ACCESS Writing Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses a possessive apostrophe?
- The dog's bone is buried. (Correct answer)
- The dogs bone is buried.
- The dog's bone's are buried.
- The dogs' bone is buried.
Correct answer: The dog's bone is buried.
A singular possessive is formed by adding 's to the noun, as in 'dog's.'
Question 2: A student writes a persuasive essay. Which element is most important to include?
- A list of vocabulary words
- Evidence and reasons to support the argument (Correct answer)
- A summary of a story
- Directions for completing a task
Correct answer: Evidence and reasons to support the argument
Persuasive essays require evidence and reasoning to convince the reader of a position.
Question 3: Which revision makes this sentence clearer? 'It was very big and it went fast.'
- The enormous cheetah sprinted across the savanna. (Correct answer)
- It was very, very big and it went fast.
- The thing was big and fast.
- Big and fast it was.
Correct answer: The enormous cheetah sprinted across the savanna.
Using specific nouns and strong verbs makes writing clearer and more vivid than vague words like 'it' and 'very.'
Question 4: What does 'audience' mean in the context of writing?
- The topic of the essay
- The people who will read the writing (Correct answer)
- The number of paragraphs
- The main argument
Correct answer: The people who will read the writing
Audience refers to the intended readers of a piece of writing, which should influence word choice and tone.
Question 5: Which sentence shows correct use of a compound sentence?
- Because she was tired.
- She was tired, but she finished her homework. (Correct answer)
- She finished her homework tired.
- Tired and finishing homework.
Correct answer: She was tired, but she finished her homework.
A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction like 'but.'
Question 6: A student is writing a narrative essay. Which detail best develops the story?
- There are many types of weather.
- The dictionary defines 'storm' as a disturbance.
- Thunder cracked overhead as Maria ran toward the shelter. (Correct answer)
- Storms can be dangerous for people.
Correct answer: Thunder cracked overhead as Maria ran toward the shelter.
Vivid sensory details and specific actions make narrative writing engaging and bring scenes to life.
Question 7: Which sentence has a capitalization error?
- We visited the Grand Canyon last summer.
- My favorite month is july. (Correct answer)
- She speaks Spanish and English.
- Dr. Rivera teaches biology.
Correct answer: My favorite month is july.
Names of months are proper nouns and must always be capitalized; 'july' should be 'July.'
ACCESS Writing Skills 3
Which sentence correctly uses a possessive apostrophe?