Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word for each blank. In the early 1940 s, Frank ____ invention changed all that.

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. How to Break a Bad Habit _____ (1) Then, after awareness of a negative habit has been raised, substitution can take place. (2) Every time a person is tempted to engage in the undesirable behavior, he or she can replace it with a new, more desirable behavior. (3) For example, if a student grabs a bag of chips and a soda every time she sits down to study, then she can replace that habit with grabbing a bottled water and an apple, or just the water. (4) If a person is used to lighting up a cigarette after finishing a meal, he or she might get in the habit of chewing a piece of gum instead. _____ (5) The process begins with increasing awareness of an undesirable behavior. (6) A bad habit is often so deeply ingrained that it becomes unconscious, and people do not realize when and how much they do it. (7) Therefore, a person must first think, I m doing it again every time he or she lights up a cigarette, grabs a handful of chips, or puts off doing something. _____ (8) Almost everyone has at least one bad habit he or she would like to get rid of. (9) That habit might as be as big as smoking cigarettes, procrastinating, or overeating, or as small as biting fingernails or misplacing keys. (10) All of them are tough to break. (11) But it s not impossible; in fact, any bad habit can be broken by following a three-step process. _____ (12) People who have used this three-step process say that they were able to finally conquer their bad habit. (13) In the end, they not only improved their lives by giving up an unpleasant or unhealthy behavior, but they also felt more powerful for having been strong enough to free themselves from something that once held them in a very tight grip. _____ (14) The final step of the process involves persevering over time. (15) A bad habit is not going to go away overnight; experts say that breaking it will take at least three to four weeks. (16) Therefore, a person has to persist with daily substitution. (17) At the same time, he or she must resist the urge to give up on the whole idea of breaking the habit if a lapse occurs. (18) Setbacks and resistance are inevitable, but they don t have to result in complete failure. (19) Keeping the long-term goal in mind and continuing to imagine the positive end result will help ingrain the newer, better habit. Select the number of the sentence that best expresses the thesis statement of this essay. a. Sentence 1 b. Sentence 8 c. Sentence 11

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer. A personal error patterns chart should include

Instructions: Each general statement below is followed by several examples. Select the letter of the example that does not clearly illustrate the generalization. Radio and television personalities sometimes make amusing slips of the tongue when they are on the air.

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: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Charisma is not merely attractiveness or fame but a rare combination of qualities that produces personal magnetism or charm. (2) According to Ronald Riggio, professor of leadership and organizational psychology at Claremont McKenna College in California, these qualities include self-confidence, brilliant communication skills, and sensitivity to the needs of others. (3) Riggio says that former President Bill Clinton is a good example of a charismatic person. (4) Not only is he an excellent communicator, but he makes everyone who speaks to him feel as though he or she is the most important person in the world. (5) Oprah Winfrey, says Riggio, is another person with charisma. (6) She expresses herself well, and she naturally attracts people to her by responding to their needs. Select the number of the topic sentence of this paragraph.

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. The Regent Diamond _____ (1) In 1701, the 410-carat gem was discovered in an Indian mine by a slave who risked his life to smuggle it out. (2) Slashing his leg, he stuffed the huge diamond into the wound and headed for the seacoast. (3) A shifty sea captain offered to sail him to freedom for half the value of the jewel. (4) When at sea, the captain stole the stone and threw the slave overboard. (5) He then sold the precious rock to a powerful diamond merchant. _____ (6) Now called the Regent diamond, the fabulous stone was the most valuable French crown jewel. (7) In 1792, during the French Revolution, it disappeared, only to be found in a ditch in the middle of Paris. (8) Upon becoming emperor, Napoleon had the diamond set into the hilt of his ceremonial sword. (9) In 1887, when the last French monarchy fell and the jewel collection was auctioned, the Regent diamond was placed in the Louvre, the famous museum in Paris, where it still glitters today. _____ (10) People have long been fascinated by huge gemstones, such as the Hope diamond, the Ruspoli sapphire, the Rajaratna ruby, and the Gachala emerald. (11) The Regent diamond is one jewel that has long been among the world s most desired. _____ (12) Few people believed Pitt had come by the diamond honestly, so he also had trouble selling it. (13) Pitt was terrified of being robbed and murdered. (14) Whenever he carried the stone, he disguised himself and would not sleep in the same place for more than two nights. (15) If someone recognized him, he would deny that he carried the stone with him. (16) It took years, but he finally sold his diamond in 1717 for an enormous sum to the Duke of Orleans, the Regent of France. _____ (17) The merchant had difficulty unloading the diamond because it was so large and because it was stolen. (18) He finally sold it to Robert Pitt, a young Englishman who had come to India seeking his fortune. (19) By the time this shrewd adventurer returned home, the English had nicknamed him Diamond Pitt and christened the stone the Pitt. Part A: Select the answer that numbers the paragraphs in the order they should appear in the essay. a. 1, 3, 5, 4, 2 b. 2, 5, 1, 4, 3 c. 4, 1, 2, 3, 5 Part B: Which paragraph in the reordered sequence begins with a transitional expression indicating this type of order? a. paragraph 2 b. paragraph 3 c. paragraph 4 Part C: What type of order arranges the information in the body paragraphs? a. time order b. space order c. order of importance

