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GED Language Arts Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence Summary

Checked 10/25/26

Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence: key points

  • A claim is what the author wants you to believe; evidence is the facts that back it up.
  • Strong evidence is relevant to the claim and specific, such as data or expert findings.
Importance
★★★★★ (5 / 5)
Weight
About 10 of 38 Reading Comprehension questions (25%)

Author's purpose and point of view, claims and evidence, relevant and sufficient support, faulty reasoning, unstated assumptions, and comparing two texts or a text and a table (targets R.6, R.7, R.8, R.9).

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Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence: 10 sample questions

Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 1. Our school district should start high school classes at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:15 a.m. Studies by sleep researchers show that teenagers' body clocks shift during puberty, making it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. When school starts early, many students get far less than the eight to ten hours of sleep that health experts recommend for teens. Districts that have moved to later start times have reported better attendance and fewer car crashes involving teen drivers. Some parents worry about after-school sports and jobs, but schedules can be adjusted. The health and safety of our students should come first. What is the author's main claim?

  1. ① High school classes in the district should start later.
  2. ② Teen drivers cause most car crashes.
  3. ③ Teenagers should go to bed before 11 p.m.
  4. ④ After-school sports should be cancelled.
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Answer: ① High school classes in the district should start later.

Key point: Claim: the main point the author wants you to accept

The first sentence states the claim: classes should start at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:15 a.m. The rest of the passage gives reasons and answers an objection.

Wrong choices

  • "Teen drivers cause most car crashes.": The passage mentions fewer crashes after later start times, not that teens cause most crashes.
  • "Teenagers should go to bed before 11 p.m.": The author says teens find it hard to fall asleep before 11 p.m.; this is a reason, not a demand.
  • "After-school sports should be cancelled.": The author says schedules can be adjusted, not that sports should be cancelled.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 2. Tired of feeling tired? Try VitaBoost, the energy drink that thousands are talking about! Famous racecar driver Max Turner drinks VitaBoost before every race. Everyone at the gym is switching to VitaBoost, so you should too. Don't be the only one left behind. Each can is packed with flavor and comes in three fruity styles. Why wait? Get your first case today, and see why VitaBoost is the drink everyone is choosing this year! What is the main purpose of the passage?

  1. ① To explain how energy drinks are made
  2. ② To tell the life story of a racecar driver
  3. ③ To warn readers about caffeine
  4. ④ To persuade readers to buy a product
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation

Answer: ④ To persuade readers to buy a product

Key point: Author's purpose: inform, persuade, or entertain

The passage praises VitaBoost and ends with "Get your first case today!" Its purpose is to persuade readers to buy the drink.

Wrong choices

  • "To explain how energy drinks are made": The ad never explains how the drink is made.
  • "To tell the life story of a racecar driver": Max Turner is mentioned only to promote the drink.
  • "To warn readers about caffeine": The ad does not warn about anything.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 3. Our company should ban personal phone use on the factory floor. Last year, the safety office recorded 14 near-miss accidents, and in 9 of them, a worker was looking at a phone. Phones also slow production; a time study found that workers who checked phones often finished 12 percent fewer units per shift. Workers can still use their phones during breaks in the break room, and supervisors can post an emergency number so families can reach workers quickly. Which statement is the author's claim?

  1. ① There were 14 near-miss accidents last year.
  2. ② Workers can use phones in the break room.
  3. ③ A time study measured units per shift.
  4. ④ Personal phone use should be banned on the factory floor.
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation

Answer: ④ Personal phone use should be banned on the factory floor.

Key point: Claim vs. support

The first sentence states what the author wants: a ban on personal phones on the factory floor. The numbers and break-room details support or explain that claim.

Wrong choices

  • "There were 14 near-miss accidents last year.": The number of near misses is evidence for the claim.
  • "Workers can use phones in the break room.": Break-room use is a detail that answers a possible concern.
  • "A time study measured units per shift.": The time study is evidence, not the claim.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 4. The county should keep its libraries open on Sundays. Sunday is the only day many working parents can bring their children to borrow books or use computers for homework. Last year, the main branch counted more visitors on Sundays than on any weekday, according to the library's annual report. Sunday hours also give job seekers a quiet place to write resumes and apply for work online. Cutting these hours to save a small amount of money would hurt the very people the library is meant to serve. Which detail does the author use as evidence that Sunday hours are popular?

