Test Bank to accompany HENRY/KINDERSLEY WRITING FOR LIFE Paragraphs and Essays, 4e Steve Yarborough Bellevue College iii Contents Chapter 1 1 Chapter 2 3 Chapter 3 5 Chapter 4 7 Chapter 5 9 Chapter 6 11 Chapter 7 14 Chapter 8 17 Chapter 9 19 Chapter 10 21 Chapter 11 23 Chapter 12 25 Chapter 13 27 Chapter 14 29 Chapter 15 31 Chapter 16 33 Chapter 17 35 Chapter 18 37 Chapter 19 39 Chapter 20 41 Chapter 21 44 Chapter 22 46 Chapter 23 49 Chapter 24 51 Chapter 25 54 Chapter 26 56 Chapter 27 58 Chapter 28 60 Chapter 29 63 iv Chapter 30 65 Chapter 31 67 Chapter 32 69 Chapter 33 71 Chapter 34 74 Chapter 35 76 ANSWER KEY 78 1 CHAPTER 1: Prepare to Learn About Writing Multiple-Choice Questions 1. According to the chapter, writing an essay is similar to many other tasks in life for what reason? a) Success is achieved through trial and error. b) Success involves a mastery of specific tasks. c) Success relies upon careful preparation. 2. What usually causes negative attitudes in student writers? a) a prior negative event b) lack of preparation on the part of the student c) undiagnosed learning disability 3. Why does feedback in a writing class pose a problem for many students? a) Teachers often rely too heavily on technical jargon. b) Students perceive it as a personal rejection. c) Students feel that their natural creativity is restricted. 4. What are some elements of an effective study plan? a) preplanning, setting goals, taking action b) setting goals, gathering materials, self-reflection c) gathering tools, setting goals, taking action 5. A textbook, thesaurus, and dictionary are examples of what? a) typical reference materials for writers and students b) unnecessary reference materials for writers and students c) typical reference materials for experienced writers 6. Recording ongoing weekly commitments is an element of what? a) an intermediate schedule b) a short-term schedule c) a long-term schedule 7. Making a list of goals to be achieved within a week is an element of what? a) an intermediate schedule b) a short-term schedule c) a long-term schedule 8. What is the primary requirement of a portfolio? a) organizational skills b) assessment skills c) critical thinking skills 2 9. By collecting and organizing all drafts of each essay in a single portfolio, a student is better able to do what throughout a writing class? a) effectively reflect upon strengths and needs as a writer b) establish intermediate goals c) understand the teacher’s feedback 10. If students review their essays to discover which errors are related to proofreading, they are engaged in what crucial activity? a) divergent thinking b) critical thinking c) convergent thinking True/False Questions 1. A dictionary, thesaurus, and computer are common materials used by student writers. 2. An active learner will use feedback from the instructor to make connections between assignments. 3. Student writers should set general, non-specific goals when creating a study plan. 4. An intermediate schedule might include making a short list of tasks to be completed throughout the term. 5. A portfolio is an organized collection of the best work you do as a writer. 6. A portfolio allows a writer to track his or her strengths and needs. 7. A portfolio should include only edited drafts and polished copies. 8. A reflective journal allows a writer to deepen critical thinking about teacher feedback. 9. A reflective journal entry is a formal piece of writing in which a writer and teacher may analyze aspects of a work. 10. Only final polished drafts turned in for feedback should be labeled carefully. 3 CHAPTER TWO: Thinking Through the Writing Process Multiple-Choice Questions 1. “Careful writers rely on what to discover, organize, and record information in response to a specific writing situation? a) a lesson plan b) the writing process c) a portfolio 2. What are the stages of the writing process? a) prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading b) prewriting, organizing, drafting, proofreading c) brainstorming, drafting, revising, portfolio 3. What you write is called a(n) a) thesis. b) argument. c) topic. 4. Good writing focuses on a single a) goal or purpose. b) thesis or point. c) fact or assignment. 5. The person or group intended to read your writing is called a(n) a) peer group. b) instructor. c) audience. 6. Which of the following are prewriting techniques? a) asking questions, listing, concept mapping, outlining b) discussing, reading, organizing, studying c) reporting, reflecting, recording, rewriting 7. What is drafting? a) drawing pictures to clarify your thinking b) putting your ideas into sentences and paragraphs c) listing ideas in blocks of thought 8. What do we call viewing your work to make sure your writing offers a focused unit of information? a) revising b) rewriting c) reworking 4 9. What do you need to do before your work is ready for submission? a) running your spell checker b) make sure you are not plagiarizing c) proofreading 10. Which of the following is NOT part of the writing process? a) portfolio b) drafting c) proofreading True/False Questions 1. Careful writers do not rely on the writing process to discover, organize, or record information. 2. In order to develop your point, you need to think about the writing situation and the writing process. 3. A writing situation consists of the topic, the purpose, and the audience. 4. What you write is far more important than whom you are writing for. 5. Informative, persuasive, expressive, and reflective are four purposes for writing. 6. The writing process includes prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofreading. 