Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 3: Grammar, Style and Language Basics
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. When writers make errors, ______.
A. they make it harder for readers to trust them
B. they don’t really do any damage to their reputations
C. it has no effect on their publications
D. readers rarely notice
2. The better you can do to make your material clear and concise, ______.
A. the better chance readers will become bored
B. the better chance you have of drawing readers and retaining them
C. the more likely you will lose audience because they are not challenged
D. the more likely your material will be ignored
3. Random capitalization, misspelled words, or awkward construction ______.
A. will not be noticed by readers
B. will only be noticed by other writers
C. will bother readers even if they can’t articulate it
D. will have no effect on your writing
4. A simple sentence builds from a ______.
A. verb–noun structure
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
B. noun–noun–verb structure
C. direct object–noun–verb structure
D. noun–verb structure
5. Students use diagram sentences ______.
A. to help them see how each sentence was constructed
B. to help plot out the story
C. to help visualize the story
D. for fun
6. Writers often find the need to use adjectives and adverbs when ______.
A. they choose concrete nouns and vigorous verbs in their sentences
B. they fail to choose concrete nouns and vigorous verbs in their sentences
C. they have something important to write
D. they have something unimportant to write
7. ______ puts the object in the sentence first.
A. Redundancy
B. Wordiness
C. Active-voice construction
D. Passive-voice construction
8. ______ will control the pace and flow of your writing.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
A. Sentence length
B. Sentence width
C. Paragraph length
D. Word length
9. Commas work like ______.
A. stop signs
B. yield signs
C. detour signs
D. construction signs
10. ______ sentences pack a punch.
A. Extra long
B. Long
C. Short
D. Medium
11. ______ sentences usually contain one or two key points and help move from the
sentence above to the sentence below with intrinsic transitions.
A. Short
B. Long
C. Extra long
D. Medium
12. ______ sentences can create a sense of speed or a feeling of unyielding chaos.
A. Long
B. Short
C. Medium
D. Extra long
13. Clarity is ______.
A. not as important as grammar
B. is sometimes more important than grammar
C. optional
D. elusive
14. Reading your work aloud ______.
A. is not important
B. has value only for broadcast writers
C. has value for all writers
D. is a waste of time
15. The AP Stylebook ______.
A. is short for “All–Purpose” Stylebook
B. is no longer necessary
C. is used only in book publishing
D. serves as the primary source for standardization of content for newspapers,
magazines, and websites.
16. Ten percent of the rules in the AP Stylebook ______.
A. cover 90% of style questions
B. are never used in contemporary writing
C. have to deal with numbers
D. have to deal with titles
17. Write quickly but edit ______.
A. slowly
B. lowly
C. when you can
D. in half the time
18. A cliché is ______.
A. a handy shortcut
B. a worn-out phrase that has lost its meaning and value
C. a funny way to end a story
D. a good way to start a story
19. In order to eliminate words that shouldn’t be there, ______.
A. write faster
B. try to become more general
C. try to become more specific
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
D. write slow
20. ______ occur when people don’t know how a word works or what it means and thus
misapply modifiers to it.
A. Split infinitives
B. Run-ons
C. Clichés
D. Redundancies
21. “If all of us cooperate together, we will succeed” is an example of ______.
A. a redundancy
B. a split infinitive
C. a run-on
D. empty words
22. When you rely heavily on prepositions and prepositional phrases, your writing will
______.
A. be brief
B. will take on a song-like quality
C. be clear
D. be strong
24. Each time you use a pronoun, find the ______ and make sure they match.
A. antennae
B. decedent
C. precedent
D. antecedent
1. Writing clean copy really doesn’t matter to media writers.
2. When writers make errors, they make it harder on themselves to maintain trust.
3. The more you can do to make your material clear and concise, the better chance you
have of drawing readers and retaining them.
4. Random capitalization, misspelled words, or awkward construction rarely bothers
readers.
5. Master writers have more options to fix grammatical problems properly because they
know how to use the language in ways novices don’t.
6. You should write in the fanciest way possible to keep your readers entertained.
7. Jack and Jill went up the hill is an example of a sentence in noun–verb order.
8. You don’t need to make the best possible choices for the noun and verb of each
sentence.
9. Passive voice construction places the object first.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
10. Active voice writing is beneficial because it is longer.
11. Active voice writing is clearer.
12. Active voice writing weakens your writing.
14. You can fix many writing problems if you know how to use a simple diagram.
15. The length of each sentence will control the pace and flow of your writing.
16. A short sentence can take a long time to make a point.
1. What are some ways to keep your writing tight and right?
2. What is the value of short, medium, and long sentences?
3. Why is grammar and style important?
4. What is the AP Stylebook?
5. Why is writing in the active voice beneficial?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
1. Why do grammar and style matter?
2. How can you write sentences clearly and plainly?
3. How can you keep your writing tight and right?
4. What are some things to look for as you edit slowly?
5. What is the AP Stylebook and some basic rules?