Informational Texts

Informational texts are nonfiction texts related to real people and events.
Examples include letters, speeches, reports, newspaper/magazine articles, and general texts on science or social studies.
Some informational texts will be historical documents.
Reading/analyzing informational texts differs from analyzing literary texts, requiring different skills and question types.

Many historical documents on the GED® test are foundational texts related to U.S. history.
Examples include selections from the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution.
Example: Amendment I from the Bill of Rights protects freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
Example: Amendment II protects the right to bear arms for a well-regulated militia.
Example: Amendment III prevents soldiers from being quartered in houses without consent.
Example: Amendment IV protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring warrants based on probable cause.

One idea/event/trend causes another.
The second idea is the effect resulting from the first.
Common in nonfiction, especially speeches.
Example:
- Weak economy (cause) leads to a lack of jobs (effect).
Example:
- Kneading dough (cause) leads to the formation of gluten (effect), which gives French bread its light texture.
- Not kneading enough results in less gluten.
- Kneading too much results in a dense, unappealing texture.

Equating two ideas, presenting them equally.
Used for dramatic effect, common in speeches.
Example:
- John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address: "Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country."
Example:
- Francis Bacon: "Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider."
Example:
- Albert Camus: "Those who write clearly have readers; those who write obscurely have commentators."

Author's viewpoint is their opinion on the topic.
- May be stated directly or concealed (reader must look for hints).
Author's purpose is what they hope to achieve by writing.
- Examples: entertain, express feelings, inform, or persuade.
Example:
- Author views Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) as unfairly portrayed, a wise and brave ruler despite his cruelty.
Example:
- Author's purpose is to inform readers about medical bloodletting, its history, and decline.
An author may conceal their purpose, especially in persuasive writing.
Example:
- The author's purpose for writing a letter is to ask Rosa to coordinate the Spring Book Fair, despite discussing other topics.

Persuasive texts (e.g., speeches) use arguments to convince.
Recognize and analyze arguments for sound reasoning vs. opinion.
Example:
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt argued that the U.S. will overcome its problems, supported by the idea that the American people have always met challenges.

Claims based on fact can be proven; opinions cannot.
Examples:
- Fact: Terri won an award for ice skating.
- Opinion: Terri is a great ice skater.
Separate factual statements from opinions in complex passages.
Example:
- Opinion: In the town of Lynn, people talked about nothing but the incident.

Determine if information is true by judging the source's reliability.
Bias can make information unreliable.
- Bias is a tendency to lean toward one side.
Evaluate the author's background and motive for potential bias.
Example:
- A scholarly article in an academic journal is more reliable than an amateur website or a poem.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
- Primary Sources: direct products of events (diary entries, letters, speeches, government documents, court proceedings)
- Secondary Sources: rely on primary sources in order to construct an argument or analysis.

Declaration of Independence describing grievances: primary, reliable.
Eyewitness account of 9/11 used to gauge rescue effectiveness: primary, unreliable (cannot gauge overall effectiveness).
Film about civil rights used to explain Voting Rights Act: secondary, unreliable (entertainment, not factual).
Holocaust survivor memoirs from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum describing concentration camps: primary, reliable.

Decide which claims are valid based on reasoning and sources.
Example:
- Valid claim: Some 500,000 people bike to work each day (backed by U.S. Census).

Verbal techniques to capture attention and make arguments persuasive.
- Alliteration: Repetition of letters in words.
- Analogy: Comparing situations to make a point.
- Enumeration: Listing items or categories.
- Repetition and Parallelism: Repeating related statements in parallel form.
- Juxtaposition of Opposites: Showing how things differ.
- Qualifying Statements: Showing a statement may not be universally true.
Example:
- President Barack Obama Keynote Address at the Democratic Convention in 2004 uses repetition and parallelism: faith in simple dreams.

Authors can address conflicting viewpoints objectively or argue for a side.
Bias is unfairly presenting only evidence that favors one side.
Recognize when an author is biased.
Example:
- The author objectively presents evidence on both sides of the blue light issue, noting negative effects and ways to mitigate them.

Compare two nonfiction passages with similar themes from different angles.
Questions about similarities/differences in perspective, tone, structure, purpose, or impact.
Example:
- School Uniforms: Passage A is thoughtful and researched; Passage B is argumentative and less sensitive.
Both passages aim to convince readers of a particular idea.
Compare passages of different genres or graphics with text.
Example:
- Intended audience: Passage A is for college teachers/administrators; Passage B is for the general public.
- Passage A is more factual; Passage B weaves facts into a story.
Example:
- The table in Passage B complements Passage A by giving specific information about different types of expiration dates.