Core Academic Skills Assessment Writing: Text Types and Purposes 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which revision BEST strengthens the following claim: 'Social media is bad for teens.'?
- Social media is really bad for teenagers today.
- Social media is harmful because teens spend time on it.
- Excessive social media use has been linked to increased anxiety and depression in adolescents. (Correct answer)
- Social media causes many problems for young people.
Correct answer: Excessive social media use has been linked to increased anxiety and depression in adolescents.
The strongest claim is specific, qualified, and supported by evidence rather than vague or circular.
Question 2: In argumentative writing, a counterargument is included primarily to:
- Confuse the reader
- Weaken the writer's position
- Acknowledge opposing views and refute them to strengthen the argument (Correct answer)
- Replace the writer's original claim
Correct answer: Acknowledge opposing views and refute them to strengthen the argument
Addressing counterarguments shows the writer has considered multiple perspectives and reinforces the credibility of the original claim.
Question 3: Which transition word BEST signals a cause-and-effect relationship?
- However
- Furthermore
- Consequently (Correct answer)
- For example
Correct answer: Consequently
'Consequently' indicates that one event results from another, making it the clearest cause-and-effect transition.
Question 4: A personal narrative essay differs from an autobiography primarily because it:
- Covers the writer's entire life
- Focuses on a single meaningful event or experience (Correct answer)
- Is written by someone other than the subject
- Uses third-person point of view
Correct answer: Focuses on a single meaningful event or experience
Personal narratives zoom in on one specific experience and its significance, while autobiographies span a broader timeline.
Question 5: Which element is ESSENTIAL in a well-written argumentative essay but NOT in a descriptive essay?
- Sensory language
- A thesis statement
- Evidence and reasoning to support a position (Correct answer)
- A clear introduction
Correct answer: Evidence and reasoning to support a position
Argumentative essays require logical evidence and reasoning to defend a debatable claim; descriptive essays focus on portraying a subject vividly.
Question 6: A student writing a compare-and-contrast essay should organize the essay using which structure?
- Narrative arc with rising action and climax
- Point-by-point or block structure (Correct answer)
- Chronological timeline of events
- Step-by-step instructional format
Correct answer: Point-by-point or block structure
Compare-and-contrast essays are typically organized point-by-point (alternating) or block-by-block (subject-by-subject) to clearly present similarities and differences.
Question 7: Which sentence contains an example of an appeal to emotion (pathos) in persuasive writing?
- Research shows that 90% of fires are caused by human error.
- Experts agree that fire safety training saves lives.
- Imagine watching your family trapped helpless as flames engulf your home—this is preventable. (Correct answer)
- Fire codes have been updated in 48 states since 2010.
Correct answer: Imagine watching your family trapped helpless as flames engulf your home—this is preventable.
Pathos appeals to the reader's emotions through vivid, emotionally charged scenarios rather than data or expert opinion.
Core Academic Skills Assessment Writing: Text Types and Purposes 3
Which revision BEST strengthens the following claim: 'Social media is bad for teens.'?