The Author Who Says One Thing and Does Another
Students read a short opinion piece titled "Why Our Town Needs Fewer Cars." The writer begins with statistics about traffic and air quality, then describes a morning when a delivery truck blocked the crosswalk near a school. The piece ends: "I am not asking anyone to give up driving. I am asking us to ask better questions before we build." A student says the author's purpose is "to ban cars," pointing to the title. Another says the purpose is "to inform," pointing to the statistics. The teacher asks the class to decide the purpose using the whole text, including the last sentence, and to explain how the title and the ending work together.
1. What is the author's most likely purpose, and how does the last sentence shape your answer?
Read the worked answer
The most likely purpose is to persuade readers to think differently about planning decisions, not to ban cars. The last sentence is the clearest signal: "I am not asking anyone to give up driving. I am asking us to ask better questions before we build." That sentence explicitly rules out a ban and names the actual request, which is a change in how the town makes decisions.
The statistics and the crosswalk story are evidence, and evidence can serve either informing or persuading. What makes this persuasive is that the facts are selected and arranged to lead to a recommendation. The writer is not presenting a neutral report; the writer is building a case and then telling readers what to do with it.
2. How would you respond to the classmate who says the title proves the purpose is to ban cars?
Read the worked answer
I would say the title is doing a job, but not that job. "Why Our Town Needs Fewer Cars" is a claim, and claims are typical of persuasive writing. "Fewer" is not "none," so even the title does not call for a ban. A ban would mean no cars; fewer cars means a change in amount.
I would also point out that titles are often written to attract attention and can overstate slightly, which is why a careful reader checks the body and the ending before deciding purpose. Here the ending narrows the claim: the writer wants better questions before building, not a prohibition. Reading the title alone would give a reader a sharper, less accurate version of the author's point.
The judgement call is to weigh the whole text, with special attention to statements where the author directly addresses the reader's likely objection.