Expository Techniques
Passage: "Starting early in the morning, the bread maker mixes flour, water, and yeast into a smooth dough. Next, the dough rests and rises for two hours. Finally, it is shaped into loaves and baked in a hot oven until golden brown."
Which expository technique is used in this passage?
A) Cause/Effect
B) Process Analysis
C) Classification
D) Definition
B) Process Analysis
Hercule Poirot is a very intelligent man with a large, curled mustache.
Direct Characterization
Dogs make wonderful pets for many families. They are loyal companions that love to play and spend time with their owners. Dogs can also help keep people active because they need regular outdoor walks. In addition, training a dog can be a rewarding experience that teaches responsibility.
What is the main topic of the passage?
A) How to train a dog
B) Why dogs make great pets
C) The importance of daily exercise
D) Different breeds of family dogs
B) Why dogs make great pets
What is "best express central idea"?
A) Explaining what a single paragraph means in your own words
B) Finding the main point or primary thesis of the entire text
C) Listing all the minor supporting details in a story
D) Choosing the catchiest headline for an article
B) Finding the main point or primary thesis of the entire text
Identify the counterclaim:
Identify the first claim in this passage:
The state of Georgia has decided to require all students to leave their cell phones at home. This decision has been made in order to eliminate cell phone distraction in the classroom. Leaving phones at home will benefit students academically, build classroom engagement, and promote positive behavior; however, some people say that students may need their phones in case of an emergency.
however, some people say that students may need their phones in case of an emergency.
Passage: "Photosynthesis is the biological mechanism by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy, using water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and glucose."
Which expository technique is used in this passage?
A) Definition
B) Compare/Contrast
C) Classification
D) Process Analysis
A) Definition
Princess Dragomiroff sat very still and expected the train staff to serve her quickly.
Passage 2 Monarch butterflies are famous for their long annual migration. Every autumn, millions of these insects travel thousands of miles from North America down to the warm forests of central Mexico. During this journey, they rely on milkweed plants to lay their eggs and feed their caterpillars. Without milkweed along their flight path, the monarch population cannot survive.
According to the passage, why is milkweed essential to monarch butterflies?
A) It helps them fly faster during migration.
B) It keeps them warm during the Mexican winter.
C) They need it to lay eggs and feed their caterpillars.
D) It protects them from predators along their journey.
C) They need it to lay eggs and feed their caterpillars.
What does it mean to "develop ideas" in a text?
A) How an author builds and elaborates on arguments using evidence and examples
B) Correcting grammar and spelling errors in a draft
C) Brainstorming a list of possible topics before writing
D) Counting the total number of paragraphs in a passage
A) How an author builds and elaborates on arguments using evidence and examples
Identify the first claim in this passage:
The state of Georgia has decided to require all students to leave their cell phones at home. This decision has been made in order to eliminate cell phone distraction in the classroom. Leaving phones at home will benefit students academically, build classroom engagement, and promote positive behavior; however, some people say that students may need their phones in case of an emergency.
Claim 1: Leaving phones at home will benefit students academically.
Passage: "Because the winter was unusually harsh with sub-zero temperatures, many local power lines froze and snapped. As a result, thousands of residents experienced widespread electrical blackouts for several days."
Which expository technique is used in this passage?
A) Classification
B) Definition
C) Cause/Effect
D) Compare/Contrast
C) Cause/Effect
Hercule Poirot noticed every small detail about the people eating in the dining car.
While many people view rainforests simply as dense clumps of trees, these ecosystems act as the "lungs" of our planet. The vast amount of vegetation absorbs huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases fresh oxygen. Additionally, rainforests regulate global weather patterns and house more than half of the world's land-based plant and animal species, making their preservation critical to global environmental health.
Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A) Rainforests contain more than half of the world's land species.
B) Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release fresh oxygen.
C) Rainforests play a critical role in maintaining the health of the planet.
D) Most people view rainforests as nothing more than dense clumps of trees.
C) Rainforests play a critical role in maintaining the health of the planet.
What does the term "interpretation" mean?
A) Memorizing facts directly stated in the text
B) Translating a passage word-for-word into another language
C) Explaining the deeper meaning, significance, or underlying message of a text
D) Checking a dictionary to find the definition of an unknown word
C) Explaining the deeper meaning, significance, or underlying message of a text
Identify the second claim in this passage:
The state of Georgia has decided to require all students to leave their cell phones at home. This decision has been made in order to eliminate cell phone distraction in the classroom. Leaving phones at home will benefit students academically, build classroom engagement, and promote positive behavior; however, some people say that students may need their phones in case of an emergency.
