Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct verb or verbs for each sentence. At sea, they often ( have , has ) waves several hundred miles long and just a few feet high.

Instructions: Read the following paragraph. For each set of sentences below the paragraph, select the letter of the sentence that provides the best revision for consistency; parallel structure; sentence variety; and fresh, concise language. In 1929, toy dealer Edwin S. Lowe came across people having more fun than a barrel of monkeys while playing a game at a carnival in rural Georgia. A leader calls out each and every number, and the players use beans to cover the matching numbers on their cards. The winners yelled Beano! at the top of their lungs when they had filled in a row of numbers. Quick as a wink, Lowe saw the game was a winner. Sharp as a tack, he returned home and began testing the game on friends. Lowe markets the game as Bingo! and it sells like crazy. Which sentence provides the best revision for consistency; parallel structure; sentence variety; and fresh, concise language?

Instructions: Read the definition below and answer the question(s) that follow. A labyrinth is a maze. List the synonym, the class, or the negation that helps to define the subject of the sentence.

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 giraffe. ____ long, knobby-kneed legs that can kick with great force ____ pair of short, bony horns atop head ____ body covered with a coat of brown spots outlined in cream ____ graceful, 4-foot-long neck for munching leaves ____ tongue up to 21 inches long

Instructions: For each paragraph, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) Playing video games may give doctors an advantage in the operating room, helping them save lives. (2) A 2004 study at New York s Beth Israel Medical Center tested thirty-three doctors on video game tasks that measured their motor skills, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. (3) These are the same skills that are essential to performing laparoscopic surgery, which involves using a joystick to maneuver a tiny video camera inserted into a patient s body. (4) Researchers found that doctors who used to play video games for more than three hours a week were 37 percent less likely than nongamers to make mistakes. (5) They also finished procedures 27 percent faster than nongamers.

Instructions: Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. We are going to the sushi bar before we met Julian for coffee.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below, and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Sadly, this college is part of a national trend. (2) Date rate is on the rise. (3) To stop date rape, college administrators and students must understand and deal with is possible causes. (4) First, some fraternities and male peer groups on campus promote an attitude of disrespect toward women. (5) This mentality sets the stage for date rape. (6) Second, alcohol and drugs erode good judgment and self-control. (7) The kegs, barrels, and bags consumed at many parties here put students at risk, including the risk of date rape. (8) A third cause of date rape is miscommunication between men and women. (9) Men and women often have different ideas of what date rape is or even if it exists. (10) We need campus workshops in which we can discuss this issue openly and come to some understanding between the sexes. (11) Date rape is a serious problem that can ruin lives. (12) We can make a difference by addressing the causes of date rape: the male mentality of disrespect, heavy campus use of alcohol and drugs, and the differing views of men and women. Michael White Moon, Student Select the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.

Instructions: In each set below, select the letter of the sentence in which every adjective and adverb is correct. Which sentence contains correct adjectives and adverbs?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) The federal minimum wage should be increased to at least $10.00 per hour. (2) First of all, this increase will help families who are living in poverty. (3) Not only will it provide these people with a fairer and more decent rate of pay for their labor, but it will also decrease their need for welfare, food stamps, and other forms of government support. (4) Increasing the minimum wage may also stimulate job growth. (5) According to one 2006 study published by the Fiscal Policy Institute, employment in small businesses grew faster in states that boosted their minimum wage above the federal minimum than in states requiring only the federal minimum. (6) This report also found that total job growth was faster in the states with higher minimum wages. (7) That may be because workers who earn more can spend more, which stimulates the economy. Which of the following sentences presents a fact to support a reason?

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 science classroom. ____ rows of chairs and counters where students are writing ____ back wall of shelves with jars containing small animals, a human brain ____ on front counter, large plastic model of an eyeball ____ human skeleton hanging on a pole in front of the jars ____ professor in white lab coat explaining the parts of the eye

Instructions: What kind of paragraph or essay is required by each of the following questions? Select the letter of the correct answer. Explain what is meant by humanism.

Instructions: For each of the following sentences, select correct if the sentence is punctuated correctly, fragment if it is a fragment, run-on if it is a run-on, and comma splice if it is a comma splice. Barbecues are not a modern phenomenon South and Central Americans have grilled meat on open flames for hundreds of years.

