How to identify the author's purpose
TEAS 7 outline: Evaluate the author's purpose
Also covers HESI A2 Reading (Author's purpose and tone)
- Author's purpose is why the text was written: persuade, inform, entertain, or describe.
- Ask what the author wants you to do, know, or feel.
- A call to action means persuade, even when the text uses facts.
- Stories entertain, sensory details describe, and numbered steps mark a technical text.
- The primary purpose must fit the whole passage, including the conclusion.
Key facts
- Ask what the author wants you to do, know, or feel when you finish; the answer names the purpose.
- Persuasive texts take a position and push for it, often with should or must and a call to action.
- Expository (informative) texts explain a topic with facts, definitions, examples, or cause and effect, without pushing a side.
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- Narrative texts tell a story with characters, a setting, and events in order; descriptive texts use the five senses to paint a picture.
- Technical texts help a reader complete a task, using numbered steps, precise details, warnings, and the exact names of the buttons or parts the reader will use.
- The primary purpose must fit the whole passage, so check the conclusion, not only the opening.
Quick check1 question · 2 more at the end
Bring Back the Lunch Break
At 1:30 on a Tuesday, Marisol, a pharmacy technician, finally sat down to eat. She had been on her feet since seven, and her sandwich had been waiting in the break-room refrigerator for six hours. Before she could finish it, the phone rang, and she went back to the counter.
Stories like hers are common in our hospital. In last month's staff survey, 58 percent of pharmacy and nursing employees said they had skipped a meal break at least once in the past week. Many said they felt they could not leave their stations because no one was available to cover for them.
This should not be treated as a personal choice. Skipping breaks is a scheduling problem, and scheduling problems have scheduling solutions. Two departments in our hospital already use a "break buddy" system, in which pairs of coworkers cover for each other during a protected 30-minute meal period. In the same survey, far fewer employees in those departments reported missing a break.
Hospital leaders should adopt the break-buddy system in every department by the end of the year. A rested team is a more focused team, and patients benefit from that. Talk to your manager, sign the petition in the break room, and help make the lunch break a real break again.
What is the author's primary purpose in writing the passage?
Correct answer: C.
The primary purpose must fit the whole passage, and the conclusion usually reveals it. Here the author states a position ("should not be treated as a personal choice"), tells hospital leaders what they "should" do, and ends with a call to action. The opening story and the survey numbers are tools that support that argument, so the purpose is to persuade.
A The story of Marisol is only the opening hook; the passage goes on to argue for a policy change.
B The survey is real support in the passage, but it is used as evidence for the argument rather than as the main point.
C Correct: the "should" statements, the deadline, and the closing call to action show the author is arguing for the break-buddy system.
D The break room is mentioned only in passing; the passage does not build a sensory picture of it.
Full lesson
Each part starts with its main idea. Open a part when you want the details.
The short answer: The author's purpose is the main reason a text was written: to persuade, to inform or explain, to entertain, or to describe. Find it by asking what the author wants you to do, know, or feel after reading. A call to action signals persuasion, neutral facts signal informing, a story signals entertaining, and sensory detail signals describing.
1 What does "author's purpose" mean?The author's purpose is the main reason the text was written. 1 min
The author's purpose is the main reason the text was written. Most texts you read at school or work aim either to inform or to persuade. Stories and vivid descriptions add two more purposes, entertaining and describing.
| Purpose | The author wants you to… | Look for |
|---|---|---|
| Persuade | agree or take action | should, must, a clear opinion, a call to action |
| Inform or explain | understand a topic | neutral facts, definitions, examples, causes and effects |
| Entertain | enjoy a story | characters, a plot, humor, suspense |
| Describe | picture something | sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch details |
A text can do more than one thing. The question usually asks for the primary purpose, the one that fits the whole passage.
2 What are the main types of text?Each text type has a typical purpose and a set of features you can spot fast. 1 min
Each text type has a typical purpose and a set of features you can spot fast. Match the features first, then the purpose follows.
| Text type | Usual purpose | Telltale features |
|---|---|---|
| Expository | inform or explain | facts, definitions, compare and contrast, cause and effect |
| Persuasive (argumentative) | persuade | a claim, supporting evidence, answers to the other side, a call to action |
| Narrative | entertain, or make a point through a story | characters, setting, events in time order |
| Descriptive | describe | sensory details that build a picture |
| Technical | help the reader do a task | numbered steps, exact specifications, button or part names, warnings |
Workplace documents, such as memos and instructions, usually either inform readers of a change or persuade them to act.
3 What is a step-by-step method?Check the ending as well as the opening, because the conclusion often reveals the purpose. 1 min
Check the ending as well as the opening, because the conclusion often reveals the purpose. Use these four steps.
- Read the title, the first sentence, and the last paragraph.
- Ask the payoff question. After reading, what does the author want me to do, know, or feel?
- Check the evidence. Look for "should," a call to action, a story, sensory details, or numbered steps.
- Test each answer against the whole text. The verb (persuade, inform, entertain, describe) and the topic must both fit.
Try it: "Our building's stairwell is open, well lit, and only two floors from the cafeteria. Taking the stairs costs nothing and needs no gym membership. Next time the elevator doors open, walk right past them."
- The first two sentences sound informative, since they state simple facts.
- The last sentence tells you to do something. That is a call to action.
- The facts serve the request, so the primary purpose is to persuade readers to take the stairs.
4 What wrong answers should you expect?Most wrong answers are true about part of the passage but miss its overall purpose. 1 min
Most wrong answers are true about part of the passage but miss its overall purpose. Watch for these four patterns.
- The hook lure. A passage opens with a short story, so "to entertain" looks right. If the story leads into an argument, the purpose is to persuade.
- The facts lure. A persuasive passage cites a survey, so "to inform" looks right. Ask what the facts are being used for.
- The one-paragraph answer. The choice describes one paragraph accurately but not the whole text.
- The describe-versus-narrate mix-up. Describing paints a picture of a place or thing; narrating tells what happened over time.
Common mistakes
The traps students fall into most. Read these before you practice.
Watch out: A persuasive text can include facts and statistics; facts used to support a call to action still serve persuasion, not informing.
Watch out: A story at the start does not make the purpose "to entertain" if the author uses it to set up an argument.
Watch out: An answer can name the right verb but the wrong topic, or a topic covered in only one paragraph; it must fit the whole text.
Watch out: Describing creates a picture of something; narrating tells what happened. Do not mix them up.
How to remember it
Think of the purposes as PIE plus D for Persuade, Inform, Entertain, and Describe. Then add one more word, technical, for any text that helps you finish a task.
Self-check:
- A flyer lists flu-clinic hours and then says, "Don't wait, sign up today!" What is its primary purpose, and which sentence decides it?
- A paragraph describes the smell of coffee and the hum of monitors in a hospital break room. Is it narrative or descriptive?
- Name two features that show a text is technical.