Exploring Writing 2nd Edition by John Langan

Exercise 40

Each of the following three paragraphs contains sentences that are off target- sentences that do not support the opening point-and so the paragraphs are not unified. In the interest of paragraph unity, such sentences must be omitted. Cross out the irrelevant sentences and write the numbers of those sentences in the spaces provided. The number of spaces will tell you the number of irrelevant sentences in each paragraph.
HINT
As you read each paragraph, underline the opening point so you can better detect which details support that point, and which do not.
1.
Other Uses for Cars
1 Many people who own a car manage to turn the vehicle into a trash can, a clothes closet, or a storage room. 2 People who use their cars as trash cans are easily recognized. 3 Empty snack bags, hamburger wrappers, pizza cartons, soda cans, and doughnut boxes litter the floor. 4 On the seats are old scratched CDs, blackened fruit skins, crumpled receipts, crushed cigarette packs, and used tissues. 5 At least the trash stays in the car, instead of adding to the litter on our highways. 6 Other people use a car as a clothes closet. 7 The car contains several pairs of shoes, pants, or shorts, along with a suit or dress that's been hanging on the car's clothes hanger for over a year. 8 Sweaty, smelly gym clothes will also find a place in the car, a fact passengers quickly discover. 9 The world would be better off if people showed more consideration of others. 10 Finally, some people use a car as a spare garage or basement. 11 In the backseats or trunks of these cars are bags of fertilizer, beach chairs, old textbooks, chainsaws, or window screens that have been there for months. 12 The trunk may also contain an extra spare tire, a dented hubcap, an empty gallon container of window washer fluid, and old stereo equipment. 13 If apartments offered more storage space, probably fewer people would resort to using their cars for such storage purposes. 14 All in all, people get a lot more use out of their cars than simply the miles they travel on the road.
The numbers of the irrelevant sentences: ______ _______ ________
2.
Why Adults Visit Amusement Parks
1 Adults visit amusement parks for several reasons. 2 For one thing, an amusement park is a place where it is acceptable to "pig out" on junk food. 3 At the park, everyone is drinking soda and eating popcorn, ice cream, or hot dogs. 4 No one seems to be on a diet, and so buying all the junk food you can eat is a guilt-free experience. 5 Parks should provide stands where healthier food, such as salads or grilled chicken, would be sold. 6 Another reason people visit amusement parks is to prove how brave they are. 7 They want to visit the park that has the newest, scariest ride in order to say that they went on the Parachute Drop, the seven-story Elevator, the Water Chute, or the Death Slide. 8 Going on a scary ride is a way to feel courageous and adventurous without taking much of a risk. 9 Some rides, however, can be dangerous. 10 Rides that are not properly inspected or maintained have killed people all over the country. 11 A final reason people visit amusement parks is to escape from everyday pressures. 12 When people are poised at the top of a gigantic roller coaster, they are not thinking of bills, work, or personal problems. 13 A scary ride empties the mind of all worries- except making it to the bottom alive. 14 Adults at an amusement park may claim they have come for their children, but they are there for themselves as well.
The numbers of the irrelevant sentences: ______ ________ _______
3.
A Dangerous Cook
1 When my friend Tom sets to work in the kitchen, disaster often results. 2 Once he tried to make toasted cheese sandwiches for us by putting slices of cheese in the toaster along with the bread; he ruined the toaster. 3 Unfortunately, the toaster was a fairly new one that I had just bought for him three weeks before, on his birthday. 4 On another occasion, he had cut up some fresh beans and put them in a pot to steam. 5 I was really looking forward to the beans, for I eat nothing but canned vegetables in my dormitory. 6 I, frankly, am not much of a cook either. 7 The water in the Teflon pan steamed away while Tom was on the telephone, and both the beans and the Teflon coating in the pan were ruined. 8 Finally, another time Tom made spaghetti for us, and the noodles stuck so tightly together that we had to cut off slices with a knife and fork. 9 In addition, the meatballs were burned on the outside but almost raw inside. 10 The tomato sauce, on the other hand, turned out well. 11 For some reason, Tom is very good at making meat and vegetable sauces. 12 Because of Tom's kitchen mishaps, I never eat at his place without an Alka-Seltzer in my pocket, or without money in case we have to go out to eat.
The numbers of the irrelevant sentences: _____ ______ ______ _____ ______