Text structure is the way an author organizes information in a text. Description is one type of informational text structure. An author describes, or tells about, a topic and its characteristics. Characteristics are the things that make something different from others. A text that has a description structure will include details about a topic. Words and phrases like “for example,” “such as,” “looks like” and “for instance” can signal that description is being used. You may also see the words “many,” “some,” “including” and “most.”

Which of the following passages has a description text structure?

A
Rhesus monkeys and baboons are part of a group called Old World monkeys. Like rhesus monkeys, baboons have tails. However, baboons usually weigh more than rhesus monkeys. Baboons live in Africa and Arabia, while rhesus monkeys live in Asia.

B
Scientists were preparing to send the first humans into outer space. However, they didn’t yet understand the effects that space would have on the human body. They didn’t want to put humans in danger. As a solution, they started by sending rhesus monkeys into space and studying the effects on them.

C
Rhesus monkeys are primates with brown bodies and red faces. They come from Asian countries, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. They are very intelligent, and some have even adapted to live near humans. Rhesus monkeys are good climbers and swimmers.

D
In 1947, scientists first discovered the Zika virus in a rhesus monkey in Uganda. A year later, they learned that Zika was spread by mosquitoes. In 1952, the first cases of Zika in humans were found. The virus did not make people very sick.