Cause and Effect - Questions

The last post talked about using good reading strategies to find the cause and effect of events described in a passage. Today we will explore what cause and effect questions can look like on standardized tests such as the TABE.

Example:

The house was quiet. Everyone was asleep except Beth. She was thinking about tomorrow and her first day on the new job.

Why couldn't Beth sleep?
F. The house was too quiet.
G. She wanted to talk to someone.
H. She was thinking about her new job.
J. There were other people in the house.

Clearly, Beth could not sleep BECAUSE she was thinking about her new job.

Excerpt:
"When the rubber boa is in danger, it cannot hurry away. Instead it curls itself into a ball. It hides its head inside the ball and puts its tail in the air. It moves its tail back and forth like a head would move. When the enemy comes close, the rubber boa's tail strikes out as if to bite. If the enemy bites the snake, all the enemy will get is the snake's tail. The rubber boa's head will still be safe inside the ball."

Why does the rubber boa put its tail in the air?
F. to feel objects
G. to balance itself
H. to fool the enemy
J. to bite the enemy

Clearly, the snake does this to fool the enemy into biting the tail instead of its head, thereby protecting himself from danger. The answer is H. to fool the enemy.