Writing Skills Part 2

WRITING SKILLS PART 2
When you have completed your exam and reviewed your answers, click Submit Exam. Answers will not be recorded until you hit Submit Exam. If you need to exit before completing the exam, click Cancel Exam. Questions 1 to 20: Select the best answer to each question. Note that a question and its answers may be split across a page break, so be sure that you have seen the entire question and all the answers before choosing an answer.
1. Which of the following would be an appropriate way to add variety to your sentences?

A. Add personal anecdotes.
B. Use questions and answers together.
C. Use more close-up words.
D. Make your sentences read like a spoken conversation.

2. Which of the following statements about vocabulary building is not correct?

A. The best way to improve your vocabulary is to memorize lists of vocabulary words.
B. Reading on a daily basis is very important for building your vocabulary.
C. Using the dictionary is only one step in the process of vocabulary building.
D. Pronunciation is an important part of adding new words to your vocabulary.

3. To put abstract ideas into close-up words, use _______ descriptions.

A. general
B. faraway
C. mpersonal
D. concrete

4. Increasing your vocabulary means

A. you’ll write more lively sentences.
B. you’ll be able to spend more time reading.
C. you’ll spend less time on revision.
D. you’ll write longer sentences.

5. Which one of the following statements about making your writing fun to read is not correct?

A. Give your writing a personal touch by showing that you’re interested in your subject.
B. An anecdote or humorous quotation is often more convincing than a strong argument.
C. The conversation you write must sound natural for the characters.
D. Direct quotations should be reserved for characters in stories.

6. Which statement is most accurate regarding the speaking-writing connection?

A. Written words seldom reflect the words people use when they speak.
B. To own a word, write it over and over again.
C. The words used by writers are not normally used in speaking.
D. To own a word, speak it.

7. Which of the following direct quotations is punctuated properly?

A. “Way to go, Sean”, the coach shouted. “That was a great run! ”
B. “Way to go, Sean”, the coach shouted. “That was a great run”!
C. “Way to go, Sean,” the coach shouted. “That was a great run! ”
D. “Way to go, Sean,” the coach shouted. That was a great run”!

8. Which one of the following sentences or phrases is most likely to be considered a cliche?

A. How dead is a dead doornail?
B. When in doubt, pout.
C. Look before you leap.
D. Are you a man or a moose?

9. Read the word in parentheses; then decide which of these sentences most effectively translates an abstract concept into a mental picture.

A. (Freedom) On her twenty-first birthday, Lola declared herself a woman.
B. (Studious) Lucy lay on her bed reading a back issue of National Geographic.
C. (Rumors) Whispers of doubt filled the empty halls like the reek of boiled cabbage.
D. (Sunrise) The rising sun transformed the canyon into bright stone and deep shadow.

10. A synonym is a word that’s

A. pronounced the same.
B. opposite in meaning.
C. defined in a thesaurus.
D. is similar in meaning.

11. Find the sentence with the active voice.

A. The bill was passed by the legislature.
B. The chairman told me that the legislature passed the bill.
C. It was voted by the legislature to pass.
D. I was told by the chairman that the bill was passed by the legislature.

12. An antonym is a word that’s

A. defined in a thesaurus.
B. the same in meaning.
C. pronounced the same.
D. opposite in meaning.

13. A cliche is a _______ expression.

A. worn-out
B. new
C. foreign
D. wordy

14. Which one of the following sentences is written in the active voice?

A. Accidents are considered by most people as unavoidable.
B. It is said that definite steps can be taken to prevent many accidents.
C. Accidents are witnessed every day.
D. Few people think seriously about doing something about accidents.

15. Anna is an exceptional young girl. _______ Anna does any job that needs to be done. To vary the sentence structure, which one of the following sentences should you insert in the blank?

A. Anna works hard every day of her life.
B. Anna is a hardworking and versatile person.
C. Have you noticed how hard she works?
D. Anna is always working hard at home.

16. Freewriting is an exercise in which you

A. rewrite an article in a magazine or newspaper.
B. write only grammatically correct sentences.
C. revise and polish an essay.
D. write whatever your thoughts are in no particular order.

17. When using direct quotations in your writing, which of the following should be placed outside the set of quotation marks?

A. Comma
B. Question mark
C. Period
D. Semicolon

18. Which of the following words is most likely to carry a connotation?

A. Run
B. Stand
C. Stride
D. Walk

19. When we speak of the flavor of a word, we’re talking about the extra understood meanings that it carries in addition to its main meaning. These extra meanings are called

A. connotations.
B. definitions.
C. denotations.
D. shadings.

20. Which sentence best describes clustering?

A. You write down words or ideas in chronological order.
B. You’re generating words that suggest possible themes for an essay.
C. You’re generating words that suggest possible sentences or paragraphs.
D. You write down words or ideas that occur to you in no particular order.

End of exam