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

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One paper per pupil

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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 says a polar bear can overheat if it runs too far. Why include that?
  • A.To show just how well insulated it is
  • B.To make the text longer
  • C.To warn you not to run
2.What does an author of an information text mainly want to do?
  • A.Answer, explain or describe something
  • B.Entertain you with characters
  • C.Rhyme every line
3.A text describes what a fire engine carries. What is it mainly doing?
  • A.Giving an opinion
  • B.Telling a story
  • C.Describing
4.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?
5.A text ends "which is why new buildings are made to sway". What is the author doing?
  • A.Explaining why something is done
  • B.Telling a joke
  • C.Describing a building's colour
6.Which title tells you the author will explain a cause?
  • A.Why Tall Buildings Do Not Fall Over
  • B.The Tall Building Song
  • C.My Day at the Tower
7.How can you tell an information text from a story quickly?
  • A.It gives facts you could check, and has no made-up characters
  • B.It always has pictures
  • C.It is always shorter
8.A text explains the five stages of recycling paper. What is the author's main purpose?
  • A.To explain a process
  • B.To make you laugh
  • C.To sell you paper

LessonPrint · RI.2.6 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Author Wanted

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To show just how well insulated it is
  2. 2.Answer, explain or describe something
  3. 3.Describing
  4. 4.How does a camel survive in a desert?
  5. 5.Explaining why something is done
  6. 6.Why Tall Buildings Do Not Fall Over
  7. 7.It gives facts you could check, and has no made-up characters
  8. 8.To explain a process

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.