Name: WEEK 17
Author’s Purpose DAY 2
READ THE PASSAGE As you read, ask yourself what the author’s purpose is for writing the story.
Mighty Stormalong
Have you heard of Stormalong, the tallest, biggest sailor there ever was? When
Stormalong was born, he was so big that he was given a tree branch for a rattle. When
Stormalong was one year old, his mom and dad took the roof off the house so he wouldn’t
hit his head on it. Stormalong was taller than most buildings by the time he was two.
Stormalong’s mom spent four years knitting a hammock for him to sleep in. It
stretched from New Jersey to New York. Stormalong watched the ships sail in and out of
the New York Harbor as he swayed in his bed.
When Stormalong turned 10 years old, he joined the crew of the Humongous. It was
the biggest ship he could find. All went well as long as he stayed in the middle of the ship.
But if he leaned to the side just a bit, the ship would lean, too, and the crew would tumble.
Stormalong outgrew the Humongous when he was 13. So he built his own ship, the
Gigantic. It was as fast as it was large. Stormalong decided to sail around the world. He
left New York on a sunny day after a large breakfast of sausages as big as canoes. By
the time he reached Florida, Stormalong was fast asleep. The Gigantic drifted south to
Panama, the country that connects North America to South America. That ship was so
big and heavy that it pushed right through the land and made the Panama Canal!
Stormalong had created a shortcut through North and South America!
SKILL PRACTICE Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
1. Why did the author write the story? 3. This story would most likely be found
A to tell the life story of a famous sailor in a book .
B to persuade readers to write tales A about the history of the Panama Canal
C to explain how a canal was really formed B about famous sailing ships
D to entertain readers with a story about C of stories about imaginary people
a giant D about famous Americans
2. Most of the author’s descriptions of 4. The purpose of the last paragraph is
Stormalong are . to .
A exaggerations A tell a story about a famous landmark
B historical facts B persuade people not to travel by ship
C comparisons C make tall people feel proud
D opinions D describe an important sailing trip
STRATEGY PRACTICE Tell a partner how you used your background knowledge to understand the
exaggerations in the story.
108 Daily Reading Comprehension • EMC 3454 • © Evan-Moor Corp.
[Link] 108 10/19/10 8:01 AM