Author's Purpose Worksheet – Answer Key and Explanation
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Passage Summary:
The passage provides factual information about giraffes, including their physical characteristics (long necks, legs, spotted bodies, horns), size differences between males and females, lifespan, habitat (African savannas), and unique survival adaptations (eating from tall trees, not needing water often).
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1. What is this passage about?
Answer:
This passage is about giraffes — their physical features, behavior, habitat, and how they survive in the wild.
Explanation:
The main topic is clearly giraffes. The passage gives details about their appearance, height, where they live, and how they eat and survive. So, the overall subject is an informative overview of giraffe biology and lifestyle.
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2. What is the author’s purpose for writing this passage?
Answer:
The author’s purpose is to inform the reader about giraffes by sharing facts about their appearance, habits, and environment.
Explanation:
The author does not express opinions, tell a story, or try to persuade the reader. Instead, the text presents objective facts. This indicates the
purpose is to inform. The language is neutral and educational, typical of expository writing.
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3. What are some details the author writes to support his ideas?
Answer:
- Giraffes are one of the world’s tallest mammals.
- They have long necks, long legs, and spotted bodies.
- They have small horns (ossicones) that grow up to 5 inches and help protect them from enemies.
- Male giraffes can be nearly 19 feet tall.
- Most giraffes live up to 25 years in the wild.
- They live in the dry savannas of Africa.
- Their long necks allow them to eat leaves from tall acacia trees.
- They can go many days without drinking water because they get moisture from wet leaves.
Explanation:
These details support the main idea by providing specific examples and facts about giraffes’ physical traits, behaviors, and adaptations. Each sentence adds new information that helps the reader understand more about giraffes, which supports the informative purpose of the passage.
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✔ Final Notes:
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Skill Practiced: Understanding author’s purpose (informative).
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Text Type: Expository (nonfiction).
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Key Strategy: Look for facts, definitions, and descriptive details to determine purpose.
This worksheet helps students identify the
main idea,
author’s intent, and
supporting evidence — essential skills in reading comprehension.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of authors purpose passages 2nd grade.
