Deck 9: Emphasizing Important Information

Question 1

Which of these examples shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to the second?

A) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. They are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
B) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. These techniques are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
C) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. A new research effort at Big State University is focused on fighting computer viruses.
D) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. Nevertheless, they are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A writer is developing a brochure for vacationers interested in taking an "Introduction to Kayaking" course offered by a rafting and kayaking company. Which of the following headings is most likely to appear in the brochure?

A) Ferries, Peel-Outs, and Eddy Turns
B) What Clothing Will I Need To Bring?
C) How To Perform Z-Drag Extractions of Pinned Boats
D) 1.0 Water

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A writer at ColdTec Accounting has just completed a draft of an internal report describing a recent drop in enrollment in a training course for new employees entitled "Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007." Which of the following titles would be most appropriate for the report?

A) The Changing Needs of New Employees at ColdTec
B) Choosing a Training Class: "Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007"
C) An Analysis of Declining Enrollment in "Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007"
D) Declining Enrollment in Training Classes Offered at ColdTec

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which pair of sentences shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to the second?

A) Demand for kettle chips is down by 15 percent. As a result, we have laid off 12 production workers.
B) The vendor assured us that the replacement parts would be delivered in time for the product release. The parts were delivered nearly two weeks after the product release.
C) The furniture-replacement project was originally expected to cost us $450,000. Unfortunately, the final cost was $300,000.
D) Brazilian people love soccer. My friend Silvino has played soccer all his life.

Question 5

What kind of transition would be most helpful to readers of these two sentences? "Mr. Polk accomplished each objective he had for his term of office. He did not seek a second term."

A) comparison
B) addition
C) illustration
D) cause-effect

Question 6

An effective topic sentence will reflect which of the following?

A) the character of the writer
B) the title of the document
C) the coherence devices used in the document
D) the organizational structure of the document

Question 7

What kinds of words are especially valuable for use in section headings and titles?

A) cohesive words
B) transitional words
C) noun strings
D) precise words

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of a coherence device?

A) replacing nouns with demonstrative pronouns
B) removing transitional words
C) repeating key words
D) None of the responses are correct.

Question 9

Which of these statements does NOT identify a benefit of turning a paragraph into a list?

A) It forces you to reorder the sequence.
B) It forces you to look at the bigger picture.
C) It forces you to create a helpful lead-in.
D) It forces you to write more precisely and more clearly.

Question 10

You are writing a report about sales of your company's products over the past three months. Sales are not growing, but instead appear to be steady. You have identified three factors contributing to this situation. Which of these options is the most effective lead-in for a paragraph list discussing these factors?

A) Certain factors are affecting our sales channels.
B) Three factors include:
C) I have identified three factors that are contributing to the plateau of product sales.
D) The following factors are contributing to the plateau of product sales.

Question 11

What is an advance organizer?

A) an outline of the document you are drafting, showing its content and organization
B) the text that introduces a list
C) any text that indicates the background, purpose, scope, and organization of the discussion that follows it
D) transitional words and phrases, such as first, therefore, furthermore, or consequently
E) None of the responses are correct.

Question 12

Which of the changes listed below would make the following paragraph more coherent?
As an undergraduate student, you can satisfy the university writing requirement and meet an important graduation requirement by scoring a 4 or 5 on either of the advanced placement English exams (Language & Composition or Literature & Composition). You can also meet this requirement by receiving transfer credit for an approved college-level writing or writing-intensive course you have taken elsewhere and in which you have received a grade of B or higher. Finally, you can meet this requirement by taking and receiving a passing grade in a writing course at this university. The following two courses, for example, are dedicated primarily to the development of writing skills and can be used to meet the writing requirement: English 205 (Technical Communication) or English 200 (Rhetoric and Writing). If you have any further questions, please call Professor Lee Klein, Director of Writing Programs, in the Department of English at [phone].

A) Insert transitional words and phrases.
B) Turn the paragraph into a list.
C) Begin with a topic sentence.
D) Use demonstrative pronouns.

Question 13

To create an effective title for your document, what should you focus on?

A) key words that describe the document's subject and purpose
B) key words that describe the attitudes of your audience
C) key words that you used in an Internet search during research
D) key words that establish coherent transitions

Question 14

What type of sentence states, summarizes, or forecasts the main point of the paragraph?

