Which activity best supports analyzing a text’s structure before reading?

Which activity best supports analyzing a text’s structure before reading?

• A. Reading the last paragraph first
• B. Mapping the structure with a graphic organizer
• C. Skimming for keywords
• D. Memorizing headings

Answer: (B)

Understanding how a text is put together before you read helps you see the path the author will take and how ideas connect. Using a graphic organizer to map the structure makes that path visible. By outlining where a main idea appears, where evidence or examples will be discussed, and how sections typically relate—such as sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, or problem and solution—you create a clear blueprint for what you’re about to read. This pre-reading map primes your memory and expectations, helping you track arguments, shifts in focus, and how details fit into the overall design as you read. Reading the last paragraph first isn’t a reliable way to understand structure, and skimming for keywords gives you a quick sense of content but not the full organization. Memorizing headings helps you navigate, but it doesn’t require you to analyze how the text develops its ideas across sections. Mapping the structure with a graphic organizer bestsupports seeing the layout and relationships that drive the text.

Understanding how a text is put together before you read helps you see the path the author will take and how ideas connect. Using a graphic organizer to map the structure makes that path visible. By outlining where a main idea appears, where evidence or examples will be discussed, and how sections typically relate—such as sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, or problem and solution—you create a clear blueprint for what you’re about to read. This pre-reading map primes your memory and expectations, helping you track arguments, shifts in focus, and how details fit into the overall design as you read.

Reading the last paragraph first isn’t a reliable way to understand structure, and skimming for keywords gives you a quick sense of content but not the full organization. Memorizing headings helps you navigate, but it doesn’t require you to analyze how the text develops its ideas across sections. Mapping the structure with a graphic organizer bestsupports seeing the layout and relationships that drive the text.