writing subtest instruction: framework - improving … subtest... · web viewwhich part of the...

Writing Subtest Instruction

I. Introduction

The MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Writing Subtest begins with 35 multiple choice questions. The questions refer to short written passages – two to three paragraphs long – that may exhibit unclear expressions of ideas, poor organization, and mistakes in grammar and mechanics. Three to four questions follow each passage, and the questions ask you to improve the paragraphs in terms of expression, organization, grammar, and mechanics.

A. Topic Sentences

Several types of MTEL questions are based on the idea of solid paragraph organization.

A good paragraph opens, or pretty quickly gets to, a topic sentence. A topic sentence states the idea that unifies the paragraph: all subsequent sentences relate to this main idea. Topic sentences also serve as announcements of what the paragraph will be about. A good topic sentence is accurate - not too broad or too narrow, and it is clearly worded.

A typical topic sentence consists of a topic and a claim about that topic. The sentences that follow a topic sentence support, explain, or illustrate that claim. The topic sentence is usually – but not always – the first sentence in a paragraph.

Notice how the first sentence of the following paragraph functions:

One major reason city-dwellers opt to take the bus rather than drive is to save money. The cost of riding the bus is relatively stable. Gas prices, on the other hand, vary and insurances rates also move up and down, yet the cost of public transportation is relatively slow to change. Studies have found that the cost of an average monthly bus pass is thirty dollars – about the same as one single tank of gas. People who drive their own vehicles also have to worry about breaking down and the cost of expensive repairs. Bus riders leave those worries in the hands of the city.

The first sentence accurately predicts the content of the paragraph – riding the bus – and makes a claim about that topic – riding the bus is cheaper than driving. Each following sentence contributes to the argument by giving examples of how exactly riding the bus saves money.

Can you locate the topic sentence in the following paragraph?

1The basic principle of papier-mâché, the making of three dimensional objects out of paper pulp, has existed for as long as the art of making paper. 2Papier-mâché industries have been in vogue in many places and times. 3Papier-mâché has a long history in the

Middle and Far East. 4In Persia and Kashmir, it has been used to manufacture small painted boxes, trays, and cases. 5Japan and China also produce laminated paper articles using papier-mâché. 6In Japan and India, papier-mâché was used to add decorative elements to armor and shields.Papier-mâché. (2010, August 31) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papier-m%C3%A2ch%C3%A9. The second sentence is the topic sentence in this case. The first sentence merely gives a definition of papier-mache, while the second sentence announces what the paragraph will be about: the widespread and longstanding tradition of this craft.

Here is an example MTEL question:

___________________________________________________________. In the 6th century BC, Chinese farmers were using a form of agricultural row cultivation and intensive hoeing that was not practiced in Europe until the 18th century. While Dr. William Harvey is often credited with discovering the circulatory nature of the human blood system in 1628, indisputable and abundant textual evidence from the 2nd century demonstrates China's extensive knowledge on this subject (Temple, 1986). China has utilized traditional forms of manipulating living organisms - agricultural biotechnology - including grain cultivation, soy sauce and vinegar production, and bacterial maceration, for centuries. Lakhan, S. (2007, April 4). The Emergence of Modern Biotechnology in China. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m14424/1.1/

1. Which of the following, if inserted as part 1, would make the best topic sentence for the paragraph?

A. Chinese farming techniques have long been advanced.B. Although many people think of China as a backward, third world country,

many technological advances can be traced to this land and its people.C. China has been a pioneer in science, discovery, and invention since its early

history.D. China has a rich intellectual tradition, excelling in the arts and sciences.

Choice A is too specific; the paragraph is about more than just farming. Choice B sounds good, but the word technological makes it just slightly inaccurate: the examples given, particularly the second one about the circulatory system, are not all technological in nature. Choice D, again, is inaccurate because the paragraph is not about the arts. Thus, choice C is the best topic sentence, unifying the examples under “science, discovery, and invention.”

Practice Again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papier-m%C3%A2ch%C3%A9

__________________________________________________________. By deliberately missing shots or committing well-timed turnovers or fouls, a corrupt player can covertly ensure that his team fails to cover the point spread, without causing them to lose the game (or to lose so badly that suspicions are aroused). Although the NCAA has adopted a zero tolerance policy with respect to gambling activity by its players, some critics believe it unwittingly encourages point shaving due to its strict rules regarding amateurism, combined with the large amount of money wagered on its games. The NCAA has produced posters warning of this, the most notable being an athlete sitting alone on a bench with his face buried in his hands with the caption "DO NOT BET ON IT" and warnings as to what could happen if they are involved in such a plan.Point Shaving. (2010, July 10) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_shaving.

2. Which of the following, if inserted as part 1, would make the best topic sentence for the paragraph?

A. Basketball is a particularly easy medium for shaving points because of the scoring tempo of the game and the ease by which one player can influence key events.

B. Many basketball players have been caught in point shaving scandals.C. Basketball is a corrupt game.D. Basketball has a long and complicated history.

A is the correct answer. Choice C does not fit with the tone of the paragraph: it is too negative. Choice D is not really related to the specific content of the paragraph. Left with a choice between A and B, A is better because it refers to the game rather than just the players and thus covers more of the paragraph’s content.

B. Sequence of Ideas

The sequence of the sentences that follow the topic sentence may be determined in a number of ways, depending on what the paragraph is about. The topic sentence provides your best clue as to the sequence of the remaining sentences.

There are three main possibilities for organizing sentences within a paragraph: steps in a sequence, events in time order, and ideas in relation to one another.

Paragraphs organized according to steps in a sequence explain processes or procedures, for example, how to change a tire or how evaporation works. Consider the following paragraph, which explains how ears work.

1The ear is the sense organ that picks up sound waves from the surrounding air and turns them into nerve impulses that can be sent to the brain. 2The sound waves carry lots of information - language, music, and noises - all mixed up together. 3The task of the ear is to turn the signals in these waves of bouncing air molecules into electrical nerve signals, while keeping as much of the information in the signal as possible. 4(Then it's the brain's job to sort the signals and make sense out of them.) 5It's not easy to turn one

kind of signal into another kind without losing information, but the ear is well designed for the task.Schmidt-Jones, C. (2010, January 4). Sound and Ears. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m12365/1.2/

The topic sentence, sentence 1, predicts the order of the sentences that follow in that it lets the reader know that the paragraph will be about the process by which the ear intercepts sound waves and sends signals to the brain, allowing us to hear. The remaining sentences give more details on that process.

Paragraphs organized according to time order, or chronological order, tell stories. These paragraphs may include dates or other explicit references to time. They may also use transitional words and phrases related to time: first, then, next, after. Consider the following example, explaining how one student decided which major to choose in college.

1I came to Houston in the fall of 1961. 2I was accepted as an undergraduate student at Rice University, thinking at the time I would be an engineering major. 3At that time Rice didn’t even have an art department, and I certainly didn’t have any thought of pursuing art, even as far as one course. 4I was an engineering major-to-be, but shortly after I got here I became an English major and developed—or I should say re-developed—an interest in photography that I had first developed as a teenager. 5My junior year is when my kind of first stirrings about visual art began to happen within me.Reynolds, S. (2008, April 29). Geoff Winningham, b. 1943. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m16151/1.1/

While this paragraph does not have a clear topic sentence, the first sentence does give us a clue that the narrator is telling a personal story: it uses the first person and gives a date. The second sentence continues to give clues that this paragraph is organized chronologically with the phrase “at the time.” The remaining sentences show his sequence of interests, from engineering to English to photography.

