Structuring Informative Writing

Question 1

A writer wants to explain why library attendance fell sharply after the city cut evening hours. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

cause and effect, tracing what produced the change

Answer

definition, explaining what a public library is

Answer

classification, sorting library visitors into groups

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two branches against each other

Question 2

An article will describe shield, composite, and cinder cone volcanoes, giving each kind its own section. Which structure organizes the article?

Accepted Answer

classification, sorting one subject into kinds

Answer

definition, fixing the meaning of a single term

Answer

cause and effect, tracing what triggers an eruption

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two mountains against each other

Question 3

A draft reads: "A food desert is a low-income area where many residents live far from a store selling fresh produce. The term covers cities and rural counties." Which structure does the draft use?

Accepted Answer

definition, explaining what a term means and what it covers

Answer

classification, sorting neighborhoods into income groups

Answer

cause and effect, tracing why grocery stores close

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two neighborhoods against each other

Question 4

A writer will explain how electric bikes and mopeds differ in price, top speed, and licensing rules. Which structure best organizes the piece?

Accepted Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two subjects point by point

Answer

definition, fixing what counts as a motor vehicle

Answer

classification, sorting two-wheeled vehicles into types

Answer

cause and effect, tracing why bike sales rose

Question 5

A writer has chosen a definition structure for a short piece on the word "biodegradable." Which opening sentence fits that choice?

Accepted Answer

A material is biodegradable when living organisms can break it down into natural substances.

Answer

Biodegradable cartons cost more than plastic ones, though they last far less time.

Answer

Food packaging falls into three groups: recyclable, biodegradable, and landfill-bound.

Answer

Because shoppers demanded greener packaging, biodegradable cartons spread through stores.

Question 6

A writer has chosen a classification structure for an article about volunteers at an animal shelter. Which plan matches that structure?

Accepted Answer

Three sections: dog walkers, foster families, and fundraising volunteers

Answer

One section explaining what a shelter volunteer is and is not

Answer

Two sections: why volunteers quit last spring, and what the shelter lost

Answer

Two sections: shelter volunteers, then zoo volunteers, on the same four points

Question 7

A writer has chosen a cause and effect structure for a piece about falling bee populations. Which opening sentence fits that choice?

Accepted Answer

Habitat loss, pesticides, and disease have together driven bee numbers steadily downward.

Answer

Bees and wasps differ in diet, nesting habits, and how readily they sting.

Answer

A pollinator is any animal that carries pollen between flowering plants.

Answer

Bees fall into three broad groups: honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees.

Question 8

A writer has chosen a comparison and contrast structure for a piece about paperbacks and e-readers. Which opening sentence fits that choice?

Accepted Answer

Paperbacks and e-readers differ in cost, portability, and how well they survive a backpack.

Answer

An e-reader is a handheld device that displays books on a low-glare screen.

Answer

Cheaper screens pushed e-reader sales upward through the past decade.

Answer

Digital reading devices come in three types: tablets, e-ink readers, and phones.

Question 9

A writer wants to explain why a lake's fish population collapsed after a nearby plant began releasing warm water. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

cause and effect, linking a new condition to the outcome it produced

Answer

definition, fixing what counts as thermal pollution

Answer

classification, sorting the lake's fish into species groups

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two lakes against each other

Question 10

A writer will explain how solar panels and wind turbines measure up on installation cost, land use, and winter output. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two subjects on shared points

Answer

definition, fixing what makes an energy source renewable

Answer

classification, sorting power plants into fuel types

Answer

cause and effect, tracing why energy prices climbed

Question 11

A draft reads: "Skateboards fall into three groups. Street boards are short and stiff. Cruisers ride wider and softer. Longboards are built for downhill speed." Which structure does the draft use?

Accepted Answer

classification, dividing a subject into groups

Answer

definition, fixing what the word skateboard means

Answer

cause and effect, tracing why longboards became popular

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two boards against each other

Question 12

A writer opens an article by explaining what counts as an invasive species and what does not, before naming any examples. Which structure organizes that opening?

Accepted Answer

definition, marking the limits of a term

Answer

classification, sorting invaders into plants and animals

Answer

cause and effect, tracing how a species spreads

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two species against each other

Question 13

A paragraph sets two national parks side by side on crowding, trail length, and campground fees. Which transition best signals the shift from the first park to the second?

Accepted Answer

By contrast

Answer

Consequently

Answer

For example

Answer

In other words

Question 14

A paragraph explains that last summer's drought cut the county's corn harvest almost in half. Which transition best signals the move from the cause to the result?

Accepted Answer

As a result

Answer

Similarly

Answer

In particular

Answer

That is

Question 15

A writer organizing an article by classification is drafting the section on woodwind instruments. Which sentence belongs in that section?

Accepted Answer

Clarinets, oboes, and flutes all make sound when air moves past a reed or an edge.

Answer

A musical instrument is any object built to produce sound on purpose.

Answer

String players start a sound differently from the way woodwind players do.

Answer

Ticket sales rose after the orchestra cut its evening concert prices.

Question 16

A piece opens by stating what a watershed is, listing its defining features and its edges. What is that opening doing for the reader?

Accepted Answer

settling the term's meaning and limits before anything else

Answer

sorting watersheds into the types the piece will cover

Answer

tracing what caused the watershed to shrink

Answer

weighing one watershed against another on shared points

Question 17

A writer will explain what changed downtown after the city added a protected bus lane: quicker commutes, fewer crashes, and lost parking spaces. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

cause and effect, linking one change to the results it produced

Answer

definition, fixing what a protected bus lane is

Answer

classification, sorting downtown streets into types

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two cities against each other

Question 18

A writer will explain how a block schedule and a seven-period day differ in class length, nightly homework, and hallway transitions. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

comparison and contrast, measuring two subjects on the same points

Answer

definition, fixing what a block schedule is

Answer

classification, sorting school subjects into departments

Answer

cause and effect, tracing why the schedule was changed

Question 19

A writer will explain that historians divide evidence into primary and secondary sources, describing each kind and giving examples of both. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

classification, splitting a subject into its kinds

Answer

definition, fixing what the word evidence means

Answer

cause and effect, tracing why old records are lost

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two historians against each other

Question 20

A science club newsletter will explain exactly what the term "carbon footprint" means, including which activities the measure counts and which it leaves out. Which structure best organizes this piece?

Accepted Answer

definition, setting out a term's meaning and its boundaries

Answer

classification, sorting households into energy-use groups

Answer

cause and effect, tracing what raises a family's emissions

Answer

comparison and contrast, weighing two households against each other

BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

Structuring Informative Writing

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Bug Blast

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner

Structuring Informative Writing

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

More like this

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Bug Blast

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner