GED Reasoning Through Language ArtsReading ComprehensionEasy
A student is reading an excerpt from a science textbook about the water cycle. The text begins by discussing evaporation, then condensation, followed by precipitation, and finally collection. Which of the following best describes the text structure used in this excerpt?
- AProblem and Solution
- BDescriptive
- CSequential
- DCompare and Contrast
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Sequential
The text describes the water cycle by listing its stages in the order they occur: evaporation, then condensation, then precipitation, then collection. This step-by-step, chronological presentation is characteristic of a sequential text structure.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The text describes a natural process, not a problem with a solution. (Incorrect)
- B. While there is description, the primary organizing principle is the order of events, making 'sequential' a more precise answer. (Incorrect)
- D. The text doesn't compare two or more things; it describes a single process. (Incorrect)
Text Structure: Sequential
A text structure that presents events, steps, or stages in a specific chronological or logical order, often using signal words like 'first,' 'next,' 'then,' and 'finally.'
- Follows a timeline or process.
- Ideal for instructions, historical accounts, or scientific processes.
- Uses transition words to signal order.
Memory trick: Structure: Stories, lists, problems, or comparisons build the text.