Writing & Research
Read this paragraph that a student wrote as part of a paper for history class.
1 The Panama Canal remains one of the greatest inventions in the history of the world. 2 Until its completion in 1914, only one long, arduous route existed for ships traveling between the east and west coasts of the United States. 3 The ships had to sail down to the southern-most tip of South America, around the tip of Cape Horn, and then back up the western coast of the continent. 4 When the Panama Canal was built, it gave ships a route through the middle of Panama in Central America. 5 This mind-blowing new route was way less intense and made the ships’ voyages approximately 8,000 nautical miles shorter.
Which sentence should the student revise to make it more appropriate for the audience and purpose?
A. sentence 2
B. sentence 3
C. sentence 4
D. sentence 5
What is: D. sentence 5
A student is revising an essay. Complete the sentence by choosing the best option that uses the correct conventions.
Because purchasing items online has become so _____________ shopping malls are in danger of becoming an antiquated part of society.
A. popular, traditional
B. popular; traditional
C. popular—traditional
What is:
A. popular, traditional
What does “capitulate” mean?
A. to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms
B. to supply with capital
C. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power
What is:
A. to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms
An author gives hints or clues as to what will happen in a story
What is:
FORESHADOW
Break down in order to bring out the essential elements or structure. To identify parts and relationships, and to interpret information to reach conclusion.
What is:
ANALYZE
A student is writing an essay for an American literature class. Read the draft of a paragraph from the essay.
Zora Neale Hurston was an American writer whose work often portrayed the culture of African Americans living in small towns in the southern United States. She is perhaps best known for her novels Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and Tell My Horse (1938) as well as her stunning autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road (1942). Hurston was also a college professor and enjoyed a fruitful career as a writer, but as she grew older, much of her work seemed to be forgotten. In the late twentieth century—a number of decades after her death in 1960—her work became popular once again and her readership dramatically increased. The thematic importance of her literary contributions was once again recognized. Which research question would BEST help further develop the student’s topic?
A. What did Hurston study as an undergraduate in college?
B. Which themes is Hurston best known for exploring in her work?
C. What are some common causes of an increase in readership of an author’s work?
D. What are some of the most popular autobiographies written by modern authors?
What is: B. Which themes is Hurston best known for exploring in her work?
A student is revising an essay. Complete the sentence by choosing the best option that uses the correct conventions.
The boom in online shopping is _________ the viability of shopping malls that have served as a primary option for those looking to purchase anything from clothing to electronics.
A. jepardizing
B. jepeordizing
C. jeopardizing
What is:
C. jeopardizing
If something is “poignant”, it is …
A. plain or clear to the sight or understanding.
B. happening in the past.
C. keenly distressing to the feelings.
What is:
C. keenly distressing to the feelings.
An author interrupts a narrative to tell about earlier events
What is:
FLASHBACK
Give an account of the similarities between two (or more) items or situations, referring to both (all) of them throughout.
What is:
COMPARE
A student is writing an essay that argues that community service benefits those who perform it. The student must use sources that are credible and relevant to the topic. Which source would be BEST for the student to use for the essay?
A. a newspaper article about local organizations seeking volunteers for community service opportunities
B. a university study describing the positive effects of community service on volunteers’ emotional health
C. a blog post telling how to fulfill community service hours required to graduate high school
D. a novel about a teen’s experiences performing community service at a local animal shelter
What is:
B. a university study describing the positive effects of community service on volunteers’ emotional health
A student is revising an essay. Complete the sentence by choosing the best option that uses the correct conventions.
According to a business study by ____________ , malls in Georgia have reported decreases in profits and customer foot traffic.
A. Tarkin research center
B. Tarkin Research center
C. Tarkin Research Center
What is:
C. Tarkin Research Center
Which of the following words means “the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course”?
A. aberration
B. haphazard
C. delineate
What is:
A. aberration
Repeating identical beginning consonant sounds
What is:
ALLITERATION
Make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations.
What is:
EVALUATE
Read the sentences.
As an avid runner, I cannot imagine how I would successfully cope with life’s challenges if I were not able to go running. Going running helps me to clear my mind of stressful thoughts.
What is the BEST way to combine the sentences to maintain their detail while avoiding repetition?
A. Clearing my mind of stressful thoughts, I cannot imagine how I would successfully cope with life’s challenges if I were not able to go running, since I am an avid runner.
B. Going running helps me to clear my mind of stressful thoughts as an avid runner, so I cannot imagine how I would successfully cope with life’s challenges if I were not able to go running.
C. As an avid runner, I cannot imagine how I would successfully cope with life’s challenges without going running, which helps me clear my mind of stressful thoughts.
D. As an avid runner, I cannot imagine how I would successfully cope with life’s challenges if I were not able to go running because going running helps me to clear my mind of stressful thoughts.
What is:
C. As an avid runner, I cannot imagine how I would successfully cope with life’s challenges without going running, which helps me clear my mind of stressful thoughts.
A student is revising an essay. Complete the sentence by choosing the best option that uses the correct conventions.
Malls are employing different tactics to reinvigorate business—innovative sales promotions, diverse retail options, and ______________.
A. reduced cost items in store-fronts
B. reduced-cost items in storefronts
C. reduced-cost items in store-fronts
What is:
B. reduced-cost items in storefronts
If something is “grueling,” that means it is …
A. giving or conducive to rest.
B. exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe.
C. bad beyond correction or reform.
What is:
B. exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe.
Exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect
What is:
HYPERBOLE
Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.
What is:
EXPLAIN
A group of students is writing a report about a specific treatment available for patients with a medical condition called arthritis. One of their most credible sources is a study that was published in a medical journal three years ago. How can the students BEST use the Internet to locate the most current findings on the subject?
A. by searching for the names of the physicians who authored the study to find out the names of the medical facilities where the treatment is implemented
B. by searching for the name of the treatment to find out if any studies on the treatment have been published in medical journals more recently
C. by searching for the title of the medical journal to find out what articles on other medical problems it has published more recently
D. by searching for articles on other topics that were written by the physicians who authored the original study to find out additional areas of expertise
What is:
B. by searching for the name of the treatment to find out if any studies on the treatment have been published in medical journals more recently
Select the correct verb phrase to complete each sentence.
One possible solution to the overcrowding of the South High School parking lot could be to limit parking privilege to seniors only; this ________ the management of vehicles easier. If this designation would have been implemented last year, there _____________ less congestion when we were dismissed each day.
A. will have made; would have been
B. would make; should have been
C. would make; would have been
What is:
C. would make; would have been
What does “sagacious” mean?
A. within dense greenery or shrubbery
B. existing or occurring in a high or extreme degree
C. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd
What is:
C. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd
Gives human characteristics to objects or ideas
What is:
PERSONIFICATION
Combine different ideas in order to create new understanding.
What is:
SYNTHESIZE