  1. ① The main branch counted more visitors on Sundays than on any weekday.
  2. ② Job seekers write resumes.
  3. ③ Libraries are meant to serve the public.
  4. ④ Cutting hours would save a small amount of money.
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation

Answer: ① The main branch counted more visitors on Sundays than on any weekday.

Key point: Identify specific evidence for a claim

The visitor count from the library's annual report is a checkable fact showing that Sundays are busy. It directly supports the idea that Sunday hours are popular.

Wrong choices

  • "Job seekers write resumes.": This shows one use of the library, not how popular Sundays are.
  • "Libraries are meant to serve the public.": This is a general belief about libraries, not evidence of popularity.
  • "Cutting hours would save a small amount of money.": This is about cost, not about how many people use Sunday hours.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 5. Our school district should start high school classes at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:15 a.m. Studies by sleep researchers show that teenagers' body clocks shift during puberty, making it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. When school starts early, many students get far less than the eight to ten hours of sleep that health experts recommend for teens. Districts that have moved to later start times have reported better attendance and fewer car crashes involving teen drivers. Some parents worry about after-school sports and jobs, but schedules can be adjusted. The health and safety of our students should come first. Which sentence from the passage provides evidence rather than opinion?

  1. ① The health and safety of our students should come first.
  2. ② Districts that have moved to later start times have reported better attendance.
  3. ③ Schedules can be adjusted.
  4. ④ Our school district should start high school classes at 8:30 a.m.
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation

Answer: ② Districts that have moved to later start times have reported better attendance.

Key point: Evidence vs. opinion: can it be checked?

A report of better attendance in other districts is a factual result that can be checked. The other choices are the author's beliefs or recommendations.

Wrong choices

  • "The health and safety of our students should come first.": "Should come first" expresses a value, not a checkable fact.
  • "Schedules can be adjusted.": This is the author's assurance, offered without support.
  • "Our school district should start high school classes at 8:30 a.m.": This is the author's claim, which the evidence is meant to support.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 6. Tired of feeling tired? Try VitaBoost, the energy drink that thousands are talking about! Famous racecar driver Max Turner drinks VitaBoost before every race. Everyone at the gym is switching to VitaBoost, so you should too. Don't be the only one left behind. Each can is packed with flavor and comes in three fruity styles. Why wait? Get your first case today, and see why VitaBoost is the drink everyone is choosing this year! The claim "Everyone at the gym is switching to VitaBoost, so you should too" uses which kind of faulty reasoning?

  1. ① Bandwagon: doing something because others do it
  2. ② Expert testimony from a doctor
  3. ③ Cause and effect based on data
  4. ④ A comparison supported by test results
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation

Answer: ① Bandwagon: doing something because others do it

Key point: Faulty reasoning: bandwagon appeal

The ad gives no reason the drink works. It says you should buy it because everyone else is. This is the bandwagon fallacy: popularity is not proof.

Wrong choices

  • "Expert testimony from a doctor": No doctor or health expert is quoted.
  • "Cause and effect based on data": The claim offers no data at all.
  • "A comparison supported by test results": No comparison or test results are given.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 7. Passage A The city should turn the empty lot on Grant Street into a park. Neighborhoods with parks within walking distance have higher rates of outdoor exercise, according to a 2019 state health survey. Children in the area currently have no safe place to play; the nearest playground is two miles away across a busy highway. A park would also raise nearby property values, as studies in other cities have shown. Passage B The Grant Street lot should be used for affordable housing. The city's own housing report shows that 2,000 families are on the waiting list for low-cost apartments, and the average wait is three years. A park is pleasant, but families need homes first. Building 60 apartments on the lot would cut the waiting list, and the building could include a small playground for residents' children. What is the main difference between the two passages?

  1. ① They disagree about how the Grant Street lot should be used.
  2. ② They disagree about whether the lot is empty.
  3. ③ They agree on the plan but disagree about its cost.
  4. ④ They disagree about whether children need places to play.
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Answer: ① They disagree about how the Grant Street lot should be used.

