Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: Select the letter of the word in the sentence that is a look-alike/sound-alike error. Do you know who s jacket this is? It s not mine, and it s not yours.

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct definition of the word. Discuss effects

Instructions: Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false. In general essays should have a thesis statement that expresses the main idea.

Instructions: For each of the following statements, select the answer that correctly identifies the cause and effect. Much of today s hip hop music is fresh and interesting. As a result, it has increased in popularity.

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each set of choices, select the letter of the answer in which conjunctions or conjunctive adverbs are used correctly and punctuation is correct. Which sentence is correct?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Visiting the house of poet Pablo Neruda was like entering a rich mind obsessed with the sea. (2) The peaked ceiling of the main room was covered with beautiful old ship s timbers. (3) Hanging from the ceiling were several large weathered figureheads from ships, one with the wings of an angel. (4) Near the angel, on the stone wall above the fireplace, was the model of an old ship with eleven canvas sails. (5) More life-size carved figureheads, all women, stood on the floor around the room, leaning forward as if listening. (6) Some were painted, some worn to the wood, some missing fingers or noses from the passing of time. (7) On every table and surface were ocean treasures shells, starfish, heaped sea glass and beach agate, a brass ship s lantern, a narwhal tusk. Which of the following sentences does NOT contain a transitional expression that indicates place or position?

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each item, select the underlined part that contains an error. Because wolves are highly intelligent, social, and loving as parents. They are good to adopt as a personal fetish if you feel you share these qualities.

Instructions: Each of the following plans for an essay contains a thesis statement and several topic sentences in scrambled order. Select the letter of the answer that numbers the topic sentences in each group according to an order that makes sense. Thesis statement: The history of European contact with the Karaja Indians of Brazil is one of violence and exploitation. Topic sentences: ____ The Karaja, exposed to European diseases during the nineteenth century, were reduced in numbers by 90 percent. ____ During the eighteenth century, the bandeirantes led attacks on Karaja villages to get slaves. ____ Since the turn of the twentieth century, Brazilian pioneers have increasingly used Indian territory as grazing land.

Instructions: Select the correct term for the blank in each of the following statement(s). To avoid plagiarism, a writer must provide ____ for facts, statistics, quotations, and other information from outside sources.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. Traditional musical instruments can be divided, according to how they produce sounds, into three categories: stringed, wind, and percussion. Stringed instruments produce music through the vibration of taut strings that are plucked, strummed, or bowed. The harp, the guitar, the banjo, and the violin are examples of stringed instruments. The second category contains the wind instruments, which are usually sounded by the player s breath. This category includes the clarinet, the tuba, the trumpet, and so on. The third category, percussion instruments, makes sounds when they are struck. Obvious examples of percussion instruments are drums, gongs, and cymbals. Surprisingly, the piano is also considered a percussion instrument because, when the player touches a key, a small hammer inside the piano strikes a string. How many categories are there?

Instructions: Below is a plan for a contrast paragraph. The points of contrast in the second column do not follow the same order as the points in the first column. In addition, one detail is missing in the second column. Compare a community college and a university. Community college University 1. hundreds of dollars for each semester s tuition _____ graduate students teach many of the classes 2. no housing, students must commute _____ students mostly in their teens and twenties 3. small classes _____ thousands of dollars for each semester s tuition 4. professors teach classes _____ classes often contain hundreds of students 5. wide age range in student body _____ ____________________ Which of the following is the missing detail?

Instructions: Select the correct preposition in parentheses for each of the following sentences. My apartment building is ( on , in ) the corner of First Avenue and 14th Street.

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each item, select the underlined part that contains an error. The Zunis still hold fetishes sacred in their religion and continues to carve them .

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Street skateboarding and vert skateboarding differ in several ways. (2) Street skateboarding takes place in outdoor public areas where there are staircases, benches, walls, and sidewalks. (3) In contrast, vert skateboarding usually takes place in skate parks with ramps or bowls. (4) Another major difference is the tricks performed in each type of skateboarding. (5) Street skaters use a style called the grind, which involves scraping their boards axles against objects such as stairway handrails. (6) They also perform tricks that involve kicking the board to flip it into the air. (7) Vert skaters, on the other hand, use the steep walls of the ramps or bowls to pick up speed and gain air time at the edges. (8) While airborne, they perform different flips and spins. (9) To achieve these tricks, they use boards that are wider and flatter than street boards, which have upturned noses and tails to aid kicking. What two things are being compared and/or contrasted?

Instructions: In each group below, select the letter of the sentence that uses concise, fresh, and exact language. Which sentence uses concise, fresh, and exact language?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Both a cold and the flu can make you miserable, but they are different in several ways. (2) Experts say a cold will go away by itself. (3) However, the flu can lead to pneumonia and other serious or even deadly problems. (4) A cold usually comes on gradually, accompanied by little or no fever. (5) In contrast, the flu comes on suddenly, and its fever can spike as high as 104 degrees and linger for three or four days. (6) Someone with a cold might experience mild body aches and fatigue, but the flu often brings severe body aches, deep fatigue, chills, and a major headache. (7) In general, a cold is wet, with much congestion, a runny nose, and even runny eyes. (8) The flu, on the other hand, is far drier, marked by a dry cough. Does this paragraph compare, contrast, or both?

Instructions: For each of the following sentences, select the list of words that should include apostrophes. Mick and Paolos new album contains nine great songs.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and then answer the question(s) that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. Playing video games can be a fun and relaxing hobby. For some players, though, this activity can become an addiction that s as harmful as gambling. That s why gamers who play two or more hours a day should be aware of the signs of addiction. One of these signs is abandonment of other hobbies. Someone who stops participating in all other leisure time activities or social events to play video games may be in the grip of a harmful addiction. Another sign of possible addiction is constantly thinking or talking about a game even while doing other things. If thoughts about the next gaming session prevent someone from paying attention to other tasks or people, that player could be addicted. A final warning sign is fighting with or lying to loved ones about the amount of time spent playing. Neglecting relationships with family members and friends is a classic sign of video game addiction. The subject of this paragraph is

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer. The step of the writing process during which writers think, jot down ideas, and plan the paper is known as

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each item, select the letter of the word that is misspelled. In the nineteenth century, many German education theorists introduced paper folding into kidneygarten classrooms.