Deck 3: Description

Question 1

If a word or phrase is specific, it is ____.

A) exact and precise
B) fuzzy
C) vague
D) general

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In description, writers use specific words and phrases because ____.

A) doing so helps the reader see what is being described
B) doing so helps the reader understand why something happened
C) they prefer to be vague and let readers use their imaginations
D) they want to avoid creating a dominant impression

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following would not be a good specific word to describe the general term building?

A) castle
B) hut
C) structure
D) mansion

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Description shows a reader ____.

A) how a process is completed
B) what a person, place, thing, or situation is like
C) what category something is grouped under
D) what caused something to happen

Question 5

The main point of a description is the _____.

A) dominant impression
B) sense word
C) spatial position
D) time sequence

Question 6

_____ means to organize descriptions from first to last.

A) Spatial position
B) Time sequence
C) Similar types
D) Sensory relation

Question 7

When a writer asks "What type?" or "How?" about a general word, he or she can come up
With a _____.

A) sense detail
B) dominant impression
C) more specific word
D) logical order

Question 8

If your descriptive paragraph on an amusement park talks all about the rides, then all about the food, then all about the souvenir shops, then you are using a _____ order.

A) spatial position
B) time sequence
C) similar types
D) sensory relation

Question 9

Which of the following is not a type of sense detail?

A) colors
B) texture
C) odors
D) causes

Question 10

Which of the following is not an effective detail to explain and support this dominant impression: The professor seemed friendly.

A) She made eye contact with students and smiled as they walked in.
B) She chatted with students individually before and after class.
C) She began the first class meeting by sharing a few personal details about herself.
D) She carried a canvas bag stuffed with books and papers.

Question 11

Which of the following is not an effective transition for a description paragraph?

A) in contrast
B) nearby
C) for this reason
D) beneath

Question 12

Which of the following is not an effective transition for a description paragraph?

A) consequently
B) also
C) similarly
D) next to

Question 13

When writing a description, you should ____ and not tell.

A) explain
B) persuade
C) analyze
D) show

Question 14

Which of the following is not a simple, logical order for a description paragraph?

A) time sequence
B) coherence
C) similar types
D) spatial position

Question 15

In a descriptive paragraph, express the _____ in the topic sentence.

A) brainstorming
B) prewriting
C) time sequence
D) dominant impression

Question 16

Place an X beside the general term in each list of words.
-____ baseball cards
____ collector's items
____ stamps
____ coins
____ dolls

Question 17

Place an X beside the general term in each list of words.
-____ kitchen
____ nursery
____ rooms
____ bedroom
____ den

Question 18

List three specific words for each general term.
-general word: flower

Question 19

List three specific words for each general term.
-general word: athlete

Question 20

Create a dominant impression from the list of details.
-Dominant impression:
a) Baby toys were scattered on the living room floor.
b) The distinctive smell of a diaper pail filled the air.
c) Used bottles cluttered the sink.
d) A large playpen was erected in the center of the room.

Question 21

Place an X beside details that do not fit the dominant impression.
-Dominant impression: The daycare center was the model of inefficiency.
____ Unsupervised children ran from one room to another.
____ The lock on the gate was broken.
____ Two infants slept in their cribs.
____ Only one smoke detector was in working order.
____ Medical records were not updated.
____ A baby was crying.

Question 22

Create three details for the dominant impression.
-Dominant impression: The student giving the speech was quite nervous.

Question 23

Write a description.
-Sit quietly and observe your surroundings for a half hour in a natural or outdoor setting, and write a description in your journal of what takes place. Incorporate as many sensory details as possible. Look over your journal entry and write a topic sentence for it that contains a dominant impression that you could use as a basis for transforming the journal entry into a description paragraph.

Question 24

Write a description.
-Make up a description of a room, or describe an actual room, using the following dominant impression as your topic sentence: "The room looked as though it belonged to a person who valued family life."