Author's Purpose and Point of View
Grade 5 Reading Worksheet
Circle the answer.
Read this first
My Morning at Water Station Nine
At five-thirty on a cold Sunday morning, my alarm buzzed. Most Sundays I sleep until nine. But this Sunday was the city marathon, and my mom and I had signed up to hand out water at Station Nine.
When we arrived, the street was dark and quiet. A volunteer leader named Mr. Okafor gave us yellow vests and pointed to a mountain of paper cups. "We need to fill about four thousand of these before the first runners arrive," he said. I thought he was joking. He was not.
For an hour, we poured water into cups and set them in long rows on folding tables. My fingers turned red from the cold. My sneakers got soaked. I started to wonder why I had agreed to come at all.
Then, around eight o'clock, a distant cheer rolled toward us like a wave. The leaders were coming. Two runners flew past so fast that they barely touched the cups. Soon the trickle of runners became a flood. I held out cup after cup, calling, "Water! Water here!"
Some runners grabbed a cup without looking up. Others smiled or shouted "Thank you!" as they passed. One woman in a purple headband stopped right in front of me. She was breathing hard, and her face was bright red. She drank two cups, squeezed my hand and said, "Mile eighteen is the hardest. You just got me through it." Then she was gone.
By noon, the last walkers had passed, and the street was covered in crushed cups. We swept them into giant bags. I was tired and sore. Still, I could not stop smiling.
On the ride home, I asked my mom how many volunteers the marathon needs. She looked it up. More than two thousand people help each year, and the race could not happen without them. I had always thought a marathon was only about the runners. Now I know it is also about the people who stand on the corners and hold out a cup.
If you get the chance to volunteer at a race, say yes. Set your alarm, wear warm socks and bring gloves. You might just help someone get through mile eighteen.
What is the author's main purpose in this text?
- to explain the rules marathon runners must follow during a race
- to persuade runners to train harder for the toughest miles
- to describe how paper cups are collected after a big race
- to share a volunteer experience and urge readers to try it
From what point of view is this text told?
- first person, by a runner in the marathon
- third person, by a reporter watching the race
- first person, by a volunteer who was there
- third person, by the volunteer leader
Why does the author describe red fingers and soaked sneakers in the third paragraph?
- to explain why the runners were slow that morning
- to warn readers never to volunteer in cold weather
- to show that Mr. Okafor had not planned well
- to show that the morning started out hard
Why does the author include the woman in the purple headband?
- to describe the fastest runner in the race
- to explain why mile eighteen has a water station
- to show that most runners stopped to talk
- to show how much the volunteers' help mattered
How does the author's view of the marathon change by the end?
- The author learns that runners rarely notice the volunteers at all.
- The author decides that running is more fun than volunteering.
- The author decides the race should start later in the day.
- The author learns it depends on volunteers as well as runners.
Why does the author say a distant cheer "rolled toward us like a wave"?
- to show that people in the crowd were waving
- to show that the cheer faded quickly away
- to show the sound growing as it came closer
- to show that the street was slippery with water