Purpose, audience, and context

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 11-14

Name ______________________ Date ____________

The audience of a text is the job the writing does, like informing or persuading.
Circle one: True False
Read this poster: 'Come to Fern Street Fair this Saturday! Games, cakes, and a dog show. Bring your friends.' What is the main purpose of this poster?
- To persuade people to visit the fair
- To instruct people how to bake cakes
- To inform people about dog breeds
Writers change their word choices depending on who will read the text. What is the term for these word choices?
- Context
- Register
- Purpose
Read this verse: 'My cat wore my shoes and danced on the mat, then fell in the bin with a crash and a splat.' What is the main purpose of this verse?
- To instruct you in cat care
- To inform you about bins
- To entertain you with a funny picture
Sam cannot tell who a text is written for. Which question would most help him work out the audience?
- How many pages does the text have?
- Who did the writer expect to read this?
- What year was the text printed?
A magazine article uses short sentences, jokes, and everyday words to explain a new phone. A scientific report on the same phone uses technical terms and formal sentences. What does this difference mostly show?
- The magazine article is wrong
- The scientific report has no facts
- The two texts have different audiences and purposes
Which sentence is most likely from a scientific report rather than a newspaper article?
- Scientists say the ice is melting fast, and it's scary.
- The data indicate a 12% reduction in ice mass over the observed period.
- You won't believe how fast this glacier is disappearing.
Read this line from a magazine page: 'Hey, dino fans. Check out our roarsome fossil quiz on page six.' Who is the most likely audience?
- Young readers who like dinosaurs
- Scientists checking fossil data
- Teachers marking exam papers
Read this line from a charity leaflet: 'Imagine a cold child with no coat this winter. Your gift can warm her today.' Why did the writer most likely choose these words?
- To give exact data about winter weather
- To instruct readers in knitting coats
- To stir feeling so readers are moved to give
Noor wants to convince the school council to fund a skate club. Which opening line best matches her purpose and her audience?
- Funding a skate club would give students a safe place to exercise and build skills.
- Skating is epic and everyone should try it right now.
- A skateboard has a deck, two trucks, and four wheels.

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Purpose, audience, and context W1-mt_jIcgbCmziD-s1

False · That job is the purpose. The audience is the group of readers the writer had in mind.
To persuade people to visit the fair · The poster tries to get readers to come along, which is persuasion.
Register · Register is the name for the words and style a writer picks for a particular audience.
To entertain you with a funny picture · A silly, playful verse is written to amuse the reader, which is entertainment.
Who did the writer expect to read this? · Audience means the readers the writer had in mind, so ask who the writer expected to read it.
The two texts have different audiences and purposes · Different word choices reflect who each text is written for and why.
The data indicate a 12% reduction in ice mass over the observed period. · Formal, precise, data-based language is a sign of a scientific report.
Young readers who like dinosaurs · Playful words and a fun quiz invite children, not experts.
To stir feeling so readers are moved to give · Persuasive writing uses strong, emotional language to convince readers to act.
Funding a skate club would give students a safe place to exercise and build skills. · A formal, reasoned line persuades decision makers; slang fits friends, and plain facts alone do not persuade.