly to help him find the information he needs.

Cynthia doesn’t understand what’s going on in a picture in her book. What can she do?

• look in the table of contents

• look for a graph

• read the caption

• stare at it for three minutes

A graph or chart ________.

• explains a photograph

• provides additional description in words

• displays and organizes facts and numbers

• shows you all the photographs a book contains

You might want to use a nonfiction book to answer a specific question. That’s one reason why nonfiction books have text features. A text feature is a special part of the page that gets your attention. Some text features will help you locate information and some will help you understand information. And some text features make reading more fun and interesting!

According to this passage, some books have text features to

• help a reader locate information.

• help a reader prove information.

• help a reader rewrite information.

• help a reader ignore information.

According to the passage, a reader can use the table of contents to

• learn more about the author’s point of view.

• see how the book is organized and the topics it contains.

• find out more about the author’s life and goals.

• identify the book’s main character and setting.