PAPA Essay Writing & Composition 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A writer uses the phrase 'it goes without saying' repeatedly. Which writing principle does this violate?
- Coherence — ideas must flow logically from one to the next
- Conciseness — avoid filler phrases that add no meaning (Correct answer)
- Unity — every sentence must relate to the thesis
- Emphasis — important ideas should appear in stress positions
Correct answer: Conciseness — avoid filler phrases that add no meaning
'It goes without saying' is a cliché filler phrase that contributes no meaning and inflates word count, violating conciseness.
Question 2: Which sentence demonstrates parallel structure?
- She likes hiking, to swim, and running on trails.
- She likes hiking, swimming, and running on trails. (Correct answer)
- She likes to hike, swimming, and she runs on trails.
- She likes hiking, she swims, and running on trails.
Correct answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and running on trails.
Parallel structure requires all items in a series to use the same grammatical form; 'hiking, swimming, and running' are all gerunds.
Question 3: An essay conclusion that introduces a major new argument the body never addressed is said to have a problem with:
- Coherence between the introduction and body paragraphs
- Unity — the conclusion must not raise ideas not developed in the body (Correct answer)
- Insufficient use of transitional phrases throughout the essay
- Weak topic sentences in body paragraphs
Correct answer: Unity — the conclusion must not raise ideas not developed in the body
Introducing a new major argument in the conclusion violates unity; the conclusion should synthesize, not introduce, main ideas.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'audience awareness' in essay writing?
- Knowing how many people will read your essay
- Adjusting tone, vocabulary, and detail level to suit the intended reader (Correct answer)
- Counting the number of times you address the reader directly
- Choosing a topic the writer personally finds interesting
Correct answer: Adjusting tone, vocabulary, and detail level to suit the intended reader
Audience awareness means tailoring diction, tone, and depth of explanation to what your specific reader needs and expects.
Question 5: A student's essay shifts from past tense to present tense mid-paragraph without reason. This is an error in:
- Subject-verb agreement
- Verb tense consistency (Correct answer)
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- Sentence boundary recognition
Correct answer: Verb tense consistency
Unexplained shifts in verb tense within a paragraph disrupt coherence and violate verb tense consistency.
Question 6: Which type of evidence is MOST appropriate to support a claim in a formal academic essay?
- A personal anecdote that illustrates the point emotionally
- A statistic from a peer-reviewed study or authoritative source (Correct answer)
- A hypothetical scenario the writer invented to fit the argument
- A popular opinion shared widely on social media
Correct answer: A statistic from a peer-reviewed study or authoritative source
Formal academic writing requires evidence from credible, verifiable sources such as peer-reviewed research or authoritative data.
Question 7: What does it mean to 'synthesize' sources in a research essay?
- Quoting each source in full so the reader can judge for themselves
- Summarizing each source separately in its own paragraph
- Weaving multiple sources together to build a unified argument (Correct answer)
- Listing all sources alphabetically in the body paragraphs
Correct answer: Weaving multiple sources together to build a unified argument
Synthesis means integrating ideas from multiple sources into a coherent argument rather than summarizing each source in isolation.
PAPA Essay Writing & Composition 3
A writer uses the phrase 'it goes without saying' repeatedly.
Which writing principle does this violate?