《写作（二）》作业
I. Some of the questions that follow are true-false or multiple choice questions, and some require you to write short answers.
1. An important difference between writing and talking is that _____
a. writers make more points than speakers.
b. writers always use better English than speakers.
c. writers do not write about personal matters.
d. writers have to give reasons for their statements.
2. FILL-IN: The five prewriting techniques are 1) freewriting, 2) questioning,
3) making a ______________, 4) clustering, and 5) preparing a scratch outline.
3. Which of the following sentences is an announcement rather than a thesis statement?
a. Professional athletes are underworked and overpaid.
b. My cousin has centered his life around becoming a professional basketball player.
c. For several reasons, professional athletes today are a bad influence on young people.
d. The importance of professional athletes is the subject of this paper.
4. In emphatic order, the most interesting or important detail is placed _____
a. last. b. first. c. in the middle. d. in several places.
5. TRUE or FALSE: _____ You may have to choose another topic for your paper if there are not enough books and articles available for your research.
6. A research paper should be narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow. Which of the following topics would be most suited for a ten-page or so research paper?
a. Date rape b. Violence c. Rape d. Causes of date rape
7. In most writing, your general aim should be to first advance a point and then ________ that point.
8. When free writing, you should concern yourself with _____
a. spelling.
b. punctuation.
c. constantly writing.
d. finding the exact words to say what you mean.
9. TRUE or FALSE: _____ Formulating your thesis at the beginning will help you stick to the topic of your essay.
10. FILL-IN: Two common methods of organizing the supporting material in an essay are emphatic order and ___________ order.
11. When writing a scratch outline for your paper, include your thesis and _____
a. your notes. c. areas of support for the thesis.
b. your sources. d. all of the above.
12. Notes for your research paper may be in the form of _____
a. direct quotations. c. paraphrasing.
b. summaries. d. all of the above.
13. TRUE or FALSE: _____ The introductory paragraph of an essay should always begin by stating the point the essay will prove.
14. In questioning, you generate ideas about a topic by _____
a. asking as many questions as you can think of.
b. reading.
c. writing for ten minutes or so without stopping.
d. drawing boxes, arrows and circles to show relationships between ideas.
15. One way to make sure that your essay will have enough support is to start with _____
a. a thesis statement. c. an introduction.
b. an informal outline. d. all of the above.
16. Which of the following is an addition signal?
a. but b. such as c. therefore d. also
17. FILL-IN: Two common purposes of papers are 1) to make and defend a ___________ and 2) to present information on a subject.
18. A scratch outline for a research paper should be written _____
a. before note-taking c. before limiting your topic.
b. before gathering information. d. after documenting your sources.
19. The plan of development in an essay is _____
a. the structure of a body paragraph.
b. the same as a thesis statement.
c. a preview of the major points that support the essay.
d. always part of an introductory paragraph.
20. Another name for clustering is _____
a. brainstorming. c. outlining.
b. freewriting. d. diagramming.
21. FILL-IN: The first step in essay writing is deciding what ____________ you want to make.
22. Which of the following is a change-of-direction signal?
a. another c. on the other hand
b. before d. once
23. According to the Modern Language Association’s style, the first citation for a source in a paper must be _____
a. at the bottom of the page.
b. within the text of the paper.
c. at the end of the paper.
d. omitted.
24. TRUE or FALSE: _____ The “Works Cited” at the end of a paper must include all the sources actually used plus any other sources the writer has read.

II. Combine each of the following groups of simple sentences into one longer sentence, using the strategy indicated.

1. Special Opening Words and Phrases
   Elias walked out of the theater. He was shocked by the movie’s violence.
2. Series of adjectives
   An odor filled the house.
   The odor was damp.
   The odor was musty.
   The house was cold.
   The house was creepy.
3. Special Opening Words and Phrases
   The new receptionist was timid. She answered the office phone for the first time.
4. Series of adjectives
   Hakim snarled at his computer.
   Hakim was impatient.
   Hakim was angry.
   The computer was ancient.
   The computer was slow.
5. Special Opening Words and Phrases
   The cat was curled up in a sunny spot on the windowsill. It paid no attention to the people passing by.
6. Series of verbs
   The runner stretched her legs.
   She rotated her shoulders.
   She talked quietly to herself.
7. Special Opening Words and Phrases
   Lilian was nauseated and feverish. She could not face the idea of making dinner for her children.
8. Series of verbs
   The termites swarmed over the woodpile.
   They burrowed under the loose bark of the logs.
   They began to feast.

