Exam 1: College Writing Skills with Readings

IDENTIFYING TRANSITIONS AND OTHER CONNECTING WORDS The following selections use transitions, repeated words, synonyms, and pronouns to tie together ideas. The connecting words you are to identify have been boldfaced. In the space provided, write T for Transition, RW for Repeated Word, S for Synonym, or P for Pronoun. -______ 2. An all-out nuclear war might destroy the earth's ozone layer. Without it, we would be exposed to cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

Some of the questions that follow are true-false or multiple choice questions, and some require you to write short answers. -An important difference between writing and talking is that _____________.

_____ If you borrow only a single sentence (without proper attribution) it is not plagiarism.

One way to make sure that your essay will have enough support is to start with

RUN-ONS In the space provided, write R-O beside run-on sentences. Write C beside sentences that are punctuated correctly. Some of the run-ons have no punctuation between the two complete thoughts; others have only a comma. Correct each run-on by using (l) a period and capital letter, (2) a comma plus a joining word, or (3) a semicolon. Do not use the same method of correction in each sentence. -_____ 1. The can of mushroom soup must have spoiled, it was bulging at the top.

RUN-ONS In the space provided, write R-O beside run-on sentences. Write C beside sentences that are punctuated correctly. Some of the run-ons have no punctuation between the two complete thoughts; others have only a comma. Correct each run-on by using (l) a period and capital letter, (2) a comma plus a joining word, or (3) a semicolon. Do not use the same method of correction in each sentence. -_____ 8. Erin sat on the park bench eating peanuts squirrels kept bouncing up to her for a handout.

PUNCTUATION MARKS Each of the sentences below contains an error in punctuation. Refer to the box below to write, in the space provided, the letter identifying the error. Then correct the error. a. missing comma b. missing apostrophe c. missing semicolon d. missing quotation marks -_____ 10. My school expects me to buy a laptop next year but I will barely have enough money for my tuition.

Choose the sentence that is too narrow to be an effective thesis for an essay.

Connecting words may include ____________.

PUNCTUATION MARKS Each of the sentences below contains an error in punctuation. Refer to the box below to write, in the space provided, the letter identifying the error. Then correct the error. a. missing comma b. missing apostrophe c. missing semicolon d. missing quotation marks -_____ 7. Lou rarely has a chance to relax on the weekends he's too busy catching up on the laundry and the food shopping.

FILL-IN: If you omit the irrelevant words in a quotation, you must show the omission by including _____________ in place of the deleted words.

EVALUATING AN ESSAY FOR UNITY The supporting paragraphs in the essay below contain four irrelevant sentences that do not relate to the thesis of the paper or support the topic sentences of the paragraph in which they appear. Read the essay carefully; then write the numbers of the four irrelevant sentences in the spaces provided at the bottom. The Dangers of Housecleaning (1) Many of the dangers of modern life are not out on the highway or in the workplace. (2) Instead, dangers lurk where they are least unexpected: at home. (3) I don't mean the dangers of faulty wiring, cheap ladders, or leaking microwaves. (4) No, I've found that trying to keep a clean house can be very hazardous to my health. Though our culture associates cleanliness with health and wellness, the truth is quite the opposite. Housekeeping is a deceptively risky act, forcing the cleaner to confront several potential health risks. (5) For one thing, it does not pay to keep a clean kitchen. (6) The oven, for instance, fights back. (7) Whenever I stick my head into the oven's greasy interior to spray it with Easy-Off, I end up being choked by a chemical cloud. (8) I am glad I don't live in the city, where I would have to put up with air pollution as well. (9) When I scrub off the foam, I always break off my nails on the black, rock-hard globs cemented to the oven door. (10) Cleaning the refrigerator can be dangerous, too. (11) As I lean down to wipe out the vegetable drawer, the open freezer lies in wait. (12) It knows I must straighten up again, and that I will inevitably bang my head on the freezer door. (13) Garbage bags also resist tidiness. (14) When I pull a bag out of the kitchen can, seams split and liquid seeps out onto my shoes. (15) A jagged can lid slices through the bag, ready to slash my legs if I should bump the bag. (16) The only bags that don't rip open, it seems, are the ones that cost a fortune to buy. (17) The living room becomes another danger zone when I attempt to clean. (18) The light fixtures on the ceiling, for example, resent being taken down for cleaning. (19) They refuse to come loose from the screws that anchor them; then they drop like rocks to the floor. (20) Moving furniture to vacuum the rug underneath causes trouble, too. (21) If I drag a heavy armchair across the rug, one of its legs will snap off. (22) If I try to lift one side of the heavy sofa, the vacuum cord will wrap around my ankle and trip me. (23) Moving furniture in general is a lot easier to do when there is someone around to help. (24) Finally, the most dangerous room to clean is the bathroom. (25) The bathtub will seek revenge if I try to clean it, for instance. (26) It will become so slippery that even a rubber bathmat won't stay put. (27) My particular bathtub is an odd lavender color and has such a curved bottom anyway that it is a hazard to stand in whether it is clean or not. (28) Taking a shower in my clean tub can end up in a disastrous slip. (29) The bathroom floor, too, enjoys a layer of dirt. (30) A clean, waxed floor will attract any stray drops of water in the room in order to turn itself into a slippery skating rink. (31) A job that always leads to danger is cleaning out the medicine cabinet over the sink. (32) No matter how careful I am, glass bottles have a way of spilling from the shelves and shattering in the sink. (33) And finding all the missing slivers is impossible no matter how well I clean up. (34) Later, as I pad into the bathroom, a glass splinter will dig itself into my foot. (35) After the experiences I have had in my house, I have decided that keeping a clean house is not as important as I thought. Until homes are safeguarded against the hazards I've described-and chemical companies can promise healthy organic substitutes for products like Easy-Off-there is no sense in risking my well-being in the pursuit of tidiness. (36) Cleanliness is, in the final estimation, not worth the risk. I would rather live with the dust and grime-and stay healthy. -Numbers of the four irrelevant sentences: _____ _____ _____ _____