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. For each one, select correct if the sentence is punctuated correctly, fragment if it is a fragment, run-on if it is a run-on, and comma splice if it is a comma splice. This engineer and teacher is now famous for his work in robotics.

Instructions: Select the correct preposition in parentheses for each of the following sentences. I will take the Graduate Record Exam ( in , on ) April 8, 2013.

Instructions: Select the correct noun for each blank. A few of the conference ____ have chosen to forego tonight s dinner.

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. If the sentence contains a pronoun error, select Pronoun error. If the sentence is free of pronoun errors, select Correct. Between you and I, making pizza is easy.

Instructions: Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false. Proofreading skills can be developed and improved.

Instructions: The paragraphs of the following essay have been scrambled so that they are out of order. Read them and then answer the question(s) that follow. Overcoming Student Depression _____ (1) Today, I m grateful to my college for wanting to help people like me, and I urge anyone who is feeling depressed to find out more about his or her college s resources. (2) Students shouldn t go on floundering until they drown, not when there are people ready to toss out a life preserver and pull them in to safety. _____ (3) I got this help by visiting my college s student health service. (4) Like many colleges, the one I attended had beefed up its resources for students who are having trouble coping with their new challenges. (5) I was able to take advantage of free on-campus counseling with a qualified therapist named Becky. (6) I told her how I felt, and she helped me figure out how to deal more effectively with the stress I was under. (7) I learned, for example, about how to use time management and exercise to better cope with everything I had to do. (8) Before long, I felt the cloud I had been under begin to lift. (9) I was still busy, but I didn t feel as overwhelmed, and my grades improved from Cs and Ds to As and Bs. _____ (10) Second, I found out that my feelings were fairly common. (11) I searched for information online and found out that, according to an American College Health Association study, 10 percent of college students had been diagnosed with depression. (12) In addition, the National Mental Health Association reports that one-third of all college freshmen say they feel overwhelmed a great deal of the time. (13) It was a relief to discover that I wasn t alone. (14) Knowing that encouraged me to take the next step and get the help I needed. _____ (15) The first thing I did was admit to myself that I was depressed. (16) One day while sitting in one of the student lounges on campus, I picked up a pamphlet published by my college s student health service. (17) It included a list of questions, such as Do you often feel sad, anxious, or empty? Do you often feel fatigued or low in energy? Do you have difficulty concentrating or making decisions? (18) I was surprised when I found myself answering yes to almost every one of these questions. (19) Since then, I ve found out that most colleges are trying to educate students about the signs and symptoms of depression and other mental illnesses. (20) Through information posted on college web sites; printed materials like pamphlets and posters; and even forums followed by free screenings for eating disorders, alcoholism, and anxiety, colleges are helping students like me recognize when they are battling a very serious problem. _____ (21) When I first started college, I was excited and happy. (22) It wasn t long, though, before I began to feel overwhelmed. (23) I could barely keep up with all of the assignments, tests, and papers of five different challenging classes. (24) At the same time, I was in an unfamiliar new environment, homesick for my family and friends back home. (25) After a while, I wasn t handling the pressures well at all; in fact, it was all I could do to get myself out of bed every morning. (26) Fortunately, though, I was able to take positive steps to identify and solve my problem. Part A: Select the letter of the answer that numbers the paragraphs in the order they should appear in the essay. a. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 b. 2, 5, 4, 1, 3 c. 1, 3, 5, 2, 4 Part B: Identify the number of the topic sentence in the third paragraph of the reordered sequence. a. Sentence 1 b. Sentence 10 c. Sentence 21 Part C: What transitional expression shows the relationships between paragraphs 2 and 3 in the reordered sequence? a. The first thing b. Second c. Today Part D: What linking technique does the writer use at the beginning of the fourth paragraph in the reordered sequence? a. He repeats key words or ideas from the thesis statement. b. He refers to a word or idea from the preceding paragraph. c. He uses a transitional sentence.

Instructions: Select the correct past participle for each blank. In a small town in northern California, the world s longest-burning light bulb has ____ for over a century.

Instructions: Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false. A personal error patterns chart is one type of proofreading strategy.