IXL | Identify the author's purpose and message

Read the text.

When families gather together to play board games, everyone can have a great time. You get to see each other's faces and laugh together in the same room. Kids, parents, and grandparents can all join in, taking turns listening, talking, and playing.

There are so many kinds of games to choose from! Everyone can take turns finding one that fits their interests. There are games about building cities, solving mysteries, testing your memory, and even telling stories!

Each game feels new every time you play because people make different choices and surprise one another. Movies always end the same way, but board games never do—someone new might win every time! That's why your family should think about playing more board games together.

What is the author's purpose and main message in this text?

The author wants to persuade readers that board games are a good way to bring families together.

The author wants to persuade readers that some board games are better than others.

The author wants to inform readers about how board games became popular.

The author wants to inform readers about how different types of board games are played.

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Learn with an example

question

Read the text.

Have you seen flamingos at the zoo? They often stand on just one leg. Scientists have different ideas about why they do this.

First, flamingos might lift one leg to stay warm. Their long legs lose heat quickly in cold water, but they stay warmer in the air. By lifting one leg out of the water, flamingos keep that leg warm.

Flamingos might also save energy this way. When flamingos fold one leg against their body, their weight naturally balances above the standing leg. Because of this skill, flamingos can stand for hours using very little energy. They can even stay balanced while asleep!

So, this clever behavior might help flamingos conserve both heat and energy at the same time.

What is the author's purpose and main message in this text?

The author wants to inform readers about an interesting behavior flamingos do.

The author wants to inform readers that flamingos have special muscles in their legs.

The author wants to persuade readers that standing on one leg is difficult for most animals.

The author wants to persuade readers that they should visit flamingos at the zoo.

key idea

Authors write for different

purposes,

or reasons. The most common purposes are to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.

To inform: An author gives facts or information about a topic.

Example: Most of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Oceans take up around seventy percent of the planet's surface.
These sentences teach readers factual information about the Earth.

To persuade: An author tries to convince readers to believe or do something.

Example: Basketball is the most exciting sport to watch because of the fast action and talented players.
This sentence tries to convince readers that basketball is exciting.

To entertain: An author tells a story to capture the reader's interest or imagination.

Example: Maria held her breath as she twisted the key into the dusty trunk and slowly opened it.
This sentence tells a story. The purpose is to interest the reader or capture their attention.

The author's main message is the key idea or point the author wants readers to understand.

For example, if a text tries to persuade readers to adopt dogs, the message might be that dogs make great

pets.

solution

Think about these details in the text:

Flamingos might stay warm by lifting one leg out of cold water.
Flamingos naturally balance without using much energy when they fold one leg against their body.
This behavior might save both body heat and energy at the same time.

These details are facts about flamingo behavior and the possible reasons behind it, so you can infer that the author's purpose is to inform the reader.

Taken together, these details suggest that the author's main message is an explanation of an interesting behavior flamingos

do.

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D.1Identify the purpose of a text

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