In this type of writing, the reader will see words/phrases such as: because, as a result of, and due to.

Choose the clue words that indicate compare and contrast.

Which of the following paragraphs are written to convey a compare and contrast text structure?

Amibu has come a long way since his parents first introduced him to chess when he was 2 years old. His father, Hemant, played the game in college for fun, and decided to teach it to his son. Amibu was playing chess on an iPad shortly after learning to walk. By age 5, he was winning games against the computer. And two years later, Amibu surpassed his father's skill level.

What is the main idea?

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

Ansel Bourne was a preacher, carpenter, and most likely an inspiration for the name “Bourne” in the movie and novel series, The Bourne Identity. Up until 1857, Bourne had been a carpenter, until he was called to religion. After 1858, he worked as an evangelical preacher, until 1887. He set up shop in Norristown, Pennsylvania, as a candy maker using the name A.J. Brown. Three months later, he woke up not knowing where he was, with no memory of the previous months. The case of Mr. Bourne has fascinated psychologists, and some film makers, for years.

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

What do Finding Nemo and Robocop have in common? Not much, except that they both feature characters who suffer amnesia. Amnesia is a common plot device in movies and TV shows, but how accurate are these depictions? In television and movies, memory loss caused by a knock to the head (post-traumatic amnesia) is shown as fairly common, when it is actually quite rare. Unlike in movies and television shows that feature amnesia, most knocks to the head will not produce memory loss. In reality, memory loss or amnesia is much more likely to occur as the result of a stroke, brain infection, or brain surgery. So while amnesia causes people or characters to lose memories in both film and reality, characters are usually “fixed” by taking another knock to the head. In reality, people are not cured so simply.

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

What do you get when you cross a robot and an astronaut? A Robonaut! Robonauts are robot helpers designed to work side-by-side with astronauts. Work on the first Robonaut began in 1997, and by 2002 Robonaut B was revealed to the public. Robonaut B may have featured interchangeable lower bodies, like four-wheel mode or hydraulic legs, but scientists and engineers continued to improve Robonaut. In February of 2010, Robonaut 2 was released to the public. Robonaut 2 moved four times faster than the first Robonaut. An advanced version of Robonaut 2 was finally tested in outer space in 2011. Robonaut functioned exactly as designed.

1. The Outsiders Excerpt

By S. E. Hinton

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman---he looks tough and I don't--- but I guess my own looks aren't so bad. I have light-brown, almost-red hair and greenish-gray eyes. I wish they were more gray, because I hate most guys that have green eyes, but I have to be content with what I have.My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs,squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut.Besides, I look better with long hair.

What is the main idea?

The Giant Sequoia trees are the largest living things on earth because they are among the tallest and are the biggest in width. The Coastal Redwoods of California are taller than the Giant Sequoias. However, the sequoia trees have much larger trunks and branches in width. Coastal Redwoods may grow 1 to 2 feet per year until they reach a height of 250 to 350 feet.

What is the main idea, and what is the text structure?

The earth's surface is constantly changing. All over the world everyday there are earthquakes, floods, and volcanoes that quickly change our world. Some changes are too small to see. Others cause tremendous damage and cost millions of dollars to clean up.

What is the main idea?

The first sentence in a five paragraph essay is called a:

IDENTIFY THE TEXT STRUCTURE: The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America. Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot. Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting. Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.

A passage that contains the words "one answer could be..." and "one reason for the problem is..." and "to solve this..." is probably:

If a student is asking the questions "what happened?" and "why did it happen?" they are probably reading a text with this text structure: