Understanding Cause and Effect Relationships

What is a "cause" in a cause-and-effect relationship?

• The result or outcome of an event

• The reason why something happens

• A summary of the main idea

• A description of a character's feelings

What is an "effect" in a cause-and-effect relationship?

• The background information of a story

• The problem that needs to be solved

• The result or outcome of an event

• The setting of a story

Which of the following signal words is commonly used to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship?

• However

• Therefore

• Meanwhile

• Similarly

Read the sentence: "Because it rained heavily, the school canceled the outdoor sports event." What is the cause in this sentence?

• The school canceled the outdoor sports event

• The students were disappointed

• It rained heavily

• The sports event was rescheduled

Read the sentence: "Maria studied hard every night, so she passed her final exam with flying colors." What is the effect in this sentence?

• Maria studied hard every night

• Maria passed her final exam with flying colors

• Maria had a difficult exam

• Maria stayed up late

Read the following passage: "The factory near the river released chemicals into the water. As a result, many fish in the river died, and residents were warned not to drink the water." Which of the following best identifies the cause and effect in the passage?

• Cause: Fish died; Effect: Residents were warned

• Cause: Residents drank the water; Effect: Fish died

• Cause: The factory released chemicals; Effect: Fish died and residents were warned

• Cause: The river was polluted; Effect: The factory was built

Read the following passage: "Deforestation has been increasing in many parts of the world. Trees that once absorbed carbon dioxide are no longer present. Consequently, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen, contributing to global warming." Which statement best describes the chain of cause and effect in this passage?

• Global warming causes deforestation, which increases carbon dioxide levels

• Deforestation removes trees, which leads to higher carbon dioxide levels, which contributes to global warming

• Carbon dioxide causes trees to die, which leads to global warming

• Global warming causes carbon dioxide levels to rise, which leads to deforestation

Read the following passage: "Juan forgot to charge his phone the night before his job interview. The next morning, his phone died while he was using the map application to find the interview location. He got lost and arrived 30 minutes late. The interviewer was unimpressed and did not offer him the job." Which of the following best explains how the cause-and-effect structure helps the reader understand the passage?

• It shows that Juan was irresponsible and did not deserve the job

• It shows how one small mistake led to a series of negative consequences

• It shows that the interviewer was unfair to Juan

• It shows that technology is unreliable and should not be used

Read the following two passages and determine which one uses a cause-and-effect text structure: **Passage A:** "The Amazon rainforest is home to millions of species of plants and animals. It covers a large portion of South America and plays a vital role in regulating the Earth's climate." **Passage B:** "Due to rising temperatures, glaciers around the world are melting at an alarming rate. This has led to rising sea levels, which in turn has caused flooding in many coastal communities." Which passage uses a cause-and-effect structure, and what evidence supports your choice?

• Passage A, because it describes the Amazon rainforest in detail

• Passage A, because it mentions many species of plants and animals

• Passage B, because it uses signal words like "due to" and "led to" to show how one event results in another

• Passage B, because it talks about glaciers and sea levels, which are scientific topics

Read the following passage: "In the 1930s, poor farming practices and severe drought turned the Great Plains of the United States into a dust bowl. Massive dust storms destroyed crops and buried farms. Thousands of farming families lost their livelihoods and were forced to migrate to other states in search of work. The sudden arrival of so many migrants created economic and social tensions in the receiving states." A student claims: "The dust bowl only affected farmers and had no wider social impact." Using the cause-and-effect relationships in the passage, evaluate whether this claim is accurate and explain your reasoning.

• The claim is accurate because the passage only mentions farmers losing their crops

• The claim is inaccurate because the passage shows that the effects extended beyond farmers to cause economic and social tensions in other states

• The claim is accurate because migrants chose to move on their own without being forced

• The claim is inaccurate because the passage states that the drought was the only cause of the dust bowl