Grade 6 ELA Practice Test: Author's Purpose, Point of View and Text Structure
- Author's Purpose, Point of View and Text Structure
- 10 questions
- 15 minutes
Short nonfiction passages with questions on why authors write, what they believe and how they organize ideas. Tip: signal words such as whereas, by 1908 or to fix this often reveal the structure.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Read the passage.
Before you buy a reusable water bottle, compare three things: the material, the size of the opening and whether the lid seals completely. An insulated steel bottle keeps drinks cold far longer than a thin plastic one. A wide opening is easier to clean and to fill with ice. And a lid that leaks will soak your backpack, no matter how good the bottle looks.
What is the author's main purpose?
Correct answer: A
The passage lists three things to compare before buying and explains each one. It mentions plastic only as a comparison, not to argue against it.
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Question 2
Why does the author most likely include the detail about the backpack in the passage above?
Correct answer: D
The soaked backpack is the result of a leaky lid, so it explains why the third point matters. The passage never says that plastic bottles always leak.
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Question 3
Read the passage.
In December 1903, the Wright brothers made the first powered airplane flight. It lasted about 12 seconds. By 1908, their planes could stay in the air for more than an hour. In the 1930s, airlines were carrying passengers across the United States.
How is the passage organized?
Correct answer: B
The passage moves through dates in order, 1903, 1908 and the 1930s, to show how flight developed over time. No problem is presented and solved.
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Question 4
Read the passage.
Alligators and crocodiles look alike, but you can tell them apart. An alligator has a wide, U-shaped snout, whereas a crocodile's snout is narrower and more V-shaped. Alligators live mostly in fresh water, while crocodiles can also live in salty water near the coast. Both animals can be found in southern Florida, which is one reason people often mix them up.
Which structure does the author mainly use?
Correct answer: C
The author explains how alligators and crocodiles differ in snout shape and habitat. Comparing two things in this way is compare and contrast.
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Question 5
In the passage about alligators and crocodiles, which word signals a contrast?
Correct answer: A
Whereas sets two different facts side by side, the U-shaped and the V-shaped snout. Both signals a similarity, not a difference.
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Question 6
Why does the author of the alligator passage include the last sentence?
Correct answer: C
The sentence says both live in southern Florida, "which is one reason people often mix them up." It explains the confusion mentioned at the start of the passage.
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Question 7
Read the passage.
Some people say that long homework assignments teach responsibility. I have taught sixth grade for twelve years, and I have seen the opposite. When students get two hours of worksheets, many rush through them or give up. When they get twenty minutes of focused practice, most finish carefully and come to class ready to talk about it. Homework should be short and purposeful.
What is the author's point of view about homework?
Correct answer: D
The last sentence states the author's view directly. The author does not want to ban homework, only to keep it short and purposeful.
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Question 8
How does the author of the homework passage mainly support that point of view?
Correct answer: B
The author describes what they have seen in twelve years of teaching sixth grade. No survey or expert quotation is given.
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Question 9
Why does the homework author begin with "Some people say that long homework assignments teach responsibility"?
Correct answer: D
The author opens with the other side and then says "I have seen the opposite." Starting with an opposing view sets up the author's own argument.
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Question 10
Read the sentence from a letter to a local newspaper.
The so-called "improvement" to Elm Street Park removed every shade tree.
What does the phrase "so-called 'improvement'" show about the writer's point of view?
Correct answer: B
So-called and the quotation marks show the writer doubts the change deserves the name "improvement." The writer complains that the shade trees are gone, so the park is not better in their view.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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