III. Writing an effective thesis statement for the following supporting points.
a. All the resorts, from beaches to mountains to amusement parks, charge top dollar at this time.
b. The heat and humidity during the summer months make traveling extremely uncomfortable.
c. Highways, campsites, and motels are jammed with other vacationers.
Thesis _______________________________________

a. Daydreaming allows us to exercise our imaginations.
b. Time spent daydreaming can aid relaxation and help eliminate stress.
c. Often, solutions to difficult problems pop into the mind while a person daydreams.
Thesis _________________________________________

	a.	Cutting down on salt will reduce water retention and that bloated feeling. 
	b.	Salt reduction may also help hypertension. 
	c.	Without salt, the natural flavors of food come through.

Thesis ______________________________________

a.	A word processor can reduce clutter by storing material on magnetic disks. 
	b.	Using a word processor eliminates many kinds of common typing errors. 
	c.	Unlike typewriters, word processors permit rapid editing of material.

Thesis __________________________________

IV. The supporting paragraphs in the essay below contain four irrelevant sentences that do not relate to the thesis of the paper or support the topic sentences of the paragraph in which they appear. Read the essay carefully; then write the numbers of the four irrelevant sentences in the spaces provided at the bottom.
The Dangers of Housecleaning
1Many of the dangers of modern life are not out on the highway or in the workplace. 2Instead, dangers lurk where they are least unexpected: at home. 3I don’t mean the dangers of faulty wiring, cheap ladders, or leaking microwaves. 4No, I’ve found that trying to keep a clean house can be very hazardous to my health.
5For one thing, it does not pay to keep a clean kitchen. 6The oven, for instance, fights back. 7Whenever I stick my head into the oven’s greasy interior to spray it with Easy-Off, I end up being choked by a chemical cloud. 8I am glad I don’t live in the city, where I would have to put up with air pollution as well. 9When I scrub off the foam, I always break off my nails on the black, rock-hard globs cemented to the oven door. 10Cleaning the refrigerator can be dangerous, too. 11As I lean down to wipe out the vegetable drawer, the open freezer lies in wait. 12It knows I must straighten up again, and that I will inevitably bang my head on the freezer door. 13Garbage bags also resist tidiness. 14When I pull a bag out of the kitchen can, seams split and liquid seeps out onto my shoes. 15A jagged can lid slices through the bag, ready to slash my legs if I should bump the bag. 16The only bags that don’t rip open, it seems, are the ones that cost a fortune to buy.
17The living room becomes another danger zone when I attempt to clean. 18The light fixtures on the ceiling, for example, resent being taken down for cleaning. 19They refuse to come loose from the screws that anchor them; then they drop like rocks to the floor. 20Moving furniture to vacuum the rug underneath causes trouble, too. 21If I drag a heavy armchair across the rug, one of its legs will snap off. 22If I try to lift one side of the heavy sofa, the vacuum cord will wrap around my ankle and trip me. 23Moving furniture in general is a lot easier to do when you have someone to help you.
24Finally, the most dangerous room to clean is the bathroom. 25The bathtub will seek revenge if I try to clean it, for instance. 26It will become so slippery that even a rubber bathmat won’t stay put. 27My particular bathtub has such a curved bottom anyway that it is a hazard to stand in whether it is clean or not. 28Taking a shower in my clean tub can end up in a disastrous slip. 29The bathroom floor, too, enjoys a layer of dirt. 30A clean, waxed floor will attract any stray drops of water in the room in order to turn itself into a slippery skating rink. 31A job that always leads to danger is cleaning out the medicine cabinet over the sink. 32No matter how careful I am, glass bottles have a way of spilling from the shelves and shattering in the sink. 33And finding all the missing slivers is impossible no matter how well I clean up. 34Later, as I pad into the bathroom, a glass splinter will dig itself into my foot.
35After the experiences I have had in my house, I have decided that keeping a clean house is not as important as I thought. 36I would rather live with the dust and grime—and stay healthy.
Numbers of the four irrelevant sentences: _____ _____ _____ _____
Leaving Home
1Everyone must leave the protection of the nest sooner or later. 2Whether young adults leave for college or rent a first apartment, they are certain to encounter problems during this transitional period. 3Young people on their own must learn to handle their own finances, take responsibility for their lives, and cope with loneliness.
4Being independent means dealing with money problems. 5First of all, a young person has to learn to stick to a budget. 6Another part of becoming a financial grown-up is being disciplined enough to save money for emergencies. 7Putting money aside, instead of spending it instantly, takes maturity and planning. 8But a rainy-day fund in the bank can take the panic out of unexpected expenses that may occur. young person must also work at building a good credit record. 10Without good credit, buying a car or a piece of furniture becomes nearly impossible. 11And the price of missing loan payments is high; bad credit references can haunt people for years.