Key point: Comparing two arguments on the same topic

Passage A argues for a park; Passage B argues for affordable housing. Both are about the same lot, but they propose different uses.

Wrong choices

  • "They disagree about whether the lot is empty.": Neither passage disputes that the lot is empty.
  • "They agree on the plan but disagree about its cost.": They support different plans, and neither discusses cost.
  • "They disagree about whether children need places to play.": Both passages value play space; Passage B even includes a small playground.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 8. A town newsletter claims: "Our new bike lanes have made Main Street safer for cyclists." The article explains that the town painted the lanes in March 2023 and added plastic posts to separate bikes from cars. It includes the following figures from police records. Bicycle crashes on Main Street 2022 (before bike lanes): 18 crashes 2023 (lanes added in March): 11 crashes 2024 (full year with lanes): 6 crashes How does the table relate to the newsletter's claim?

  1. ① It has nothing to do with the claim.
  2. ② It supports the claim by showing fewer crashes after the lanes were added.
  3. ③ It contradicts the claim by showing more crashes after the lanes were added.
  4. ④ It proves that cars caused every crash.
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Answer: ② It supports the claim by showing fewer crashes after the lanes were added.

Key point: Data and claims: support, contradict, or unrelated

The claim is that the lanes made Main Street safer. The crash numbers fell after the lanes were added in 2023 and fell further in 2024, which supports the claim.

Wrong choices

  • "It has nothing to do with the claim.": The table shows crashes on the same street the claim is about.
  • "It contradicts the claim by showing more crashes after the lanes were added.": Crashes went down, not up.
  • "It proves that cars caused every crash.": The table gives crash totals, not causes.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 9. Students should be required to wear school uniforms. When everyone dresses the same, students spend less time worrying about clothes and more time focusing on their work. My cousin's school adopted uniforms last year, and he says his grades went up. Uniforms also make mornings easier for parents, since there are fewer arguments about what to wear. Clearly, uniforms improve learning everywhere, and every school should adopt them right away. What is the main weakness in the author's evidence?

  1. ① It uses too many statistics.
  2. ② It quotes too many experts.
  3. ③ It relies on one person's experience to make a broad claim.
  4. ④ It describes uniforms in too much detail.
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Answer: ③ It relies on one person's experience to make a broad claim.

Key point: Hasty generalization: too little evidence for a big claim

The author uses one cousin's report about his own grades to conclude that uniforms improve learning "everywhere." One example is not enough to support such a broad claim.

Wrong choices

  • "It uses too many statistics.": The passage contains no statistics.
  • "It quotes too many experts.": No experts are quoted.
  • "It describes uniforms in too much detail.": Uniforms are barely described.
Practice questionReviewedReading Comprehension › Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence★★★★★

Question 10. Our school district should start high school classes at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:15 a.m. Studies by sleep researchers show that teenagers' body clocks shift during puberty, making it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. When school starts early, many students get far less than the eight to ten hours of sleep that health experts recommend for teens. Districts that have moved to later start times have reported better attendance and fewer car crashes involving teen drivers. Some parents worry about after-school sports and jobs, but schedules can be adjusted. The health and safety of our students should come first. How does the author respond to people who disagree?

  1. ① By attacking the character of the parents who disagree
  2. ② By agreeing that start times should stay the same
  3. ③ By naming a concern about sports and jobs and saying it can be handled
  4. ④ By ignoring all opposing views
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Answer: ③ By naming a concern about sports and jobs and saying it can be handled

Key point: Counterclaims: how authors answer the other side

The author writes, "Some parents worry about after-school sports and jobs, but schedules can be adjusted." The author acknowledges the concern and then answers it briefly.

Wrong choices

  • "By attacking the character of the parents who disagree": The author does not insult the parents; the concern is answered politely.
  • "By agreeing that start times should stay the same": The author keeps arguing for a later start.
  • "By ignoring all opposing views": The author does mention an opposing concern.

Test yourself.

Author's Purpose, Arguments, and Evidence: 5 questions →Reading Comprehension: 5 questions →

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