English Expert Q&A

The following sentences form a passage. For each sentence, select "correct" if the sentence is punctuated correctly, "fragment" if it is a fragment, "run-on" if it is a run-on, and "comma splice" if it is a comma splice. Have given him some of his best ideas.

A) correct
B) fragment
C) run-on
D) comma splice

Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow.
(1) Parents should not enter their little girls in children's beauty pageants. (2) First of all, children who participate in these pageants may develop an unhealthy body image. (3) Studies have found that children who competed in beauty contests are more likely than those who didn't compete to be dissatisfied with their bodies, an attitude that can lead later to eating disorders or other psychological issues. (4) Another reason to avoid pageants is the cost. (5) Participation requires a lot of money for clothing, props, coaching, and travel, and these expenses quickly add up to thousands of dollars per pageant. (6) Many parents have admitted going into debt to finance their pageant hobby; Rick and Misty Simon of Atlanta, Georgia, for example, say that their credit card debt rose to $30,000 after two years of entering their daughter in a series of local pageants. (7) The most important reason to avoid these pageants, though, is their tendency to sexualize little girls. (8) The "glitz pageants" in particular require young contestants to wear heavy makeup and elaborate hairstyles that adults would wear. (9) They encourage parents to put their children into revealing costumes and then have those kids gesture and dance flirtatiously while wearing inappropriately suggestive facial expressions. (10) Little girls have no business prancing around on stage made up like adult women, winking at the judges, blowing kisses, and swinging their hips.
Select the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.

A) Sentence 1
B) Sentence 2
C) Sentence 3

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.
In time, Gilberto's tongue and lip muscles became strong.

A) Keep
B) Drop

Select the letter of the answer that correctly identifies the subject and complete verb in each sentence. Miguel can tell the difference between a male and a female parrot.

A) Miguel, tell
B) parrot, can tell
C) Miguel, can tell

For the following questions, select the letter of the answer that correctly identifies each type of prewriting. Aug. 21. Classes started today, and I'm taking four difficult ones. I'm not worried about my English class because I like the instructor. Math is always hard for me, though, so my algebra class is sure to be a lot of work. I'll have to put in a lot of study time. My weight training P.E. class will be great, help me get into better shape. I've also got an Introduction to Computers class. I'm looking forward to that one because I enjoy learning more about computers.
Aug) 23. Today, I heard on the news that many young people are getting in over their heads when it comes to credit-card debt. Some of them charge thousands of dollars and then can't pay it off. Credit-card companies aren't going to stop giving cards to teenagers and college students, so maybe high schools and colleges should offer financial management courses to help young people learn how to stick to a budget and avoid getting into debt.
This prewriting is an example of

A) focused freewriting.
B) brainstorming.
C) clustering.
D) asking questions.
E) keeping a journal.

Read each of the following essay conclusions. Choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a
For all the predictions that ebooks will transform education, the evidence is clear: students, at least for now, prefer paper textbooks. They want to flip back and forth, scribble in the margins, and, in short, learn and study the old-fashioned way.

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Select the letter of the correct noun to fill in the blank in each of the following sentences. Most ____ in the Northeast have public transportation systems.

