Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

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. Part A: Select the letter of the answer that numbers the paragraphs in the order they should appear in the essay. a. 1, 4, 3, 5, 2 b. 3, 2, 1, 5, 4 c. 2, 5, 4, 3, 1 Part B: Select the number of the topic sentence in the second paragraph of the reordered sequence. a. Sentence 5 b. Sentence 6 c. Sentence 7 Part C: What transitional expression shows the relationship between paragraphs 2 and 3 in the reordered sequence? a. Then b. The final step c. For example Part D: Which of these three linking techniques is not used by the writer at the beginning of the third paragraph in the reordered sequence? a. She repeats key words or ideas from the thesis statement. b. She refers to a word or idea from the preceding paragraph. c. She uses a transitional sentence.

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. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen, he now says.

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) Crime dramas are some of the most watched television shows today, and it s true that shows like the popular C.S.I . are interesting and entertaining. (2) However, C.S.I. is also producing some serious problems. (3) Some people say that C.S.I. is actually making real-life crimes harder to solve by giving criminals good tips for covering their tracks. (4) For example, crime experts have been noticing an increase in cases in which suspects have burned or bleached evidence to destroy DNA samples that can be traced back to them. (5) In other cases, criminals have planned their crimes using techniques they learned on C.S.I. for leaving no evidence behind them. (6) Another effect has been the reluctance of real-life juries to convict criminals in the absence of clear-cut evidence like the kind gathered by the fictional forensic scientists on the C.S.I. show. (7) Prosecutors say that the show distorts viewers impressions of the speed and accuracy of crime labs, technology, and gadgets. (8) Therefore, viewers form unrealistic expectations of actual criminal courtroom trials. (9) In fact, this phenomenon has been given a name: the C.S.I. effect. Select the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.

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 convince someone to buy a particular product, you could say that

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each item, select the letter of the word that is a look-alike/sound-alike error. Chavez effected the lives of exploited farm workers everywhere and was a symbol of hope for future improvements. Chavez died in 1993.

Instructions: In each of the plans below, one detail has nothing to do with the topic sentence; it is merely a bit of irrelevant information. Find the irrelevant detail in each plan and choose its letter. On the plate lay an unappetizing hamburger.

Instructions: In each set below, select the letter of the sentence in which all the apostrophes are used correctly. In which sentence are apostrophes used correctly?

Instructions: For each of the following statements, select the answer that correctly identifies the cause and effect. Tom moved to Philadelphia because his employer transferred him there.

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

Instructions: In each set below, select the letter of the sentence in which all the apostrophes are used correctly. In which sentence are apostrophes used correctly?

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. The group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Select the letter of the topic sentence in this group of sentences.

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. Trading My Brown Shirt for a Backpack _____ Although I was prepared to have less money, one effect I didn t expect from losing my job was the negative feelings I would have. I was embarrassed to tell my family what had happened, worried that my fianc e would think less of me, and angry that events I couldn t control had ruined my life. It was strange and depressing not having the job to go to every day. Maybe some wouldn t consider delivering packages a career, but I liked my work, it paid well, and I was outside driving a truck all day. So it s not just the money I miss; it s the job. _____ The words economic downturn didn t mean much on the front of a newspaper, but then I got laid off. Suddenly, those weren t just words but the beginning of a long chain of events in my life. I liked my job at the United Parcel Service, and I had received many positive performance reviews, so I didn t think the rising unemployment rate was going to touch me. People still have to ship packages, right? Wrong. Getting my pink slip had powerful effects on my lifestyle and plans, but not all the effects have been bad ones. _____ The one positive effect of getting laid off is that it forced me to reconsider college. When I got a good job shortly after high school, in confirmed my decision to head straight into the real world. Now that there are so few full-time jobs with benefits out there, getting more education and training seems like the logical move. A counselor at the unemployment office encouraged me to attend a career fair at San Francisco Community College. I ended up taking placement exams and enrolling that same afternoon. _____ After losing my job, I have had to make major financial changes. My unemployment check is about half what I was making at UPS, so I have to budget very carefully. I used to take my fianc e out to a nice dinner almost every week. Now our dates involve pizza and rented movies. We also had to postpone our wedding until I m back on my feet. The hardest change by far has been moving back in with my dad because I couldn t make the rent on my apartment. _____ So here I am in a freshman writing class, returning to school the spring I expected to be getting married and hunting for a nice apartment. So far I m enjoying college more than I thought. I feel proud to be pursuing my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certificate. When I m done, I ll be driving around in an ambulance instead of a delivery truck, and I have a feeling I m going to like it. Alex Silvio, Student Select the answer that numbers the paragraphs in the order they should appear in the essay.

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: What kind of paragraph or essay is required by each of the following questions? Select the letter of the correct answer. Take a stand for or against a flat tax rate.

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

Instructions: Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false. Grammatical errors give readers a negative impression of a writer s skills and intelligence.

Instructions: Choose the correct spelling of each of the following words. Choose the correct spelling.

Instructions: Select the correct past participle for each blank. In fact, a backup generator was ____ by the fire station in case of a blackout.

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. Give the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.