Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct words and punctuation for each blank. ____ Congress restocked the library s shelves with Thomas Jefferson s enormous personal collection of books.

Instructions: In each pair of sentences below, carefully determine the exact relationship between the sentences. Then select the transitional expression that clearly expresses this relationship. One symptom of the flu is a high fever. ____, the disease causes chills, body aches, coughing, and fatigue.

Instructions: For the following sentences, select the letter of the incorrect past tense verb in each group. As temperatures rose and falled over thousands of years, the fluctuations damaged Lyuba s cells and rendered her specimen useless for cloning.

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. Which of the following sentences does NOT contain a transitional expression that indicates contrast or comparison?

Instructions: Select the letter of the correctly punctuated sentence. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Some mixed-breed dogs that would once have been referred to as mutts are now enjoying a new status as popular and expensive designer dogs. (2) For instance, the labradoodle, a cross between a Labrador and a poodle that can cost up to $4,000, is one sought-after combination. (3) Other popular doodle dogs include the schnoodle (a schnauzer-poodle mix) and the goldendoodle (a golden retriever-poodle mix). (4) Many dog lovers are willing to plunk down large sums for a cockapoo (a cocker spaniel-poodle mix) or a yorkipoo (a combination of a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle). (5) Even England s Queen Elizabeth is fond of a specialty mixed-breed known as the dorgi, a cross between a dachshund and a corgi. Select the number of the sentence containing a transitional expression that introduces an illustration.

Instructions: Select the letter of the answer that correctly identifies the subject and complete verb in each sentence. For a skilled tailor, sewing a skirt presents no problem.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) On my right a woods thickly overgrown with creeper descended the hill s slope to Tinker Creek. (2) On my left was a planting of large shade trees on the ridge of the hill. (3) Before me the grassy hill pitched abruptly and gave way to a large, level field fringed in trees where it bordered the creek. (4) Beyond the creek I could see with effort the vertical sliced rock where men had long ago quarried the mountain under the forest. (5) Beyond that I saw Hollins Pond and all its woods and pastures; then I saw in a blue haze the world poured flat and pale between the mountains. Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek , Bantam, 1975, page 41 Which of the following is NOT a transitional expression that indicates place or position in this paragraph?

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Select the correct verb for each blank. Springfield offers two places that ____ perfect for us to visit: Johnson s Farm and the Springfield Science Museum.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) The United States is dealing with many invasive species, which are non-native plants, animals, and insects that are harmful to the area they invade. (2) For example, the fast-growing kudzu vine is known as the vine that ate the South because it covers trees and other vegetation, blocking their access to sunlight and killing them. (3) Formosan termites from East Asia are now responsible for millions of dollars in damage to homes and properties in Louisiana and other parts of the southeastern United States. (4) African honey bees, which spread from South America and Central America into America s Southwest, have been known to chase down and kill people and animals. (5) In the Great Lakes, Asian carp, imported in the 1970s to clean up algae, are now pushing out other kinds of fish and disrupting the lakes ecosystem. (6) In Florida s Everglades, huge pythons descended from abandoned pets are threatening everything from crocodiles to livestock to children. Select the number of the sentence containing a transitional expression that introduces an illustration.

Instructions: Select the correct term for the blank in each of the following statement(s). The ____ appears at the end of the essay and provides information about all of the sources that the writer referred to in his or her essay.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Parents should not enter their little girls in children s beauty pageants. (2) First of all, children who participate in these pageants may develop an unhealthy body image. (3) Studies have found that children who competed in beauty contests are more likely than those who didn t compete to be dissatisfied with their bodies, an attitude that can lead later to eating disorders or other psychological issues. (4) Another reason to avoid pageants is the cost. (5) Participation requires a lot of money for clothing, props, coaching, and travel, and these expenses quickly add up to thousands of dollars per pageant. (6) Many parents have admitted going into debt to finance their pageant hobby; Rick and Misty Simon of Atlanta, Georgia, for example, say that their credit card debt rose to $30,000 after two years of entering their daughter in a series of local pageants. (7) The most important reason to avoid these pageants, though, is their tendency to sexualize little girls. (8) The glitz pageants in particular require young contestants to wear heavy makeup and elaborate hairstyles that adults would wear. (9) They encourage parents to put their children into revealing costumes and then have those kids gesture and dance flirtatiously while wearing inappropriately suggestive facial expressions. (10) Little girls have no business prancing around on stage made up like adult women, winking at the judges, blowing kisses, and swinging their hips. How many arguments support the topic sentence?

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct words and punctuation for each blank. Congress realized the importance of preserving national ____ built a fireproof room made of iron in the Capitol Building.

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer for each blank. A ____ rewords information in an original source using the writer s own words.

Instructions: For each of the following sentences, choose the correct noun to fill in each blank. Select the letter of the correct answer. Steve had to buy Christmas gifts for several of his ____.

