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MassachusettsEnglish Language

Reading Informational Texts

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you identify the claim an argument makes, the reasons and evidence that support it, and whether the reasoning is sound?

Analyzing arguments and claims in informational texts: identifying the central claim, separating reasons from evidence, distinguishing fact from opinion, evaluating whether the evidence is relevant and sufficient, and spotting weak reasoning on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS argumentative passage.
How to analyze an argument on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS passage: finding the central claim, separating reasons from evidence, telling fact from opinion, and judging whether the support is relevant and sufficient. Tested through multiple-choice and evidence-selection items.
9 min answer →

How do you identify why an author wrote a text and explain the rhetorical choices and appeals they use to achieve that purpose?

Author's purpose and rhetoric in informational texts: identifying purpose (to inform, persuade, explain, or describe), reading the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), and explaining how word choice, tone, and rhetorical strategies serve the purpose on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage.
How to analyze author's purpose and rhetoric on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage: identifying purpose (inform, persuade, explain, describe), reading the appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), and explaining how word choice and strategy serve that purpose. Reward effect, not labels.
9 min answer →

How do you identify the central idea of an informational text and tell it apart from a supporting detail or the topic, then trace how the writer develops it?

Central ideas in informational texts: identifying the main point a nonfiction text makes about its topic (not the topic itself and not a supporting detail), distinguishing the central idea from details and from a summary, and tracing how the writer develops and refines it across a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage.
How to find the central idea of a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage: telling the main point apart from the topic and from supporting details, distinguishing it from a summary, and tracing how the writer develops it. Tested through multiple-choice and two-part items.
9 min answer →

How do you draw an inference that the text supports, and how do you find the specific evidence that proves it, especially on the two-part items?

Text evidence and inference in informational texts: drawing an inference the text supports (reading between the lines without going beyond the evidence), citing the specific line that proves it, and handling the two-part evidence-based item where Part B must support the inference in Part A, on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS passage.
How to draw inferences and cite evidence on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS passage: reading between the lines without overreaching, finding the line that proves an answer, and handling the two-part evidence-based item where Part B supports Part A. The evidence habit wins points across the test.
9 min answer →

How do you recognize the way an informational text is organized, and explain why a writer chose that structure to convey their ideas?

Text structure and features in informational texts: recognizing organizational patterns (cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, chronological or sequential, description), explaining why a writer chose a structure, and using text features (headings, captions, graphics) to locate and understand information on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage.
How to analyze text structure and features on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage: recognizing organizational patterns (cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, sequence), explaining the writer's choice, and using headings and graphics. Tested through multiple-choice and ordering items.
9 min answer →