All pieces of text are written for a purpose. Sometimes, the intention behind a piece of writing is very simple. For example, the warning on a propane tank was written to inform users about safe handling procedures. An even simpler example would be the big red EXIT over an emergency door. Sometimes the author of a passage has a more complex purpose in mind: a mass email sent out on behalf of a political party may be intended to persuade readers to adopt a particular viewpoint on a social issue, with the hope that readers will then vote a certain way, provide financial support to the party, or even try to convince others of that same perspective.
While an author’s point of view is most obvious in a persuasive text, even informational texts sometimes reveal an author’s attitude toward a subject.
Recognizing the author’s purpose when reading a stimulus will help you to quickly answer questions about the author’s intent and attitude, including any biases the author holds, as well as the intended context and audience of the piece. Questions may ask "With which of the following statements would the author likely agree?" "Which idea would the author most sympathize with?" and "What is the author’s opinion on [some issue or topic] likely to be?"
The author’s purpose may be to tell a story, provide information, change your mind, or just entertain you. If the tone of the writing is factual and straightforward, as in an instruction booklet or a news report, the author is likely seeking to inform or relate events. If the tone of the passage is more emotional (angry, sarcastic, excited, happy, or sad), the author is more likely to be trying to persuade you of something. Keep an eye out for any key words that signal authorial opinion—for example, misguided, brilliant, or impressive.
In a persuasive passage, the author will express a clear point of view and ask the reader to accept it. An author may also express a point of view in a passage that is informative. The author’s attitude will be reflected by his choice of words, the way he structures the passage (what information is given the most focus), and the sources he draws on, if any. An article that refers to homeless youth reveals a different attitude toward the subject than an article that refers to scruffy young vagabonds. An essay that cites news reports reflects a less biased approach to the topic than an essay that references "what most people think" or "what’s been said on the Internet."
When persuasion is the goal, the author will make an argument. That is, the author will promote a point of view, or conclusion, and will present evidence to support that conclusion. Conclusions are always opinions, while evidence may be either facts or opinions.
Follow along as a TEAS expert maps a passage and answers two questions about the author’s purpose and point of view.
Different people have different approaches to choosing a personal computer. Some people pick a new computer at random, falling victim to the latest trend or advertisement. These people often regret their decisions in the long run. On the other hand, people who do thorough research before purchasing a computer are much happier with their decisions over time. When you are shopping for a new computer, conducting research is an important step.
The best source for unbiased information is a respected consumer reporting magazine like Technology Reports Monthly or Desktop Computer Shopper. These magazines have built a reputation for unbiased, accurate reporting their readers can rely on. Unlike retail salespeople or advertisers, these publications seek to provide consumers with accurate information so they can select the right computer for them.
| Question | Analysis |
|
|
Step 1: Topic: computers Scope: consumer decisions Purpose: to give advice ¶ 1: Research key to choosing right computer ¶ 2: Rely on consumer mags—unbiased |
| What is the author’s goal in writing this passage? | Step 2: This is a question about the author’s overall purpose. |
| Step 3: Look at your passage map. | |
| Step 4: Predict that the author wants to provide advice to consumers about how to make good decisions. | |
| (A) To argue that retail salespeople are generally untrustworthy |
Step 5: Though the author implies that it might be in a retail salesperson’s best interest to mislead consumers, this choice is too extreme. Furthermore, it is definitely not the author’s primary purpose. |
| (B) To provide advice to nonexperts about how to select the right personal computer | Correct. The author provides information in this passage, but with the ultimate goal of suggesting what consumers should do when choosing a computer. |
| (C) To share an opinion about which computer magazines offer the best information on technology | The author only mentions the two trustworthy magazines as examples of where people can find unbiased information. Be careful not to confuse details with the main goal of the passage. |
| (D) To provide information about consumers’ retail computer purchases | Though this may be tempting, the author quickly moves on from discussing how many consumers make purchasing decisions to how they should make purchasing decisions, first explaining the consequences of poor planning and then advising how to make an informed choice. |
Here is another question based on the same passage.