Finally, some paragraphs are organized more generally by placing sentences on related ideas together. These paragraphs tend to inform or explain phenomena to the reader or to persuade the reader to adopt the writer’s viewpoint on a certain subject. Persuasive paragraphs may give multiple reasons why the writer’s viewpoint is beneficial, in which case all sentences pertaining to a given reason should appear together. Paragraphs of this type may also be comparisons or contrasts, in which case sentence on the first subject should appear together, followed by sentences on the second subject offered for comparison or contrast. The following example begins as a contrast then becomes persuasive. As you read, notice how sentences on closely related ideas appear together.

1People were talking long before they invented writing. 2People were also making music long before anyone wrote any music down. 3Some musicians still play "by ear" (without written music), and some music traditions rely more on improvisation and/or "by ear" learning. 4But written music is very useful, for many of the same reasons that written

http://cnx.org/content/m12365/1.2/

words are useful. 5Music is easier to study and share if it is written down. 6Western music specializes in long, complex pieces for large groups of musicians singing or playing parts exactly as a composer intended. 7Without written music, this would be too difficult. 8Many different types of music notation have been invented, and some, such as tablature, are still in use. 9By far the most widespread way to write music, however, is on a staff. 10In fact, this type of written music is so ubiquitous that it is called common notation.Schmidt-Jones, C. (2010, April 12). The Staff. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m10880/2.11/

In sentences one through three, the writer contrasts writing and talking, written versus improvised music. Sentence four transitions to the persuasive part of the paragraph, and sentences five through nine give reasons why written music is useful. Sentence ten provides a transition to the next paragraph, which will be about how to write music down.

Sometimes these questions ask you to recognize a good concluding sentence. Like a topic sentence, a concluding sentence may tie all of the ideas elaborated in the preceding sentences together or it may transition to the next paragraph – the next set of ideas. Look at the following example:

More than one billion people—nearly a sixth of the world’s population—suffer from chronic hunger. It is a crisis with devastating and far-reaching effects. Hunger weakens immune systems and stunts child development; half of all child deaths in the developing world are related to under-nutrition. Chronic hunger and under-nutrition primarily results from poverty—people who are poor often simply cannot afford to buy food. Hungry families spend over half their income to buy the food they need to survive, with little to fall back on. Food often cannot travel from surplus to deficit regions within and across countries because of poor roads and barriers at the border and checkpoints along the way. Without enough food, adults struggle to work and children struggle to learn, making sustainable economic development difficult to achieve.United States Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs. (2009, September 28) Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative: Consultation Document. Retrieved from US Department of State: http://www.state.gov/s/globalfoodsecurity/129952.htm.

Every sentence preceding the final sentence explains how widespread and devastating hunger is and how hunger is related to poverty. The final sentence sums up the main idea of the paragraph: that hunger can cause a lack of economic growth.

Questions on the MTEL related to sequence of ideas appear in this form.

Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the paragraph clearer?


The multiple choice answer options may include reversing the order of two sentences, placing one sentence before or after another, or deleting a sentence.

Here is an example:

1Google Earth is, on its surface, a straightforward program and an example of the type of access to the whole world technology has given us. 2By simply typing in a location anywhere in the world, Google Earth will “take you there” by way of satellite imagery. 3This works for addresses, physical features, or places of interest such as national parks, restaurants, and dive shops. 4However, Google Earth does not simply show pictures of one place at a particular time. 5It is possible (and not that difficult) to go on a virtual “tour” of the entire planet, place by place, complete with photographs to go with each specific location. 6Also, in its newest incarnation, Google Earth can take you “underwater” by showing underwater features on its satellite imagery. 7For example, in Biology, students can go on a tour of the different habitats of the world, with photographs that are useful in comparing each of the different locations. 8This has a wide variety of uses in the classroom across all content areas, such as the more obvious content areas such as Biology or Geology to less obvious ones such as English or Social Studies. 9Likewise, during or after the reading of a novel in English class, they can go on a “lit tour” through the locations traveled by the characters in the novel.Stylman, B. (2009, October 22). Using Google Earth in the Classroom. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m32195/1.2/


A. Reverse the order of Parts 5 and 6.B. Delete Part 6.C. Reverse the order of Parts 7 and 8.D. Delete Part 9.

The best answer would be C. Parts 6 and 9 are not unrelated to the main idea – uses of Google Earth – nor are they irrelevant, so B and D are not good choices. Parts 5 and 6 make sense in the order in which they appear, because Part 6 builds on the statement made in Part 5: we can see images of various places on the planet. We are thus left with reversing Parts 7 and 8, which is a good idea since Part 8 introduces the idea of the classroom, and Parts 7 and 9 give examples of classroom uses of Google Earth. Thus, Parts 7 and 9 are so closely related that they should appear together, following Part 7.

Try another example:

1La posada is a Mexican Christmas tradition in which music plays an important part. 2The tradition has variations, but here are the basics. 3On each of the nine days before Christmas, a procession of children and their families reenacts Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. 4Statues of Joseph leading a donkey carrying Mary may also be carried, or sometimes the children dress up as Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise

men, and angels. 5When they come to a house, the children and the people of the house sing the song of the peregrinos (pilgrims). 6In this house, where it has been prearranged to hold that night's posada party, the pilgrims enter, and everyone may spend some time together singing Christmas songs and praying. 7Finally, there is a party with a piñata full of treats for the children. 8In some places, the children may be rejected at a couple of houses first, but they always eventually arrive at a home where Mary and Joseph are recognized and welcomed in.Schmidt-Jones, C. (2010, April 12). Mexican Music: A Christmas Tradition. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m12609/1.3/


A. Place Part 2 after Part 4.B. Reverse the order of Parts 4 and 5.C. Reverse the order of Parts 7 and 8.D. Place Part 8 after Part 5.

The correct answer is D. This paragraph gives a series of steps that explain how a holiday tradition is carried out in Mexico. Part 8 related to the part in the sequence when the children are going from house to house singing, so it should be placed after Part 5, which also relates to the step in the sequence. If you didn’t pick up on the sequence, you may have notices that Part 7 is the best concluding sentence, leaving you with options C or D. Again, D is better because Part 7 wouldn’t make sense after Part 6, which tells us what happens once the children enter the house.

C. Transitions

Transitions help the reader follow the author’s ideas as he or she moves from paragraph to paragraph. Transitions are essentially connections between paragraphs. In many ways the movement from paragraph to paragraph is similar to the movement from sentence to sentence within a paragraph – it’s all a sequence of ideas. As discussed in the previous section on paragraph order, ideas may be arranged according to chronology or a particular order of steps in a process. Again, as discussed in the previous section, related ideas appear together. When concepts are compared, transitional phrases such as in addition, also, or similarly are used. When concepts are contrasted, transitional phrases such as however, although, or on the other hand are used. Another relationship is cause and effect. Expressions that reflect cause and effect relationships include because of, consequently, as a result of, or following from. A writer may also move from specific to general or from general to specific. In this case, expressions such as for example, for instance, or in conclusion are used.

