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What the Author Wanted is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on identifying the main purpose of an information text, aligned to Common Core standard RI.2.6. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

What the Author Wanted

RI.2.6

NameDate

Tick the right answer.

1.A text ends "which is why new buildings are made to sway". What is the author doing?
  • A.Telling a joke
  • B.Describing a building's colour
  • C.Explaining why something is done
2.What does an author of an information text mainly want to do?
  • A.Answer, explain or describe something
  • B.Rhyme every line
  • C.Entertain you with characters
3.A text describes what a fire engine carries. What is it mainly doing?
  • A.Describing
  • B.Telling a story
  • C.Giving an opinion
4.Which title tells you the author will explain a cause?
  • A.Why Tall Buildings Do Not Fall Over
  • B.My Day at the Tower
  • C.The Tall Building Song
5.An author writes "Glass is unusual." What are they about to do?
  • A.Describe a glass factory worker
  • B.Explain what makes glass different
  • C.Give an opinion about bottles
6.A text says a polar bear can overheat if it runs too far. Why include that?
  • A.To make the text longer
  • B.To show just how well insulated it is
  • C.To warn you not to run
7.A text is titled "How a Camel Survives". What question does it answer?
  • A.Who owns the camel?
  • B.How does a camel survive in a desert?
  • C.Where can I buy a camel?
8.Why would an author give a number like "eighteen hundred litres"?
  • A.Because numbers look important
  • B.To make the fact exact rather than vague
  • C.To fill up space

LessonPrint · RI.2.6 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Author Wanted

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Explaining why something is done
  2. 2.Answer, explain or describe something
  3. 3.Describing
  4. 4.Why Tall Buildings Do Not Fall Over
  5. 5.Explain what makes glass different
  6. 6.To show just how well insulated it is
  7. 7.How does a camel survive in a desert?
  8. 8.To make the fact exact rather than vague

More practice for RI.2.6

Say why the author wrote it and what they wanted to explain.

Teaching this next? What the Author Wanted to Do is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.2.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.