| Question | Analysis |
| If the author of the passage were planning to purchase a new dishwasher, which of the following sources of information would the author be most likely to trust? | Step 2: The question asks you to understand and apply the author’s point of view to buying a dishwasher, a topic not discussed in the passage. |
| Step 3: The passage map captures the author’s point of view that consumer reporting magazines are unbiased. Researching paragraph 2 finds that these magazines provide reporting "readers can rely on," a strong positive opinion. |
|
| Step 4: Predict that the author would look for an unbiased source of information, especially a consumer reporting publication or any other unbiased third party with a reputation for honesty. |
|
| (A) The Acme Appliance Company’s dishwasher brochure |
Step 5: Incorrect. The author would consider advertising copy from a dishwasher manufacturer biased. |
| (B) An entertainment website’s list of the most popular dishwashing habits |
The author argues against following the latest trends, so this is also incorrect. |
| (C) Dishwashers Tonight, a respected third-party consumer reporting podcast | Correct. This matches the prediction. It’s a podcast rather than a magazine, but the key is that it is respected for its consumer reporting and is unaffiliated with a manufacturer. |
| (D) The expert, noncommissioned salespeople in a department store’s home appliances section | This could be tempting, as salespeople who are not on commission might be less biased toward closing a sale, but that’s not the same as "unbiased." The author never suggests the warning about salespeople is limited to those on commission, so this choice doesn’t fit with what is known about the author’s opinion. |
Now practice answering some questions on your own. After reading and mapping the passage and answering the questions, check your work against the explanations that follow.
Questions 1–2 refer to the following stimulus.
It is a common belief among writers that great art is born from experience. An overused example is the purported similarity of Ernest Hemingway with the protagonist of his celebrated novel A Farewell to Arms. Yet some of the greatest writers in literary history have had a very limited knowledge of the world.
Novelist Jane Austen, for example, did not venture far beyond her circle of family and friends. Yet, just by observing the people around her, she was able to write acclaimed comedies about love and marriage. And Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of classic adventures such as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, wrote many of his stories without having had similar experiences.
William Faulkner wrote, "A writer needs three things: experience, observation, and imagination, any two of which, at times any one of which, can supply the lack of the others." This is clearly true for great writers.1. How would the author of the passage above most likely feel about science fiction novels set on other planets?
Step 1:
Topic: great writers
Scope: does life experience = great art?
Purpose: to argue life experience is not necessary to produce great art
¶ 1: Common belief: art from life
¶ 2: Austen and Stevenson: great writers with minimal experience
¶ 3: Author: for great writers, experience is not always necessary
Step 2: The question asks what the author’s opinion would be of science fiction not set on Earth.
Step 3: The author seeks to persuade readers that not all great writers base their work on personal experience. The author uses the examples of Austen and Stevenson and quotes Faulkner in support of this conclusion.
Step 4: The author would feel that, though no one alive today has had experience living on other planets, science fiction in such a setting could achieve literary greatness.
Step 5: Answer choice (A) is a match for the prediction. Choice (B), with its negative tone indicated by words like "[c]hildish" and "limit," is not correct. Choice (C) contradicts the author’s belief that experience is not always necessary. Choice (D) is too extreme. The author argues that writers without personal experience can still create great work, not that only writers without personal experience can create great work.
2. What is the purpose of this passage?
Step 2: The question asks for the author’s purpose in writing the passage.
Step 3: The passage is persuasive, and the author’s opinion is that life experience is not always necessary for writers to produce great work.
Step 4: Predict that the author’s purpose is to argue this point of view.
Step 5: The prediction matches answer choice (C). The author believes that while some writers draw on personal experience to produce great literature, others do not. (A) is not correct; while the author does provide information about several authors, the author does so to make a point, not simply to inform the reader. (B) is also incorrect, as the author never compares the quality of Hemingway’s work to that of other authors. The author dismisses the argument about Hemingway as "overused" but says nothing negative about Hemingway himself. (D) is incorrect; although the author does share some beliefs (a "common belief" in paragraph 1 and Faulkner’s view in paragraph 3), the author’s purpose is to argue for one over the other.