★Author's Purpose and Text Structure
Grade 3 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the answer.
Read this first
What Makes a Thunderstorm
On a hot summer afternoon, the sky can change fast. Puffy white clouds grow tall and dark. Soon you see a flash and hear a loud boom. What causes a thunderstorm? It starts with warm air and water.
The sun heats the ground on a summer day. The warm ground heats the air just above it. Warm air is lighter than cool air, so it rises. As a result, warm, wet air floats high into the sky.
High above the ground, the air is much colder. The rising air cools down, and the water in it forms tiny drops. Billions of drops together make a cloud. When lots of warm air keeps rising, the cloud grows taller and taller. A storm cloud can grow more than eight miles tall.
Near the top of the cloud, it is so cold that drops freeze into bits of ice. Strong winds toss the ice up and down. The pieces bump and rub against each other. Because of this rubbing, the cloud builds up electric charges. It is a bit like a sock that comes out of the dryer full of static.
When enough charge builds up, it jumps across the sky as lightning. A lightning bolt is hotter than the surface of the sun. It heats the air around it in a split second. The hot air spreads out so fast that it makes a giant boom. That boom is thunder.
You see lightning before you hear thunder. This happens because light travels much faster than sound. Count the seconds between the flash and the boom. If you count five seconds, the storm is about one mile away.
Heavy rain falls when the drops in the cloud grow too heavy to float. Sometimes the ice falls as hail instead. Afterward, the air often feels cooler and fresh.
Thunderstorms can be dangerous, so it is smart to go indoors when you hear thunder. Many people think watching a storm from a safe window is exciting. Now you know the causes behind every flash and boom.
What is the author's main purpose for writing this text?
- to explain what causes a thunderstorm
- to compare summer storms with winter storms
- to persuade readers to watch storms outside
- to entertain readers with a story about a storm
Which text structure does the author mostly use?
- problem and solution
- description
- compare and contrast
- cause and effect
Which group of words from the text signals this structure?
- same, both, unlike
- so, as a result, because of this
- first, second, third
- I think, best, should
What causes warm air to rise?
- It is lighter than cool air.
- Lightning heats it up quickly.
- The cloud pulls it up high.
- Rain pushes it off the ground.
What causes the boom of thunder?
- Heavy rain hits the roofs very hard.
- Hot air around lightning spreads out fast.
- Two dark clouds bump into each other.
- Pieces of ice crash onto the ground.
Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder?
- Sound has to go around the clouds.
- Lightning is closer to you than thunder.
- Thunder waits until the rain stops.
- Light travels faster than sound.
Lightning heats the air in a split second. What does a split second mean?
- half of a cloud
- a long, slow minute
- a very short moment
- a cold part of the day
Which paragraph tells how to find out how far away a storm is?
- the seventh paragraph
- the fourth paragraph
- the sixth paragraph
- the fifth paragraph
Which sentence gives the author's own advice to readers?
- Afterward, the air often feels cooler and fresh.
- Many people think watching a storm from a safe window is exciting.
- A lightning bolt is hotter than the surface of the sun.
- Thunderstorms can be dangerous, so it is smart to go indoors when you hear thunder.
A reader thinks storms are only scary. What view does the author say many people have?
- Storms are much too loud to enjoy.
- Thunder is the best part of summer.
- Hail is more fun to watch than rain.
- Watching from a safe window is exciting.
