Cause Effect

1. ______ Baby Lisa began to cry. a.She played in the sand.

2. ______ It was raining outside. b.He got a belly ache.

3. ______ The phone rang. c.Lance flew his kite.

4. ______ Nana plants seeds in the garden. d.He fell and scraped his knee.

5. ______ My lawn mower was out of gas. e.He ate dinner.

6. ______ Someone came to the door. f. The dog began to bark.

7. ______ It is a windy day. g.He had nothing to wear.

8. ______ The boy tripped on a rock. h. Mom gave her a bottle.

9. ______ Robert ate too many jellybeans. i.She answered it.

10. ______ Caren practiced kicking the ball. j. I couldn't cut the grass.

11. ______ All the clothes were dirty. k.She won her soccer game.

12. ______ Lee's mom took her to the beach. l. I shoveled the driveway.

13. ______ Tyler was hungry. m. Flowers began to grow.

14. ______ It snowed outside. n. We couldn't get in the car.

15. ______ Mom locked the car door. o. We pulled out an umbrella
Match each cause on the left with an effect on the right.

Cause Effect

1. h Baby Lisa began to cry. a.She played in the sand.

2. o It was raining outside. b.He got a belly ache.

3. i The phone rang. c.Lance flew his kite.

4. m Nana plants seeds in the garden. d.He fell and scraped his knee.

5. j My lawn mower was out of gas. e.He ate dinner.

6. f Someone came to the door. f. The dog began to bark.

7. c It is a windy day. g.He had nothing to wear.

8. d The boy tripped on a rock. h. Mom gave her a bottle.

9. b Robert ate too many jellybeans. i.She answered it.

10. k Caren practiced kicking the ball. j. I couldn't cut the grass.

11. g All the clothes were dirty. k.She won her soccer game.

12. a Lee's mom took her to the beach. l. I shoveled the driveway.

13. e Tyler was hungry. m. Flowers began to grow.

14. l It snowed outside. n. We couldn't get in the car.

15. n Mom locked the car door. o. We pulled out an umbrella..

Sally fell and broke her ankle BECAUSE the sidewalk was covered with ice.

BECAUSE OF the storm, football game was rescheduled.

Bill had all the needed skills, THEREFORE he became the new leader.

The scared young boy hide in the bushes BUT the bad man still found him.

SINCE the creek overflowed its banks, the road was closed to traffic.

A masked robber stole the donation box, CONSEQUENTLY, club could not help the needy
children.

The room was pitch black SO Megan turned on her flashlight.

DUE TO high customer response, the sale continued for three more days.
Cause and Effect
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 are recognizing 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.

Your turn:
Read the following sentences, and see whether you can identify the
cause and the effect. Write cause on the line under the part of the
sentence that is the cause. Write effect on the line under the part of the
sentence that is the effect.

1. The river rose four feet because of the heavy rainfall.

2. The rainfall was heavy; therefore, the river rose four feet.

3. Julie fell because she did not see the hole in the sidewalk.

4. Because he thought the salt was really sugar, Carlos’ cake tasted
horrible.

5. He had a flat tire because he had run over a sharp nail.

How did you do on that? Now try putting the following signal words
in the blanks.

Signal Words
because therefore
since so
for

1. snakes are cold-blooded creatures and

move with a crawling motion, many people find snakes unattractive.
2. Snakes are useful creatures they eat mice and
other small animals.
3. Some people get over their dislike of snakes; ,
they may adopt them as pets.
4. snakes are very clean, they can be kept in apartments.
5. You shouldn’t make a pet of a rattlesnake, its
bite is very deadly.
6. Grant lived next door, , I often saw him with his
pet boa constrictor.
7. Boa constrictors do not eat daily, Grant found
that feeding his pet was cheap.
8. boas need sunshine and fresh air, Grant often
took his boa outside.
9. Grant and his boa always attracted much
attention, boas are a rare sight in the city.
10. Grant’s landlady was terrified of snakes, Grant
finally had to give his boa constrictor to the zoo.

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