Exam 3: The Process of Writing Paragraphs

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph.A study conducted by George Washington University and the National Endowment for the Arts showed that senior citizens who sing in a choir are physically healthier than senior citizens who aren't involved in an arts program. Plus, the singers are less likely to suffer from depression and mental deterioration. Dr. Graham Welch of the University of Surrey, who has spent over thirty years researching the effects of singing, claims that singing requires breathing deeply, so it's good aerobic exercise for the lungs, abdominal muscles, and circulatory system. Physician Eric Roter, who reviews the connection between music and health on his web site ermusic.org , agrees. He says that when people sing, the body responds as though it was getting a physical workout. Plus, singing just makes people feel good. Research from Manchester University suggests that singing stimulates a small organ in the inner ear called the saccule, which produces pleasure. Also, endorphins released during singing relax the body and lift the singer's spirits.

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. Study the body of the following paragraph. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate.When two people discuss complex or serious issues, they need to be able to explain themselves fully. An exchange of brief text messages forces them to limit their vocabulary and the length of their statements, so they are less likely to express their complete meaning to one another. In a conversation about an important matter, people also need to be able to convey their moods and emotions to each other. Communicating via text messages eliminates the nonverbal channels ¾ facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language ¾ that express feelings, so texting often inhibits emotional connection. If the conversation becomes an argument, the deficiencies of text messaging can not only prevent a resolution of the conflict but also make it worse.

Instructions: Check the following paragraph(s) for unity. Select the number of the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph. Identify the sentence that does not belong. (1) Some very odd things have been sold on eBay, the online auction site. (2) One man recently sold his forehead for advertising space. (3) The winning bid was $37,000. (4) When pop singer Justin Beiber cut off his long, famous hair, the locks sold for over $40,668, and several sellers have offered buyers a chance to own singer Britney Spears's used chewing gum (5) A cheese sandwich said to bear an image of the Virgin Mary went for $28,000 (6) A cinnamon bun that supposedly looked like Mother Teresa was stolen from a coffeehouse in Nashville, Tennessee (7) One eBay shopper paid $4,550 for a vampire-killing kit, and another bought a serial killer's fingernails for $9.99 (8) "The meaning of life" sold for a mere $3.26, and another buyer got "Nothing! Absolutely Nothing!" for $1.03.

Instructions: For each paragraph, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) A well-written resume is a critical component for a successful job search (2) To write a resume that gets results, always include action verbs that clearly reveal your skills and abilities. (3) Specific action verbs help potential employers understand how your experiences match their needs, so these action words should always begin your descriptions of duties you performed at previous jobs. (4) As you are listing these duties, use verbs such as analyzed, calculated, delivered, wrote, monitored, and purchased to describe the actions you have performed in the past (5) In addition, make sure that, as much as possible, the verbs in your resume match the employer's description of the position (6) If the position description states that good organizational skills are required, make sure to use the verb organized to describe at least one duty that you've performed in past jobs. If the position description asks for a supervisor, and you have supervisory experience, use the word supervised to describe one of your previous responsibilities.

Instructions: For each paragraph below, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) Volunteering doesn't just benefit those who receive help; it significantly improves the health and happiness of the volunteer, too. (2) According to several studies, elderly people who volunteer are less depressed and more physically healthy than elderly people who don't volunteer. (3) Plus, those same studies found that the volunteers lived longer. (4) However, it's not just senior citizens who benefit from volunteering (5) The connection between volunteering and good health is so strong, as a matter of fact, that the Public Health Center at Harvard University created a media campaign to encourage new retirees to sign up to volunteer (6) Child psychologists say that volunteer work helps adolescents and teenagers, too, by building their self-esteem and socialization skills.

Instructions: For each paragraph, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) Playing video games may give doctors an advantage in the operating room, helping them save lives (2) A 2004 study at New York's Beth Israel Medical Center tested thirty-three doctors on video game tasks that measured their motor skills, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. (3) These are the same skills that are essential to performing laparoscopic surgery, which involves using a joystick to maneuver a tiny video camera inserted into a patient's body. (4) Researchers found that doctors who used to play video games for more than three hours a week were 37 percent less likely than nongamers to make mistakes (5) They also finished procedures 27 percent faster than nongamers.

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph.For example, a substance in chocolate is a cardiac stimulant that can increase a dog's heart rate and cause it to beat irregularly. Dogs that eat large quantities of chocolate may even die. Onions and garlic, too, contain an ingredient that is toxic to dogs. Onion poisoning causes the dog's red blood cells to burst while they circulate in its body. Vomiting and diarrhea will be followed by breathlessness as the dog's blood loses its ability to carry oxygen. Another toxic food is macadamia nuts, which can cause muscle weakness and pain in a dog's limbs. Other potential hazards for dogs include broccoli, raisins, grapes, potato peelings, and yeast dough.

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. From the group below, select the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph.

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Select the topic sentence.