Logic in explaining (expository) texts
An explaining text (also called expository or informational text) tells you about something or argues for something: a science article, a news report, a textbook page or an essay.
The four parts
- Main point (claim or topic idea): what the writer wants you to understand or accept. Often in the first or last lines of a paragraph.
- Reasons: why the main point is true.
- Examples and facts: cases or numbers that show the reason is real.
- Conclusion: the final idea, often a result or advice.
Link words show the logic
| Link word | Job |
|---|---|
| because, since | gives a reason |
| for example, such as | gives an example |
| so, therefore, as a result | gives a result |
| but, however | shows a contrast |
| first, next, finally | shows the order |
How to read it
- Find the main point in one sentence.
- Underline each reason. Does it really support the point?
- Mark examples. Which reason does each one prove?
- Write the chain in short: Point, because Reason, for example Example, so Conclusion.
If a sentence does not connect to the chain, it may be extra detail or a gap in the logic.
Plot in stories
A story (narrative) tells what happened to someone. The plot is the order of events, joined by cause and effect.
The plot path
- Beginning (setting): who, where and what life is like. The world is calm.
- Problem (conflict): something goes wrong or the hero wants something hard to get.
- Rising events: the hero tries, things get harder and the tension grows.
- Climax: the most tense moment, where the problem is faced.
- Ending (resolution): what is solved, and how the hero has changed.
Cause and effect
A good plot is not a list. Each event happens because of the one before. Test it: "Because ___, then ___." If you can say it, the events are linked. If an event could be removed without any change, it is not part of the main plot.
Other clues
- Look at the order. Stories may use flashback (an earlier time) or a time jump.
- Notice the narrator: who tells the story, and what do they know?
- Ask how the character changes. The change is often the point of the story.
Same skills, different shape
Both shapes ask: what is the main thing, and how are the parts joined? In explaining texts the join is reasoning. In stories the join is cause and effect.
Try it yourself
Take a short news article and a short story. For the article, write the chain: Point, because, for example, so. For the story, draw the hill and write one line at each stage. Then circle the link words. In the 3D, use the slider to walk both shapes and read the question for each part.
Key formulas and definitions
- Explaining text = Main point + Reason + Example + Conclusion
- because = reason, for example = example, so = result
- Plot = Beginning + Problem + Climax + Ending
- Cause test: Because ___, then ___
- Character change = who they were at the start vs the end
Worked examples
1. Read: "Trees should be planted near schools. Trees give shade and cool the air, so classrooms stay comfortable. For example, a school in Pune planted 60 trees and the room temperature fell by 3 degrees C. Therefore every school should have a garden." Mark the parts.
Main point: Trees should be planted near schools. Reason: they give shade and cool the air (link: so). Example: the Pune school with 60 trees, 3 degrees cooler (link: for example). Conclusion: every school should have a garden (link: therefore).
2. A story: Mina loses her lunch money. She searches the bus and finds nothing. At the last stop the driver returns her purse. She thanks him and decides to always check her bag. Find beginning, problem, climax, ending.
Beginning: Mina travels to school. Problem: she loses her lunch money. Climax: the last stop, will the money be found? Ending: the driver returns the purse; Mina changes and checks her bag in future.
3. A paragraph says: "The pond dried up. Many frogs left. The pond dried because there was no rain." Is the logic clear? Rewrite it so it is.
The order is confusing: the reason comes last. Better: "There was no rain, so the pond dried up. As a result many frogs left." Reason first, then result, joined by link words.
4. In a story, a boy takes a shortcut, gets lost, meets an old man, and also likes mangoes. Which event is not part of the main plot?
"Likes mangoes" does not cause or follow from any other event, so it is a side detail. The main chain is shortcut, lost, meets the old man.
Common mistakes
- Taking the first sentence as the main point every time. Sometimes it is at the end.
- Treating a story as a list of things that happened, without asking what caused what.
- Ignoring link words, which are the clues to how the writer connects ideas.
- Mixing up the climax (most tense moment) with the ending (the final result).