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Hong KongAuthor's purpose and point of view
Skill 5 reads "Analyze how point of view and purpose shape the content and style of text". Purpose is what the author wants from you; point of view is the position they write from. Four purposes cover almost everything: to inform, to persuade, to explain a process, and to entertain.
Purpose questions have a reputation for being vague. They are not, because the passage gives the answer away in its own construction.
Four purposes and their fingerprints
| Purpose | What the passage does | Give-away |
|---|---|---|
| Inform | Presents facts without arguing for a course of action | Neutral verbs, balanced coverage, no recommendation |
| Persuade | Argues for a position | Evaluative adjectives, counterargument answered, a should |
| Explain | Walks through how or why something works | Sequence markers, definitions, cause language |
| Entertain or reflect | Tells a story or turns something over | Scene, first person, imagery |
The fastest check is whether the passage would be complete without its last paragraph. Persuasive writing usually lands somewhere; informative writing usually just stops.
Point of view is not the same thing
Purpose is the effect the author wants. Point of view is the position they are writing from, and on nonfiction it usually means their stance on the issue rather than a grammatical person.
A passage can be informative in purpose and still carry a discernible point of view in its choices about what to include. Skill 5 says point of view and purpose shape "the content and style", which is a hint that both leave fingerprints on what was selected as well as on how it was written.
A passage describes a district policy in neutral terms for three paragraphs, then closes: Whether other districts follow will depend less on the evidence than on who is willing to spend the money. What is the author's purpose?
- To persuade districts to adopt the policy
- To inform readers about the policy while suggesting a skeptical view of how such decisions are made
- To explain the steps involved in implementing the policy
- To entertain readers with an account of a local dispute
Words that reveal a stance
- Hedges: appears, suggests, may indicate. The author is holding back.
- Boosters: clearly, undeniably, obviously. The author is pushing.
- Loaded pairs: reform against overhaul, incentive against inducement, spending against investment.
Boosters are the strongest signal on a short passage. An informative piece rarely needs to tell you that something is obvious.
The audience question
Some items ask who the passage was written for. The answer is in the vocabulary: technical terms left undefined imply a specialist reader, terms defined in passing imply a general one. That is a fast, evidence-based call and it is one of the few places where you can be almost certain.
A caution about your own opinion
Purpose questions invite you to grade the writing, and the exam is not asking. It does not matter whether the argument convinced you. It matters what the author was trying to do and how you can tell from the text.
That connects to the wider rule of this subtest. All three competency titles end in "based on text selections", so an answer you cannot ground in the passage is wrong even when you are right about the world.
What we would do with fifteen minutes
Take three articles: a news report, an opinion column and a how-to. Mark every hedge and every booster in each. You will see the pattern immediately, and after that purpose questions stop feeling like guesswork and start feeling like counting.
Common questions
How do I identify the author's purpose?
Look at what the passage does rather than what it says. Neutral verbs and balanced coverage point to informing; evaluative adjectives and an answered counterargument point to persuading; sequence markers and definitions point to explaining a process.
What is the difference between purpose and point of view?
Purpose is the effect the author wants on you. Point of view is the position they write from. A passage can be informative in purpose and still reveal a stance through what it chooses to include, which is what skill 5 asks you to analyze.
What words reveal an author's stance?
Hedges such as appears and may indicate show restraint. Boosters such as clearly and undeniably show pressure. Loaded near-synonyms, like spending against investment, carry judgment while describing the same thing, and are the most reliable signal on a short passage.
Does my opinion of the argument matter?
No. The question is what the author was trying to do and how the text shows it. Every Reading competency title ends with "based on text selections", so an answer you cannot ground in the passage is wrong even if your judgment of the argument is sound.