Name:__________________________________ Class/Hour:______________ Date:__________________

Informational Texts: Text Structures Assessment

1. What is the purpose of all informational texts?
a. to persuade the reader to think a certain way about a particular issue
b. to entertain the reader with a fun and fictional story
c. to inform the reader about a particular issue in a certain way
d. to force the reader to question what they know

2. What type of structure would be most appropriate if you were describing the
outcomes that occurred because of a massive tornado?
a. sequence
b. cause/effect
c. problem/solution
d. compare/contrast

3. On which of the following topics would compare and contrast structure be most
appropriate?
a. when describing the destruction that occurred after a hurricane hit a town
b. when discussing the similarities and the differences between the holidays
Christmas and Easter
c. when giving detailed facts about where the Great White shark lives and what
it eats
d. when explaining to someone how to build a bookcase

4. What type of text organization would a scientist use to report his/her findings on
pollution with suggestions for the reader on how to help end the problem?
a. compare/contrast
b. cause/effect
c. sequence
d. problem/solution

5. On which of the following topics would you want to use a sequential text structure?
a. directions on how to build a model airplane
b. a vacation destination
c. the effects of a tsunami
d. the difference between crocodiles and alligators









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Read each of the following selections and thoroughly answer the question that
follows each one.

Emily Dickinson Biography
Emily Dickinson is considered one of America's greatest poets, but few of her
poems were published in her lifetime. Born in 1830, Dickinson grew up in Amherst,
Massachusetts, and attended school there and in nearby Holyok. She was no
doubt familiar with other popular New England writers of her day, especially
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Dickinson had a fairly normal social life until she reached
her mid-twenties, after which she rarely left the home she inherited from her
parents. Instead, she seems to have been able to understand the world better
by viewing it from a distance. With a sharp eye and keen intellect, she
pondered nature, friendship, love, and death in poems of powerful
simplicity. Only about seven were published during her lifetime, all without her
consent. When she died in 1886, relatives found over 1,500 more of Dickinson's
poems, many of them written on napkins and slips of paper neatly tied up with
ribbons.

6. Which text structure (description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect,
problem/solution) is best portrayed in the above selection about Emily Dickinson?
How do you know that that particular text structure is being utilized? (2 points)

























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Chinatown
San Franciscos Chinatown is the second largest Chinese community in the
United States. Rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, it became a major tourist
attraction in the 1920s. Today, tourists from all over flock to Chinatown to visit
the many fascinating shops and superb restaurants that line the crowded
streets.
Begin your tour at the Chinatown Gate. Stroll along Grant Avenue and peek
into some of the crowded shops you pass along the way. You'll find that the
shop windows have encased unusual objects of every description. Some shops
sell everything from valuable antiques to inexpensive trinkets. Others
concentrate on one specific kind of item. Of course, you don't have to enter
every shop you see to find out what's inside. A quick peek at the window display
will usually reveal the kinds of things being offered for sale.
With so many tempting restaurants to choose from, deciding where to have
lunch can be a problem. Looking at menus displayed outside the restaurants
can help you make your choice.
The most interesting part of a visit to Chinatown, of course, is seeing the people
who live there. Be sure to visit the teeming fruit and vegetable stands on
Stockton Street. There, you will find many local people doing their daily grocery
shopping.

7. Which text structure (description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect,
problem/solution) is best portrayed in the above selection about Chinatown? How
do you know that that particular text structure is being utilized? (2 points)





















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Solutions:
2.
3.
Problem: Weightlessness

1.





2.





3.
Astronauts
Astronauts face many difficulties in space caused by weightlessness. One of the
challenges is floating around the cabin. To solve this problem, astronauts wear
shoes that are coated with a special adhesive. This adhesive sticks to the floor
of the cabin. Serving food is another difficulty. It won't stay on the table! Experts
solved this problem by putting food and drinks in pouches and tubes. Food is
preprocessed and only needs to be mixed with water. Weightlessness makes
the simple task of turning a doorknob or a wrench a real problem. Since there is
no gravity to keep the astronaut down, when he exerts a force one way, the
opposite force may flip him over completely. Being very careful about how
much force one exerts to do these simple tasks usually solves these problems.
On Earth, life is much simpler, thanks to gravity.


8. From reading the above problem/solution article, name the problems and their
corresponding solutions. (3 points)































1.
Frogs and Toads
You are walking along a pond when you see a frog - or is it a toad? How can
you tell the difference? Frogs and toads have many physical attributes that can
be used to identify which is which. Frogs have smooth skin and rely on their
large, powerful legs. Frogs are also, slimmer, smaller, and more streamlined than
toads. Toads have warty skin in contrast to frogs. Toads are fatter and slower
than frogs. Unlike frogs, toads can puff themselves up with air. Although frogs
and toads are different, they also have some similarities. Both frogs and toads
are classified as amphibians. They both have lungs, but can breathe through
their skin. Using sound to attract their mates is another similarity between the
two. Toads and frogs both have diets that consist of insects, worms, and more.
As you can see, frogs and toads can easily be mistaken for one another, but
when you know what to look for, telling the difference becomes easy.


9. Using information from the reading above, fill in the Venn Diagram below
comparing/contrasting frogs and toads (include 2 items in each section of the Venn
Diagram). (3 points)





























Frogs Toads
Both
1.






2.
1.







2.
1.





2.
Volcanic Eruption
Have you ever thought about what makes a volcano erupt or what happens
afterward? When the temperature rises deep under the Earth's crust, it
becomes hot enough to melt rock and turn it into magma. Sometimes this
melted rock blasts through the Earth's surface, which causes rock, ash, and
deadly gases to fly into the air. The lava that flows out of the volcano can knock
down trees and destroy houses and even whole towns. Although volcanoes
can cause lots of destruction, the volcano's eruption also creates new land.
Many times this new land forms an island in the ocean. You might even live on
land created by a volcano!

10. Which text structure (description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect,
problem/solution) is best portrayed in the above selection about Chinatown? How
do you know that that particular text structure is being utilized? (2 points)

































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Read each of the following scenarios and draw a simple sketch of the appropriate
graphic organizer that should be used for each in the spaces provided.

11. If you are in science class reading an article that discusses the similarities and
differences between whales and dolphins, what type of graphic organizer would be
most appropriate for you to create on which to take notes? (1 point)


















12. You are headed to a brand new movie theater that was just built in the next town
over, but you have no idea how to get there. When you call for directions, the
manager gives you step by step instructions on how to get to it. What type of graphic
organizer might you use to keep these step by step directions straight? (1 point)




















13. You are reading a very interesting biography on the amazingly talented Justin
Bieber. You are learning so many new and interesting facts about him that its hard
to keep them all straight! What type of graphic organizer might you use to jot down
all of the details about this adorable pop star? (1 point)