A) a transitional sentence
B) a coherence sentence
C) a topic sentence
D) None of the responses are correct.

Question 15

A writer is considering revising the long paragraph below. Would the best place to start a second paragraph be at (1), (2), or (3)?
Although graphics can enhance a website, they can also serve as a distraction. Having too many graphics that do not contribute to the content of the site may make your company appear unprofessional, as well as contributing to slow download times. Your site, for example, has thirty moving images.
(1) Such images do not reflect the serious nature of your business. When it comes to graphics, we suggest you adopt a "less is more" approach.
(2) Another troublesome feature of your site is the scrolling banner used as a navigation element. To reach certain pages on your site, users must quickly click the links scrolling across the banner. If they miss a link, they must wait another 20 seconds until the link scrolls by again.
(3) Because this site is not designed to be a game but rather a place for customers to learn more about handling hazardous materials, you should not use a scrolling banner as a navigation element. We recommend that you use standard navigation buttons aligned along the left margin or across the top of the page. Also, you may want to include a text-only navigation element at the bottom of the page.

A) at (1)
B) at (2)
C) at (3)
D) None of the responses are correct. The excerpt is most effective as a single paragraph.

Question 16

Which of the following words or phrases should be used in the excerpt below to signal to readers that because land-use problems are causing high bacteria levels, landowners must take action.
Bacteria levels are often above state standards and are due to localized, specific land-use problems. _______, landowners must take action to address these problems and reduce the high bacteria levels.

A) Nevertheless
B) For example
C) Next
D) Consequently

Question 17

Which of the following options is the best lead-in for a sentence list?

A) Our three main competitive advantages are:
B) The reasons are the following:
C) We offer advantages over the competition.
D) We offer three main advantages over the competition:

Question 18

What kind of transitional words are for example, for instance, and in other words?

A) illustration words
B) addition words
C) contrast words
D) summary words

Question 19

Which of these statements provides an effective definition of a sentence list?

A) It is a list of all the parts of a sentence.
B) It is a list in which the bulleted or numbered items are words, phrases, or single sentences.
C) It is a list in which each bulleted or numbered item is a group of sentences.
D) It is a list of definitive statements about a sentence.

Question 20

A local bank uses this slogan in its advertising: "Integrity. Experience. Trust. Local." What about this slogan violates readers' expectations?

A) The items in the list are not parallel.
B) The list does not follow the general-to-specific pattern.
C) The hierarchy of the list is confusing.
D) None of the responses are correct.

Question 21

Transitional paragraphs tend to be much longer than body paragraphs.

Question 22

Identify two coherence devices discussed in Chapter 9.

Question 23

you should jot down a working title before you start drafting a document to give you a sense of direction, then come back and revise it at the end.

Question 24

Why should you avoid back-to-back headings, such as the following?
6. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing
6.1 Community Policing

Question 25

using precise words will make a title more useful. What is an added benefit of using precise words?

Question 26

The only proper way to create a sentence list is by using bullet points.

Question 27

Therefore, furthermore, consequently, and next are all examples of what category of words?

Question 28

In almost all cases, demonstrative pronouns should be followed by nouns.

Question 29

What is the phrase "Special Restricted Incoming Materials Storage Area" an example of?

Question 30

To test a title, you should ask whether readers will be able to paraphrase it in a clear, meaningful sentence.

Question 31

A heading eliminates the need for a transitional sentence such as "Let us now turn to the advantages of the mandatory enrollment process."

Question 32

Where should you place a transitional word or phrase?

Question 33

long headings can confuse and distract readers; therefore, you should strive to write short headings of no more than three or four words.

Question 34

For example, for instance, in other words, and to illustrate fall into which category of transitional words and phrases?

Question 35

Readers who can easily locate and understand important information in a document will be more likely to agree with its arguments.

Question 36

turning paragraphs into lists has four advantages for the writer. One is that it forces you to look at the big picture. What are two other advantages listed in the chapter?

Question 37

Chapter 9 discusses three techniques for dividing long paragraphs. One is to make the topic sentence a separate paragraph and split the supporting information into separate paragraphs. What are the other two techniques?

Question 38

what are the two types of paragraphs?

Question 39

using Styles to design your headings can help you enhance the coherence of your document.

Question 40

Whenever possible, you should combine two or more ideas into one paragraph to create a paragraph of 75 to 125 words-the ideal paragraph length.