Exam 42: Some Guidelines for Students of English as a Second Language.

Instructions: Select the part of the sentence that contains a grammar or punctuation error. The fanciest designs was the multicolored masterpieces that the Japanese developed during the nineteenth century.

Instructions: The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the question(s). (1) For two long days, Davisville's residents lived through the consequences of a power outage (2) The most dramatic effect of the blackout was that people could not use their refrigerators, fans, or air conditioners although these were the two hottest days of the year. (3) Most residents tried to keep cool as best they could. (4) Lights were out, of course, so the local grocery store quickly sold its entire stock of candles and flashlights (5) Couples and families could be seen trying to read by natural light until darkness fell (6) Businesses were affected, too (7) Small stores in the center of town used gas-fueled power generators to keep their produce cool and well-lit for customers (8) Workers used to the conveniences of fax machines and computers had to bide time, making calls to clients to explain the situation (9) The happiest consequence for some children was that they got to spend more hours at the town swimming pool, but when the power went back on Thursday morning, most people were eager to resume their daily activities. Transitional words or phrases are used in which sentences?

Instructions: Read the essay that follows, written without proper paragraph breaks, and then answer the question(s) by selecting the letter of the correct answer. (1) Pele and Slouch, my two cats, are so unlike, it's a wonder that they get along (2) Pele is a short-haired, long-eared, slim but agile feline. (3) His color is silver gray. (4) Slouch, on the other hand, is a long-haired, short-eared, chubby, and clumsy cat (5) He is brown and gold (6) Pele has always been a very active cat (7) He will fetch a crumpled piece of paper as often as I can throw it (8) I've yet to tire him out (9) Jumping to a height of 3 feet is an effortless task for him, or so he makes it seem (10)His muscle coordination is something to see (11)If I throw a paper directly at him, he will sit back on his hind legs and catch it with his front paws (12)Whenever he gets tired of that, he just runs all over the apartment (13)With people, Pele is extremely gentle (14)Because Slouch didn't come along until Pele was ten months old, Pele got a lot of attention (15)He likes being held and petted (16)On occasion he will jump up next to a visitor with a crumpled piece of paper in his mouth, all primed for fun and games! (17) Slouch, on the contrary, is a lazy but unpredictable cat (18)His daily exercise consists of walking over to the dish where his food is kept (19)When he gets tired of that, he will just sit by the bowl as if he were waiting to get hungry (20)On those long days when the cat food loses its appeal, he will walk around, head bent down, sniffing the floor for imaginary food droppings. (21) His methodical and determined approach to this pastime reminds me of a cow grazing in the fields. (22) But people, beware: don't ever try to hold on to a piece of food while feeding Slouch. (23) He will claw wildly to get it. (24) I was told by his previous owner that he was the runt of the litter, often shoved aside by the larger cats. (25) Perhaps this accounts for his greedy and fearful hunger. (26) Contrary to what might be expected, Pele and Slouch are the best of friends. (27) I have seen Pele help Slouch with the laborious task of washing his long coat. (28) Once in a while, Slouch will join Pele in a game of slow tag, or perhaps they'll just lie together. (29) On sunny afternoons they often sit by the open window, sharing the weird smells drifting in on the breeze. (30) They seem to know they are like two children, each loved in a different way, but nevertheless loved. ¾ Angel Reyes, Student What word or words in the thesis statement indicate the type of development used?

Instructions: The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the question(s). (1) Food critics always aim for anonymity so that restaurant owners will not recognize them (2) A case in point is Ruth Reichl. (3) Reichl was food critic for The New York Times for many years. (4) Everyone from bartenders at the Ritz to small bistro owners came to recognize her face and gave her preferential treatment to get their restaurants a good review (5) To avoid recognition, Reichl used twelve different disguises in order to be treated like an anonymous customer (6) Sometimes she would manicure her nails, wear makeup, and dress in a black suit for a sophisticated look (7) At other times she would wear a gray wig and a housedress to have an older, more modest look (8) Reichl went to great lengths to disguise herself to avoid preferential treatment. Transitional words or phrases are used in which sentence(s)?

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Proofread them for errors in spelling and look-alikes/sound-alikes. Select the letter of the correct list of misspelled words. Like many college students, you may have arrived on campus unsure of your career direction. In fact, choosing a major is offen one of a person's toughest decisions.

Instructions: Select the part of the sentence that contains a grammar or punctuation error. Some believe that a vegetarian diet provides health benefits, still others want to demonstrate their concern for world hunger and the environment.

Instructions: The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the question(s). (1) Christopher Reeve's story includes an extraordinary twist of fate (2) This star played Superman, the fictional hero who inspired fans with his ability to overcome obstacles and save others from harm. (3) How ironic that in 1995, this Hollywood heartthrob was paralyzed from the neck down in a horse-jumping accident and came to personify that superhuman perseverance himself. (4) Before his accident, Reeve was not only a famous actor but a pianist, an athlete who performed his own film stunts, a pilot, and all-round outdoorsman (5) After being injured, he depended on a ventilator to breathe and operated his wheelchair by sipping or puffing on a straw (6) However, this brave man went on to direct and narrate award-winning films, write the best-selling autobiography Still Me , and inspire thousands of people through speeches and interviews (7) He also raised millions of dollars for research on spinal cord injuries (8) By the time he died in 2004, Christopher Reeve had become a hero of a different kind; his heroism depended not on physical strength but on courage, optimism, and a sense of purpose. Select the type of development the writer of this paragraph has used.

