How can you determine an author's purpose for writing a text?

• A. The author always wants to entertain.
• B. The author always wants to persuade.
• C. The author arbitrarily writes without purpose.
• D. Assess whether the author aims to persuade, inform, or entertain, using clues in tone, evidence, and structure.

Answer: (D)

To figure out an author's purpose, you read the text for clues about why it was written. Texts usually aim to inform, persuade, or entertain, and you can spot which goal the author has by looking at tone, evidence, and structure. Tone shows attitude toward the subject and reader: a neutral, factual tone often signals informing; a strong, opinionated tone signals persuading; a playful or vivid tone signals entertaining. The kind of evidence matters too: lots of facts, explanations, and data point to informing; reasons, examples, and persuasive language point to trying to persuade; stories, humor, or drama point to entertaining. The way the piece is put together also gives hints: expository or informational writing uses clear definitions and logical organization; persuasive writing presents arguments and a call to action; narratives or descriptive sections emphasize scenes and characters to entertain. By weighing these clues, you determine whether the author’s aim is to persuade, inform, or entertain. That’s why the best approach is to assess the author’s aims using tone, evidence, and structure.