12Second, young adults are faced with taking responsibility for many aspects of their personal lives—perhaps for the first time. 13They must learn to meet daily obligations, without being prodded by parents or teachers. 14Young people must also take responsibility for household chores. 15Suddenly, there is no one to wash dishes, make beds, clean toilets, or do the laundry for them. 16Putting off the chores becomes very inconvenient after a while; there are no clean clothes, and dishes have to be scraped off and reused. 17The realization that there’s no one else to do the chores can sometimes be a shock. third important responsibility young people confront is learning to look after their own health.
19Finally, young adults must learn to cope with loneliness. 20The everyday kind of loneliness can be very painful. 21Coming home to an empty apartment, with only a television for company, may give someone an empty, aching feeling. 22But a young person can feel lonely surrounded by other people, too. 23Sometimes, a campus filled with students or a dorm room with two other roommates in it can be a lonely place. 24There is another kind of loneliness, even sharper, that young people must live with: spending certain special days alone.
25Leaving home is a major transition in life. 26Losing touch with familiar faces and settings, even temporarily, can be very difficult. 27However, all the problems young adults face are necessary ones. 28Learning to fly means taking risks and acquiring new skills.
Complete the following: The spots in the first supporting paragraphs where more details are needed occur after sentences number _____ and _____; the spots in the second supporting paragraph where more details are needed occur after sentences number _____ and _____; the spot in the third supporting paragraph where more details are needed occurs after sentence number _____.
Labeling Animals
a In some ways, the human race seems to be in its childhood. Our attitude toward animals, for example, makes us seem like a seven-year-old pulling the wings off flies. Instead of respecting all animals as important parts of the chain of life, we rate them according to how useful they are to us. We consider animals to be either products, toys, or monsters.
b There are the products. These are the animals, such as cattle, pigs, and sheep, that provide much of our food. For this reason, we think of them less as living creatures than as growing crops. We fatten them up, herd them into slaughterhouses, and carve them into edible portions. These animals are useful to us, so we have generally positive feelings about them. Our actions show that we are not actually fond of them. We are willing to lock baby calves into dark boxes for months and then kill them for veal, or cram thousands of chickens into tiny pens and allow them to live for only six weeks. Increased production, not humane treatment, is the bottom line.
c Perhaps the most harmful label we pin on animals, though, is that of monster. We have no use at all for these creatures. We are all taught from birth that sharks, snakes, bats, and alligators, for instance, are evil and dangerous. The facts about these animals make no difference to our emotions. The fact that being attacked by a shark is less likely than being struck by lightning does not stop us from holding shark-killing contests. The fact that a snake is harmless does not stop us from crushing it. Very few of us will ever be mauled by a grizzly or bobcat or torn apart by wolves, yet we are willing to see these animals exterminated.
d We also label some animals as toys. These are the lucky ones, the puppies, kittens, pandas, koala bears, bunnies, and porpoises we consider cute. Toys make us feel sentimental and protective. We are willing to devote five minutes on the evening news to a baby panda, we stock our children’s room with stuffed bunnies, and we make movies about friendly, funny porpoises. We would not think of holding puppy-shoots or koala-killing contests. Toy-like animals may occasionally be neglected or abused by individual owners, but we would never allow them to be destroyed on a wholesale basis.
e Labeling animals is not a harmless little quirk we humans have. This practice has dulled our respect for other living beings and even led to the destruction of entire species. We dominate the animals, but we have forgotten to be their caretakers.
1. What are the first several words of the sentence to which the transition word First could be added in the first supporting paragraph? _______________
2. What are the first several words of the sentence to which the transition word However could be added in the first supporting paragraph? ____________
3. What word is a synonym for animals in the second supporting paragraph? ______________
4. To what does the pronoun them refer in the third supporting paragraph? _______________
5. The emphatic order of the three supporting paragraphs is confused. Which supporting paragraph should come first? _____ Second? _____ Third? _____

In this activity, you will evaluate an essay in terms of the four bases of unity, support, coherence, and sentence skills. Evaluative comments follow each supporting paragraph in the essay below. Circle the letter of the one statement that applies in each case

