Author's Purpose Worksheet

to instruct

to inform

Match the purpose to the correct passage: to persuade

Basketball was invented over 100 years ago by a man named Dr. James Naismith. It was recess time and Dr. Naismith was looking for a game that his boys could play. He tacked a peach basket to a tree and gave the boys a ball. The object of the game was to throw the ball into the basket. Basketball has changed in some ways over the years, but in many ways it is exactly the same.

The author's purpose in this passage was to _______________________________.

If you're going to shoot a lay-up, you need to be close to the basket. You first take a step with your right foot and then with your left. Then you shoot the ball with your right hand. Even if you are left handed, you should use your right hand. You should aim to have the ball bounce off the backboard. If you follow these simple steps, you'll be making lay-ups in no time!

The author's purpose in this passage was to _______________________________.

The Maryland team won the NCAA basketball tournament last year, but today they were 5 second from losing in the first round! A player from the other team had just made two foul shots with 5 seconds left to put his team up by one. But Maryland guard Drew Nicholas took the ball and dribbled it down to his end of the court. With less than one second left, he jumped and took his shot. It went in! The Maryland fans went crazy.

The author's purpose in this passage was to _______________________________.

Some people say Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan, but they are wrong. Michael Jordan is 40 years old, and he is still one of the best players in the league. I doubt Kobe will still be playing when he is 40 years old. Kobe Bryant is also teammates with Shaquille O'Neal. It's easy to win when you have someone like Shaq on your team. Kobe Bryant is a good player, but he is definitely not as good as Michael Jordan.

The author's purpose in this passage was to _______________________________.