YOU ARE LEFT WITH CHOICES CAND D. CHOICE DONLYMENTIONS ONE EXAMPLE...

6. You are left with choices cand d. Choice donlymentions one example and the passage giveslearning may be as simple as offering homeworksessions when children need them most—afterthree. Choice cdoes not mention any examplesschool and before dinner—as do Kids Crew and thespecifically, but is broad enough to include all theOmaha After-School Study Centers. Or it mayexamples as well as the main idea of the para-mean keeping early and late hours to meet the childgraph. You can conclude that the answer is c, andcare needs of parents who work more than one jobyou don’t have to use step 7.or support extended families, as does Yuk Yau ChildDevelopment Center. Similarly, the Florida SummerInstitute for At-Risk Migrant Students is a residen-tial program so that students’ participation does notdisrupt their migrant families’ travels.

A b o u t t h e A u t h o r

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Which best describes the author’s relationshipwith . . .

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Which best describes the feeling of the authorAuthors write to communicate; that is, they want youtoward his subject?to understand their ideas and arguments. To that end,

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The attitude of the author toward . . .they usually will try to write as clearly and logically aspossible. To read these passages efficiently, therefore,you need to give the author your undivided attention

H o w t o F i n d A u t h o r A n s w e r s

and try to understand his or her motives and methods

i n t h e P a s s a g e

in writing the piece. As you read, ask yourself thesequestions:You may discover the purpose of the author, like themain idea, in the first or last sentence of the passage, or

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Who is this person?by looking at the topic sentences of the paragraphs. You

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Can I detect anything about the author?can also skim the passage for descriptive words that

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From what perspective does the author write?reveal any bias the author has. The subject of the pas-

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How does the author think?sage and the absence or presence of technical language

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What was the author trying to accomplish?are two of the main clues toward discovering the

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For whom was the author writing?author’s intended audience.Sample question stems for author questionsPractice Passage and Questionmight include the following:

Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own

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The author’s primary purpose is to . . .their dependence upon the overruling power of

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The author is primarily concerned with . . .God; to confess their sins and transgressions in

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The main focus of the author is . . .humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine

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In what publication might this passage be found?repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to

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The author is writing primarily for what kind ofrecognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holyaudience?

Six Steps for Author Questions