Question 1

Instructions: Select the letter of the answer that arranges the ideas that develop each topic sentence below in their order of importance. Begin with the most important (or largest, most severe, most surprising) and continue to the least important. Louis Pasteur is revered as a great scientist for his three major discoveries. ____ Almost as important was Pasteur s development of pasteurization, the process that keeps beverages from spoiling, after he realized that tiny living beings, not chemical reactions, were spoiling beverages like milk, wine, vinegar, and beer. ____ Most important, after this Frenchman discovered that weakened forms of a disease could help a person or animal build up immunity to that disease, he created vaccines that have saved millions of lives. ____ Finally, Pasteur found ways to stop a silkworm disease that threatened to ruin France s profitable silk industry.
A) 2, 1, 3
B) 3, 2, 1
C) 1, 3, 2

Accepted Answer

The correct order starts with Pasteur's discovery related to vaccines as the most important, followed by the development of pasteurization, and finally his work on silkworm disease.

Question 2

Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed by supporting details. Select the letter of the answer that arranges each group of details according to space order. Describe a person. ____ intense brown eyes ____ narrow hips ____ broad shoulders ____ two-inch scar on right cheek ____ big feet ____ rumpled sandy-colored hair
A) 2, 5, 4, 3, 6, 1
B) 3, 2, 5, 4, 1, 6
C) 6, 3, 1, 5, 3, 2

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed...

Question 3

Instructions: In each pair of sentences below, carefully determine the exact relationship between the sentences. Then select the transitional expression that clearly expresses this relationship. One symptom of the flu is a high fever. ____, the disease causes chills, body aches, coughing, and fatigue.
A) Thus
B) In contrast
C) In addition

Accepted Answer

The transitional expression "in addition" indicates that the second sentence is adding to the information provided in the first sentence.

Question 4

Instructions: In each pair of sentences below, carefully determine the exact relationship between the sentences. Then select the transitional expression that clearly expresses this relationship. He posted his r sum on a job search web site. ____, he waited for employers to contact him for a job interview.
A) Then
B) Therefore
C) Similarly

Accepted Answer

The word "then" indicates that the second sentence is the next step that follows the first sentence. It implies a chronological order of events. "Therefore" would not work in this context as there is no cause and effect relationship between the two sentences. "Similarly" suggests that the second sentence is similar to the first, which does not accurately convey the relationship between the sentences.

Question 5

Instructions: Select the letter of the answer that arranges the ideas that develop each of the topic sentences below in their order of importance. Begin with the most important (or largest, most severe, most surprising) and continue to the least important. For three reasons, motorists should not exceed the posted speed limit. ____ At highway speeds, driving too fast can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent, resulting in higher gasoline bills. ____ People who drive the speed limit are less likely to cause or be involved in traffic accidents that injure and kill. ____ Driving the speed limit will eliminate the worry of getting a speeding ticket and having to pay hundreds of dollars in fines and court costs.
A) 1, 3, 2
B) 3, 1, 2
C) 3, 2, 1

Accepted Answer

The most important reason is avoiding traffic accidents and injuries, making option 3 the first one. The second most important reason is saving money on gas, making option 1 the second one. Lastly, the least important reason is avoiding speeding tickets and fines, making option 2 the last one.

Question 6

Instructions: For the following question(s), select the letter of the answer that arranges each set of sentences in logical time order. The first sentence is the topic sentence in each set. Long before the English permanently colonized Virginia in 1607, both the French and Spanish had set up colonies in the New World. ____ The first permanent Spanish settlement was finally established in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565, forty-two years before the English arrived in Jamestown. ____ Long before Jamestown, in 1526, the Spanish created, in what is now Georgia, the colony of San Miguel de Guadalupe. ____ The French colonized Fort Caroline, near present-day Jacksonville, Florida, in 1564, but it was destroyed by the Spanish a year later. ____ In 1562, the French established a colony at Port Royal, in what is now South Carolina.
A) 1, 2, 3, 4
B) 2, 3, 1, 4
C) 4, 1, 3, 2

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: For the following question(s), select the...

Question 7

Instructions: For the following question(s), select the letter of the answer that arranges each set of sentences in logical time order. The first sentence is the topic sentence in each set. Ham the Chimp was the United States first higher primate astronaut. ____ His training complete, Ham was strapped into a capsule atop a Mercury rocket and launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, into outer space on January 31, 1961. ____ Following his successful flight, the astronaut chimp lived in zoos for 17 years until he died at age 27 and was buried at New Mexico s International Space Hall of Fame. ____ After spending a day in orbit proving that astronauts could indeed function in space, Ham splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean and was picked up by a rescue ship. ____ In December 1960, the chimpanzee was trained to perform simple tasks in response to lights and sounds.
A) 4, 3, 1, 2
B) 2, 4, 3, 1
C) 1, 2, 4, 3

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: For the following question(s), select the...