On the MTEL, questions relating to transitions appear in the following form:

1. Which sentence, if added as Part X, provides the best transition from the first paragraph to the second paragraph?

When answering these questions, identify the main idea of the first paragraph then the main idea of the second paragraph. Choose the sentence that best connects the two ideas.

Consider the following example, which does not use conventional expressions to transition from one idea to the next, but reflects the relationship between two paragraphs’ ideas all the same.

Einstein’s Theory of Relativity stipulates that the speed of light is constant for all observers. One startling consequence of this is that simultaneity and cause and effect are not absolute, but relative to one’s perspective. It is possible for one observer to report two events as happening at the same time that another observer sees as happening in sequence. Thus, according to the Theory of Relativity, there is no definitive “reality,” no commanding perspective that overrides all others. Instead, nature allows for multiple, and even contradictory, points-of-view. Decades of experiments have confirmed Einstein’s theory.

It is not just the outer world that is saturated with ambiguity. Sigmund Freud was the first scientist to deeply explore the concept of the unconscious—mental processes that lie beyond our direct awareness. These range from metabolic processes like breathing to the complex motivations that underlie every day decisions. A century of research has established that most of human thinking is unconscious. Various experimental methods have been devised to explore the unconscious, from dream analysis to word association, Rorshach tests, brain scans, and more. Yet deciphering our unconscious thoughts remains elusive. Thus, not only must we must accept the ambiguities of the natural world, we must acknowledge it within ourselves.Brandt, A. (2007, January 11). Making Music Modern. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m13845/1.15/

The first sentence of the second paragraph – It is not just the outer world that is saturated with ambiguity – lets us know that the writer is continuing the theme of ambiguity developed in paragraph one. Paragraph one informs the reader about the ambiguity of reality inherent in Einstein’s theory; paragraph two continues the theme by informing the reader about the ambiguity of the human personality that Freud’s theories embrace. The reader is guided from Einstein to Freud through an effective transitional sentence.

Two sample MTEL questions follow.

1In a family-style restaurant, everyone sitting at one table is fed the same food. 2As the platters are brought to the table, the guests choose their own portions; yet they are bound together by sharing the same meal. 3If someone were to ask about the menu of the day, there would be a clear and united answer because everyone is eating the same thing at the same time.

4 ________________________________________________________. 5In classical music, no matter how many instruments are playing, they will share the same harmony.

6As one harmony leads to another, the instruments will move together, partaking of the same notes. 7In addition to a steady pulse, harmonic coordination is the primary way that classical music coheres. 8Harmony is the reason that the instruments “sound good together” even when they are playing independent lines.

Brandt, A. (2007, January 11). Making Music Modern. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m13845/1.15/

1. Which sentence, if added as Part 4, provides the best transition from the first paragraph to the second paragraph?

A. Family style restaurants are becoming less and less popular no matter what kind of music they play.

B. Similarly, the word harmony describes musical notes that are sounding at the same time.

C. Eating is a lot like listening to music.

D. In the same way, harmonies are produced.

The correct answer is B. Choice A is not a transition at all because it does not relate the content of paragraph 1 – family restaurants – to the content of paragraph 2 – harmony. Choices C and D are too simple and do not really relate these concepts. Only choice B really explains the authors purpose in comparing these two different ideas.

Practice again.

1Though decades have passed since Leo Kanner first described autistic behaviors in children in 1943, and the intervening years have seen significant study on the nature of the condition, the root cause of autism remains a mystery. 2Kanner originally theorized that such behavior was the product of the child’s environment and upbringing, an idea that he himself abandoned a short time later. 3Contemporary theories point toward a neurological condition, and recent studies suggest a possible genetic factor. 4Whatever the cause, diagnoses of autism have increased steadily over the years – either due to an increased number of cases or simply greater awareness of the condition – from as few as 1 in 10,000 in the 1940s to as many as 1 in 166 in 2005 (Bonvillian, Kissane, & Dooley, n.d.).

5 _______________________________________________. 6Because three quarters of autistics qualify as mentally retarded, and social and communication skills are often poor or non-existent, many of these individuals will require lifelong assistance from relatives or caregivers (Bonvillian, Kissane, & Dooley, n.d.). 7Instructional methods for these children, therefore, must be tailored to meet specific and highly demanding needs, often concentrating on developing skills most educators take for granted, such as speech or eye contact.

Emmons, J. (2008, June 8). Exploring the Use of Computer Assisted Instruction with Autistic Students. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m16541/1.1/

2. Which sentence, if added as Part 7, provides the best transition from the first paragraph to the second paragraph?

A. Educating autistic children is difficult.

B. No one can explain the rise in the number of autistic children.

C. As the number of children diagnosed with autism increased, new methods for educating this population became necessary.

D. Parents of autistic children must work very hard to help with their education.

The best choice is choice C. A does not transition at all since it abruptly introduces the notion of education. Choice B would fit better in paragraph 1 as it has little to do with the content of paragraph 2. Choice D is better, but it still fails to actually relate the rise in the number of autistic children to the problem of education, as choice C does so well.

D. Distracting Details

A good paragraph should develop a single idea consistently from the topic sentence through the concluding sentence. Sometimes, inexperienced writers get sidetracked by facts or notions that appear interesting but do not actually develop their main idea. These distractions should be eliminated!

See if you can locate the distracting detail in the following paragraph.

1The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles published by Marvel Comics take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and Captain America. 2Captain America wears a costume that bears an American flag motif, and is armed with an indestructible shield that can be thrown as a weapon. 3The Marvel Universe is further depicted as existing within a "multiverse" consisting of thousands of separate universes, all of which are the creations of Marvel Comics and all of which are, in a sense, "Marvel universes". 4In most contexts, "Marvel Universe" is taken to refer to the mainstream Marvel continuity, which is known as Earth-616.Shared Universe. (2010, July 8) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_universe.

The first sentence – the topic sentence – announces that this paragraph will define the concept of a fictional comic book universe. Sentence number two – referring to details of one character’s costume – distracts from this main idea; the reader’s attention may stray from the concept of a universe to the particular appearance of one character. This sentence would appear more appropriately in a later paragraph devoted to that

character. Often, as in this case, off-topic sentences are too detailed for the subject matter of a given paragraph. In other cases, the distracting sentence may be too general for the specific subject matter of a given paragraph. Consider the following example.

1Tropical Storm Bill was a tropical storm that affected the Gulf Coast of the United States in the summer of 2003. 2The second storm of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season, Bill developed from a tropical wave on June 29 to the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. 3It slowly organized as it moved northward, and reached a peak of 60 mph (95 km/h) shortly before making landfall in south-central Louisiana. 4Bill quickly weakened over land, and as it accelerated to the northeast, moisture from the storm, combined with cold air from an approaching cold front, produced an outbreak of 34 tornadoes. 5Most tornadoes have wind speeds between 40 mph (64 km/h) and 110 mph (177 km/h), are approximately 250 feet (75 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. 6Bill became extratropical on July 2, and was absorbed by the cold front later that day. Tropical Storm Bill (2003). (2010, August 19) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Bill_(2003).

In this example, sentence number five is distracting. While the rest of the paragraph is about one event – Tropical Storm Bill – sentence five gives information about tornadoes in general. It would be best not to include this information here.

