THEA Reading Objective #3 Author’s Intent

4 types of questions (skills) Author’s purpose Author’s Intended Audience Author’s Point of View Author’s Tone

1. Author’s Purpose Definition: The reason the author wrote the passage. Tip: Author’s purpose is usually found in the beginning and/ or end of the passage

Possible Purposes To inform To persuade To instruct To entertain Encyclopedias, phonebooks, statistics, news reports, history textbooks To persuade Political brochures, advertising, TV commercials, Editorial section of newspaper To instruct How to manuals, instruction books, math textbooks To entertain Comic strips, fictional novels

Given all the injuries that occur, boxing is a sport that should be banned. Soils can be classified in various ways, including according to color, texture, and the type of crops they support. With funerals so expensive, I’d better not die soon; I can’t afford to. Thomas Jefferson promised his wife he would never remarry; she died at thirty-three, and he kept his promise. Teachers should not grade on a curve because then no matter how well the poorest student does, he or she cannot get a good grade.

July is Bargain Month at Fred’s Used Cars and Trucks July is Bargain Month at Fred’s Used Cars and Trucks. Now’s your chance to make a real deal and drive away with the car of your dreams. March 1 is the deadline for all applications for scholarships and student loans. The spaceship landed. Stella’s heart pounded as two aliens stepped out. Would Jeffrey be in there, and alive? Unless citizens work together to stop developers from turning parkland into parking lots, our children won’t recognize a tree or a blade of grass.

2. Author’s Intended Audience Definition: This is who the author has in mind as readers for his/ her passage. Ask yourself: WHO is the author writing for? who…who…?

3. Author’s Point of View Definition: The point the author is trying to make. This is the Main Idea of the passage. Ask yourself: What is the author trying to tell me? What is the Main Idea?

4. Author’s Tone Definition: this is the attitude that an author has towards the topic he/she is writing about. Some possible tones: serious, comical, sarcastic, mournful, dramatic, factual (see pg 346) Use the author’s choice of words to figure out the author’s tone.

What is the author’s tone? I always seem to be missing out on things. This time, I’m missing an afternoon at the beach. My boyfriend and some others are driving out to the shore, but I have to stay home and study for finals. Some people have all the luck. A. sorrowful B. mocking C. self-pitying ___

What is the author’s tone? George and Martha Washington never had children of their own, but Martha had two children from a previous marriage. Also, after her son Jacky died at the age of twenty-seven, George and Martha adopted two of his children. A. critical B. objective C. loving purpose? intended audience? point of view?

What is the author’s tone? The people in the apartment across the hallway are good communicators. When they have a party, they communicate it to us by turning the music up so loud that we can’t hear our own TV. And when they have an argument, they let us know about that too, by yelling at the top of their lungs. A. straightforward B. sarcastic C. cruel

What is the author’s tone? I’ve sent out dozens of résumés and gone on exactly ten interviews, and I still haven’t gotten a job offer. But now I have two more job interviews set up, and I have a feeling in my bones that one of these is going to be a winner. A. optimistic B. amused C. regretful

What is the author’s tone? How could our own children have forgotten our anniversary? I don’t even care if they don’t give us a present, but they could at least have called and wished us a happy anniversary. They always seem to remember to call us when they need money or a babysitter. A. complaining B. revengeful C. tolerant purpose? intended audience? point of view?

What is the author’s tone? To connect a videocassette recorder to your television set, you must place the VCR between your antenna or cable connection and the set itself. First, disconnect the VHF or cable antenna input from the TV terminals and connect it to the rear panel of the VCR. Then run another cable from the VHF OUT terminal of the VCR directly to the television set. A. matter-of-fact B. tolerant C. light-hearted purpose? intended audience? point of view?

Time is dangerous. If you don’t control it, it will control you Time is dangerous. If you don’t control it, it will control you! If you don’t make it work for you, it will work against you. You must become the master of time, not the servant. In other words, as a college student, time management will be your number-one problem. What is the author’s tone? What is the author’s purpose? Who is the author’s intended audience? What is the author’s point of view?

As a high school principal, I strongly believe that there shouldn’t be any penalties for students who are caught cheating. After all, everyone does it. Besides, cheating in school will help prepare these same students to cheat on their employers later on, to cheat on their spouses when they marry, and to cheat on their taxes. In fact we could help students even more if we offered a course on how to cheat. What is the author’s tone? What is the author’s purpose? Who is the author’s intended audience? What is the author’s point of view?

What is the author’s tone? What is the author’s purpose? I can’t thank Rob and Elsie sincerely enough for introducing me to Sheila. They promised me she was exactly my type, and how accurate they were—I’ve been yearning for a vain, shallow woman with the IQ of a turnip. Sheila and I hit it off immediately. When I picked her up in my Ford Escort, she wrinkled her adorable nose with exasperation and said, “I thought Elsie said you had a decent car.” I took her to eat at Luigi’s and was thrilled by the way she sneered and said, “You are a cheapskate, aren’t you?” When I suggested we see a foreign film and she announced that she never sees anything with subtitles because she hates to read, I wanted to marry her on the spot. I’ll certainly have to think of some way to repay my dear friends for fixing me up with such a marvelous girl. What is the author’s tone? What is the author’s purpose? Who is the author’s intended audience? What is the author’s point of view?

THEA Sample Which of the following statements best supports the writer’s assertion that “during the 1920’s, intelligence tests were used to prevent many Europeans and others from immigrating to the United States”?

Recognize the question Author’s / writer’s opinion view assertion contention argument “supports……that”

What proves THEA Sample Which of the following statements best supports the writer’s assertion that “during the 1920’s, intelligence tests were used to prevent many Europeans and others from immigrating to the United States”?

What proves Making it Easy Which of the following statements best supports the writer’s assertion that these people are on strike? A. The man in the center looks angry B. The woman is carrying a sign that says “Strike” C. They all have the same point of view.

What proves Making it Easy Which of the following statements best supports the author’s point of view that this picture of the Beatles was taken in the 60’s? A. The Beatles are the best musicians that ever lived. B. The clothes and hair fashion are typical of the 1960’s. C. Today, there are only 2 surviving members of the original Beatles.

What proves Sesame Street has been on the air for over 35 years. Which of the following statements best supports the author’s point of view that Sesame Street is the most watched children’s educational program in America? What proves Sesame Street has been on the air for over 35 years. For the third year in a row, Sesame Street was first in TV ratings nationwide. Sesame Street is designed for children 18months to 10 years of age.

What proves A 6.9% raise was approved. Which of the following statements best supports the author’s point of view that the faculty was displeased with the board’s decision regarding pay raises? A 6.9% raise was approved. The board announced its intent to follow through with a 3 year pay raise plan. Grumbling and complaining was audible among the faculty as soon as the board announced its decision.

What proves Which of the following statements best supports the writer’s assertion that alcohol has a negative effect on domestic violence? A. Alcohol is by far the most destructive drug in American culture. B. Social workers report that alcohol is a factor in nearly half of their domestic violence cases. C. Alcohol, in the form of drinking and driving, is the number one killer of teenagers.