Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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Identifying Characteristics of Expository Essays
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1.
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When writing
instructions, you should a. | arrange the steps from least to most
difficult. | b. | arrange the steps clearly through each stage of the
process. | c. | assume that your audience knows the basic
steps. | | |
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2.
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Your
conclusions are faulty in a cause-and-effect essay if a. | you include secondary
effects. | b. | you include only short-term effects. | c. | you distinguish between
long-term and short-term effects. | | |
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3.
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An analogy
helps clarify a complex idea by a. | presenting several definitions of the idea. | b. | comparing the idea with
a simpler one. | c. | breaking down the idea into smaller pieces. | | |
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4.
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The
least effective visual for an essay about the importance of wearing a seat belt while driving
would be a. | a graph showing the
number of lives saved by seat belts during the last ten years. | b. | a map showing which
states require drivers to wear seat belts. | c. | a chart comparing the number of injuries to passengers wearing seat
belts with the number of injuries to passengers not wearing seat belts. | | |
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5.
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Analysis
occurs any time you a. | look at and interpret a subject. | b. | gather comprehensive
statistical information. | c. | answer a question. | | |
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6.
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When writing
a business letter, you should never a. | complain about a product. | b. | explain your views on a
subject. | c. | be discourteous or rude. | | |
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7.
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A Venn
diagram would be most useful when a. | comparing and contrasting different points of
view. | b. | organizing the steps of a process. | c. | identifying
cause-and-effect relationships. | | |
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8.
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When
comparing and contrasting different biographies of the same person, one of your first tasks should be
to a. | note similarities and
differences. | b. | propose a solution to the problem. | c. | look for causes and
effects. | | |
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Analyzing
Text
Read the passage below, in which a character named Carol explores
the main street of a small midwestern town for the first time. Then answer the questions that
follow.
Main Street with its two-story brick
shops, its story-and-a-half wooden residences, its muddy expanse from concrete walk to walk, its
huddle of Fords and lumber-wagons, was too small to absorb her. The broad, straight, unenticing
gashes of the streets let in the grasping prairie on every side. She realized the vastness and the
emptiness of the land. The skeleton iron windmill on the farm a few blocks away, at the north
end of Main Street, was like the ribs of a dead cow. She thought of the coming of the Northern
winter, when the unprotected houses would crouch together in terror of storms galloping out of that
wild waste. They were so small and weak, the little brown houses. They were shelters for
sparrows, not homes for warm laughing people.
—Sinclair Lewis, Main Street
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9.
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If you were
asked to analyze this passage, which perspective would you think was the least
appropriate? a. | plot and
suspense | b. | character analysis | c. | imagery | | |
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10.
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To analyze
the character’s feelings about the town, which phrases would you cite? a. | “two-story brick
shops” and “wooden residences” | b. | “huddle of
Fords” and “skeleton iron windmill” | c. | “concrete
walk” and “little brown houses” | | |
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11.
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Which of the
following is NOT a good choice of thesis statement for an analysis of the
passage? a. | Carol sees the town as
frail and at the mercy of the elements. | b. | Carol sees the town as a haven from the dangerous
prairie. | c. | Sinclair Lewis uses the imagery of huddled, frightened creatures to
emphasize the precarious existence of the prairie town. | | |
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12.
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What
question about Carol might help you analyze this passage? a. | Where does Carol come
from? | b. | How old is Carol? | c. | What does Carol look
like? | | |
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Matching
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Identifying Kinds of Expository Writing
Select the
letter of the kind of writing most appropriate for each of the purposes below. a. | explaining a
process | b. | showing cause and effect | c. | dividing and
classifying | d. | defining | e. | comparing and contrasting | | |
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13.
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to explain
how consumer spending affects the economy
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14.
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to group
plants of the Amazon rain forest
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15.
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to explain
how to set up a video camera
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16.
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to show how
an editor’s job differs from a writer’s job
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17.
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to explain
the meaning of communism
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18.
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to show how
one biographical account is like another
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19.
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to discuss
the events leading to the fall of the Roman Empire
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20.
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to
characterize music in the United States
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