On the MTEL, questions appear in the following format:

Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the first (or second, or third) paragraph?

Sample questions follow.

1Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. 2It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes. 3Building from the musical structure of thrash metal, death metal emerged during the mid 1980s. 4It was mainly inspired by thrash metal acts like Slayer, Kreator and Celtic Frost. 5Along with the band Death and its frontman Chuck Schuldiner (who is often referred to as "the father of death metal"), bands like Possessed and Morbid Angel are often considered pioneers of the genre. 6Chuck Schuldiner started playing guitar at a young age and was known to be a perfectionist. 7In the late 1980s and early 1990s, death metal gained more media attention as popular record labels like Earache and Roadrunner began to sign death metal bands at a rapid rate. 8Since then, death metal has diversified, spawning a rich variety of subgenres.

9The setup most frequently used within the death metal genre is two guitarists, a bass player, a vocalist and a drummer almost universally using two bass drums or a double

bass drum pedal.10Although this is the standard setup, bands have been known to occasionally incorporate other instruments such as electronic keyboards. 11Even so, the genre never achieved mainstream popularity. 12The genre is often identified by fast, highly distorted and downtuned guitars played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking. 13The percussion is usually fast and dynamic; blast beats, double bass and exceedingly fast drum patterns frequently add to the ferocity of the genre. Death Metal. (2010, September 13) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackened_death_metal#Subgenres.

1. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. Part 4B. Part 5C. Part 6D. Part 7

2. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the second paragraph?


Answers: 1. The best answer is C. Parts 4, 5, and 7 all relate to the main idea: the definition and development of death metal. Part 6, on the other hand, relates only to one musician. It is too specific and thus distracting.

2. The best answer is B. Parts 10, 12, and 13 all contribute to the main idea: the composition and sound of death metal bands. Part 11 refers to their popularity, which might be important elsewhere in the essay but not in this paragraph.

E. Redundant Expressions

Redundant Expressions

A redundant expression is a type of wordiness. Redundancy occurs when a writer expresses the same idea more than once using slightly different or even completely different words. Eliminating redundant expressions clarifies a writer’s purpose, and it also sounds better!

Consider the following example:

Exuberant workers rejoiced in joy at the announcement that they would receive a raise.

The sentence would be much more direct, and thus more comprehensible, without the repetitive phrasing.

The workers rejoiced at the announcement that they would receive a raise.

Sometimes redundant phrasing is humorous, as in the example of a “shared border” or an “onlooking witness.”

Locate the redundant expression in the following paragraph:

The U.S. federal government designates historic districts through the U.S. Department of Interior, under the auspices of the National Park Service. Federally designated historic districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic districts allow rural areas to preserve their characters through the work of historic preservationists interested in conserving old structures. These include "Main Street" programs that can be used to redevelop rural downtowns. Using historic preservation programs as an economic development tool for local governments in rural areas has enabled some of those areas to take advantage of their history and develop a tourism market that in turn provides funds for maintaining an economic stability that these areas would not have seen otherwise.Historic Preservation. (2010, September 7) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_preservation.

The redundant expression is “historic preservationists interested in conserving old structures.” All historic preservationists share this interest – that’s their job! – so writing “historic preservationists” would be enough.

On the MTEL, questions about redundant expressions appear in this form:

Which part of the passage contains a redundant expression of ideas or information?

Here is a practice passage.

1Honey is a sweet food made by certain insects using nectar from flowers. 2The variety produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans to be eaten. 3Honey produced by other bees and insects has distinctly different properties. 4Honey bees form nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and store it as a food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. 5Beekeeping practices encourage overproduction of honey so that the excess can be taken without endangering the bee colony.Honey. (2010, September 13) Retireved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey.

1. Which part of the passage contains a redundant expression of ideas or information?A. Part 1B. Part 2C. Part 3D. Part 4

The best answer is B. The phrase “consumed by humans to be eaten” is redundant because eat and consume mean the same thing here.

Try again.

1Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material (the vaccine) to produce immunity to a disease. 2Vaccines can prevent or stop the effects of infection by many pathogens from happening. 3There is strong evidence for the influenza vaccine, the HPV vaccine, and the chicken pox vaccine among others. 4Vaccination is generally considered to be the most effective and cost-effective method of preventing infectious diseases. 5The material administered can either be live but weakened forms of pathogens (bacteria or viruses), killed or inactivated forms of these pathogens, or purified material such as proteins. 6Smallpox was the first disease people tried to prevent by purposely inoculating themselves with other types of infections; smallpox inoculation was started in China or India before 200 BC.Vaccination. (2010, September 3) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccination.

2. Which part of the passage contains a redundant expression of ideas or information?


2. The answer is A because prevent and stop mean the same thing so both verbs are not needed.

II. Grammar and Mechanics (not complete)

III. Sentence Corrections

The next type of questions on the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Writing Subtest are the “short answers” or sentence corrections. The instructions as they appear on the test follow:

The following sentence contains two errors (e.g. in construction, grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization, punctuation). Rewrite the text so that the errors are addressed and the original meaning is maintained.

While studying for our psychology exam, the librarian displayed us some interesting resources.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The best correction would be: While we were studying for our psychology exam, the librarian showed us some interesting resources.

As you can see, the sentence corrections contain two errors each. The errors violate rules of grammar, punctuation, and usage that you’ve already studied in preparation for the Writing Subtest multiple choice questions!

On this section of the test you are hunting for errors. The errors are hiding. You have to flush them out. Here is our suggested sequence of steps.

1. Look first at sentence structure. Check for run-ons (comma splices and fused sentences) and fragments.

2. Next, check for awkward phrasing. Look specifically for modifier flaws and faulty parallelism.

3. Do a part of speech check. Look for the main verb and make sure it agrees with the subject. Look at every pronoun and make sure it is in the right form, it is specific enough, and it agrees with its referent.

4. Next, look at commas. Check for commas after introductory and transitional words and phrases. Then look for any conjunctions in the sentence and make sure commas are used appropriately.

5. Check the word choice, or diction. Make sure that the words – especially prepositions – are used correctly and idiomatically.

6. Finally, check all capital letters and make sure they really should be capitalized, look for proper nouns that are not capitalized, and check for commonly misspelled words.

Practice

1. The force of the storm was so strong, that it knocked down three power lines, five satellite dishes and trees.

2. Neither the film nor the novel version of The Notebook are of interest to me, I don’t like sad romance stories.

3. According to the Survey conducted by human resources, over seventy-five percent of the students are in favor of the non-smoking policy on school groundings.

4. Jean Piaget is known, as the most influential theorist in the field of developmental psychology; and his theories are the foundation of many research projects.

5. Rather then bringing people closer together, some critics argue that networking sites like Facebook are actually causing people to remain isolated.

More practice.

1. Its very kind of you to offer assistence.

2. The thesis is quite compelling, however, the support is not substantial enough to support them.

3. After we teach class Eduardo and me frequently eat lunch at Super 88.

4. There will be a screening of the african film Xala in our class, tomorrow.

5. If someone drops off the package, tell them to leave it in the porch.

6. In the Spring, the freshman class volunteer at a nursing home.

7. Each of the students have written a report discussing the causes and affects of recent trends in education.

8. Both a thrilling adventure and hilarious parody, I recommend seeing the horror movie Face Punch and to discuss it with friends.

