State Test Practice Writing & Composition 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of a compound sentence?
- The dog ran fast.
- Because it was raining, we stayed inside.
- She studied for the test, and she felt confident. (Correct answer)
- Running through the park is enjoyable.
Correct answer: She studied for the test, and she felt confident.
A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction like 'and,' 'but,' or 'or.'
Question 2: What is the purpose of the concluding paragraph in an essay?
- To introduce new evidence for the argument
- To restate the thesis and summarize key points without introducing new information (Correct answer)
- To list all the sources used
- To begin the discussion of the topic
Correct answer: To restate the thesis and summarize key points without introducing new information
The conclusion wraps up the essay by restating the thesis in new words and summarizing the main supporting arguments.
Question 3: Which revision improves the clarity of this sentence: 'The thing was really very good'?
- The thing was even more very good.
- The homemade apple pie was delicious. (Correct answer)
- The thing was not bad at all.
- It was good in every way.
Correct answer: The homemade apple pie was delicious.
Replacing vague words like 'thing' and 'good' with specific language makes writing clearer and more engaging.
Question 4: What does it mean to 'paraphrase' a source?
- Copy the source word for word with quotation marks
- Restate the author's ideas in your own words while keeping the original meaning (Correct answer)
- Leave out the source entirely
- Only use one word from the original text
Correct answer: Restate the author's ideas in your own words while keeping the original meaning
Paraphrasing means expressing another person's ideas in your own words while accurately representing their original meaning.
Question 5: What is the purpose of using evidence in a persuasive essay?
- To make the essay longer
- To support your argument and make your claim more convincing (Correct answer)
- To distract readers from the main point
- To replace the thesis statement
Correct answer: To support your argument and make your claim more convincing
Evidence such as facts, statistics, and examples strengthens an argument by giving readers logical reasons to agree.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of using parallel structure correctly?
- She likes hiking, to swim, and runs daily.
- She likes hiking, swimming, and running. (Correct answer)
- She likes to hike, swimming, and daily running.
- She likes to hike, to swimming, and runs.
Correct answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and running.
Parallel structure requires that items in a list use the same grammatical form; 'hiking, swimming, and running' are all gerunds.
State Test Practice Writing & Composition 2
Which of the following is an example of a compound sentence?