Deck 8: Writing Skills

Question 1

Which ONE of the following examples demonstrates the correct use of a conjunction?

A) In this essay, I will outline the elements of the tort of negligence.
B) For many, the move to a more structured system for the calculation of damages is an improvement. Others disagree.
C) The majority of those asked were in agreement, but there was one strong dissenting voice.
D) The Court of Appeal decisions conflict on this point. Because the courts have had to take account of European law, there is no longer a single principle that can be applied.

Answer 1

C
Explanation: The conjunction ('but') in this sentence is used correctly because it joins two separate statements (clauses) together.

Question 2

'Primary and secondary paragraphs are a usual way to indicate to the reader the importance of the content of each paragraph and the strength of the relationship with the paragraph that follows.' Is this statement true or false?

Answer 2

False
Explanation: There are sentences and there are paragraphs: there is no such thing as a 'secondary paragraph'.

Question 3

'Upon reading the case, it was clear that the judge's reason for dismissing the appeal was based upon the mistaken belief that the earlier case law was binding upon the court.' In this statement, how many judges held this mistaken belief?

A) One.
B) Two.
C) More than one, but it is impossible to say how many.
D) All of the judges involved in the decision.

Answer 3

A
Explanation: The position of the apostrophe indicates that a single judge held this view. If more than one judge had shared this view, the statement would have read 'the judges' reason'.

Question 4

'It is necessary to question whether the UK should ratify the treaty?'
This example shows the correct use of a question mark: true or false?

Question 5

Which ONE of the following sentences demonstrates the incorrect use of an apostrophe?

A) The judge's decision was inevitable in light of the weight of authority.
B) The judges' decision was inevitable in light of the weight of authority.
C) The decision was inevitable in light of the weight of authority dating from the 1980's.
D) The decision was inevitable in light of the weight of authority dating from the 1980s, but the outcome of the case was unsatisfactory to the judges involved.

Question 6

What does it mean if an ellipsis, or three dots (i.e. '…'), appears in the middle of a quotation?

A) There is a mistake in the quotation (spelling or grammar, for example) that was in the original. The ellipsis is used to show that the error was in the original and was not made by the person reproducing the quotation.
B) That additional material has been added to the quotation that was not in the original. This may be done to help the quote work if it is part of a sentence.
C) Material has been omitted from the original quotation. This may be used to save words or to ensure that the reader is not distracted by irrelevant material in the quotation.
D) It is used to add emphasis that is not in the original quotation.

Question 7

'In order to establish liability for Criminal Damage, it is necessary to work out who the property belongs to.' What inaccuracies in grammar, spelling or presentation can you seen in this statement? Please select all that apply.

A) There is a missing apostrophe.
B) The sentence ends with a preposition.
C) There is nothing wrong with the sentence.
D) There is unnecessary capitalization.

Question 8

The following sentence demonstrates correct use of a semi-colon: true or false? 'There are three punctuation marks that are often misused; apostrophes, semi-colons and colons.'

Question 9

What is the word type of the word shown in bold in the following sentence?
'The jury asked for extra time to deliberate.'

A) Adverb
B) Conjunction
C) Preposition
D) Adjective

Question 10

The word limit for the essay is 1,500 words, but your final version is 1,750 words. Which ONE of the following strategies is an effective way in which to deal with this situation?

A) Check each sentence in the essay to see if it can be reworded in a more concise manner.
B) Take out the conclusion. It does not attract any marks, because it merely repeats points that have already been made in the main body of the answer.
C) Take out the references. Provided that the law is stated correctly, there is no need for a reference to case law or statute so these are a waste of words.
D) Reduce the words devoted to a description of the facts of cases, possibly removing them altogether.