9. My brothers enjoy playing basketball on Saturdays, they also enjoy to play football on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

10. After Jamie finishes preparing his lessons, he will email it to his faculty advisor, for feedback.

IV. Summary Summary Instruction

The first writing exercise on the MTEL is a summary. A short (3-4 paragraph) passage appears on the test, and you are asked to summarize it in 100-150 words. The original passage is usually 400-450 words long, so you are asked to condense into about a quarter of its original size! This may seem daunting, so keep the test’s goals in mind.

The MTEL test evaluators are looking for four things when they score your summary: fidelity, conciseness, expression, and grammar/mechanics.

Fidelity basically means accuracy: your summary should accurately reflect the main idea and important supporting points of the original passage without adding any extra information or including your response or opinion.

Conciseness is a balancing act: you must convey all of the important information and none of the unimportant or merely entertaining or interesting details. Don’t waste words on overly general or vague sentences. Make every word count!

Expression refers to your ability to put the content of the passage into your own words.

Finally, they do look at grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice. (Don’t misspell any words that are used in the passage!)

Steps for Composing an Effective Summary1. Read through the entire passage once without underlining or taking notes.

2. Read the passage a second time, making inferences about the meanings of words you don’t know and underlining main ideas and important supporting examples. Do not underline every example: choose the most illustrative and memorable ones – the examples that could not be eliminated without changing the nature of the essay.

3. Make notes in the margins, putting the main ideas and important supporting examples into your own words. Generalize from long lists.

4. Plan your summary. Look for relationships among the main ideas and plan your paragraphs. You may follow the general structure of the original passage, but you should not mirror the exact same number of paragraphs. Show that you can make connections.

5. Write your summary. Use transitions.

6. Revise and edit! Add transitions. Make connections between ideas clear. Look for sentence fragments, run-on sentences, modifier flaws, and faulty parallelism as well and pronoun and verb agreement problems. Check for homonym errors (their/there; it’s/its) and punctuation errors.

Practice

Read the following passage and the two summaries that follow. Identify which summary is more successful. Think of five characteristics that make the successful summary work and five characteristics that make the poor summary ineffectual.

Original Passage

In an effort to combat obesity and increase students’ productivity, lawmakers in states such as Washington and Illinois have presented legislation that would require schools to provide a set amount of free time for physical activity every day. Citing studies that show breaks from the classroom to increase students’ ability to concentrate and perform, these laws are part of a larger push against a steady erosion of physical education over the past few years.

Responding to efforts to make recess mandatory in Virginia and Texas, the National Museum of Play released a study finding that a period of physical activity each day helped long-term memory and attention among school age children. However, some schools are finding the requirements difficult to achieve thanks in part to an increased pressure to perform on state and national standardized tests and in some cases, an unsafe environment for children. A Chicago Sun Times survey recently found that a number of urban schools have done away with any breaks that would possibly place a student out in the open, due to violence in the surrounding neighborhoods. Despite a recess bill passing the Illinois House of Representatives last year, the paper found many schools in impoverished areas unable to offer even a short break after lunch. Although the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play suggests recess time up to the 8th grade, many Chicago schools were found to be unable to offer any free time at all. Reflecting the newspaper’s findings, the Center for Public Education recently found that while recess is in little danger of extinction in the United States, lower income schools tend to have far less time dedicated to physical fitness.

Meanwhile, a number of schools in the state of Washington have begun cutting back on physical education and recess to allow more time to prepare students for the state’s mandatory standardized test. The trend of eradicating recess in favor of more test preparation time can be traced back to a report in 1983 titled “Nation at Risk,” reported Education World in 2005. The report, outlining the United States education deficiencies compared with several other countries, spurred a move toward standardized testing and the eventual cancellation of extra-curricular activity, such as

recess and the arts. However, some feel that the added stress of such tests makes the free time of recess all the more important to keep in place. Although critics have cited the inclusion of PE classes or sports to take the place of recess, experts argue that it is the unstructured nature of free time that is so important to retain.Coats, C. (2008, August 29) Lawmakers Push Playtime as Schools Try to Figure Out How. Retrieved from Ground Report: http://www.groundreport.com/US/Lawmakers-Push-Playtime-as-Schools-Try-to-Figure-O/2868325.

Summary #1

Legislators in Washington state and Illinois are considering requiring recess – time set aside for unregulated physical activity – in schools because many educators have found that physical activity helps students focus on learning. Unfortunately, two factors have contributed to the reduction or elimination of recess in many places: unsafe environments and pressure to perform on standardized tests. Schools in Chicago, for example, have had to eliminate recess because the neighborhoods in which they are located experience violence and children may not be safe. Other schools cut recess and activities such as art in order to devote more time to test preparation. However, most experts believe that physical activity reduces students’ stress and helps them learn.

Summary #2

Recess is very important so people are trying to inforce it in Washington and Illinois. Schools should provide a set amount of free time for activity every day. This helps students with long-term memory and attention others think that students need that time for preparing for standardized tests. Standardized tests are an unfair measure of students’ abilities. Too much time spent on test preparation is too stressful for students. Recess helps reduce stress so benefits students.

Which summary is better in terms of fidelity, conciseness, expression, and grammar/mechanics?

The first summary is better in all respects.

Think of five reasons why.

1. The summary presents the main idea of the passage clearly: recess helps students learn and many believe it should be required.2. The summary shows the relationships between main ideas and supporting details. There are two reasons why recess time has been threatened (violent neighborhoods and time for test prep), but at the same time there is a strong argument in favor of maintaining recess (helps students focus.)3. The summary leaves out less important details, such as all of the troubles Chicago schools face and the 1983 report.

4. The summary is entirely in the student’s own words: only key terms, such as “physical activity” can be found in the original.5. The summary contains no errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

You may have identified different reasons for the first summary’s success, and that’s OK! Think of five reasons why the second summary fails.

1. The summary does not accurately reflect all of the important supporting details from the original passage. The issue of violence is not addressed.2. The summary is too short, and it is repetitive, especially in the discussion of stress at the end.3. The summary lifts phrases nearly word for word from the original: “set amount of free time for activity every day” and “long-term memory and attention.”4. The phrasing is overly general and unclear (Recess is very important.)5. There are spelling and punctuation errors. “Enforce” is misspelled in the first sentence and the third sentence is a fused (run-on) sentence.

Again, your reasons might be slightly different. This summary fails to meet expectations in a number of ways.

V. Composition Instruction

The second writing exercise on the MTEL is a persuasive composition. The MTEL provides you with a fairly extensive prompt. The prompt will outline two positions on an issue related in some way to education. You are asked to take a position on the issue and to support your position with logic and evidence in a well-written essay.

The test evaluators look at seven characteristics of your essay: appropriateness, mechanics, usage, sentence structure, unity, organization, and development.

Appropriateness basically means addressing the question and achieving a proper tone. First and foremost, you should follow directions by clearly taking a position on precisely the question asked. If the prompt asks you to write to an audience of classroom teachers, then you should use professional language and respect the knowledge and experience that your audience has.

Mechanics refers to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Usage refers to word choice. You should make sure that the words you write mean what you think they mean and that they are specific and precise. If you have a good vocabulary, use it! If vocabulary is not your strength, stick to words you know.

