READING: DETERMINING AUTHOR’S TONE, PURPOSE & AUDIENCE Practice I: Read the paragraphs and identify the author’s tone 1. Often you feel you’ve done nothing when you’ve actually done a lot. That’s because what you did do seemed beneath notice—it was so small that it didn’t “count.” But it did—just as each stitch counts toward a finished dress, each brick or nail toward a house you can live in, each mistake toward knowing how to do things right. a. hesitant b. encouraging c. amused 2. A vaccine is a preparation of killed or weakened germs that is injected under the skin and causes the blood to produce antibodies against the disease. Effective vaccines, for instance, have been developed for small pox, rabies, and polio. a. objective b. arrogant c. regretful 3. We have come together this afternoon to mourn the deaths of sixteen miners—our friends and neighbors—who were trapped by fire yesterday, deep below the earth. They lived bravely and they died too soon, leaving behind grieving wives and bewildered children. We bid them a final farewell. a. forgiving b. sorrowful c. angry 4. Why do these things always happen to me?, Brad wondered. First I forget an important meeting, and nobody reminds me until it’s over. Then my boss dumps a big project on my desk and wants it done by yesterday. And to top everything off, I leave my wallet on the bus. a. comic b. self-pitying c. optimistic 5. Each year in the middle of February, when slush is underfoot and the sky is a depressing gray, I begin dreaming of warm beaches, tropical fruits and sunsets. If only I could save enough for a winter vacation! Maybe next year I’ll win the lottery. Meanwhile, I’ll read travel brochures and sigh. a. unsure b. joyous c. longing 6. We are seriously failing our nation’s teenagers when it comes to education concerning AIDS. Somehow we must convince them, without delay, that this terrible illness can happen to them, not just too isolated groups in big cities. Let’s give them the information they need to protect themselves—before it’s too late. a. impassioned b. mocking c. ironic 7. What’s the matter with those idiots in the city council? First they pass new parking regulations saying we can’t park our cars in front of our own houses without a special permit. Now they’ve gone and slapped another tax on gas purchase—just to widen a road that’s already wide enough. Anyway, nobody enjoys the traffic delays resulting from road construction. The sooner we vote those incompetents out, the better off we’ll all be. a. objective b. angry c. surprised 8. Yet another public figure has come forward to announce he has signed into an addictiontreatment center to deal with his alcohol problems. Reports say he has shown courage and honesty. Perhaps so, but what it really takes to enter a treatment center is money. What about the poor man, like my father, who may also have a drinking problem—and courage—but who doesn’t happen to have $500.00 a day for a fancy rest home? a. bitter b. revengeful c. sentimental 9. Botulism, a type of rare, severe food poisoning, has been reported recently in New Jersey. It is believed that the victim, who is in critical condition at a local hospital, was stricken after eating from a jar of incorrectly preserved homegrown green beans from last summer’s garden. It has been ten years since the last instance of botulism poisoning was reported in the state. a. light-hearted b. serious c. tragic 10. Sure, litterbugs account for a lot of the trash blowing around our city’s streets, but there are other villains too. What about people who set out their trash days ahead of their scheduled trash pickup time? Worse yet are the stores that pile boxes in back alleys, and restaurants whose mounds of green—bagged trash draw rodents and roaches. a. critical b. tolerant c. depressed Practice II: Read the paragraphs and identify the author’s purpose 1. Tired of those ugly, unwanted warts on your hands? Susan B’s amazing wart remover cream will make your unwanted warts disappear in just three uses! One tube of Susan B’s wart remover cream is enough to remove almost 30 warts! Get yours today for just $6.95! Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________ 2. Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended college at Columbia University and then earned a degree from Harvard Law. Afterwards he became the first African American President of the Harvard Law Review and has since become the first African American President of the United States. Author’s Purpose: ________________________________________________________ 3. During the heat of the space race in the 1960's, NASA quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in the zero gravity confines of its space capsules. After considerable research and development, the Astronaut Pen was developed at a cost of $1 million. The pen worked in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and also enjoyed some modest success as a novelty item back here on earth. The Soviet Union, when faced with the same problem, used a pencil. Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________ 4. Despite the huge tuition tees, private higher learning institutions attract many parents to send their children to pursue their tertiary education. This raises the issue of financing their children's private education. A solution is to start a savings plan when their child is born. It is advisable for parents to put aside at least 10% of their income. If parents start saving later, they may have to save a higher percentage for their children's college education. Author’s Purpose: ________________________________________________________ 5. Thomas Edison was a great scientist and inventor, among other things, who made great impacts on American history. He was always looking for smart, open-minded young scientists to work for him on his many inventions. Whenever he met someone he thought might make a good candidate, he would take them to dinner. The interview would begin over the table, but the deal was not decided until the food arrived. Edison would watch what the inventor did when the food arrived. If the applicant tasted his food and then salted it, he could be a good addition to the team. If he salted his food before tasting it, the young man was not hired. Edison knew that people who did things automatically and made presumptions without knowledge would not be able to look at problems and find innovative solutions. Author’s Purpose: ________________________________________________________ Practice III: Read the paragraphs and identify the target audience 1. The World Health Organization issued new guidelines on physical activity and sleep for children under 5. The guidelines overall echo what many parents have been saying for years. Generally, children should move more, sit less and get enough quality sleep so that they grow up physically and mentally healthy. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 should spend at least three hours a day in a variety of physical activities, and infants less than 1 year old should also be physically active several times a day. Audience: ______________________________________________________________ 2. A recent study in Oxford´s Journal for Environmental Law suggests that letting cats roam freely outside can damage biodiversity. The lawyers behind this article say that if the owner of a cat lets it stay outside knowing that it can damage biodiversity, it can be considered breaking a law. Outdoor cats in the UK are estimated to kill tens of millions of birds a year. The most commonly killed species are house sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and starlings. Audience: ______________________________________________________________ 3. Instagram now requires all new users to provide their birthdays when making an account. The reason is to prevent underage people from joining the photo-sharing service, to help keep young people safer, and to offer more age-appropriate experience. Instagram said that it will use users´ birthdays to educate them around account controls and recommended privacy settings. Teenagers often have no way of proving their age; however, the company believes that most users are honest about their age. Audience: ______________________________________________________________ 4. People are spending more time in front of their screens, and experts say that it could damage our eyes. Due to the lockdown, people have been watching more streaming platforms, scrolling through social media, and video chatting 10 – 15% more than last month. When we stay too close to the screens, we tend to stare more and not blink, which has a cumulative effect on the eyes. We miss 2 – 3 blinks a minute, which makes 120 – 180 missed blinks in a one-hour Zoom meeting. It can cause a lot of discomfort in the eyes, burning redness, blurred vision, and headaches. Audience: ______________________________________________________________ 5. In the past, cancer patients have been advised to avoid physical activity to save strength and energy to battle the disease and withstand treatment. However, emerging evidence shows that physical activity and exercise are, in fact, beneficial during and after treatment, even for those undergoing complex procedures such as a stem cell transplant. Many cancer patients experience pain or reduction in strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and coordination. Although each of these symptoms can affect the desire and ability to be active, exercise and physical therapy can help regain lost skills, maintain independence and improve well-being. Audience: ______________________________________________________________
