Author's Purpose Quiz for 8th Grade ELA: Test Your Knowledge

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🎯 Persuade: The author wants to convince you of something. Look for opinions and arguments.
• inform: The author wants to teach you something. Look for facts and information.
• 🎭 Entertain: The author wants to amuse you. Look for stories and humor.
• 💡 Describe: The author wants to create a mental picture. Look for sensory details and imagery.
• 🧐 Main Idea: Understanding the main idea can help identify the author's primary purpose.

Practice Quiz

1. What is the author's purpose if they write an article arguing for stricter recycling laws?
   1. Entertain
   2. Inform
   3. Persuade
   4. Describe
2. Which of the following is MOST likely written to entertain?
   1. A scientific report on climate change
   2. A funny story about a talking dog
   3. A news article about a political debate
   4. A recipe for chocolate cake
3. If an author writes a detailed account of their journey through the Amazon rainforest, what is their likely purpose?
   1. Persuade
   2. Inform
   3. Entertain
   4. Describe
4. An author writes a cookbook filled with recipes and cooking tips. What is their primary purpose?
   1. Entertain
   2. Inform
   3. Persuade
   4. Describe
5. Which of these texts is MOST likely intended to persuade the reader?
   1. A dictionary definition of 'persuasion'
   2. An advertisement for a new brand of toothpaste
   3. A historical account of World War II
   4. A poem about nature
6. What is the author's purpose when writing a biography about Albert Einstein?
   1. To entertain with fictional stories
   2. To inform about Einstein's life and work
   3. To persuade readers to become scientists
   4. To describe Einstein's personality
7. An author writes a travel blog post filled with vivid descriptions of the beaches in Hawaii. What is the author's likely purpose?
   1. To persuade people to move to Hawaii
   2. To inform readers about the history of Hawaii
   3. To entertain readers with funny travel stories
   4. To describe the beauty of Hawaii