Sentence structure refers mostly to grammar. You should proofread for run-ons, fragments, modifier flaws, and vague pronouns as well as parallel structure and other forms of awkward wording.

Unity means the extent to which your essay is focused. You should establish your point of view early and never deviate from it.

Organization is reflected in paragraph structure and sequence. Start with an introduction that predicts the order of the following paragraphs. Bring forward your evidence in a logical order. End with a conclusion that sums up your position.

Finally, the MTEL evaluators will look at the development of your essay. Your evidence needs to be sufficient to illustrate your point of view. Your examples should be relevant. Each of your statements should specifically and significantly contribute to the argument you are making.

General Advice

Take a clear position – don’t come down in the middle or just explore the debate!Stay on topic!Connect every paragraph back to your thesis statement!Don’t start sentences with “by” “with” or “-ing” verbs!Edit for fragments, comma splices, fused sentences, agreement problems and pronoun problems!Imagine that you are REALLY trying to convince someone who doesn’t agree with you to take your side. You have to WANT to win this argument!

Suggested Steps 1. Engage in prewriting activities! Plan and outline your answer before you start

writing!2. Write a solid introduction. Establish that a pressing debate exists; explain both

sides of the debate, then take a clear position. Write a thesis statement that predicts the format of the essay that will follow.

(Steps 3, 4, and 5 may be taken in any order, depending on the particular logic of your argument.)3. Start with a logical reason in support of your position. Explain why your reason is

logical. Develop your reason with descriptive examples, appealing to emotions or your own experience if you can. Transition to the next paragraph.

4. Think about the positive consequences or benefits of taking your position. Develop these consequences or benefits with descriptive examples. Connect examples to your thesis statement. Transition to the next paragraph.

5. Think about and describe the negative consequences of the opposition’s plan. Explain your plan of action in detail and clearly explain why your plan of action is better than theirs.

6. Sum up in a conclusion. Draw connections between the reason in the first body paragraph and the consequences in the next paragraph. Make a final case for your plan of action.

Practice

Here is a sample prompt:

Read the passages below about whether or not schools in the United States should be required to meet green environmental standards; then follow the instructions for writing your composition.

Arguments for requiring schools in the United States to meet green environmental standards set by CongressIf schools are required to meet green environmental standards, they will save energy and thus reduce cost. In addition, they will be providing safer and cleaner facilities for teachers, staff, and students.

Arguments against requiring schools in the United States to meet green environmental standards set by CongressThere is no guarantee that meeting green environmental standards set by Congress will in fact reduce the cost of maintenance or result in energy efficient schools. Moreover, there is no guarantee that meeting these standards will have a direct impact on the health of the student body.

Your purpose is to write a persuasive composition, to be read by a classroom instructor, in which you take a position on whether or schools in the United States should be required to meet green environmental standards set by Congress. Be sure to defend your position with logical arguments and appropriate examples.

Read the following two responses. Decide which response is better.

Response #1Debates have been centered around green environemtal standards that would

possibly help schools save energy and help students learn better, some people dont think that these standards should be implemented because they dont like the possibility of having to make sure that they adhere to certain standards. The people that dont like this policy think that people cant prove that there really are healthy benefits to putting this policy into affect, but they are wrong. Schools should really put this policy into place because I think it is really important and they have to do it.

Wouldnt you want to save money if you could? Its obvious that these schools need to think really hard about this policy and how it could really help there students. Students may be able to save more money and; schools would also save money too.

Schools wouldnt have to provide so much random energy for all of the students that would be wasted on them because the schools have to give students energy and make sure that everyone has energy, if the schools saved energy it would be better for everyone especially students and their parents because they would be getting an education that they probably couldnt get any other place for less money and less energy would be used for them. Students need the chance to get an education and less energy would help students get this type of education if schools dont have to give as much energy.

Saving money would be real cool and would probably make students want to go to school more. They could have new books and stuff to work with because they would have money to get this new stuff. Teachers wouldnt have to pay as much of there own money if the schools could save money. Saving money and energy are really good and would really be helpful for everyone. Teachers would be able to have more fun in the classroom because they wouldnt be stressed and worry about money. They can teach without having to be really mad that money is not being spent on there school supplies and things for they’re students. New computers could be used in the classroom; and teachers could teach better with more money and things.

Schools should make the effort to save money and help students save money. People that dont like this policy should actually look into how it would help alot of other poeple; other than themselves. I think that people should really have more of a say in this policy and how it would really help others; because it seems like it will really help others.

Students need alot of help in school that they arent getting from school and this policy would really help everyone do better in school. Science proves that green enviromental standards will help students everywhere get higher grades. If higher grades are guaranteed, why wouldnt we input this program into school’s. That is so crazy to think about. This is important for everyone to think about and everyone should think about it whether they want to or not because this situation is going to keep coming up forever and we should just deal with it now so we can get it over with and make a decision.

Response #2In schools today, it is important to provide an environment conducive to working

and learning for both students and teachers. In order to create this environment, Congress has proposed requiring schools to meet green environmental standards. Supporters of this proposal argue that these standards will provide cleaner and safer facilities for teachers and students and will save energy and reduce unnecessary expenses. Opponents argue that this proposal will not guarantee healthier facilities, and that there are no proven health benefits of such facilities. Schools should be required to meet green environmental standards set by Congress because these green environmental standards will benefit the school as a whole and improve the academic environment, thus enhancing the school and the education students receive, which is crucial for students and administrators alike.

Many schools provide an environment that may detract from or negatively impact students’ and teachers’ performance. Some schools may have improper lighting

or rusty materials that can also have an impact on students’ and teachers’ health; schools often contain mold, which can lead to the development of illness. The standards set by Congress have the possibility of eliminating these issues and providing cleaner materials, as well as enhancing the air quality that students and teachers breathe daily. If schools continue to let students breathe in mold and dust, they could be blamed for contributing to illness that could have been prevented. Although opponents of this policy feel that there are no proven health benefits of green environmental standards, a clear argument can be made that updating conditions in school buildings would enhance students’ and teachers’ health and thus their performance.

In addition, schools require a large quantity of energy. The amount of energy required even for technology and lighting is vast. Implementing green environmental standards would reduce the amount of energy needed for schools to function, thus enhancing both the environment of the school and the environment outside of the school in the larger community. This reduction of energy use would also lead to reduced costs for energy, which would allow schools to use their money of more educational support and resources for students.

If schools save money and cut the costs of energy, they can provide more resources for students, such as new textbooks and new tutoring services. Teachers could also benefit from the extra money saved; these teachers may receive additional resources aside from textbooks that may be used in the classroom, such as trainings, seminars, and other professional development opportunities. Improving existing services will also enhance and add to better academic services for students. Combined with green environmental standards, improved academic services will lead to improved academic achievement.

All in all, it is evident that implementing green environmental standards will enhance schools’ environments and positively contribute to schools’ academic mission. These standards will improve the physical environment, reduce the amount of energy required in schools, and create more funding to improve existing school resources. Schools should not hesitate to adopt a policy that could increase students’ ability to learn and function at higher levels. It seems as though green environmental standards are the answer to improving school conditions and supporting students’ growth and development, which is crucial as schools are increasingly held to higher and higher performance standards.

