Identifying Author’s Purpose, Viewpoints or Tone / Attitude

Practice 1
Read the passage and answer the following questions.

Why write on a Computer?

Some students may feel most comfortable writing a paper by hand, but there’s a better and
more productive ways. Writing on a computer has many great advantages. First of all, the
computer makes it easy to change or rearrange your ideas as you can compose a draft. To
change an idea, all you need to do is highlight the text and then type in the new material.
The original material will disappear as soon as you begin to type. To
rearrange an idea, again you simply highlight the text and then use the cut-and-paste
commands to place it in a different spot.

Second, the computer makes revision much easier. Double-space the text and leave wide
margins, and print out your draft so that you can make handwritten notes and changes.
Then, instead of copying over the entire paper by hand, you can simply return the original
version in your computer and enter the changes. You can repeat this process as often as
you want.

Third, the spell and grammar checkers on the computer can help you in editing your work.
You shouldn’t rely on these tools completely because they can’t recognise every error. For
example, an incorrect spelling of a word may actually be the correct spelling of another word
but the computer won’t know that. And the computer may also label something as
grammatical error when in fact there is no error at all. That’s because the computer isn’t
reading your paper; it’s simply scanning the words according to a formula someone
designed.

Finally, the computer allows you to print out a clean copy of your work so that your audience
won’t have any difficulty reading your handwriting. Learning how to write on a computer may
take some time and effort, but the result is worth it.
(Taken from: Gateways to Academic Writing)
1. What is the purpose of the passage?
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2. What viewpoint does it present?
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 3. What tone does the author convey in the following statement?
You shouldn’t rely on these tools completely because they can’t recognise every
error.
A. Optimistic
B. Pessimistic
C. Formal
D. Excited

Practice 2
Read the passage and answer the following questions.

What a Cat

When I was growing up, my sister had an amusing and unusual house cat named Binkey.
He was so immense that you had to take a second look to make sure he wasn’t a dog. We
lived in a large four-bedroom-family three flat, which gave Binkey a lot of space to meander.
He went from floor to floor terrorizing each household. Binkey weighted in at 38 pounds. He
had large round emerald eyes. His body was gray with an all-white underside, and he had a
mixture of tan, gray, and black down his back, with a streak of white in the centre. He had a
lovely tail that fanned out like a peacock spreading its features for display. My sister believed
he was so huge due to the love she gave him, but I beg to differ. He was enormous because
of the amount of food he consumed.

Binkey had a monstrous appetite. Not only did he eat his three meals of the day, he also ate
small pets throughout the building, which consisted of birds, hamsters, and gold fish. We
noticed at times that Binkey’s belly would be wet. Also, our gold fish were slowly vanishing.
But how? We thought he was too large to climb on top of the tank, until one day after we
returned from church. We found Binkey lying on his side on top of the tank. His belly was so
large, it rested in the water. And the fish would not come to the top and examine the
conspicuous object floating in the water. He would slowly stretch his paw into the water,
swiping at the fish and eating them like they were savoury appetizers. This was one of most
amusing acts that Binkey performed.
There was something unusual about Binkey. He had a passion for water. My sister gave him
weekly baths from the age of six weeks. When he heard the sound of water running in the

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tub, he would make a mad dash for the bathtub and leap in it. Whenever we wanted to take
a bath, we usually had to close the bathroom door, or there would be a frisky feline
swimming in our bath water. Binkey gave us 12 years of amusement and wonder. The last
adventure he had was jumping out the window from the second floor into a tree while
chasing a squirrel. He fell two stories and shattered the bones in his two front legs. He has
been deeply missed, for he was part of the family.
(Adapted from: Gateways to Academic Writing)

1. What is the purpose of the passage?

2. What is the author’s viewpoint when he/she says,

3. What is the author’s tone? Explain/Support your answer.

4. Draw a conclusion based on the last sentence,

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