7. Prewriting does not begin until you actually write something down. 8. Drafting is putting your ideas into sentences and paragraphs. 9. Revising is re-seeing your work through the eyes of your reader. 10. Proofreading is preparing your work for publication or submission. 5 CHAPTER THREE: Understanding the Paragraph Multiple-Choice Questions 1. A paragraph is a well-planned sequence of sentences joined together to support what? a) a narrowed topic b) your thesis c) a major detail 2. What are the three levels of information in a paragraph? a) topic, thesis, argument b) main idea, major detail, minor detail c) beginning, middle, ending 3. What is often stated as a topic sentence and explains the author’s one main point about the subject? a) main idea b) major detail c) minor detail 4. What explains a major detail and is the most specific idea in the passage? a. main idea b. major detail c. minor detail 5. What are the three parts of a paragraph? a) topic, thesis, argument b) main idea, major detail, minor detail c) beginning, middle, ending 6. Opinion and pattern of organization can be used to do what? a) create a thesis b) narrow a topic c) come up with details 7. What is a topic sentence? a) the thesis of your essay b) a complete sentence that states the main idea c) a complete sentence that identifies your first major detail 8. What is a relevant detail? a) explains and supports only the writer’s point b) offers in-depth explanations and supports the writer’s opinion and pattern of organization c) an interesting piece of information 6 9. What is an adequate detail? a) explains and supports only the writer’s point b) offers in-depth explanations and supports the writer’s opinion and pattern of organization c) an interesting piece of information 10. What are the elements of effective expression? a) main idea, major detail, minor detail b) adequate and relevant details c) word choice, sentence structure, and grammar True/False Questions 1. A paragraph is a well-planned sequence of sentences joined together to support a narrowed topic. 2. A paragraph allows a writer to express clearly and powerfully multiple main ideas about a narrowed subject. 3. A main idea is often stated as a topic sentence. 4. A major detail provides primary support to the main idea. 5. A minor detail is less specific than a major detail. 6. A paragraph does not need an ending. 7. A narrowed topic is essential to a successful paragraph. 8. A pattern of organization is an effective way to narrow your topic. 9. Relevant details explain and support only the writer’s point 10. Adequate details offer general explanations and support for the writer’s opinion and pattern of organization. 7 CHAPTER FOUR: The Descriptive Paragraph Multiple-Choice Questions 1. A description is what? a) an account that creates a vivid mental image b) an account of events told in chronological order c) a series of steps occurring in chorological order 2. For greatest impact, effective expression relies on words that do what? a) convey the main idea b) create a clear pattern of organization c) show instead of tell 3. Which sentence conveys the most effective description? a) The man’s face had grown wrinkled with age. b) The old man’s leathery face resembled a sun-dried apple. c) The old man’s face had grown weathered from age and hardship. 4. Why do writers use spatial order transitions and sensory details? a) to create mental pictures b) to create a clear thesis c) to create a mood 5. Strong transition words establish what? a) mood b) coherence c) the main idea 6. Precise word choice communicates what? a) tonal consistency b) diminished creativity c) exact meaning 7. Which of the following is an element of the prewriting phase for a descriptive paragraph? a) choosing relevant details b) proofreading for errors c) explicitly stating special transition words 8. What are modifiers? a) words and phrases that limit the pattern of organization b) words and phrases that convey a paragraph’s topic c) words and phrases that describe other words 8 9. Which sentence contains a dangling modifier? a) On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch. b) Leaking in several places, the troops abandoned their tents. c) I heard my kid outside with the dog yelling and laughing. 10. Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier? a) While riding the bus, a wreck occurred. b) The young girl was walking the dog in the long dress. c) While drinking our coffee, the birds flew toward our campsite. True/False Questions 1. In description, a writer limits his or her focus to vivid sensory details. 2. Creating a vivid mental picture in the mind of the reader occurs during the prewriting phase. 3. Many college courses beyond composition and literature utilize descriptive writing techniques. 4. The role of descriptive transition words is to show that details follow a logical pattern of organization. 5. The phrase “top of the hour” indicates spatial order. 6. Effective writers know to choose only the details that support a consistent pattern of organization. 7. To organize visual details, spatial order transitions are used primarily throughout the revision phase of writing. 8. A concept map allows a writer to organize ideas as they naturally occur. 9. The following sentence contains a misplaced modifier: Covered in delicious tomato sauce, I ate my pasta. 