A) citys
B) cities
C) city

The paragraphs of the following essay have been scrambled so that they are out of order. Read them and then answer the question(s) that follow.
Overcoming Student Depression
_____ (1) Today, I'm grateful to my college for wanting to help people like me, and I urge anyone who is feeling depressed to find out more about his or her college's resources. (2) Students shouldn't go on floundering until they drown, not when there are people ready to toss out a life preserver and pull them in to safety.
_____ (3) I got this help by visiting my college's student health service. (4) Like many colleges, the one I attended had beefed up its resources for students who are having trouble coping with their new challenges. (5) I was able to take advantage of free on-campus counseling with a qualified therapist named Becky. (6) I told her how I felt, and she helped me figure out how to deal more effectively with the stress I was under. (7) I learned, for example, about how to use time management and exercise to better cope with everything I had to do. (8) Before long, I felt the cloud I had been under begin to lift. (9) I was still busy, but I didn't feel as overwhelmed, and my grades improved from Cs and Ds to As and Bs.
_____ (10) Second, I found out that my feelings were fairly common. (11) I searched for information online and found out that, according to an American College Health Association study, 10 percent of college students had been diagnosed with depression. (12) In addition, the National Mental Health Association reports that one-third of all college freshmen say they feel overwhelmed a great deal of the time. (13) It was a relief to discover that I wasn't alone. (14) Knowing that encouraged me to take the next step and get the help I needed.
_____ (15) The first thing I did was admit to myself that I was depressed. (16) One day while sitting in one of the student lounges on campus, I picked up a pamphlet published by my college's student health service. (17) It included a list of questions, such as "Do you often feel sad, anxious, or empty?" "Do you often feel fatigued or low in energy?" "Do you have difficulty concentrating or making decisions?" (18) I was surprised when I found myself answering yes to almost every one of these questions. (19) Since then, I've found out that most colleges are trying to educate students about the signs and symptoms of depression and other mental illnesses. (20) Through information posted on college web sites; printed materials like pamphlets and posters; and even forums followed by free screenings for eating disorders, alcoholism, and anxiety, colleges are helping students like me recognize when they are battling a very serious problem.
_____ (21) When I first started college, I was excited and happy. (22) It wasn't long, though, before I began to feel overwhelmed. (23) I could barely keep up with all of the assignments, tests, and papers of five different challenging classes. (24) At the same time, I was in an unfamiliar new environment, homesick for my family and friends back home. (25) After a while, I wasn't handling the pressures well at all; in fact, it was all I could do to get myself out of bed every morning. (26) Fortunately, though, I was able to take positive steps to identify and solve my problem.
Part A: Select the answer that numbers the paragraphs in the order they should appear in the essay.
a. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
b. 2, 5, 4, 1, 3
c. 1, 3, 5, 2, 4
Part B: Identify the number of the topic sentence in the third paragraph of the reordered sequence.
a. Sentence 1
b. Sentence 10
c. Sentence 21
Part C: What transitional expression shows the relationships between paragraphs 2 and 3 in the reordered sequence?
a. The first thing
b. Second
c. Today
Part D: What linking technique does the writer use at the beginning of the fourth paragraph in the reordered sequence?
a. He repeats key words or ideas from the thesis statement.
b. He refers to a word or idea from the preceding paragraph.
c. He uses a transitional sentence.

In each sentence below, select the letter of the correctly punctuated sentence. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

A) Who has the jumper cables for the car?
B) Many people asked if they could watch the film crew shoot the scene?
C) Janice shouted at the man in front of her!

The following sentences form a passage. For each sentence, select "correct" if the sentence is punctuated correctly, "fragment" if it is a fragment, "run-on" if it is a run-on, and "comma splice" if it is a comma splice. The idea for SwarmBots, for instance, came from watching ants, bees, and other insects.

A) correct
B) fragment
C) run-on
D) comma splice

For each of the following sentences, select "correct" if the sentence is punctuated correctly, "fragment" if it is a fragment, "run-on" if it is a run-on, and "comma splice" if it is a comma splice. In the late 1600s barbecues were introduced to the southern United States.

A) correct
B) fragment
C) run-on
D) comma splice

Select the letter of the correct words for the blanks in each of the following sentences. The sign ____, "No Parking Any Time," but we ____ there anyway.

A) said, park
B) said, parked
C) said, parking

Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false.
People who proofread a paper on a computer screen tend to miss more errors.

Wilson, J. Q., & DiIulio, Jr., J. J. (2004) .   American government (9th ed.) . Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

A) Correct
B) Incorrect

Choose the correct words to insert in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the correct response. Each of the nominees prepared ____ acceptance speech ⎯ just in case.

A) their
B) its
C) his or her

Each question below is an entry for a Works Cited page. Select "Correct" if the entry is correctly formatted according to MLA guidelines or "Incorrect" if the entry is not correctly formatted. Holland, Kimberly. 2012. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20448023,00.html

A) Correct
B) Incorrect

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.
He became more advanced and enjoyed the music.

A) Keep
B) Drop

Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false.
Adding specific details or examples can make a sentence or paragraph more interesting.

Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. Which of the following belongs in a summary?

A) the summary writer's personal opinions
B) the author, title, and source of the original
C) related ideas that were not in the original source

Select the correct noun for each blank. The ____ ran a series of tests to confirm that the new chemical plant meets environmental codes.

A) inspector generals
B) inspectors general