Author’s Purpose Answer
In working as an ASVAB tutor, I present the different types of questions that can appear on the Paragraph Comprehension section of the ASVAB. Yesterday I presented a Paragraph Comprehension question. The topic is author’s purpose. There are three main types of author’s purpose. There are three main types are to inform, to entertain, and to persuade. To inform means to present facts. Historical and scientific pieces would be informational. To entertain means to increase the interest of the reader. Pieces that are written to entertain could be funny, scary, exciting, etc.
To persuade means to seek to influence someone’s thoughts, beliefs, or actions. A persuasive piece is trying to influence someone’s choice of movies, restaurants, political candidates, etc.
The question is:
What is the author’s purpose in writing a piece about the history of the Civil War?
A. To inform
B. To entertain
C. To persuade
D. To contradict
A piece about the history of the Civil War was written with the purpose of informing. A historical piece is a factual piece that is informational. This nonfiction piece is informational.
The correct answer is Choice A. To inform.
