How to Basics
What is the main purpose of a review?
To provide feedback to something, and critique/assess it.
Why should you avoid using words like “nevertheless” or “moreover” in a tech review?
Because they sound too formal; reviews should be more natural and engaging.
What tense is used in reviews? And, what tense is used when you're talking about your own experience of the object you're reviewing?
Present tense, Past tense
Name 2 features of a smartphone people often review.
Camera quality, Battery life, Display/screen quality, Performance/speed, Storage capacity, Build quality/design, Software/user interface, Audio quality
Any two above or a logical answer.
In review writing, should you leave a line between paragraphs and indent the first line?
No, choose one, not both.
What should you include in the Body of the review?
Mention relevant and related details about what you are reviewing. Mention your personal opinion while providing evidence. (ANY 2 OF THESE MENTIONED)
Give one example of a "DO" and a "DON'T" in review writing.
DOs - Include facts and opinions, Give examples and evidence to support your points.
DON'Ts - Be overly vague, Make it overly long and unbalanced, not keeping it balanced
(At least ONE for each)
When writing a review, why might you choose to use a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences instead of only one type? Not only that, why should sentences have varied length?
To keep the writing engaging, improve flow, and convey ideas with both clarity and depth.
To add dramatic effect.
Give an example of a negative comment about a laptop’s battery life.
Any realistic negative statement about battery life is acceptable.
Explain why facts and personal opinion should work together in a review.
Facts give credibility when informing, while personal opinions persuade the reader (either positively or negatively).
Name 3 types of reviews.
Entirely positive, Entirely negative, Balanced
What does it mean by "connotative" words?
Words that have a meaning beyond their dictionary definition.
How to write an effective introduction for a review?
Rhetorical question
Avoid giving away spoilers and details.
General information.
You’re buying a mouse but hate messy cables. Name one win and one loss of going wireless.
Win – no cables, more portability. Loss – batteries run out/need charging, possible lag or interference.
Explain why using emotional vocabulary (e.g., immersive, responsive, disappointing) can make a review more persuasive than neutral words (e.g., big, fast, bad)
Emotional vocabulary adds impact, persuasion, and personality.
Which is more important in a review — personal opinion or facts? Explain why.
States their position clearly (choose one or say both are equally important). (+100)
Gives a reason or two for their choice. (+100)
Supports it with an example (could be invented). (+200)
Rewrite this sentence to make it more polite: “This game sucks.”
Judge based on the answer. Deduce or give full 400 points.
Explain how you can use imagery to make the scene more vivid for the reader.
Susan pls judge for us.
Write a sentence that praises a phone’s speed but criticizes its storage space.
Any sentence that clearly includes one positive point about speed/performance and one negative point about storage/memory is acceptable.
What does it mean by quantum teleportation?
the transfer of an unknown quantum state from one location to another without physically moving the quantum state itself
You are writing a review of a book. List the 3 key things you must include.
A brief summary of the plot.
Your opinion and evaluation.
Recommend or not.
Combine one positive and one negative point about a laptop into a single sentence.
If the sentence is logical that has both a pro and a con, accept. Deduce if necessary
In a formal review, why might you use the passive voice in some sentences instead of the active voice? Give an example.
Passive voice shifts focus to the action or result rather than the person doing it. (EXAMPLE INCLUDED)
A new laptop CLAIMS to be lightweight, fast, and long-lasting. What would you test first before reviewing it, and why?
Test performance (speed), battery life, and portability; these are key claims that affect user experience.
Explain Schrödinger's cat.
Its an thought experiment of the concept of superposition. (100)
A hypothetical cat placed in a closed box may be considered to be dead or alive while it is unobserved.(100)
Due to its fate being linked to a random subatomic event that may or may not occur. (100)
If a radiation monitor detects radioactivity like an atom decaying, it will release poison.(100)
If no radioactivity is detected, the cat remains alive.(100)