Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

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. Served enormous quantities of beef, pork, lamb, buffalo, rabbit, and chicken.

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: Select the letter of the correct words for the blanks in each of the following sentences. Last year I ____ 140 pounds; this year I ____ 125 pounds.

Instructions: Choose the correct words to insert in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the correct response. Otis likes ____ to work rather than ____ the bus.

Instructions: Each question below is an entry for a Works Cited page. Select Correct if the entry is correctly formatted according to MLA guidelines or Incorrect if the entry is not correctly formatted. McCallum, Jack. Dream Team , 2012, Ballentine Books in New York.

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. Select the number of the sentence that expresses the thesis statement of this essay. a. Sentence 6 b. Sentence 10 c. Sentence 11

Instructions: In each sentence below, a blank space appears where the verb should be. Decide which verb agrees with the subject of the sentence. Select the letter of the correct answer. Each of those desserts ____ low in calories and fat.

Instructions: In each sentence below, a blank space appears where the verb should be. Decide which verb agrees with the subject of the sentence. Select the letter of the correct answer. My cat often ____ the mail carrier.

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer. Proofreading strategies are techniques for

Instructions: Select the sentence that contains concise, fresh language. Which sentence contains concise, fresh language?

Instructions: Each question below is an entry for a Works Cited page. Select Correct if the entry is correctly formatted according to MLA guidelines or Incorrect if the entry is not correctly formatted. Save Money, Save the Environment by Maura Judkis, U.S. News World Report , April 2010, pp. 58-61.

Instructions: Each question below is a plan for a process paragraph. The steps for the plan(s) are not in the correct chronological order. Select the letter of the answer that numbers the steps in the proper time sequence. A fax machine sends copies of written or printed material by means of telephone lines. ____ Finally, the machine receiving the copy reconverts the images and prints them on paper. ____ Second, the user dials the telephone number of the machine that is to receive the material. ____ First, the user puts a document in the machine. ____ Third, the fax machine converts the images on the document into codes that travel through the telephone lines.

Instructions: In each set below, one sentence in the set contains an error. Select the letter of the sentence that contains an error. Which sentence contains an error?

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word for each blank. Next, the ice is smoothed with conditioned water that ____ out of a container.

Instructions: Select the letter of the word in the sentence that is a look-alike/sound-alike error. Jingling the lose change in his pockets, Jim said, So who s going to treat me to the movies?

Instructions: In each sentence below, select the letter of the correctly punctuated sentence. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. Check the following paragraph for unity. Then select the number of the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph. (1) At Paradise Produce, attractive displays of fruit and vegetables caught my eye. (2) On the left, oranges, lemons, and apples were stacked in neat pyramids. (3) In the center of the store, baskets of ripe peaches, plums, and raspberries were grouped in a kind of still life. (4) Many nutritionists believe that berries help prevent certain diseases. (5) On the right, the leafy green vegetables had been arranged according to intensity of color: dark green spinach, then romaine lettuce and parsley, next the lighter iceberg lettuce, and finally the nearly white Chinese cabbage. (6) On the wall above the greens hung braided ropes of garlic.

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: Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. From the group below, select the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph.

Instructions: In each sentence below, a blank space appears where the verb should be. Choose the correct helping verb and past participle form. Select the letter of the correct answer. The gardener ____ about these wild onions for months.