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Literary Analysis: Draw and Support Conclusions
Academic Vocabulary

  • • evidence (e-vu-dents) noun

    Evidence is facts or information that shows that something is true.

What Does the Writer Want from You? Persuasive writers want you to think or act in a certain way. It’s up to you to decide whether to believe them.

You do this by drawing conclusions based on evidence and your own experience. To draw a conclusion, do the following:

  • 1. Pay attention to the writer’s ideas. What issue does the writer focus on? What evidence does the writer use to support his or her ideas?

  • 2. Think about what you already know about the issue.

  • 3. Put the evidence and what you already know together to develop your own opinion of the writer’s ideas.

Practice Together

Draw a Conclusion Read the passage. Use evidence in the text and your own knowledge to draw a conclusion about the writer’s ideas.

Most people depend on oil, coal, and natural gas. These fuels help run cars, heat homes, and power factories. But they also give off carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide heats the atmosphere and makes Earth warmer.

The chart shows how you can combine knowledge and evidence to draw a conclusion. What conclusion can you draw from the information?

Issue: Carbon dioxide is causing the worldwide warm-up.

Text EvidenceWhat I KnowMy Conclusion
People depend on fuels that give off carbon dioxide.People use gas to drive their cars everywhere.

Try It!

Draw and Support Conclusions Reread “Melting Away.” With a partner, draw conclusions about the writer’s ideas in each section. What does the writer want you to think or do? Gather text evidence and your own knowledge in a chart like the one above, and use it to help you draw conclusions.