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. After we baked the pizza 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees, it tasted great.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Do you know what happens when you fall asleep? (2) After studying brain-wave patterns, neuroscientists identified five distinct stages of human sleep. (3) In stage 1, you feel drowsy and your muscles begin to relax. (4) This stage between waking and sleep only lasts five to ten minutes. (5) During the second stage, you experience light sleep. (6) Your heart rate, brain activity, and breathing slow down, and your body temperature decreases. (7) In the third stage, you transition between light sleep and the fourth stage of deep sleep. (8) It is during stages 3 and 4, which are known as slow-wave sleep, that your body rests, replenishes its energy, and repairs itself. (9) Finally, about 90 minutes after you first fall asleep, the fifth stage of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep occurs. (10) Your brain is very active, but your muscles are paralyzed. (11) During REM sleep, you dream. (12) Throughout an average night, you move constantly from one stage to another in recurring cycles. (13) These sleep cycles last about 70 to 90 minutes and are repeated four or five times a night. (14) While you do not go through all five stages of sleep consecutively, you will experience each stage at least once during a full sleep cycle. Which of the following sentences does NOT include a transitional expression that locates the stages of the process in time?

Instructions: For the following sentences, select the letter of the incorrect past tense verb in each group. Zoological scientists traveled to Siberia and tooked the discovery to the Russian Academy of Science s Zoological Institute where experts carefully preserved the mammoth in a special refrigerator.

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. Making a Difference _____ (1) Most important, volunteers can do much to improve the quality of life in Westlake. (2) A sophomore named Annie Blakely, for instance, volunteered with a crew of other students to spruce up the neglected Stevenson Park. (3) Because budget cuts had reduced the number of caretakers, some of its gardens had become overgrown. (4) Supervised by the Parks Department, the crew cleared weeds, trimmed bushes, and planted several colorful flowerbeds. (5) They also painted the park benches a bright red, a welcome change from their former drab and faded gray. (6) For six Saturday afternoons, Annie and the other volunteers worked their magic. (7) Thanks to them, the park is certainly prettier and more inviting than it had been. _____ (8) Clearly, community service not only benefits the community but also rewards the volunteer. (9) Signing up can make a big difference in many lives. _____ (10) While helping out, volunteers can also develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of others. (11) Last year, another student, Kyle Hairston, worked for a few hours each week at the Westlake Home for the Aged. (12) He began with many preconceptions about the elderly; however, his work with them convinced him how wrong he had been. (13) For example, he assumed that the residents, because they lived in the home, had lost contact with the rest of the world. (14) While playing chess or chatting with them, he realized that they avidly watched the news on TV; read newspapers; and were well informed about local, national, and world affairs. (15) Also a surprise to Kyle, their opinions were often similar to his own. (16) These seventy-year-olds were not as old-fashioned as he had thought. (17) Kyle Hairston, the person, owes his respect for the elderly and his open-mindedness to Kyle Hairston, the volunteer. _____ (18) Finally, volunteers can often learn new skills. (19) Margo Rosa, a whiz in mathematics, volunteered to tutor Sandy Lewin, a junior high school student struggling with her math homework. (20) Aspiring to become a teacher, Margo hoped this assignment would give her a head start on her future career. (21) At first, she had trouble understanding why Sandy found fractions so confusing or decimals so difficult. (22) Soon, however, Margo saw where and why Sandy got stuck and thought of creative ways to help. (23) She also increased her patience, a necessary trait for any good teacher. (24) By the end of the semester, when Sandy s grades had improved, Margo was certain that she would become a first-rate teacher. _____ (25) The Community Service Office at Westlake College offers placement opportunities for students who wish to do volunteer work. (26) For a number of reasons, students who have the time should consider volunteering to help out their neighbors in the community. This essay is a a. classification essay. b. comparison and contrast essay. c. persuasive essay.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) People who are thinking about getting a pet should carefully consider the kind of care that animal will require. (2) Pets can be classified into three categories according to how labor-intensive they are. (3) The first category includes very labor-intensive pets. (4) These animals require the most time, energy, and money because they need constant, daily care. (5) Horses kept in a barn are probably the best example, for they need to be fed, exercised, and groomed on a daily basis. (6) Dogs, which need to be fed and walked at least once a day, are another good example of a high-maintenance pet. (7) The second category contains those pets that are only moderately labor-intensive, such as a cat or a hamster. (8) They need to be fed every day, but other maintenance is done on only a weekly or monthly basis. (9) For example, a cat s litter box or a hamster s cage needs only periodic cleaning. (10) The third and final category includes very low-maintenance pets. (11) Fish are the best example. (12) They need just a little sprinkling of food every day, and their tanks need cleaning only a few times a year. Select the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.