Instructions: For each pair of sentences below, select the letter of the option that provides the best sentence variety. Which answer choice provides the best sentence variety?

Instructions: Each of the following sentences tells what you are trying to persuade someone to do. Beneath each sentence are four reasons that attempt to convince the reader that he or she should take this particular course of action. Select the letter of the reason that seems irrelevant, illogical, or untrue. If you wanted to persuade a person not to keep a wild animal as a pet, you could say that

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. The cross is, of course, most often associated with Christianity. However, it was also used by the Assyrians to represent their sky god, Anu, and by the Chinese to represent the earth. The symbol appears in Egyptian paintings, too; gods are often shown holding the ankh, a cross topped with a loop, which symbolized immortality. When Hernan Cort s and his Spanish troops invaded Mexico in 1519, they found the cross in native temples there, but the image represented the gods Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl. The Celtic cross, which predates Christianity, symbolized fertility. Which of the following is a synonym used to refer to the subject of the paragraph?

Instructions: Select the answer that correctly adds the suffix to each word below. radio + s/es

Instructions: For the following sentences, select the letter of the incorrect past tense verb in each group. In the movie Jurassic Park , scientists cloned dinosaurs that then escaped and threatened the safety of their keepers; this story leaded people to wonder if such a thing could happen with Lyuba, but that isn t likely.

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. Select the correct adjective or adverb for each blank. But in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, far into the night of April 15, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank ____ to the bottom of the sea.

Instructions: For each of the following sentences, select the list of words that should include apostrophes. As soon as youre ready, Ill start the car.

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a Few Americans stay put for a lifetime. We move from town to city to suburb, from high school to college in a different state, from a job in one region to a better job elsewhere, from the home where we raise our children to the home where we plan to live in retirement. With each move, we are forever making new friends, who become part of our new life at that time. Margaret Mead and Rhoda Metraux, On Friendship, in A Way of Seeing . Morrow, 1974, page 45

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Select the correct verb for each blank. Each one ____ entertainment for all of us.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) According to researchers, babies can be classified according to their temperament, the general pattern of their emotional reactions to their environments. (2) In the first category are the easy babies, who account for about 40 percent of all babies. (3) They are usually in a positive mood, and they adapt well to new situations. (4) Another category contains the difficult babies, who make up about 10 percent of all infants. (5) They are often in a bad mood, and they exhibit signs of stress when placed in new situations. (6) The next group, the slow-to-warm-up babies, account for 15 percent of all infants. (7) They are moody, and they struggle to adapt to new experiences, but to a lesser degree than the difficult babies. (8) In the last group are the mixed-pattern babies, the 35 percent of infants who do not fall clearly into any of the other three groups because their moods and reactions are less predictable. Which of the following sentences does NOT contain a transitional expression that indicates classification?

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. Select the correct adjective or adverb for each blank. ____, only a few people survived, and 1,500 died.

Instructions: Identify each of the following statements as true or false. A summary is always shorter than the original source.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) According to researchers, babies can be classified according to their temperament, the general pattern of their emotional reactions to their environments. (2) In the first category are the easy babies, who account for about 40 percent of all babies. (3) They are usually in a positive mood, and they adapt well to new situations. (4) Another category contains the difficult babies, who make up about 10 percent of all infants. (5) They are often in a bad mood, and they exhibit signs of stress when placed in new situations. (6) The next group, the slow-to-warm-up babies, account for 15 percent of all infants. (7) They are moody, and they struggle to adapt to new experiences, but to a lesser degree than the difficult babies. (8) In the last group are the mixed-pattern babies, the 35 percent of infants who do not fall clearly into any of the other three groups because their moods and reactions are less predictable. How many categories are there?