AA English Composition and Writing 5

Question 1

Which writing mode is primarily used when a writer describes a process step by step?

Accepted Answer

Process analysis

Answer

Process analysis explains how something works or how to do something by breaking it into sequential steps.

Question 2

A writer argues that a politician's proposal must be wrong because the politician was once arrested. This is an example of which logical fallacy?

Accepted Answer

Ad hominem

Answer

Ad hominem attacks the person making an argument rather than the argument itself, which is a logical fallacy.

Question 3

What is the purpose of hedging language (e.g., 'may,' 'suggests,' 'appears to') in academic writing?

Accepted Answer

To acknowledge uncertainty and avoid overstating claims

Answer

Hedging language signals appropriate epistemic humility, acknowledging the limits of evidence without abandoning the argument.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a primary source in a literary analysis essay?

Accepted Answer

The novel itself

Answer

In literary analysis, the literary work being analyzed is the primary source; criticism and commentary about it are secondary sources.

Question 5

When writing in second person ('you'), the most significant risk in academic essays is:

Accepted Answer

Creating ambiguity about who 'you' refers to and losing formality

Answer

Second-person address can be vague about who 'you' means and typically undermines the formal, impersonal tone expected in academic writing.

AA - Associate of Arts Practice Test