1. Author’s Purpose • 8th Grade

2. Mortal combat was one of the most popular sports in ancient Rome. Bouts began with contestants--called gladiators--marching into the arena and acknowledging the Roman leader with the words “Hail, Caesar, we who are about to die salute you.” After this formality, the gladiators were given weapons as well as protective clothing. Once armed, they began fighting. Crowds enjoyed a skillful, courageous, and evenly matched fight. If the loser was not killed, the event’s sponsor decided his fate. A thumbs-up sign meant the loser would be allowed to heal so he could fight another day. Thumbs down meant that he would immediately have his throat cut by the winner’s sword. An actor dressed as a god would then emerge and spear the body to make certain he was dead. The tattered body was then hooked behind a horse and dragged away and the entire arena sprayed with perfume, after which the crowd settled contentedly back for the next contest. 1. The author’s purpose in this paragraph is to A. inform the reader of the origin of the thumbs up and thumbs down sign B. inform the reader of the history of gladiator fighting in Rome C. inform the reader of a typical gladiator fight in Roman times D. inform the reader of the Roman religion of Caesar worship

3. The shrew, a small animal similar to a mouse or mole, measures two inches long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. It weighs only a few ounces. Despite its small size, the shrew has a bite as deadly as that of a poisonous snake and eats as much as two times its own weight each day. It attacks and kills animals much larger than itself. Its main weapons are tiny needle-like teeth and deadly saliva, which contains an unusually strong poison. A special gland in the shrew’s mouth produces this venom. 2. The author’s purpose in this paragraph is to A. inform the reader about poisonous animals B. inform the reader about the eating habits of shrews C. inform the reader about the similarities of shrews and moles D. inform the reader about the viciousness of the shrew

4. Creatures that are very sensitive to the changes in the air before a storm can “predict” a change in the weather. Birds, for example, sense the pressure change and fly lower. Low-flying birds, then, indicate that rain is coming. Similarly, houseflies detect this change and move indoors to avoid the downpour. Also, cats are known to groom themselves just before a storm. In doing so, they are reacting to the static electricity that enters the air before a thunderstorm. The electricity separates their fur and makes them feel dirty, so they lick themselves to make the fur smooth and “clean” again. 3. The author’s purpose for writing this paragraph is to A. inform readers about how to predict the weather B. inform readers about how birds predict the weather C. inform readers about how animals indicate weather changes D. inform readers about changes in the weather

5. The eruption of volcanoes has caused death and misery throughout the centuries. But in parts of Italy, Iceland, Chile, and Bolivia, volcanic steam is used to run heat and power plants. Pumice, which is made from volcanic lava, is used as a grinder and polisher. Sulfur produced by volcanoes is useful to the chemical industry. Hawaiian farmers grow crops on land made rich by decayed volcanic material. Clearly, in spite of all the damage they cause, volcanoes do benefit us in various ways. 5. The author’s purpose for writing this paragraph is to A. inform the reader about the dangers of volcanoes B. inform the reader of the ways volcanoes benefit humans C. inform the reader of the locations of most volcanoes D. inform the reader how humans use the steam of volcanoes

6. If we accept the notion that one goal of the judicial system is to rehabilitate people, our recidivism rate – the percentage of those released from prison who are later arrested for other crimes – shows how inadequate our criminal justice system really is. Depending on the particular study, this rate runs somewhere between 30 and 80 percent. The crime rate among former prisoners is actually much higher, for the recidivism rate represents only those who are rearrested. Part of the reason for recidivism is a penal system that produces contempt and hatred – attitudes hardly conducive to law-abiding behavior. To lower our recidivism rate, we must reform our penal system. 6. The main purpose of this passage is to A. inform readers about the penal system B. convince readers that the penal system needs reforming C. amuse readers with an interesting view of human nature D. explain what recidivism rate means

7. I have thought about exercise. Read about it. Watched it. Even considered it. Doctors recommend it, especially when they can’t think of anything else to say. When you’re over fifty you go to the doctor and you’re telling him that this hurts and that hurts and that you’re tired all the time. You know the doctor just wants to blurt out: “What the blazes do you expect? You’re o-l-d. Old!” But they don’t say that because they like to have you keep coming in so they can just kind of look you over and charge you three hundred bucks. At my last checkup, I was complaining about a multitude of maladies visiting my body. (Most have since moved in.) The doctor looked bored – kind of listless, like he might need a checkup himself – and said rotely what he always says, “Are you getting enough exercise?” I replied that I did not exercise at all, which I considered just about the right amount. 7. The main purpose of this passage is to A. explain the drawbacks of exercise B. persuade people never to trust doctors C. entertain with humorous details about aging and doctors D. inform the reader about the benefits of exercise

8. At the beginning of the twentieth century, school administrators in Paris wanted to relieve overcrowding by removing youngsters who did not have the capacity to benefit from an academic education. They called in the psychologist Alfred Binet and asked him to devise a test to identify those children. The test that Binet developed was the precursor of a wide variety of tests that try to assign intelligence a numerical score. Binet’s approach focused on finding children who were least likely to benefit from an education. Today, intelligence testing is also used to identify children with special strengths who can benefit from a richer teaching program. 8. The main purpose of this passage is to A. inform readers about the origin and purpose of intelligence tests B. persuade readers to take intelligence tests C. entertain readers with a story about the origin of intelligence tests D. explain how intelligence tests are administered

9. There are many pets that a child can have, but a dog is the best one of all! There are several reasons why dogs make better pets than other animals. They are always willing to play with you when you need a friend. Snakes are interesting, but they don't play with you. They just sit there coiled around your arm. Dogs can be trained to do many tricks, unlike cats who just stare at you when you try to get them to do anything that you want them to do. They are also very loyal animals that will try to protect you and your household from danger! Have you ever seen a hamster try to protect its master? If you are thinking of getting a pet remember that a dog makes the best one of all! 9. What is the author’s purpose for this paragraph? A. Entertain you with a story about why dogs are wonderful pets B. Inform you that dogs are the best pet a child can have C. Persuade you that dogs make better pets than other animals D. Express dislike for snakes

10. Sammy and Ralph were snowmen. Sammy was Ralph’s cousin. Sammy was a very proper little snowman and Ralph was a rebel. Ralph always wanted to be different and Sammy always wanted to do what he was supposed to do. One day Ralph decided to pack his suitcase full of snowballs. His cousin, Sammy, told him not to. He told Ralph that all the snowballs would melt and ruin his suitcase. Ralph packed his suitcase full of snowballs anyway, and they all melted. Ralph figured out a way to solve his problem. He put his suitcase in the freezer, and the water in his suitcase turned to ice! 10. What is the author’s purpose for this paragraph? A. Entertain you with a story about two snowmen who were cousins B. Inform you about how Ralph solved his problem C. Convince you that you should not pack snowballs in your suitcase D. Express an appreciation for snowmen