SELT Identifying a Writer's Purpose 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A travel blogger writes: 'Skip the tourist traps and discover the hidden gem of Oaxaca's street food scene—your taste buds will thank you.' What is the primary purpose?
- To warn travelers about food safety risks
- To persuade readers to visit a specific destination (Correct answer)
- To inform readers about Mexican geography
- To entertain with a fictional travel story
Correct answer: To persuade readers to visit a specific destination
The enthusiastic recommendation and direct address ('your taste buds') signal a persuasive purpose aimed at influencing reader behavior.
Question 2: A science magazine publishes an article detailing the lifecycle of monarch butterflies, including migration patterns and breeding habits. What is the writer's purpose?
- To persuade readers to protect butterflies
- To entertain with a nature story
- To inform readers about monarch butterfly biology (Correct answer)
- To describe the writer's personal butterfly collection
Correct answer: To inform readers about monarch butterfly biology
Presenting factual biological data (lifecycle, migration, breeding) without a call to action signals an informative purpose.
Question 3: A columnist writes: 'The city council's decision to close the downtown library is nothing short of cultural vandalism.' What tone reveals the writer's purpose?
- Neutral and objective, aiming to inform
- Humorous, aiming to entertain
- Strongly critical, aiming to persuade (Correct answer)
- Nostalgic, aiming to describe a memory
Correct answer: Strongly critical, aiming to persuade
The emotionally charged phrase 'cultural vandalism' reveals a persuasive intent to influence readers' opinions about the council's decision.
Question 4: A children's book author writes a story about a talking rabbit who learns to share toys with forest friends. What is the primary purpose?
- To inform children about rabbit habitats
- To entertain while teaching a moral lesson (Correct answer)
- To persuade children to adopt pets
- To describe how animals communicate
Correct answer: To entertain while teaching a moral lesson
Using a fictional narrative with an embedded moral message combines entertainment with the goal of teaching values.
Question 5: A product manual states: 'Press the power button for three seconds until the blue LED flashes, then select your language from the menu.' What is the writer's purpose?
- To persuade the user to buy a better product
- To entertain with a technical description
- To instruct the user how to operate the device (Correct answer)
- To inform users about the history of the company
Correct answer: To instruct the user how to operate the device
Step-by-step directions with specific actions signal an instructional (directive) purpose focused on guiding user behavior.
Question 6: A newspaper editorial argues: 'Raising the minimum wage will stimulate the local economy and reduce poverty—lawmakers must act now.' What is the writer's purpose?
- To report on current wage statistics objectively
- To persuade lawmakers and readers to support a wage increase (Correct answer)
- To explain the history of minimum wage laws
- To entertain readers with economic theory
Correct answer: To persuade lawmakers and readers to support a wage increase
The argument for a specific policy outcome and the direct call to action ('must act now') identify this as persuasive writing.
Question 7: A satirical article mocks a fictional politician who promises to 'ban Mondays' to boost national happiness. What is the writer's primary purpose?
- To inform readers about real government policies
- To persuade voters to change political parties
- To entertain and critique society through humor and irony (Correct answer)
- To instruct readers on how to run for office
Correct answer: To entertain and critique society through humor and irony
Satire uses absurd humor to comment on real social or political issues, making entertainment with social critique the primary purpose.
SELT Identifying a Writer's Purpose 2
A travel blogger writes: 'Skip the tourist traps and discover the hidden gem of Oaxaca's street food scene—your taste buds will thank you.' What is the primary purpose?