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

LessonPrint · RI.2.6 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Author Wanted

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To show just how well insulated it is
  2. 2.Answer, explain or describe something
  3. 3.To make the fact exact rather than vague
  4. 4.Explain what makes glass different
  5. 5.Why Tall Buildings Do Not Fall Over
  6. 6.Describing
  7. 7.How does a camel survive in a desert?
  8. 8.It gives facts you could check, and has no made-up characters

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.