Even if you don't know the title of a book or article, it's not usually difficult to tell if a paragraph contains informational text. The text won't take the form of a narrative, and you won't see details about a character's thoughts, feelings, or adventures.
Here's a line from some informational text about coffee beans:
We can tell it is informational text because it is a fact. Compare it to the line below from a fictional story that mentions coffee beans:
Victor tried hard to grow coffee beans, but he had no luck. Maybe it was because he no longer lived in Guatemala, but in Chicago.
Even though both of these sentences are related to coffee beans, the second statement sounds more like a story than factual information about coffee.
Suppose you have to write a report about the history of fireworks. Here is an example of the type of informational text you may find while researching the topic:
The first recorded use of fireworks occurred in 200 BC in China. Villagers would throw green bamboo shoots into fires, and the heat would expand the air pockets inside until the bamboo exploded. The loud bang was meant to scare away evil spirits.
You may find fireworks and even the history of fireworks mentioned in other places. If you find a passage like the one below, though, you should not consider it a source of factual information for your report.
"Last night's fireworks show was so beautiful," Kim said as she placed some discarded cups in a large black garbage bag. "But some people have left a mess. We'll have to work on that next year."
"How long have fireworks been around, anyway?" Marty asked, stuffing a chip wrapper into his own garbage bag. "Probably a couple of hundred years, don't you think?"
"Actually, a lot longer than that," Kim said. "Fireworks started in China in something like 200 BC, if you can believe it. Mr. Dixon told us that in science class one day. He said that people would actually toss bamboo shoots into fires and the shoots would explode. It was a way to ward off evil spirits."
Question
What makes the last example literary text rather than informational text?
