Cause and Effect An Important Reading Concept Created by Cheri Morris Basic Skills, DCCC

How do I recognize the difference between the cause and the effect?

Cause tells us why something happened.

Effect tells us what happened.

Consider the following sentences. Casey failed the test because he did not study. Because he did not study, Casey failed the test.

What happened? Casey failed the test. This is the effect.

Why did it happen? …because Casey did not study. This is the cause.

Certain words signal cause and effect: because, since, for, therefore, so

On the Accuplacer test, you will see two-sentence relationships On the Accuplacer test, you will see two-sentence relationships. You will see cause and effect questions.

Look at this example using our previous sentence. A Look at this example using our previous sentence. A.Casey failed the test. B.He did not study. The effect is he failed the test. The cause is he did not study.

What relationship does B have to A? B is the effect. B is the cause. A. Casey failed the test. B. He did not study. What relationship does B have to A? B is the effect. B is the cause. What happened? Casey failed the test. Why? He did not study. Therefore, the answer is #2 B is the cause of A.

Now try the converse of the previous question. A. Casey failed the test. B. He did not study. What relationship does A have to B? 1. A is the effect of B. 2. A is the cause of B. The effect is (A) Casey failed the test. The cause is (B) he did not study. Therefore, the answer to this question is #1. A is the effect of B.

Now try to answer this question. A. Jennifer missed her ride to school. Jennifer was not in school today. What relationship does A have to B? 1. A is the effect. A is the cause. What happened? effect Why did it happen? cause

Why was she absent? She missed her ride! The answer to this question is # 2. A is the cause. Jennifer missed her ride to school, so she was absent from school. Why was she absent? She missed her ride!

Try another cause and effect question. William never ate dinner last night. He forgot his money. What is the relationship of B to A? B is the effect. B is the cause.

The answer to this question is #2. B is the cause. William never ate dinner is what happened. Why? He forgot his money.

The doctor prescribed medicine for the baby. Try one more question. The doctor prescribed medicine for the baby. The baby had an ear infection. What relationship does B have to A? B is the effect. B is the cause.

The answer is # 2. B is the cause of A. The doctor prescribed medicine for the baby because it was sick.

If you are still unsure about cause and effect, there is a book on the fourth shelf of the reading bookcase. Please refer to pages 56 – 64. The name of the book is Breakthroughs in Critical Reading. Do not take this book home!