Audience and Purpose
Passage 1
The planets travel around the Sun along orbits. Orbits are oval-shaped paths. Each time that a planet travels
all the way around the Sun is called a revolution. Earth takes one year to go around the Sun. Planets that are
farther away from the Sun take more than one year to do a revolution.
Passage 2
That slideshow about space was so awesome! I could not believe how cool it was. Stacy and James flipped
out at all the incredible colors out there. Stacy said that she does not understand how all of those pictures could
be that colorful. When she looks up at the sky at night, it is just black and white. James thought that was a really
funny comment and laughed for like fifteen minutes.
Passage 3
The Sun gives off solar energy that comes to the Earth. In the last 3.5 billion years, the amount of energy the
Sun gives off has gone up by 30%. Yet, weather data shows that the temperature of the Earth has only
changed by about 5° C in that time.
Computer models show what would happen if the Sun lowered its energy by 30%. If that happened, then the
weather would get colder. The temperature would drop by about 15–20° C. This data shows that levels of
carbon dioxide in the air must have been much higher in the past. This allowed the Earth to stay warm with less
solar energy.
Passage 4
Two nights ago, I spent an hour looking at the stars from my backyard. I started thinking about the millions of
stars and galaxies there above me.
At school that day, my best friend and I got into a fight. We both went home very upset. We were both crying
and felt bad about the mean things we had said. As I looked at the stars, the fight seemed so silly. I thought
about how huge this universe is! There I was, wasting my time with a silly fight. The next day, I told my friend
that I was sorry, and she said she was also sorry. Tonight, we are going to look at the stars together.
1. Which passage is best to teach a group of fifth-grade students?
A. Passage 1
B. Passage 3
C. Passage 4
D. Passage 2
2. A teacher asks each student to write a short essay about an event in his or her life. Which
passage is best for this assignment?
A. Passage 1
B. Passage 3
C. Passage 4
D. Passage 2
3. Which passage is best for a professional scientist?
A. Passage 2
B. Passage 3
C. Passage 4
D. Passage 1
Snow and light winds are expected today. The high will be around 38 degrees. The temperature tonight will
drop below freezing again. Remember to protect your plants and pets. Tomorrow will be clear and cold with a
high tomorrow around 45 degrees. Warm weather will return Monday or Tuesday.
4. In the weather forecast above, the writer's purpose is to
A. persuade.
B. narrate.
C. entertain.
D. inform.
5.
W.
X.
Y.
Which is the best letter to send to a pen pal?
A. W
B. X
C. Y
D. Z
Z.
Answers
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. D
5. B
Explanations
1. To teach kids about space, the passage should have language that a fifth grader can understand.
Passage 1 introduces some words like "revolution" and "orbits." Passage 1 then explains what those
words mean in a way that is easy for kids to understand.
2. Passage 4 is a personal story that uses the word "I." Although Passage 2 is a personal story, it uses
inappropriate language for a school assignment. Words like "neat" or "cool" should be avoided in
formal essays.
3. Passage 3 contains specific data and advanced information. It is explaining an advanced idea about
the Sun and temperatures.
4. The passage is a weather report. It gives readers information about the weather.
5. Remember that your pen pal does not know about the things that happen in your town. When you
write to a pen pal, you should use more formal language than you would use with another kid your
age, but not as formal as you would use with an adult.