Claim 2: Leaving phones at home will build classroom engagement.
Passage: "While both electric and traditional gasoline-powered cars serve as personal transportation, electric vehicles rely on rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs and emit zero tailpipe pollutants, whereas gasoline vehicles depend on internal combustion engines and fossil fuels."
Which expository technique is used in this passage?
Compare/Contrast
"Elias spent ten minutes smoothing the edge of his napkin with the side of his thumb until the crease was sharp enough to cut air. When the waiter finally arrived with the bill, Elias didn't look up; he simply adjusted his glasses and pointed to a single, microscopic smudge on the 'Service Charge' line. He hadn't touched his steak, but he had rearranged the peas into a perfect, descending scale of size."
Indirect Characterization
When electric refrigerators were introduced in the 1920s, they completely transformed how households stored food. Before this innovation, families relied on heavy iceboxes cooled by large blocks of ice delivered weekly, which melted quickly and spoiled food easily. Electric refrigeration allowed fresh meat, dairy, and produce to stay safe for days or weeks, significantly changing human diets and reducing foodborne illnesses.
What is the main idea of the passage?
A) Iceboxes were inefficient and difficult to maintain.
B) Electric refrigerators revolutionized food storage and improved human health.
C) Diet choices in the 1920s were strictly limited by seasonal produce.
D) Modern technology always replaces old household tools over time.
B) Electric refrigerators revolutionized food storage and improved human health.
What is "contributing to author’s purpose"?
A) Informing the reader about the author's biography
B) Showing how a specific part helps fulfill the author's reason for writing
C) Summarizing the plot of a fictional story in chronological order
D) Evaluating whether or not you agree with the author's opinion
B) Showing how a specific part helps fulfill the author's reason for writing
Write a second counterclaim.
The state of Georgia has decided to require all students to leave their cell phones at home. This decision has been made in order to eliminate cell phone distraction in the classroom. Leaving phones at home will benefit students academically, build classroom engagement, and promote positive behavior; however, some people say that students may need their phones in case of an emergency.
counterclaim fits the topic
Passage: "The university library's non-fiction collection is organized into four main categories based on subject area: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Applied Technology, each housed on a designated floor."
Which expository technique is used in this passage?
Classification
"Julian was the kind of man who possessed a 'moral vanity'; he was not truly virtuous, but he was utterly committed to the reputation of being the most honorable person in any room he entered. He was intellectually brilliant but emotionally hollow, viewing every human interaction as a mathematical equation to be solved rather than a connection to be felt."
Although public urban parks are often celebrated as serene escapes from city life, their existence serves a far more complex purpose. Beyond providing recreation, green spaces reduce the "urban heat island" effect by cooling surrounding neighborhoods, filter air pollutants, and absorb stormwater runoff to prevent flooding. However, city planners frequently struggle to secure funding to maintain these areas equally across rich and poor neighborhoods, leading to significant gaps in environmental benefits across urban communities.
Which statement best captures the main idea of the passage?
A) Urban parks offer residents a tranquil escape from noisy city environments.
B) The primary challenge facing modern cities is the unequal distribution of park maintenance funds.
C) City parks provide essential environmental benefits, though maintaining them fairly across neighborhoods presents ongoing challenges.
D) Green spaces cool urban areas and prevent localized flooding by absorbing excess stormwater.
C) City parks provide essential environmental benefits, though maintaining them fairly across neighborhoods presents ongoing challenges.
What is "developing organizational pattern"?
A) Changing the font style and margin size to make a text visually appealing
B) Choosing active verbs over passive verbs in every sentence
C) How an author structures and arranges a text (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect) to build their argument
D) Organizing a research paper into alphabetical order by topic
C) How an author structures and arranges a text (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect) to build their argument
Write another claim for this topic.
The state of Georgia has decided to require all students to leave their cell phones at home. This decision has been made in order to eliminate cell phone distraction in the classroom. Leaving phones at home will benefit students academically, build classroom engagement, and promote positive behavior; however, some people say that students may need their phones in case of an emergency.
claim fits the topic