Which writing pattern opens with the most important information and then tapers?

• A. Cause-effect pattern
• B. Chronological pattern
• C. Newspaper pattern
• D. Spatial pattern

Answer: (C)

Open with the most important information and then taper is the inverted pyramid pattern, commonly used in newspaper writing. The lead presents the essential facts—who, what, where, when, and why—so readers get the gist right away. After that, the story layers in supporting details, quotes, and background, but in order of decreasing importance. This approach helps readers grasp the key points even if they skim or stop early, and it makes it easy to trim the article without losing the main facts. The other patterns place information in different orders—cause-effect starts with a reason and then results, chronological follows time sequence, and spatial arranges by location—so they don’t begin with the most important facts up front like the newspaper/inverted pyramid pattern does.