Rock Concert Fans
If you see rock-concert audiences only on television or in newspaper photos, the people at these events may all seem to be excited teenagers. However, if you attended a few rock shows, you would see that several kinds of people make up the crowd. At any concert, you would find the typical fan, the out-of-place person, and the troublemaker.
Typical fans, first of all, are the people you would expect to see at a particular kind of concert, these fans will vary according to the group that is playing. If the attraction is a loud, heavy-metal band, for instance. Typical fans will have long hair, drink lots of beer, and leave on motorcycles. A new-wave group, in contrast, will attract the people who copy the band’s short hair styles, fifties-style shades, and neon-colored clothes. At a concert featuring a soft-rock sound, fans will be clean-cut, calm, and conservatively dressed in pressed pants and knit polo shirts.
a. The paragraph contains an irrelevant sentence.
b. The paragraph lacks key supporting details at one spot.
c. The paragraph lacks transitional words.
d. The paragraph contains a fragment and a run-on.
Looking around the arena, the concert-goer will quickly spot another category of people: the ones who look out of place. This group includes uncomfortable-looking parents who insisted on coming along with their thirteen-year-olds. Parents usually appear stunned by the noise level of the band, and they check their watches every few minutes. Parents will also drag their child away before any encores so that they can get out of the parking lot quickly. Out-of-place people might include, too, the Barry Manilow fan trapped on a date with a Van Halen heavy-metal freak. This fan can be seen stuffing rolled-up Kleenex into his or her ears to block out at least some of the sound. The loud guitars and rebellious attitude of heavy-metal bands mean that these concerts usually attract the rowdiest crowds, as security guards will attest.
a. The paragraph contains an irrelevant sentence.
b. The paragraph lacks key supporting details at one spot.
c. The paragraph lacks transitional words.
d. The paragraph contains a fragment and a run-on.
The third type of person at a large rock concert is the troublemaker. This is usually a male who has decided that the concert is a place where law and order do not exist. People like this will, for example, bring all kinds of forbidden items into the arena or stadium. Troublemakers also ignore basic concert manners. They will try to sit in seats that have been assigned to other people, or they will stand directly in front of a row of people who are trying to see the stage. Finally, troublemakers seem to feel that a rock concert is not worthwhile without at least one fistfight. They may scuffle with a police officer who is guarding the stage, an usher who is trying to remove them from already-taken seats, or innocent bystanders who are waiting in line at the refreshment stand.
a. The paragraph contains an irrelevant sentence.
b. The paragraph lacks key supporting details at one spot.
c. The paragraph lacks transitional words.
d. The paragraph contains a fragment and a run-on.
A rock concert brings together a wide variety of people to see a show. Some attend to see their idols, others are there to guard their children, and a few want to raise a little hell. This combination of people is sometimes more intriguing than the singer prancing around up on the stage.

First supporting paragraph: _____
Irrelevant sentence: _______________________________________, or
Sentence after which support is needed: ________________________, or
The transitional words are ___________________________________, or
Fragment: ________________________________________________, or
Run-on: __________________________________________________

Second supporting paragraph: _____
Irrelevant sentence: _________________________________________, or
Sentence after which support is needed: _________________________, or
The transitional words are ____________________________________, or
Fragment: _________________________________________________, or
Run-on: ___________________________________________________

Third supporting paragraph: _____
Irrelevant sentence: __________________________________________, or
Sentence after which support is needed: __________________________, or
The transitional words are _____________________________________, or
Fragment: __________________________________________________, or
Run-on: _____________________________________________________

V. The box below lists six common kinds of introductions and three common kinds of conclusions. Read the set of introductory and concluding paragraphs that follow. Then, in the space provided, write the number of the kind of introduction or conclusion used in each case.

Introductions Conclusions

1. General to narrow 1. Summary and final thought
2. Starting with an opposite 2. Question(s)
3. Stating importance of topic 3. Prediction or recommendation
4. Incident or story
5. Question(s)
6. Quotation
   ______ Some of my most successful friends cannot balance a budget. I know an assistant manager in a bank who can’t keep track of how much money is in his own checking account. My sister-in-law, a registered nurse, depends on overdrawn notices from the bank to let her know when she runs out of funds. These are both intelligent individuals, but managing their own finances causes them to sing the blues. Although I am not a whiz at math, I keep my budget in harmony by following a few simple hints. . . .
   ______ So, by keeping my financial records organized in one place, by keeping track of my income and expenses in a simple ledger book, and by keeping my check stubs filled out each time I write a check or make a deposit, I find that balancing my budget can be painless. And knowing how much money I have left at the end of the month makes life a lot easier.

