Learn English Writing Skills 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a 'thesis statement' in an essay?
- To state the main argument or central point of the essay (Correct answer)
- To introduce the topic with background information
- To list the sources used in the essay
- To summarize each body paragraph
Correct answer: To state the main argument or central point of the essay
A thesis statement presents the main argument of an essay and tells the reader what position the writer will support.
Question 2: Which sentence is written in the active voice?
- The dog chased the ball. (Correct answer)
- The ball was chased by the dog.
- The ball was being chased.
- It was the dog that chased.
Correct answer: The dog chased the ball.
In active voice, the subject performs the action; 'The dog chased the ball' has 'the dog' acting on 'the ball.'
Question 3: What does 'coherence' mean in a piece of writing?
- Ideas are logically connected and flow smoothly (Correct answer)
- The text uses many advanced words
- Each paragraph is very long
- The writing includes many statistics
Correct answer: Ideas are logically connected and flow smoothly
Coherence means the ideas in a text are logically organized and connected so the reader can follow the argument easily.
Question 4: What is the correct way to punctuate a list of three items in a sentence?
- I bought apples, oranges, and bananas. (Correct answer)
- I bought apples oranges and bananas.
- I bought apples; oranges; and bananas.
- I bought apples. Oranges. And bananas.
Correct answer: I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
When listing three or more items, use commas to separate them, including an Oxford comma before 'and.'
Question 5: What type of essay presents both sides of an issue and then takes a position?
- Argumentative essay (Correct answer)
- Narrative essay
- Descriptive essay
- Expository essay
Correct answer: Argumentative essay
An argumentative essay examines multiple perspectives on an issue and defends a specific position with evidence.
Question 6: What is 'parallel structure' in writing?
- Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or series (Correct answer)
- Writing two paragraphs of equal length
- Starting every sentence with the same word
- Repeating the thesis in every paragraph
Correct answer: Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or series
Parallel structure means using the same grammatical form for words or phrases that are paired or listed together.
Learn English Writing Skills 1
What is the purpose of a 'thesis statement' in an essay?