Types of Paragraphs

This quiz tests students ability to identify the following types of paragraphs:
expository, narrative, persuasive, and descriptive.

In this type of paragraph, the author is writing about what a person, place, or
thing is like. (1 point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

Which type of sentence would this topic sentence best go with: My best friend's
freckled face always has a glowing, crooked smile. (1 point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

This type of paragraph is used to present information, ideas, or opinions. (1

point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

Which type of sentence would this topic sentence best go with: The Himalayan
Mountains are the tallest mountains in the world. (1 point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

Which type of sentence would this topic sentence best go with: Despite what dog
lovers might believe, cats actually make better pets. (1 point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

This paragraph is used to tell a story. There is a logical sequence of events. (1

point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

Which type of sentence would this topic sentence best go with: The day I won first
place in the box car derby race was the proudest day of my life. (1 point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive
The goal of this type of paragraph is to convince another person to change, or at
least think about changing, their opinion about something (1 point)
persuasive
narrative
expository
descriptive

EXERCISE 10
Identifying Types of Paragraphs in Literature
Identify each of the following excerpts as either a descriptive, narrative,
informative, or persuasive paragraph.
The sun is only one among 200 billion stars that are bound together by gravity into
a large cluster of stars called the galaxy. The stars of the galaxy revolve about
its center as the planets revolve about the sun. The sun itself participates in
this rotating motion, completing one circuit around the galaxy in 250 million
years. �from �The Size of Things� in Red Giants and White Dwarfs, Robert Jastrow
Members of the fire department were starting to arrive at the front door, but
Albert ignored them. He was white now, like death, and he made a low terrible
sound. He didn�t exactly pull his lips back from his teeth and growl, but the
result was similar. It was like the sound a dog makes before he leaps for the
throat. And what he said was �You jest leave me be, woman!� �from �Be-ers and
Doers, � Budge Wilson
As public schools reopen for the new year, strategies to curb school violence will
once again be hotly debated. Installing metal detectors and hiring security guards
will help, but the experience of my two sisters makes a compelling case for greater
use of dress codes as a way to protect students and promote learning. �from
�Appearances Are Destructive, � Mark Mathabane
Across the street lived old Dikran, who was almost blind. He was past eighty and
his wife was only a few years younger. They had a little house that was as neat
inside as it was ordinary outside�except for old Dikran�s garden, which was the
best thing of its kind in the world. Plants, bushes, trees�all strong, in sweet
black moist earth whose guardian was old Dikran. All things from the sky loved this
spot in our poor neighborhood, and old Dikran loved them. �from �The Hummingbird
That Lived through Winter, � William Saroyan

EXERCISE 11