Introductions Conclusions

1. General to narrow 1. Summary and final thought
2. Starting with an opposite 2. Question(s)
3. Stating importance of topic 3. Prediction or recommendation
4. Incident or story
5. Question(s)
6. Quotation

______ Some of my most successful friends cannot balance a budget. I know an assistant manager in a bank who can’t keep track of how much money is in his own checking account. My sister-in-law, a registered nurse, depends on overdrawn notices from the bank to let her know when she runs out of funds. These are both intelligent individuals, but managing their own finances causes them to sing the blues. Although I am not a whiz at math, I keep my budget in harmony by following a few simple hints. . . .
______ So, by keeping my financial records organized in one place, by keeping track of my income and expenses in a simple ledger book, and by keeping my check stubs filled out each time I write a check or make a deposit, I find that balancing my budget can be painless. And knowing how much money I have left at the end of the month makes life a lot easier.

Introductions Conclusions

1. General to narrow 1. Summary and final thought
2. Starting with an opposite 2. Question(s)
3. Stating importance of topic 3. Prediction or recommendation
4. Incident or story
5. Question(s)
6. Quotation

______ Crime is increasing, pollution threatens our planet, and widespread poverty lowers the quality of human life. Surely these are enormous problems that have little to do with fuzzy thinking or imprecise language. George Orwell, however, believes that language does influence events; in his essay, “Politics and the English Language,” he argues that the misuse of language obscures clear thinking. This distorted thinking, in turn, allows political corruption to flourish. If Orwell were to update his essay to our own time, he would see that the state of the English language has declined even further. . . .
______ The use of vague and dishonest language is dangerous. Language is filled with meaning, and its continued abuse and manipulation could have frightening consequences. We are more likely to follow leaders who talk about “nuclear deterrence” or “concentration camps” than ones who speak openly of war or genocide. The misuse of language could literally kill us.

Introductions Conclusions

1. General to narrow 1. Summary and final thought
2. Starting with an opposite 2. Question(s)
3. Stating importance of topic 3. Prediction or recommendation
4. Incident or story
5. Question(s)
6. Quotation
   ______ Crime is increasing, pollution threatens our planet, and widespread poverty lowers the quality of human life. Surely these are enormous problems that have little to do with fuzzy thinking or imprecise language. George Orwell, however, believes that language does influence events; in his essay, “Politics and the English Language,” he argues that the misuse of language obscures clear thinking. This distorted thinking, in turn, allows political corruption to flourish. If Orwell were to update his essay to our own time, he would see that the state of the English language has declined even further. . . .
   ______ The use of vague and dishonest language is dangerous. Language is filled with meaning, and its continued abuse and manipulation could have frightening consequences. We are more likely to follow leaders who talk about “nuclear deterrence” or “concentration camps” than ones who speak openly of war or genocide. The misuse of language could literally kill us.

VI. Write a five-paragraph essay of about 500 words on the following topic. Your paper should have a one-paragraph introduction that engages the reader’s interest and presents the thesis statement to be developed in your essay; three supporting paragraphs, each with a topic sentence; and a short concluding paragraph consisting of a summary and a final thought.

1. As you look around you, you probably see some people who seem to have gotten all the breaks and others who have gotten no breaks at all. Do you think life has treated you fairly or unfairly? Have you gotten mostly lucky breaks or unlucky breaks? Provide detailed examples that show why you are one kind of person or the other.

2. All of us have fears—and those fears can have a real influence on our everyday behavior. Some people, for example, are afraid of numbers; as a result, they postpone taking a required math course in school or they automatically freeze up whenever they have a math quiz. Think about three of your greatest fears. Then write an essay in which you provide examples of those fears and show how they affect your daily life.

3. Everyone has certain valued material possessions in their lives—items that carry special meanings or provide special pleasures. Such an item might be, for example, a car, a VCR, a personal computer, a ring, an article of clothing, a pen, or a photograph; it might be an expensive item or it might have cost very little. Write an essay in which you develop three reasons why a certain material item is especially valuable or important to you.

4. Many students have trouble with their college studies because they don’t like to read. On the other hand, students who have formed a love of reading can usually handle college assignments very well. Are you a reader? Do you enjoy nothing more than sitting down with a newspaper, magazine, or book? Or do you usually read only when you have to—for a college or work assignment? Think carefully about the reasons why you do or don’t enjoy reading. Then write an essay that fully explains three of the most important reasons why you feel the way you do.