____A Web site's reliability can be determined by its domain.

EVALUATING AN ESSAY FOR COHERENCE Read the essay below and then answer the questions about coherence that follow. Labeling Animals a In some ways, the human race seems to be in its childhood. The conventional attitude toward animals, for example, makes humanity seem like a tribe of seven-year-olds pulling the wings off flies. Instead of respecting all animals as important parts of the chain of life, humans rate them according to their usefulness. Historically, humankind has failed to recognize animals as anything other than products, toys, or monsters. b There are the products. These are the animals, such as cattle, pigs, and sheep, that provide much of the world's food. For this reason, people tend to think of them less as living creatures than as growing crops, fattening them up, herding them into slaughterhouses, and carving them into edible portions. These animals are "useful," so the general population has typically positive feelings about them. Humankind's actions show that most people are not actually fond of them. People are willing to lock baby calves into dark boxes for months and then kill them for veal, or cram thousands of chickens into tiny pens and allow them to live for only six weeks. Increased production, not humane treatment, is the bottom line. c Perhaps the most harmful label that humans pin on animals, though, is that of monster. The general population has use at all for these creatures. They are taught from birth that sharks, snakes, bats, and alligators, for instance, are evil and dangerous. The facts about these animals make no difference to people's emotions. The fact that being attacked by a shark is less likely than being struck by lightning does not stop fishermen from holding shark-killing contests. The fact that a snake is harmless does not stop sadistic hikers from crushing it. Very few will ever be mauled by a grizzly or bobcat or torn apart by wolves, yet many support the extermination of these animals in the name of "safety." d Advertisers label some animals as toys. These are the lucky ones-the puppies, kittens, pandas, koala bears, bunnies, and porpoises that children consider cute. Toys make people feel sentimental and protective. Many are willing to devote five minutes on the evening news to a baby panda, they stock their children's room with stuffed bunnies, and watch movies about friendly, funny porpoises. No one in their right mind would advocate a puppy-shoot or a koala-killing contest. Toy-like animals may occasionally be neglected or abused by individual owners, but polite society does not allow them to be destroyed on a wholesale basis. e Labeling animals is not a harmless little quirk that humans have. In separating the animal kingdom into products, toys, and monsters, society has made it easier to brutalize these defenseless creatures. The practice of categorizing has dulled humanity's respect for other living beings and even led to the destruction of entire species. As people dominate animals, they forget to behave as caretakers. This results in a loss of dignity and humanity-not only for the victimized animals, but for their human counterparts as well. -The emphatic order of the three supporting paragraphs is confused. Which supporting paragraph should come first? _____ Second? _____ Third? _____

IDENTIFYING TRANSITIONS AND OTHER CONNECTING WORDS The following selections use transitions, repeated words, synonyms, and pronouns to tie together ideas. The connecting words you are to identify have been boldfaced. In the space provided, write T for Transition, RW for Repeated Word, S for Synonym, or P for Pronoun. -______ 10. With a tractor trailer on the highway in front of me and another one on the side, I began to feel claustrophobic. This closed-in feeling increased when a large bus came up close behind me.

An example of a change-of-direction signal is _______________.

