Which text structure does the text use?
sequential cause-effect
Read the text.
It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to become a veterinarian. You'll want to start by finishing high school and going on to college. During college, you might study biology, chemistry, or animal science. Then, after four years of college, you'll attend four years of veterinary school. There you will learn more about medicine and animals and how to care for them. After finishing veterinary school, you will need to pass a test called a licensing exam. Then, at last, you can work as a veterinarian.
Writers can organize their ideas in different ways. These ways of organizing writing are called text structures. When you can tell how a text is organized, it's easier to understand how the writer's ideas go together. You can also use these text structures to organize your own writing.
 | Text structure | Where you might find it | Words and phrases to look for
A sequential structure tells you about events that happen in a certain order. | a recipe for how to make a blueberry pie | first, until, second, after, next, then, before, finally, during
A cause-effect structure shows the causes and the effects, or results, of an event. | an essay about how recycling helps the environment | because, led to, since, as a result, due to, so, reason
A problem-solution structure explains a problem and offers possible solutions. | an article about ways to get more people to vote | issue, suggest, question, puzzle, fix, answer
A compare-contrast structure shows how two (or more) things are the same or different. | a chapter about the differences between whales and sharks | like, unlike, too, on the other hand, both, while, same, instead, common, different, as well as, however
A descriptive structure tells you a list of details about an object, scene, or topic. | a paragraph about what Tyrannosaurus rex looked like| for example, near, for instance beside, such as, most important, also
The text uses a sequential structure to show the steps in becoming a veterinarian, or animal doctor. In the text, certain words and phrases help to organize ideas in a sequential structure. Notice the words start, then, and after, as well as the phrases during college and at last.