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1.
What is an advance organizer?
A)
an outline of the document you are drafting, showing its content and organization
B)
the text that introduces a list
C)
any text that indicates the background, purpose, scope, and organization of the
discussion that follows it
D)
transitional words and phrases, such as first, therefore, furthermore, or
consequently
E)
None of the responses are correct.
2.
A local bank uses this slogan in its advertising: “Integrity. Experience. Trust. Local.”
What about this slogan violates readers’ expectations?
A)
The items in the list are not parallel.
B)
The list does not follow the general-to-specific pattern.
C)
The hierarchy of the list is confusing.
D)
None of the responses are correct.
3.
What type of sentence states, summarizes, or forecasts the main point of the paragraph?
A)
a transitional sentence
B)
a coherence sentence
C)
a topic sentence
D)
None of the responses are correct.
4.
Which of these statements does NOT identify a benefit of turning a paragraph into a
list?
A)
It forces you to reorder the sequence.
B)
It forces you to look at the bigger picture.
C)
It forces you to create a helpful lead-in.
D)
It forces you to write more precisely and more clearly.
5.
Which of these statements provides an effective definition of a sentence list?
A)
It is a list of all the parts of a sentence.
B)
It is a list in which the bulleted or numbered items are words, phrases, or single
sentences.
C)
It is a list in which each bulleted or numbered item is a group of sentences.
D)
It is a list of definitive statements about a sentence.
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6.
Which of the following is an example of a coherence device?
A)
replacing nouns with demonstrative pronouns
B)
removing transitional words
C)
repeating key words
D)
None of the responses are correct.
7.
To create an effective title for your document, what should you focus on?
A)
key words that describe the document’s subject and purpose
B)
key words that describe the attitudes of your audience
C)
key words that you used in an Internet search during research
D)
key words that establish coherent transitions
8.
What kinds of words are especially valuable for use in section headings and titles?
A)
cohesive words
B)
transitional words
C)
noun strings
D)
precise words
9.
A writer is developing a brochure for vacationers interested in taking an “Introduction to
Kayaking” course offered by a rafting and kayaking company. Which of the following
headings is most likely to appear in the brochure?
A)
Ferries, Peel-Outs, and Eddy Turns
B)
What Clothing Will I Need To Bring?
C)
How To Perform Z-Drag Extractions of Pinned Boats
D)
1.0 Water
10.
A writer at ColdTec Accounting has just completed a draft of an internal report
describing a recent drop in enrollment in a training course for new employees entitled
“Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007.” Which of the following titles
would be most appropriate for the report?
A)
The Changing Needs of New Employees at ColdTec
B)
Choosing a Training Class: “Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel
2007″
C)
An Analysis of Declining Enrollment in “Web Linking and Publishing with
Microsoft Excel 2007″
D)
Declining Enrollment in Training Classes Offered at ColdTec
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11.
Which of the changes listed below would make the following paragraph more coherent?
As an undergraduate student, you can satisfy the university writing requirement and
meet an important graduation requirement by scoring a 4 or 5 on either of the advanced
placement English exams (Language & Composition or Literature & Composition). You
can also meet this requirement by receiving transfer credit for an approved college-level
writing or writing-intensive course you have taken elsewhere and in which you have
received a grade of B or higher. Finally, you can meet this requirement by taking and
receiving a passing grade in a writing course at this university. The following two
courses, for example, are dedicated primarily to the development of writing skills and
can be used to meet the writing requirement: English 205 (Technical Communication)
or English 200 (Rhetoric and Writing). If you have any further questions, please call
Professor Lee Klein, Director of Writing Programs, in the Department of English at
(518) 555-8122.
A)
Insert transitional words and phrases.
B)
Turn the paragraph into a list.
C)
Begin with a topic sentence.
D)
Use demonstrative pronouns.
12.
A writer is considering revising the long paragraph below. Would the best place to start
a second paragraph be at (1), (2), or (3)?
Although graphics can enhance a website, they can also serve as a distraction. Having
too many graphics that do not contribute to the content of the site may make your
company appear unprofessional, as well as contributing to slow download times. Your
site, for example, has thirty moving images. (1) Such images do not reflect the serious
nature of your business. When it comes to graphics, we suggest you adopt a “less is
more” approach. (2) Another troublesome feature of your site is the scrolling banner
used as a navigation element. To reach certain pages on your site, users must quickly
click the links scrolling across the banner. If they miss a link, they must wait another 20
seconds until the link scrolls by again. (3) Because this site is not designed to be a game
but rather a place for customers to learn more about handling hazardous materials, you
should not use a scrolling banner as a navigation element. We recommend that you use
standard navigation buttons aligned along the left margin or across the top of the page.