Question 8

Instructions: In each pair of sentences below, carefully determine the exact relationship between the sentences. Then select the transitional expression that clearly expresses this relationship. A blizzard hit the airport. ____, all flights were cancelled.
A) Nevertheless
B) Consequently
C) For example

Accepted Answer

The second sentence is the result of the first sentence, so the best transitional expression to use is "consequently."

Question 9

Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed by supporting details. Select the letter of the answer that arranges each group of details according to space order. Describe a science classroom. ____ rows of chairs and counters where students are writing ____ back wall of shelves with jars containing small animals, a human brain ____ on front counter, large plastic model of an eyeball ____ human skeleton hanging on a pole in front of the jars ____ professor in white lab coat explaining the parts of the eye
A) 3, 5, 1, 4, 2
B) 2, 1, 4, 5, 3
C) 4, 3, 5, 1, 2

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence (3, 5, 1, 4, 2) starts at the front of the classroom with the model of an eyeball, moves to the professor explaining the eye, then to the rows of chairs and counters where students are, then to the human skeleton in front of the jars, and finally to the back wall with shelves of jars, arranging the details from the front to the back of the classroom.

Question 10

Instructions: Select the letter of the answer that arranges the ideas that develop each of the topic sentences below in their order of importance. Begin with the most important (or largest, most severe, most surprising) and continue to the least important. On January 2, the Waltons returned to find that their home had been robbed. ____ The DVD player was gone. ____ A jar with about $20 in change was nowhere to be found. ____ A video game worth $40 had been taken. ____ Mrs. Walton s diamond ring was missing. ____ Two cans of noodle soup had been filched.
A) 5, 3, 1, 4, 2
B) 2, 4, 3, 1, 5
C) 3, 2, 1, 4, 5

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: Select the letter of the answer...

Question 11

Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed by supporting details. Select the letter of the answer that arranges each group of details according to space order. Describe a gift. ____ white rectangular box ____ big blue bow ____ flannel nightgown with Minnie Mouse design ____ white tissue paper, the innermost wrapping ____ flowered wrapping paper
A) 2, 5, 4, 1, 3
B) 3, 1, 5, 4, 2
C) 4, 2, 1, 5, 3

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed...

Question 12

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. When Lewis and Clark made their way through what is now North Dakota, the Shoshone Indian woman named Sacajawea joined the team of explorers. Because the expedition was traveling with a Native American, other tribes did not attack the group. In fact, one tribe even supplied horses to help the explorers and their interpreter cross the Rocky Mountains. This invaluable team member taught the men how to find medicine and food in the wilderness and once even saved the records of the journey when a canoe overturned during a storm. She reached the Pacific Ocean with Lewis and Clark in 1805. Her fame eventually spread; one of the best-known monuments to her is a statue in Portland, Oregon. Which of the following is a synonym used to refer to the subject of the paragraph?
A) this invaluable team member
B) the men
C) the wilderness

Accepted Answer

The paragraph is about the Shoshone Indian woman named Sacajawea, who joined Lewis and Clark's expedition and was an invaluable team member.

Question 13

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. When Lewis and Clark made their way through what is now North Dakota, the Shoshone Indian woman named Sacajawea joined the team of explorers. Because the expedition was traveling with a Native American, other tribes did not attack the group. In fact, one tribe even supplied horses to help the explorers and their interpreter cross the Rocky Mountains. This invaluable team member taught the men how to find medicine and food in the wilderness and once even saved the records of the journey when a canoe overturned during a storm. She reached the Pacific Ocean with Lewis and Clark in 1805. Her fame eventually spread; one of the best-known monuments to her is a statue in Portland, Oregon. Which of the following is a pronoun used to refer to the subject of the paragraph?
A) with
B) her
C) one

Accepted Answer

"Her" is a pronoun used to refer to the subject of the paragraph, which is Sacajawea.

Question 14

Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed by supporting details. Select the letter of the answer that arranges each group of details according to space order. Describe a skyscraper. ____ 150 hotel rooms take up the fifteenth through thirtieth floors ____ offices on floors 2-14 ____ on the ground floor, shops and restaurants ____ condominiums occupying the top eighteen floors ____ at the very top, rooftop penthouses
A) 1, 3, 4, 5, 2
B) 2, 4, 5, 3, 1
C) 3, 2, 1, 4, 5

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence starts from the ground floor and moves upwards, which is accurately represented in option C: shops and restaurants on the ground floor, offices on the next set of floors, hotel rooms above the offices, condominiums above the hotel rooms, and finally, penthouses at the very top.

Question 15

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. The cross is, of course, most often associated with Christianity. However, it was also used by the Assyrians to represent their sky god, Anu, and by the Chinese to represent the earth. The symbol appears in Egyptian paintings, too; gods are often shown holding the ankh, a cross topped with a loop, which symbolized immortality. When Hernan Cort s and his Spanish troops invaded Mexico in 1519, they found the cross in native temples there, but the image represented the gods Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl. The Celtic cross, which predates Christianity, symbolized fertility. Which of the following is a synonym used to refer to the subject of the paragraph?
A) the Chinese
B) the earth
C) the symbol

Accepted Answer

The paragraph discusses the history and various meanings of the symbol of the cross.

