Cause and Effect
Watch these videos and try to understand what cause and effect reading strategy is.
In a cause-and-effect relationship, one condition or event makes another one happen. Authors are not the only ones to use cause and effect. In fact, you use this relationship every day. Every time you say the word because, you recognize why something happened. This is its cause. The effect is what happened as a result of the cause. For example, look at the following sentence:
John failed the test because he did not study.
Effect (what happened?): John failed the test
Cause (why?): because he did not study
The cause-and-effect relationship is the same regardless of the order in which the ideas are stated. For example:
Because he did not study, John failed the test.
cause Brings about effect
(I always remember the cause and effect relationship this way: “c” (for cause) come before “e” (effect) in the alphabet so the cause always happens before the effect. “c” (cause) happens first and “e” (effect) happens second.)
Example:
Because Jenny hates liver, she never eats it.
cause brings about effect
Jenny never eats liver because she hates it.
effect caused by cause
As you may already have noticed, the cause-and-effect sentences you’ve seen in this chapter have contained the word because. In these sentences the word because is called a signal word because it signals to you that a cause is immediately following. Some other cause and effect words are:
so, then, as a result, therefore, thus, consequently, since, so that
Here are some sample questions about cause-and-effect order that might appear on the high school equivalency test.
· According to the passage, the effect of ________ is _________.
· According to the article, one reason for the ____________was _________.
· What is the main reason the author wants to ______________?
Here is a strategy you can use to find the answer to cause-and-effect questions.
Step 1: Look for words that signal cause-and-effect order.
Step 2: Eliminate choices that are not causes.
Step 3: Eliminate choices not supported by the passage.
Step 4: Choose the best answer.
Read the following excerpt. Use the strategy you have just learned to find the answer to the question.
WHY QUIT DRINKING COFFEE?
I have decided to quit drinking coffee because I don’t like what it does to my body. Coffee wakes me up in the morning, but I still feel drowsy all day if I work too hard before lunch. Coffee also stains my teeth. Consequently, my teeth are yellow from years of coffee drinking. Coffee makes my heart beat double-time. As a result, I feel nervous and jittery if I drink too much of it.
Which of the following phrases gives the main reason the writer wants to quit drinking coffee?
(1) Coffee is too expensive.
(2) She has been drinking too much of it.
(3) She feels that tea tastes better.
(4) Coffee upsets the writer’s health and work habits.
(5) Coffee makes the writer drowsy.
The correct answer is (4) because it is the main reason. Coffee makes her “drowsy” and causes her “heart to beat double-time.” This upsets her health. As a result, she feels “nervous and jittery” if she drinks too much. This, in turn, upsets her work habits.