Also, you may want to include a text-only navigation element at the bottom of the page.
A)
at (1)
B)
at (2)
C)
at (3)
D)
None of the responses are correct. The excerpt is most effective as a single
paragraph.
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13.
Which of the following words or phrases should be used in the excerpt below to signal
to readers that because land-use problems are causing high bacteria levels, landowners
must take action.
Bacteria levels are often above state standards and are due to localized, specific land-use
problems. _______, landowners must take action to address these problems and reduce
the high bacteria levels.
A)
Nevertheless
B)
For example
C)
Next
D)
Consequently
14.
You are writing a report about sales of your company’s products over the past three
months. Sales are not growing, but instead appear to be steady. You have identified
three factors contributing to this situation. Which of these options is the most effective
lead-in for a paragraph list discussing these factors?
A)
Certain factors are affecting our sales channels.
B)
Three factors include:
C)
I have identified three factors that are contributing to the plateau of product sales.
D)
The following factors are contributing to the plateau of product sales.
15.
What kind of transitional words are for example, for instance, and in other words?
A)
illustration words
B)
addition words
C)
contrast words
D)
summary words
16.
Which of these examples shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to
the second?
A)
New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. They
are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
B)
New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. These
techniques are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
C)
New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. A new
research effort at Big State University is focused on fighting computer viruses.
D)
New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses.
Nevertheless, they are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
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17.
Which of the following options is the best lead-in for a sentence list?
A)
Our three main competitive advantages are:
B)
The reasons are the following:
C)
We offer advantages over the competition.
D)
We offer three main advantages over the competition:
18.
An effective topic sentence will reflect which of the following?
A)
the character of the writer
B)
the title of the document
C)
the coherence devices used in the document
D)
the organizational structure of the document
19.
What kind of transition would be most helpful to readers of these two sentences? “Mr.
Polk accomplished each objective he had for his term of office. He did not seek a
second term.”
A)
comparison
B)
addition
C)
illustration
D)
cause-effect
20.
Which pair of sentences shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to
the second?
A)
Demand for kettle chips is down by 15 percent. As a result, we have laid off 12
production workers.
B)
The vendor assured us that the replacement parts would be delivered in time for the
product release. The parts were delivered nearly two weeks after the product
release.
C)
The furniture-replacement project was originally expected to cost us $450,000.
Unfortunately, the final cost was $300,000.
D)
Brazilian people love soccer. My friend Silvino has played soccer all his life.
21.
Readers who can easily locate and understand important information in a document will
be more likely to agree with its arguments.
A)
True
B)
False
22.
According to Chapter 9, long headings can confuse and distract readers; therefore, you
should strive to write short headings of no more than three or four words.
A)
True
B)
False
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23.
According to Chapter 9, you should jot down a working title before you start drafting a
document to give you a sense of direction, then come back and revise it at the end.
A)
True
B)
False
24.
A heading eliminates the need for a transitional sentence such as “Let us now turn to the
advantages of the mandatory enrollment process.”
A)
True
B)
False
25.
Whenever possible, you should combine two or more ideas into one paragraph to create
a paragraph of 75 to 125 words—the ideal paragraph length.
A)
True
B)
False
26.
In almost all cases, demonstrative pronouns should be followed by nouns.
A)
True
B)
False
27.
The only proper way to create a sentence list is by using bullet points.
A)
True
B)
False
28.
Transitional paragraphs tend to be much longer than body paragraphs.
A)
True
B)
False
29.
According to Chapter 9, using Styles to design your headings can help you enhance the
coherence of your document.
A)
True
B)
False
30.
To test a title, you should ask whether readers will be able to paraphrase it in a clear,
meaningful sentence.
A)
True
B)
False
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31.
Why should you avoid back-to-back headings, such as the following?
6. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing
6.1 Community Policing
32.
According to Chapter 9, turning paragraphs into lists has four advantages for the writer.
One is that it forces you to look at the big picture. What are two other advantages listed
in the chapter?
33.
What is the phrase “Special Restricted Incoming Materials Storage Area” an example
of?
34.
Therefore, furthermore, consequently, and next are all examples of what category of
words?
35.
According to Chapter 9, what are the two types of paragraphs?
36.
Chapter 9 discusses three techniques for dividing long paragraphs. One is to make the
topic sentence a separate paragraph and split the supporting information into separate
paragraphs. What are the other two techniques?
37.
For example, for instance, in other words, and to illustrate fall into which category of
transitional words and phrases?
38.
Where should you place a transitional word or phrase?
39.
Identify two coherence devices discussed in Chapter 9.
40.
According to Chapter 9, using precise words will make a title more useful. What is an
added benefit of using precise words?
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Answer Key
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