Author's Purpose Question

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(1) When astronauts and cosmonauts first began circling the globe, they faced a unique problem: how to keep track of all their stuff. On the ground, if you wanted to stow your car keys, for example, you simply left them on the night table. They could be found in the morning right where you left them, perhaps after a bit of last-minute searching on the way out the door, but at least they stayed put.
(2) Space travelers faced a different problem. Objects had a habit of just floating off. A pencil, a wrench, would just hang around drifting weightlessly wherever a tiny shove or air current would take it.
(3) Keeping tabs on a capsule full of flotsam was a job in itself, a full-time job because if a tiny piece lodged itself into the hardware, it could short-circuit who-knows-what. The fact that orbital living quarters would make a phone booth look spacious only compounded the problem of keeping things neat and orderly.
(4) How could one make sure things stayed put?
(5) The answer came in a system of hooks and loops that when pressed together tightly stick to one another but when pried apart easily separate. Velcro, derived from velvet and crochet?was first made in France. Each Velcro tape was made by hand and took almost forever to produce.
(6) Even today, no better substitute has been found. When getting ready to leave orbit, space shuttle astronauts literally spend a full day in space collecting all of the material Velcro-ed to the walls.
(7) In addition, Velcro has been improved over the years. It has become impervious to water, chemicals, and corrosive ultraviolet light. Extra-strong Velcro can be made out of stainless steel and synthetic fibers that withstand temperatures upwards of 800 degrees F and do not catch fire.

Grade 7 Author's Purpose CCSS: CCRA.R.5, RI.7.5

What is the purpose of paragraph one?

To contrast an astronaut's problem with an everyday problem
To show how the problem is universal
To explain how things work in space
To describe the different ways people keep track of things

Question Info

Author's Purpose Question

Grade 7 Author's Purpose CCSS: CCRA.R.5, RI.7.5