10. The following sentence contains a dangling modifier: While taking a test, the first alarm rang. 9 CHAPTER FIVE: The Narrative Paragraph Multiple-Choice Questions 1. Vivid verbs do what? a) work most effectively in declarative sentences b) occur frequently in the passive voice c) create mental images and emphasize action 2. What is narration? a) a writer’s first-person account of events b) a chain of events that unfolds in chronological order c) an omniscient account of events 3. In a narrative the writer limits the topic to what? a) the details of a specific event used to exemplify a stated thesis b) the details of a specific event that can be expressed in the first person c) the details of a specific event based on chronological order 4. Choose the part of the sentence that expresses the main idea: Bill’s peculiar habit of chatting with mailboxes may have been the ultimate reason he was fired from the post office. a) Bill’s peculiar habit b) Bill’s peculiar habit of chatting with mailboxes c) the ultimate reason 5. How is each event developed in a narrative? a) by maintaining a consistent point of view b) by describing the individual actions and details c) by emphasizing concrete transitional devices 6. Which of the following are to be verbs? a) am, is, were b) am, were, seem c) may, should, shall 7. Which of the following sentences provides the most effective expression for a narrative? a) When Dorinda removed her old leather shoes, an unpleasant, dank scent filled the room. b) When Dorinda removed her shoes, a sour aroma wafted across the room. c) When Dorinda removed her shoes, the musty, rancid stink of decay and broken dreams soared across the room. 10 8. What signals a narrative? a) a series of events b) time order transition words c) actions and reactions 9. In a narrative, the story illustrates what? a) the writer’s main idea b) the writer’s imagination c) the writers’ subjective recollection of events 10. Which of the following is an error in verb usage? a) misplaced modifier b) faulty parallelism c) shift in tense True/False Questions 1. Vivid narratives often result from the strategic use of to be verbs. 2. Effective narratives relay events while expressing a point. 3. In a narrative a writer always must express an opinion. 4. A topic sentence is often used to state the main point of a narrative. 5. Student writers often rely on to be verbs. 6. A timeline can prove to be a useful tool during the drafting phase. 7. Verb tense shifts are sometimes effective in narratives. 8. All writers of a narrative paragraph must include a topic sentence. 9. The following sentence contains a topic, opinion, and pattern of organization: Throughout those long, agonizing days of waiting, Melvin Grope, a math teacher at the local high school, never gave up hope that the dedicated local police officers would find his favorite mechanical pencil. 10. Certain events in a narrative are developed by describing individual actions and details. 11 CHAPTER SIX: The Process Paragraph Multiple-Choice Questions 1. What is the purpose of a process paragraph? a) to reveal a causal relationship among actions and procedures b) to explain how to do something or how something works c) to chronicle a progression of sequenced events or actions 2. In a process paragraph a writer limits the topic to a specific set of details based on what? a) topical order b) climatic order c) chronological order 3. The underlined portion of the following sentence represents what? Because it has become so cluttered and filthy, I fear cleaning my car’s interior will involve several stages. a) topic b) pattern of organization c) writer’s opinion 4. An effective process relies on what? a) coherent pattern of organization b) concrete descriptive details c) concise thesis statement 5. Which of the following is used by a writer to describe a process? a) vivid imagery b) concrete verbs c) bullet points 6. Which of the following is an example of a metaphor? a) like pouring gas on a flame b) raw talent c) burnt toast 7. Which of the following is an example of a simile? a) as the world turns b) as thick as thieves c) soon as possible 12 8. The underlined portion of the following sentence represents what? Having a pet alligator has forced me to develop many valuable skills, such as caring for others, prioritizing responsibilities, and learning to drive with a prosthetic limb. a) main idea b) pattern of organization c) writer’s opinion 9. What is a run-on sentence? a) sentence made up of two or more independent clauses with conjunctions but no punctuation b) sentence made up of two or more independent clauses without punctuation or conjunctions c) sentence made up of two or more independent clauses, conjunctions and improper punctuation 10. Which of the following is a run-on sentence? a) Inspector 201 is a poor employee she is able to inspect only four pairs of underwear a day. b) Inspector 201 is a poor employee because she is able to inspect only four pairs of underwear a day. c) Inspector 201 is a poor employee; she is able to inspect only four pairs of underwear a day. True/False Questions 1. A process paragraph can be used only to explain the individual steps in a task. 2. Visualizing a process can help a writer discover his or her point about a procedure. 3. Vivid imagery can be a useful tool in process paragraphs. 4. The underlined portion of the following sentence represents its main time order signal words: Several crucial measures are required before we can even begin to consider implementing new procedures. 5. The topic sentence for a process paragraph must contain the following elements: the topic, writer’s opinion of the topic, and the pattern of organization . 6. Time order transition words can be used to show the flow of events throughout a process. 7. Relevant details do not play as important a role in process writing as they do in other forms, such as narrative or descriptive.