"Oh, no!" shouted Squirrelly Jones one brisk October morning in the middle of his math lesson. "I can't find my homework!"
The class, eager to use ANY excuse to get out of doing their long list of long division, jumped on the case and instantly started scouring for clues:
"When did you last see your homework?" they asked.
"Did you look in your locker?"
"What about your pockets?"
But Squirrelly Jones never kept his homework in his locker, or his pockets, or even a secret compartment under his desk. He always kept his homework in his backpack. And now, as he emptied his backpack for the class, it was plain for all to see that homework wasn't the only thing Squirrelly kept in his backpack. There was a heavy keychain filled with keys to who-knows-what, a rabbit's foot, an apple, and an assortment of jumbo lint balls.
When there was nowhere else to look, Squirrelly remembered that he was in a hurry this morning. As the bus pulled up to the bus stop, he grabbed his homework and his shoes and ran out the door. With this memory in mind, Squirrelly checked his shoes and there it was. His homework was folded in his shoe. Case solved!
From the tone of this story, the reader can tell that the author's purpose in writing this passage was A. to inform the reader about the dangers of being in a hurry. B. to entertain the reader with a story about Squirrelly Jones. C. to warn the reader with a story about misplacing homework. D. to persuade the reader to keep homework in backpacks.