Get Specific!
Who & Why?
Say it Right
Writing Makeover
Potpourri
100

Which sentence is more specific?

A. The student had a lot of work to do.
B. Maya had three assignments due in her English class on Friday.

B. Maya had three assignments due in her English class on Friday.

100

What is the audience of a piece of writing?

The person or group the writing is intended for

100

What does “diction” mean?

Word Choice

100

What does organization mean in writing?

A. How formal the writing sounds
B. How much information is included
C. How ideas are arranged and connected
D. Who reads the writing

C

100

Name 5 countries.

Answers may vary. Hopefully no one says Africa.

200

Which sentence contains vague language?

A. Students should review their notes before the test.
B. Students should do some stuff to get ready for it.

B. Students should do some stuff to get ready for it.

200

What is the purpose of this email?

“Dear Professor Davis, I am writing to ask whether I could have an additional two days to complete the research paper.”

A. To entertain
B. To inform
C. To request
D. To describe the research paper

C. To request

200

Which sentence uses the MOST appropriate word choice for college writing?

A. The article was super good, and I enjoyed its analysis of hydroponics.
B. The article was pretty awesome.
C. The article effectively examines several factors affecting student success.
D. The article was really, really interesting.

C

200

A professor asks for a two-page explanation of two study strategies. A student submits three sentences. What is the PRIMARY problem?

A. Organization
B. Tone
C. Audience
D. Amount of Information

D

200

How many points is a safety worth in American football?

2

300

Which revision is the MOST specific?

A. The school held a really good event last week for ninth graders on Tuesday afternoon.
B. The school held an event for students last week.
C. The school held a college-planning workshop for ninth graders on Tuesday afternoon.

C. The school held a college-planning workshop for ninth graders on Tuesday afternoon.

300

You need to explain why students should have access to tutoring. Who is the MOST appropriate audience if your goal is to convince the school to increase tutoring resources? 

A. Your best friend
B. Your younger sibling
C. School administrators
D. Your English teacher

C. School administrators

300

Define tone & explain how it is created

Author's attitude

300


“The student did some stuff about the assignment and then did something else.”

What is the PRIMARY problem?

A. Tone
B. Audience
C. Specificity
D. Organization

C. Specificity

300

Who wrote The Most Dangerous Game?

Richard Connell

400

Which question would BEST help make this sentence more specific?   “Students struggle in college.”

A. Who struggles?
B. What do they struggle with?
C. When do they struggle?
D. All of the above

D. All of the above

400

A student writes this message: “The library should stay open later because students need more time to study.”

The student changes the message to: “Hey guys! The library should totally stay open later because we need somewhere to hang out after school.”

What changed MOST significantly?

A. The topic
B. The audience and resulting tone
C. The purpose
D. The amount of information

B. The audience and resulting tone

400

Which sentence has the MOST appropriate tone for an email to a professor?

A. “Hey, what's up? I need an extension.”
B. “I was wondering if I could request a two-day extension on the assignment.”
C. “You need to give me more time.”
D. “This assignment is ridiculous, so I need an extension.”

B

400


“Hey Professor,
Can you tell me what we did yesterday? I totally forgot and don't really know what's going on.”

What is the PRIMARY problem?

A. Formality
B. Organization
C. Amount of Information
D. Purpose

A. Formality

400

What is a quahog?

Hard-shelled Clam

500

Rewrite this sentence to make it significantly more specific:

“College students have a lot of things to do.”

sadjga;lgf

500

Sixth Grade at WSE just had a curriculum night. Who was the targeted audience?

The Parents
500

What is the PRIMARY problem with this sentence?


“The test was super hard and honestly kind of ridiculous.”

A. Audience
B. Diction/Word Choice
C. Organization
D. Amount of Information

B

500

Hey,
I need to know about the paper because I don't really understand what we're supposed to do. There are a bunch of things on the assignment and I don't know what stuff I'm supposed to turn in. Also, when is it due?  

Thanks.

What is the PRIMARY problem with this message?

A. Audience
B. Organization
C. Diction/Word Choice
D. Specificity

D. Specificity

500

What American actor made the most money in 2005?

Adam Sandler ~48 million dollars

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