Instructions: Select the part of the sentence that contains a grammar or punctuation error. Japanese tattoo artists, who were real fine craftsmen, depicted heroes from folklore and history; some created pictures of entire battle scenes or of religious stories.

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Proofread them for consistency, parallelism, and concise language. Select the letter of the error in each sentence. High blood pressure can also force small blood vessels to burst like an overstressed garden hose. If that happens in the brain, that malfunction is called a stroke ¾ the other major cardiovascular killer besides heart attacks, which many people die from as well.

Instructions: The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the question(s). (1) The bedroom had been carefully put in order (2) The two French windows to the left of the door sparkled with the sunlight reflected onto their clean glass panes. (3) Beneath each window was a carved honey-colored bookcase about three feet high and four feet wide. (4) Both bookcases contained neat rows of leather-bound books (5) Flush against the back wall stood a magnificent canopy bed covered with an eyelet comforter (6) Several eyelet-covered pillows were plumped at the head of the bed (7) Against the right wall was a carved writing table on which lay a neat stack of writing paper and a gold pen. Select the type of development the writer of this paragraph has used.

Instructions: The topic sentence below is followed by a brainstormed list of possible ideas for a paragraph. Decide which ideas support the topic sentence and should be kept and which ideas should be dropped. Select "keep" or "drop" for each idea. Topic sentence: Modern fireworks have their origins in tenth-century Chinese pyrotechnics. A fireworks shell is a tube made of paper.

Instructions: The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the question(s). (1) Why is money such a problem issue for couples? (2) Psychologists and others have identified several causes. (3) One cause of financial tension is that people who overspend tend to marry people who hoard their money. (4) The hoarders feel happy and in control when they are not spending, whereas the overspenders feel happy and in control when they are spending (5) Another reason is that most couples have more difficulty communicating about money than about any other subject (6) Although they may talk to each other about everything else under the sun, they can't seem to communicate about money or how they feel about it (7) A third cause of trouble involves gender differences, including differences in how men and women see the world and operate in it (8) Some of these differences may go back to the early roles of men as hunters and women as food gatherers (9) Rob Becker, in his theater piece, Defending the Caveman , describes men going out to buy a shirt, wearing it until it dies, and then going out to kill another shirt ¾ while women, the gatherers, shop early and accumulate items for later giving (10)Even though this picture may strike us as funny and we know people who are exceptions to all the generalizations, money issues continue to plague our relationships. Select the type of development the writer of this paragraph has used.

Instructions: Select the part of the sentence that contains a grammar or punctuation error. A lactovegetarian can eat dairy products but not eggs. Veganism is the most strictest form of vegetarianism.

Instructions: The topic sentence below is followed by a brainstormed list of possible ideas for a paragraph. Decide which ideas support the topic sentence and should be kept and which ideas should be dropped. Select "keep" or "drop" for each idea. Topic sentence: Gilberto learned how to play the trumpet, but it took a long time. His older sister teased him for his horrible playing.

Instructions: The topic sentence below is followed by a brainstormed list of possible ideas for a paragraph. Decide which ideas support the topic sentence and should be kept and which ideas should be dropped. Select "keep" or "drop" for each idea. Topic sentence: Gilberto learned how to play the trumpet, but it took a long time. His mother complained when he didn't practice.

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Proofread them for consistency, parallelism, and concise language. Select the letter of the error in each sentence. By the middle of the nineteenth century, however, soap became the inexpensive common item that we use daily every day.

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Proofread them for errors in spelling and look-alikes/sound-alikes. Select the letter of the correct list of misspelled words. Don't forget to search for career resources on the Web. For example, the U.S. goverment's online Occupational Outlook Handbook at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm offers a wealth of current information about hundreds of career opportunities.

Instructions: Select the part of the sentence that contains a grammar or punctuation error. Whatever their reasons, a vegetarian makes a conscious effort to plan his or her diet and improve their life.

Instructions: The following sentences form an essay. Proofread them for errors in spelling and look-alikes/sound-alikes. Select the letter of the correct list of misspelled words. For a German, however, this is not enough; the German is usually happyer when he or she is seperate from other people, behind a door or wall, for example.

Instructions: The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the question(s). (1) New Jersey businessman Barry Halper owned the world's largest collection of baseball memorabilia (2) Three packed rooms in his basement held countless      baseball-related objects priceless to any lover of the game. (3) He owned, for instance, at least 1 million baseball cards, all in complete sets. (4) Nine hundred players' uniforms on a dry cleaner's conveyor belt hummed through a huge closet in Halper's basement (5) Another prized example of Halper's passion was a life-size wax statue of Babe Ruth purchased from Madame Tussaud's famous wax museum in London (6) Halper displayed a huge leather chair shaped like a baseball mitt, 3,000 autographed balls, a baseball pinball machine made in the 1930s, posters, bats, masks, trophies (7) In 1998, he sold his collection; Major League Baseball bought many of Halper's treasures and donated them to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Transitional words or phrases are used in which sentences?