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The author's reason for writing — most commonly to persuade, inform, entertain, or express feelings — which shapes everything from word choice to structure.
Purpose can be remembered as PIE — persuade, inform, entertain — with ‘express’ often added as a fourth. A single text can serve more than one purpose, but TEAS questions ask for the primary one.
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject (objective, critical, admiring, sarcastic), conveyed through word choice; mood is the feeling the text creates in the reader.
Tone belongs to the writer and mood belongs to the reader. Academic and technical texts usually aim for an objective tone, while persuasive pieces often carry an emotional or urgent one.
The perspective from which a text is told: first person (I, we), second person (you), or third person (he, she, they) — and, more broadly, the author's position on an issue.
In persuasive passages, ‘point of view’ also means the author’s stance. Identifying it early makes it easier to separate the author’s claims from the opposing views the author mentions only to refute.
The organizational pattern of a passage: sequence/chronological, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, or description.
Authors choose a structure to fit their purpose — a history is often chronological, while an editorial may pose a problem and argue for its solution. Recognizing the pattern helps you predict where the key information will appear.
A fact is a statement that can be verified or proven false with evidence; an opinion expresses a belief, judgment, or preference that cannot be objectively proven.
Strong persuasive writing mixes the two, supporting opinions with facts. TEAS questions often present four statements from a passage and ask which one is fact or which is opinion.
Bias is a one-sided preference for or against something that slants how information is presented; a stereotype is an oversimplified, fixed belief applied to an entire group of people.
A biased text is not automatically useless — editorials are openly biased — but readers must weigh it against more balanced sources. Stereotypes are a specific form of bias aimed at groups rather than ideas.
Hints in the surrounding words and sentences — definitions, synonyms, antonyms, examples, or the general situation — that reveal the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
The main clue types are definition (the meaning is stated outright), synonym, antonym/contrast, example, and inference from the overall situation. Punctuation such as commas, dashes, and parentheses often sets off a definition clue.
Denotation is a word's literal dictionary definition; connotation is the emotional or cultural association the word carries, which can be positive, negative, or neutral.
Connotation is the main engine of tone: swapping neutral words for charged ones changes how a passage feels without changing its facts. Recognizing connotation also helps detect bias in supposedly objective writing.