Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Rulers and governments have a long history of censoring or destroying books and other forms of expression that they find objectionable. (2) A book dictated by the prophet Jeremiah was burned by King Jehoiakim of Judah in 603 B.C.; and in the third century B.C., the Chinese emperor Shih Hwang-ti, who did things in a big way (he built the Great Wall), ordered the burning of all books, with the exception of those dealing with science, medicine, or agriculture. (3) Even philosophers have been in favor of censorship. (4) In the Republic , for example, Plato proposed to censor the writers of fiction in order to keep bad works away from children. Arthur Miller, Miller s Court , Published April 1, 1983 by Plume, p. 71 How many examples does the writer use to develop the topic sentence?

Instructions: Read each of the sentences below carefully. Then select the correct word in parentheses. The workshop leader pointed at ( her , herself ) and said, You re next.

Instructions: In each of the following sets, select the letter of the sentence that uses the correct coordinating or subordinating conjunction and that is punctuated correctly. Which sentence uses the correct coordinating or subordinating conjunction and is punctuated correctly?

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct definition of the word. Define

Instructions: Read the passage and then answer the question(s) that follow. Nail polish dates back to about 3000 B.C. In China, it was made from beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, vegetable dyes, and Arabic gum. In ancient Egypt, the cosmetic was made from henna, a reddish-brown dye from the leaves of a henna tree or shrub. In both societies, fingernail colors depended upon one s social and economic class. A royal woman was allowed to wear gold and silver polish. ____________, a lower-ranking woman could wear only pale tones. If she wore royal colors, she was punished with death. What synonym refers to the subject of this passage?

Instructions: Read the definition below and answer the question(s) that follow. Netiquette means good online manners. The statement above is a

Instructions: Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false. When you revise a paper, you should consider sentence length and sentence variety.

Instructions: Each question below is an entry for a Works Cited page. Select Correct if the entry is correctly formatted according to MLA guidelines or Incorrect if the entry is not correctly formatted. American Cancer Society. 1 Feb. 2012. Guide to Quitting Smoking . www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GuidetoQuittingSmoking/index.

Instructions: In each of the following sentences, a blank space appears where the verb should be. Choose the correct past tense verb. Select the letter of the correct answer. After he ____ the pie, Chris wondered how many grams of fat it contained.

Instructions: Select the correct preposition in parentheses for each of the following sentences. According ( to , from ) a recent study, daily servings of broccoli reduce incidences of colon cancer.

Instructions: Select the letter of the answer with the correct words for the blanks in each of the following sentences. He should ____ whether you will ____ or reject his proposal ____ tomorrow.

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct word for each blank. When using ____, a writer puts source information in the body of the essay, in parentheses, rather than in endnotes or footnotes.

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each item, select the underlined part that contains an error. Since ancient times, the Zunis of New Mexico have used fetishes . Small objects carved from stone or wood that are believed to have magical powers.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Most of the ingredients in cigarettes cause serious damage to health, but three of the worst are tar, carbon monoxide, and nicotine. (2) Tar, the brown, sticky substance produced by a burning cigarette, is a messy mixture of hundreds of toxic chemicals. (3) At least forty-three of those chemicals cause cancer. (4) The other two destructive substances, carbon monoxide and nicotine, contribute to heart disease. (5) Carbon monoxide prevents red blood cells from carrying a full load of oxygen. (6) Therefore, it reduces the body s oxygen supply. (7) At the same time, nicotine is not only constricting blood vessels and impairing blood flow but also stimulating the heart, making it beat faster and crave more oxygen. (8) Consequently, carbon monoxide and nicotine work together to damage the cardiovascular system. Which of the following sentences contains a transitional expression that signals cause or effect?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) You are sitting in a restaurant quietly having a meal when suddenly a man nearby starts choking on a piece of food lodged in his throat. (2) By using the Heimlich maneuver, you may be able to save this person s life. (3) Your two hands are all you need to perform this lifesaving technique. (4) First, position yourself behind the choking person. (5) Then wrap your arms around the person s midsection, being careful not to apply any pressure to the chest or stomach. (6) Once your arms are around the victim, clench one hand into a fist and cup this fist in the other hand. (7) Now turn the fist so that the clenched thumb points toward the spot between the choker s navel and midsection. (8) Finally, thrust inward at this spot using a quick, sharp motion. (9) If this motion does not dislodge the food, repeat it until the victim can breathe freely. Which of the following is not a transitional expression in the paragraph above?

Instructions: In each group, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the thesis statement of a good essay. Choose the thesis statement.

Instructions: Read the following draft paragraph, and then select the letter of the sentence in each set below that is the best revision. My niece is a ballet dancer. She has been accepted to the Dance Theater of Harlem. She will probably be a member of a professional dance company sometime in the future. She loves to dance. She has been dancing since she was five years old. She dances solo and also as a member of the ballet corps. I always enjoy attending her performances. Which sentence is the best revision?

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each pair, select the answer with more sentence variety. Which answer choice has sentence variety?

Instructions: For each of the following sentences, select the list of words that should include apostrophes. On Thursdays, the Childrens Museum opens at noon.

Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed by supporting details. Select the letter of the answer that arranges each group of details according to space order. Describe a person. ____ intense brown eyes ____ narrow hips ____ broad shoulders ____ two-inch scar on right cheek ____ big feet ____ rumpled sandy-colored hair