CPW Editing and Revision Techniques 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A writer discovers they have used three different terms—'client,' 'customer,' and 'consumer'—interchangeably throughout a business report. The best revision strategy is to:
- Keep all three to add stylistic variety
- Choose the most precise term and use it consistently throughout (Correct answer)
- Replace all three with a pronoun
- Add a glossary defining all three
Correct answer: Choose the most precise term and use it consistently throughout
Consistent terminology prevents reader confusion; interchangeable synonyms in technical or professional writing can imply unintended distinctions.
Question 2: Which technique helps a writer identify whether their paragraphs are unified?
- Counting the sentences in each paragraph
- Writing a one-sentence summary of each paragraph and checking it relates to the thesis (Correct answer)
- Bolding every topic sentence
- Removing all sentences that contain adjectives
Correct answer: Writing a one-sentence summary of each paragraph and checking it relates to the thesis
Summarizing each paragraph in one sentence quickly reveals whether the paragraph contains a single, coherent idea or has wandered off-topic.
Question 3: During revision, a writer finds the sentence: 'She is a person who loves writing.' The most concise revision is:
- 'She is someone who has a love of writing.'
- 'She loves writing.' (Correct answer)
- 'As a person, she loves writing.'
- 'Writing is something she loves.'
Correct answer: 'She loves writing.'
'She loves writing' eliminates the expletive construction 'is a person who' and delivers the same meaning in three words instead of seven.
Question 4: What is a 'stet' instruction in manuscript editing?
- A request to delete the marked text
- A direction to let the original text stand as written (Correct answer)
- A signal to move the text to a footnote
- An instruction to check the fact
Correct answer: A direction to let the original text stand as written
'Stet' is Latin for 'let it stand' and instructs the typesetter or editor to ignore a previously marked change.
Question 5: A document contains the sentence: 'Walking down the street, the buildings looked beautiful.' What error should a revising writer correct?
- Misplaced modifier
- Dangling modifier (Correct answer)
- Squinting modifier
- Absolute phrase error
Correct answer: Dangling modifier
The participial phrase 'Walking down the street' dangles because buildings cannot walk; the sentence needs a human subject.
Question 6: Which revision strategy is most effective for catching missing logical steps in an argumentative essay?
- Reading the draft backwards
- Having a reader unfamiliar with the topic summarize each paragraph (Correct answer)
- Counting the number of citations per page
- Checking for comma splices
Correct answer: Having a reader unfamiliar with the topic summarize each paragraph
A reader without prior knowledge of the topic will immediately notice gaps in logic that the writer's familiarity has obscured.
Question 7: Which of the following is the best definition of 'macro editing'?
- Editing for grammar and punctuation errors
- Reviewing the overall structure, argument, and organization of a document (Correct answer)
- Checking formatting and visual layout
- Correcting word-level style issues
Correct answer: Reviewing the overall structure, argument, and organization of a document
Macro editing (also called developmental or structural editing) evaluates the document's overall architecture, logic, and effectiveness before addressing smaller details.
CPW Editing and Revision Techniques 4
A writer discovers they have used three different terms—'client,' 'customer,' and 'consumer'—interchangeably throughout a business report.
The best revision strategy is to: