Question

Read the first paragraph of "Dog Talk." Listen. Do you hear it? No matter where you are, if you stick your head out a window for a minute or two you'll probably hear a dog barking. What is it they're trying to say? Does that racket actually mean something? Why do dogs bark? Which best explains how the passage supports the author's purpose?

The purpose is to instruct; it provides supporting details about the abilities of dogs.


The purpose is to entertain; it uses a humorous tone.


The purpose is to inform; it asks a question that will be answered by the text.


The purpose is to persuade; it is trying to convince you that you are the smartest animal of all.

Answer 1

I think the answer is The purpose is to inform, because they are obviously going to answer these questions.

Answer 2

The correct option is C). The author's purpose is to inform and the passage supports this purpose by asking a question that will be answered by the text in the following paragraphs.

Authors tend to use questions at the beginning of a text to engage readers and orient them about the information that the text will provide. The questions that the author presents in the first paragraph function as a starting point which allows the readers to know what the text is about. Moreover, they also work as 'trigger questions' that contribute to increase the reader's interest as they are questions that readers could have asked themselves at some point in their lives.