ISEE Upper Level Reading Comprehension
A comprehensive guide to mastering reading comprehension skills for the ISEE Upper Level exam.
Advanced Topics
Author’s Purpose and Tone
Uncovering Why and How Authors Write
Understanding the author’s purpose means figuring out why the passage was written. Is it to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain? The tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject, which can be serious, humorous, critical, or enthusiastic.
How to Identify Purpose
- Look for key words that signal intent (e.g., "the aim is," "in order to persuade").
- Check if the passage is mostly facts (inform), opinions (persuade), or stories (entertain).
Recognizing Tone
- Notice word choice and sentence structure.
- Ask: "Does the author sound excited, sad, or neutral?"
Why It’s Useful
Many ISEE questions will ask you to identify the purpose or tone, which can help you better understand the passage as a whole.
Pro Techniques
- Mark words that show feeling or opinion.
- Summarize the passage in one sentence and describe how it feels.
Examples
A passage using playful language and telling jokes has a humorous tone.
If the passage presents statistics to convince you, the purpose is to persuade.
In a Nutshell
Figure out why the author wrote the passage and how they feel about the topic.