How author's purpose practice works
Each page in this series holds one topic from the ACT Reading test. The list on the left shows every question in the pool; the number tile turns green once you have checked a question, and a saved question is easy to find again with the Bookmarked filter.
- Pick a question. Use the list, the search box or the difficulty filter, or just press Next question to go in order.
- Answer it. One question at a time from a passage. The ACT Reading section groups several questions with each passage.
- Check your answer. Your result shows every choice marked, your pick, the correct option and a short explanation of why.
- Try it again or move on. A question you got wrong is worth a second attempt after you have read the explanation.
Prefer a short set with a score at the end? Build a author's purpose set of 5, 10 or 20 questions, timed or untimed.
What author's purpose covers on the ACT
On the ACT Reading test, Author's Purpose questions map to Craft and Structure. Our practice results show raw accuracy for this category so you can identify a skill to revisit. Official ACT reports use their own scoring method.
How to approach author's purpose
Name the role of the cited material: it may introduce a claim, provide an example, qualify an argument or create a contrast. Use the surrounding paragraph to distinguish purpose from content.
Before you move on: The correct answer describes the function of the detail, not merely repeats what the detail says.
The 50 questions here cover 13 skills, including:
- Purpose of a quotation
- Purpose of a detail
- Purpose of a paragraph
- Author's attitude
- Purpose of a sentence
- Purpose of examples
- Why the author includes a contrast
- Purpose of a comparison
- Why the author includes an anecdote
- Purpose of an example
- Author's tone
- Purpose of the passage
This pool has 17 questions labelled easy, 17 medium and 16 hard by our team. These are practice labels, not official ACT difficulty ratings. Filter when you want to warm up or stretch. All 50 questions are available to practice.
Tips for author's purpose questions
- Go back to the passage for every question. The right answer is supported by specific lines, not by what sounds reasonable.
- Rephrase the question in your own words, then find the answer before you look at the choices.
- Cross out choices that are too extreme, too broad or that borrow words from the passage but twist the meaning.
- Keep moving. If a question takes more than a minute, choose your best option, note it and come back later.