Cause and Effect Reading Practice

Cause and effect is one way to explain the things that happen all around us. Many things happen because something else caused or influenced them to happen. Sometimes it is hard for students to look at a cause and figure out the effect. It may help you to start with the effect and use your reasoning skills. Think about all the things you know that could be reasons for the effect you can see. For example: You may see someone putting on a big heavy jacket. Think to yourself, “What would make someone put on a heavy jacket?” Maybe the person is going outside into very cold weather. Maybe the person works in the penguin pen at Sea World. Maybe the person is going to visit an ice skating rink where the air is kept very cold. All of these things could be a cause for the effect: putting on a heavy jacket. Think about another example: the effect is that the student had to go to the principal’s office. What are the possible causes? Maybe the student bullied another student. Maybe the student is just being picked up early. Maybe the student is being given a prize!

Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers.

The effect is: your clothes are wet. Write two possible causes:

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

The effect is: you got an A+ on your spelling test! Write two possible causes:

3. ________________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________ _________________________________

5. In your own words, explain something you learned about cause and effect.

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