Give five reasons why the second response is effective. Your list might differ from ours!

1. The essay stays on topic and addresses the audience respectfully using a formal tone.

2. There are no spelling, capitalization, or punctuation mistakes; in fact, the writers uses apostrophes and semicolons quite well.

3. The writer repeats key terms (green environmental standards, energy, academics) to help unify her essay as she moves from one point to the next.

4. The essay is well organized. The introduction sets the terms of the debate and takes a clear position. The next paragraph explains what is flawed in the opposition’s thinking. The next two paragraphs explain the positive

consequences of adopting the writer’s position. The final paragraph restates the argument and serves as an effective conclusion.

5. The writer uses concrete examples (rust, mold, professional development for teachers) to illustrate and develop her argument.

Give five reasons why the first response fails. Remember, you might identify flaws that are not on our list.

1. The tone is unprofessional. (“That is so crazy to think about” in final paragraph.)2. The writer does not use apostrophes in contractions, and contractions are

overused.3. The writer misspells “environmental,” a word that appears in the prompt.4. The writer’s argument is repetitive; she focuses entirely on saving money. Her

assertions are vague and underdeveloped. She does not muster solid evidence through examples to illustrate her argument.

5. Sentence structure problems abound, especially run-on sentences and misused conjunctions and semicolons.

VI. Complete Practice Test 1

(see next page)

1In Aristotelian physics, which were still the predominant way to explain the behavior of bodies near the Earth, a heavy body (that is, one in which the element earth predominated) sought its natural place, the center of the universe. 2The back and forth motion of a heavy body suspended from a rope was therefore not a phenomenon that could explain or illustrate much. 3It was outside the paradigm.

4Galileo was taught Aristotelian physics at a University in Pisa. 5But he quickly began questioning this approach and interrogating this set of ideas. 6Where Aristotle had taken a qualitative and verbal approach, Galileo developed a quantitative and mathematical approach. 7Where the Aristotelians argued that heavier bodies fell faster than lighter ones in the same medium, Galileo, early in his career, came to believe that the difference in speed depended on the densities of the bodies. 8Where Aristotelians maintained that in the absence of the resisting force of a medium a body would travel infinitely fast and that a vacuum was therefore impossible, Galileo eventually came to believe that in a vacuum all bodies would fall with the same speed, and that this speed was proportional to the time of fall. Van Helden, A. (2004, May 24). Galileo and the Pendulum. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m11929/1.3/


2. Which part of the passage should be revised to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?


3. Which part of the passage contains an error in capitalization?A. Part 1B. Part 3C. Part 4D. Part 8

1In 1534 Ignatius de Loyola and six companions bound themselves in vows of poverty, chastity, and apostolic labors. 2Six years later, Pope Paul III recognized the order as the Society of Jesus and authorized the framing of a detailed constitution. 3Pope Paul III was a significant patron of the arts and sciences. 4Rather than turning away from daily life in the tradition of monastic orders, the Jesuits formulated their mission in the world at large, and specifically in three areas, teaching, service to the nobility, and missionary work in foreign lands. 5________________________________________________________________________. 6By 1556, when the Society had about a thousand members, three-fourths were engaged in education in 46 colleges. 7In 1579 there were 144 colleges, and by 1626, 444 colleges, 56 seminaries, and 44 houses of training for Jesuits. 8At the apex of all Jesuit seminaries stood the Collegio Romano, founded by Ignatius in 1551. 9By papal bulls of 1552 and 1556 it received the right to grant doctorates in philosophy and theology. 10By 1567 the Collegio Romano had over a thousand students and Pope Gregory XIII erected a large building to house the students and faculty. 11Over the years the college gradually became known as the Gregorian University in compliment of that pope.Van Helden, A. (2004, May 24). Collegio Romano. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m11939/1.3/

4. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the first paragraph?A. Part 1B. Part 2C. Part 3D. Part 4

5. Which sentence, if added as part 5, provides the best transition from the first to the second paragraph?

A. The Jesuits traveled to China, where they introduced Western science andastronomy.

B. In all three areas they were extraordinarily successful, but almost from thestart they made their greatest mark in education.

C. The Jesuit order grew quickly.D. Over the years, many have been suspicious of the controversial Jesuit

organization.

6. Which change is needed in the passage to correct an error in punctuation?A. Part 2: Delete the comma after “later.”B. Part 4: Delete the comma after “orders.”C. Part 9: Insert a comma after “philosophy.”D. Part 10: Insert a comma after “a thousand students.”

7. Which part of the passage contains an error in word usage?A. Part 2B. Part 7C. Part 10D. Part 11

1The population of the United States has experienced tremendous changes in its racial and ethnic composition over the last several decades. 2It has been the Latino population in particular, that has disproportionately helped change the racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. population. 3Indeed, the Latino population in the United States expanded by 2.5 times between 1980 and 2000 compared to a growth of 24% in the nation’s population. 4In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau designated Latinos as the nation’s largest minority group. 5____________________________________________________________________. 6First, the young population structure with approximately one third of Latinos being less than 18 years of age. 7Second, the Latino population has relatively high fertility levels. 8Third, the Latino population has relatively low mortality levels, even after the young age structure of the population is taken into account. 9The largest segment of the Latino population— Mexicans, who account for three-fifths of this group— rank the highest on each of these four demographic factors. 10Finally, immigration from Latin America continues to be larger than that of other regions of the world.

Siordia, C., & Saenz, R. (2010, February 23). The Changing Demography of Latino Immigrants in the United States: From 1980 to Present. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m33201/1.10/

8. Which of the following, if added as part 5, would make the best topic sentence?A. Latinos are not the only growing segment of the population.B. Reasons for this growth are unknown for several reasons.

C. The magnified growth rates of the Latino population are due to severaldemographic factors.D. Several different kinds of factors may have contributed to this growth.

9. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the second paragraph clearer?

A. Reverse the order of parts 6 and 7.B. Reverse the order of parts 7 and 8.C. Reverse the order of parts 8 and 9.D. Reverse the order of parts 9 and 10.

10. What change is needed in the passage to correct an error in punctuation?A. Part 2: Delete the comma after “particular.”B. Part 3: Delete the comma after “indeed.”C. Part 8: Delete the comma after “levels.”D. Part 9: Delete the comma after “Mexicans.”

11. Which part of the passage is a sentence fragment?A. Part 2B. Part 3C. Part 6D. Part 9

1________________________________________________________________________. 2Although children often look more like one parent than the other, most offspring seem to be a blend of both parent’s characteristics. 3Centuries of breeding of domestic plants and animals had shown that useful traits - speed in horses, strength in oxen, and larger fruits in crops - can be accentuated by controlled mating. 4However, there was no scientific way to predict the outcome of a cross between two particular parents.5It wasn't until 1865 that an Augustinian monk named Gregor Mendel found that individual traits are determined by discrete "factors," later known as genes, which are inherited from the parents. 6His rigorous approach transformed agricultural breeding from an art to a science. 7However, Mendel’s work was not appreciated immediately. 8That’s why the science of genetics really began with the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's work at the turn of the 20th century, and the next 40 years or so will see the elucidation of the principles of inheritance and genetic mapping. Luong, P. (2009, July 2). Basic Principles of Genetics. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m26565/1.1/

12. Which sentence, if added as part 1, would be the most effective topic sentence for the first paragraph of the passage?