Question 16

Instructions: For the following question(s), select the letter of the answer that arranges each set of sentences in logical time order. The first sentence is the topic sentence in each set. The demolition of a building occurs in four main stages. ____ Based on the information they gather, the blasters then carefully plan what type of explosives to use, where to position them in the building, and how to time their detonation. ____ Finally, the team clears the area, begins a countdown, detonates the explosions, and watches as the building collapses in a cloud of dust in just a few seconds. ____ First, the demolition crew studies the building s architectural blueprints to find out exactly how the building is put together. ____ After the demolition team figures out how to set up the blast, it prepares the building by knocking out walls, weakening its support columns, and loading those columns with dynamite.
A) 1, 3, 4, 2
B) 4, 2, 3, 1
C) 2, 4, 1, 3

Accepted Answer

The logical order of the demolition process starts with studying the building's blueprints (3), planning the use and placement of explosives (1), preparing the building by weakening its structure (4), and finally detonating the explosives to collapse the building (2).

Question 17

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. When Lewis and Clark made their way through what is now North Dakota, the Shoshone Indian woman named Sacajawea joined the team of explorers. Because the expedition was traveling with a Native American, other tribes did not attack the group. In fact, one tribe even supplied horses to help the explorers and their interpreter cross the Rocky Mountains. This invaluable team member taught the men how to find medicine and food in the wilderness and once even saved the records of the journey when a canoe overturned during a storm. She reached the Pacific Ocean with Lewis and Clark in 1805. Her fame eventually spread; one of the best-known monuments to her is a statue in Portland, Oregon. Which of the following is a pronoun used to refer to the subject of the paragraph?
A) their
B) in
C) she

Accepted Answer

"She" refers to Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian woman who joined the team of explorers.

Question 18

Instructions: Select the letter of the answer that arranges the ideas that develop each topic sentence below in their order of importance. Begin with the most important (or largest, most severe, most surprising) and continue to the least important. According to financial experts, the ideal budget allots certain amounts of money for different types of expenses. ____ Taxes, including federal and state income taxes and property taxes, should amount to 25 percent or less of one s total income. ____ Living expenses, including the cost of electricity, food, clothing, and entertainment, should not exceed 26 percent of one s income. ____ Four percent of one s budget should go for insurance, including life, health, and auto insurance. ____ Housing (either rent or mortgage payments) plus other debts, including auto loans and credit-card payments, should not exceed 30 percent of income. ____ Everyone should set aside 15 percent of his or her income for saving or investing.
A) 4, 2, 1, 3, 5
B) 3, 2, 5, 1, 4
C) 1, 5, 2, 4, 3

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: Select the letter of the answer...

Question 19

Instructions: For the following question(s), select the letter of the answer that arranges each set of sentences in logical time order. The first sentence is the topic sentence in each set. Creating a blog, or personal online journal, is relatively easy. ____ Once your blog is created, post new material every day, but wait until you have posted a month s worth of entries before you begin telling people about it. ____ First of all, choose the type of blog you want to create by picking a focus, such as one of your areas of expertise or some type of current event that fascinates you. ____ After selecting a topic on which to focus, go to a simple blog creation site, such as Blogger.com, and follow the directions there to create your blog. ____ When you have a month s worth of postings, tell your friends to visit your site and begin leaving links to your blog at other blogs you enjoy reading.
A) 1, 4, 3, 2
B) 2, 3, 4, 1
C) 3, 1, 2, 4

Accepted Answer

The logical time order is as follows: first the topic of creating a blog is introduced (sentence 1), then the steps to actually create the blog are explained (sentence 3 followed by sentence 2), and finally, advice on when to start promoting the blog is given (sentence 4).

Question 20

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the letter of the correct response. When Lewis and Clark made their way through what is now North Dakota, the Shoshone Indian woman named Sacajawea joined the team of explorers. Because the expedition was traveling with a Native American, other tribes did not attack the group. In fact, one tribe even supplied horses to help the explorers and their interpreter cross the Rocky Mountains. This invaluable team member taught the men how to find medicine and food in the wilderness and once even saved the records of the journey when a canoe overturned during a storm. She reached the Pacific Ocean with Lewis and Clark in 1805. Her fame eventually spread; one of the best-known monuments to her is a statue in Portland, Oregon. Which of the following is a synonym used to refer to the subject of the paragraph?
A) the team of explorers
B) the expedition
C) a Native American

Accepted Answer

The subject of the paragraph is a Shoshone Indian woman who joined the team of explorers on the expedition. She is referred to as "a Native American" in the text.

Quiz 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: Each topic sentence below is followed by supporting details. Select the letter of the answer that arranges each group of details according to space order. Describe a person. intense brown eyes narrow hips broad shoulders two-inch scar on right cheek big feet rumpled sandy-colored hair

Instructions: In each pair of sentences below, carefully determine the exact relationship between the sentences. Then select the transitional expression that clearly expresses this relationship. A blizzard hit the airport. ____, all flights were cancelled.