EVALUATING AN ESSAY FOR SUPPORT The essay below lacks details at certain key spots in its three supporting paragraphs. In the spaces provided at the bottom, write in the numbers of the five sentences after which more details are needed. Leaving Home (1) Everyone must leave the protection of the nest sooner or later. (2) Whether young adults leave for college or rent a first apartment, they are certain to encounter problems during this transitional period. The benefits of facing down the pressures and complications of the real world cannot be overstated. Maturity can only be achieved after one leaves the comforts of childhood behind and grapples with the uncertainty and peril that attend personal freedom. (3) Therefore, young people must learn to handle their own finances, take responsibility for their lives, and cope with loneliness. (4) Being independent means dealing with money problems. (5) First of all, a young person has to learn to stick to a budget. (6) Another part of becoming a financial grown-up is being disciplined enough to save money for emergencies. (7) Putting money aside in a savings account, instead of spending it instantly, takes maturity and planning. (8) Such a rainy-day fund can take the panic out of unexpected expenses, such as car repairs, that inevitably occur. (9) A young person must also work at building a good credit record. (10) There are some recommended ways to do that. (11) Bad credit references can haunt people for years. (12) Second, young adults are faced with taking responsibility for many aspects of their personal lives-perhaps for the first time. (13) They must learn to meet daily obligations, without being prodded by parents or teachers. (14) Young people must also take responsibility for household chores. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Suddenly, there is no one to wash dishes, make beds, clean toilets, or do the laundry for them. (16) Putting off the chores becomes very inconvenient after a while; there are no clean clothes, and dishes have to be scraped off and reused. (17) The realization that there's no one else to do the chores can sometimes be a shock. (18) A third important responsibility young people confront is learning to look after their own health. (19) Finally, young adults must learn to cope with loneliness. (20) The everyday kind of loneliness can be very painful. (21) Coming home to an empty apartment, with only a television for company, may give someone an empty, aching feeling. (22) But a young person can feel lonely surrounded by other people, too. (23) Sometimes, a campus filled with students or a dorm room with two other roommates in it can be a lonely place. (24) There is another kind of loneliness, even sharper, that young people must live with: spending certain special days alone. (25) Leaving home is a major transition in life. (26) Losing touch with familiar faces and settings, even temporarily, can be very difficult. (27) However, all the problems young adults face are necessary ones; they build character and shape previously immature citizens into active contributors. (28) Learning to fly means taking risks and acquiring new skills, but this cannot be achieved without a period of discomfort. Though our youngest generation may resist the responsibilities of adulthood at first, they must surmount the obstacles that life places before them. Emerging successful and capable on the other side, they will one day be thankful for having left the nest. Complete the following: -The spots in the first supporting paragraphs where more details are needed occur after sentences number _____ and _____; the spots in the second supporting paragraph where more details are needed occur after sentences number _____ and _____; the spot in the third supporting paragraph where more details are needed occurs after sentence number _____.

RUN-ONS In the space provided, write R-O beside run-on sentences. Write C beside sentences that are punctuated correctly. Some of the run-ons have no punctuation between the two complete thoughts; others have only a comma. Correct each run-on by using (l) a period and capital letter, (2) a comma plus a joining word, or (3) a semicolon. Do not use the same method of correction in each sentence. -_____ 7. The candy bar in my glove compartment had melted sticky chocolate sauce coated my license and registration.

Under each of the three thesis statements that follow is a scrambled list of primary and secondary supporting ideas. Put the ideas into logical order by filling in the outline to the right of each list. 1. Thesis: In today's world, people try to avoid silence as much as possible. On vacation _________________________________ TV on as background noise _________________________________ At school Background music in cafeteria _________________________________ Computers with Internet streaming nonstop Noisy "toys" such as snowmobiles and dirt bikes _________________________________ At home _________________________________ Noisy places such as crowded beaches and _________________________________ amusement parks TV talk shows on in lounges _________________________________ 2. Thesis: A marriage improves when both partners work. Helps relationship __________________________________ Able to afford some luxuries _________________________________ Gives feeling of achievement _________________________________ Helps each individual __________________________________ Learn to appreciate time together _________________________________ Helps financially _________________________________ Eases paying monthly bills _________________________________ Gives feeling of independence _________________________________ Able to talk together about outside activities _________________________________ 3. Thesis: A few tips can help you to be a smarter car buyer. Agreeing on a price _________________________________ Consult Consumer Reports and reputable online sites _________________________________ Signing the final papers Shopping around _________________________________ Ask for a discount if you're paying cash _________________________________ Visit several dealers Make sure the loan interest rate you want is _________________________________ specified on paper Watch out for added contract clauses, such as _________________________________ insurance and special warranties Start with a lower price than you're willing to pay _________________________________

FILL-IN: To find a particular book in the book stacks, you should track it down by using its _________________________, which is printed on the spine of the book.