A. People have long wondered how traits are inherited from one generationto the next.

B. Genetics is a discredited science.C. Having children can be a confusing process.D. Recent discoveries in genetics have answered many questions.

13. Which of the following revisions is needed to correct an error in the use of apostrophes?

A. Part 2: Change parent’s to parents’.B. Part 4: Change parents to parents’.C. Part 7: Change Mendel’s to Mendels.D. Part 8: Change that’s to thats.

14. Which underlined word or words in the passage should be replaced by a more appropriate verb form?

A. had shownB. foundC. beganD. will see

1Harper Lee has said that To Kill a Mockingbird is not an autobiography, but rather an example of how an author "should write about what he knows and write truthfully." 2Nevertheless, several people and events from Lee's childhood parallel those of the fictional Scout. 3Lee's father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was an attorney, similar to Atticus Finch, in 1919, he defended two black men accused of murder. 4After they were convicted, hanged, and mutilated, he never tried another criminal case. 5Lee's father was also the editor and publisher of the Monroeville newspaper. 6Although more of a proponent of racial segregation than Atticus, he gradually became more liberal in his later years. 7Racial segregation also figures as a major theme in Lee’s novel. 8Though Scout's mother died when she was a baby, and Lee was 25 when her mother died her mother was prone to a nervous condition that rendered her mentally and emotionally absent. 9Lee had a brother named Edwin, who — like the fictional Jem — was four years older than his sister. 10As in the novel, a black housekeeper came daily to care for the Lee house and family. To Kill a Mockingbird. (2010, September 13) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird.

15. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the second paragraph?


16. What change is needed in the passage to correct an error in punctuation?A. Part 4: Delete the comma after “mutilated.”B. Part 6: Insert a comma after “although.”C. Part 8: Insert a comma after “died.”D. Part 10: Delete the comma after “novel.”

17. Which part of the passage contains a run-on sentence?A. Part 1B. Part 3C. Part 8D. Part 9

1The importance of law in modern societies is hard to overestimate. 2The systems are complex, the institutions are diverse and range from small to mammoth, and the number of people involved, from paralegal to federal judge, can only be proof of their central role in society. 3And yet, for the most part, law and legal issues are left to lawyers, legal theorists, and the occasional sociologist. 4For most people, the law is only reluctantly confronted during signature events in their lives: marriage, paying taxes, immigrating, or suing the jerk in the SUV who smashed up your right-hand rear-view mirror. 5And so it should be.6_________________________________________________________________. 7For about twenty years, IP law has slowly become something more and more people confront. 8It is not only becoming easier to violate the law, due to changing technology, but it is also becoming much easier and more common for people to use the law to police their own intellectual property. 9In order to understand what this body of law consists of, where it came from, and what its original justification and current uses were and are, it's absolutely essential and neccessary to look more carefully at both the law, and the reasons for its existence.Kelty, C. (2004, April 23). A Primer in Modern Intellectual Property Law. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m11795/1.3/

18. Which sentence, if added as part 5, provides the best transition from the first to the second paragraph?A. People do not need to know about the law in great detail.B. Intellectual Property (IP) Law, however, seems to have broken this mold.

C. Matters are no different in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) law.D. On the other hand, more and more law students are studying Intellectual

Property (IP) law.


20. Which part of the passage contains an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement?A. Part 2B. Part 4C. Part 8D. Part 9

21. Which underlined word is spelled incorrectly?A. mammothB. signatureC. essentialD. neccessary

1The manufacture of economical, reliable ballpoint pens resulted from a combination of experimentation, modern chemistry, and the precision manufacturing capabilities of 20th century technology. 2Many patents worldwide are testaments to failed attempts to make these pens commercially viable and widely available. 3It has even been argued that a design by Galileo Galilei (during the 17th century), was that of a ballpoint pen. 4The first patent on ballpoint pens were issued on 30 October 1888, to John Loud, a leather tanner, who was attempting to make a writing implement that would be able to write on the leather he tanned, which the then-common fountain pen couldn't do. 5The pen had a rotating small steel ball, held in place by a socket. 6The ballpoint pen went through several failures in design throughout its early stages. 7Although the pen could be used to mark rough surfaces such as leather, as Loud intended, it proved to be too coarse for letter writing and was not commercially exploited. 8Very few pens can actually write on leather.Ballpoint Pen. (2010, September 13) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen.

22. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the paragraph clearer?

A. Place Part 6 after Part 2.B. Reverse the order of Parts 6 and 7.C. Reverse the order of Parts 5 and 6.D. Place Part 7 after Part 4.

23. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the paragraph?


24. What change is needed in the passage to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?

A. Part 2: Change “are” to “is.”B. Part 3: Change “has” to “have.”C. Part 4: Change “were” to “was.”D. Part 7: Change “was” to “were.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen

1A new study by Spanish Scientists has found that non-migratory, or resident, birds tend to have larger brains than migratory birds. 2Resident birds are more likely to find alternating sources of food and to try foraging techniques. 3Some European blackbirds have been observed using sticks to clear snow away from potential food sources. 4This provides an important advantage for resident birds during the colder months when food is scarce. 5Migration is an extremely stressful and hazardous journey, so species that can adapt to the cold are better off staying put. 6There does seem to be some question about the cause and effect of the relationship between brain size and migration. 7Some seem to think that migratory birds are forced to migrate because they are not smart enough to adapt or intelligent enough to change, while others argue that the small brain size is necessary to reduce the energy needed for the long migratory flight.Bird Brains and Migration. (2005, June 30). Retrieved from A DC Birding Blog: http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_archive.html.




1There is some contention about how much of the Little House on the Prairie books are purely Laura Ingalls Wilder: the stories are hers, to be sure, but her daughter was a popular author, and was instrumental in encouraging her mother to publish her story. 2While Laura already had a background writing columns for local newspapers, some suggest Rose, who was an accomplished ghostwriter, wrote the books herself, while others suggest she merely offered advice and put Laura at touch with her publishing connections; the truth is likely somewhere between the two extremes.

3___________________________________________________. 4After Wilder's death, her daughter found her journal account of their move from De Smet to Mansfield, Missouri, and had it published as On the Way Home. 5After Rose's death, her lawyer and heir, Roger Lea MacBride, brought to light and made public a manuscript Rose entrusted him with. 6MacBride published Laura's ninth book, The First Four Years, along with a collection of letters she wrote to Almanzo while visiting Rose in San Francisco during the World’s Fair, West From Home. 7Not content to stop there, he also wrote a series of books about Rose, drawing on stories she told him as a child and tossing in a few creative liberties.Little House on the Prairie. (n.d.) Retrieved from TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LittleHouseOnThePrairie.

28. Which sentence, if added as part 3, provides the best transition from the first paragraph to the second paragraph?

A. I think Rose probably wrote most of the books.B. Wilder’s books continue to be published.C. What is certain is that Wilder’s posthumous success owes much to her

daughter and her daughter’s connections in the publishing world.D. Rose was certainly interested in helping her mother’s career in any wayshe could.


30. What change is needed in the passage?A. Part 1: Change “in” to “at.”B. Part 2: Change “at” to “in.”C. Part 5: Change “after” to “since.”D. Part 6: Change “as” to “of.”

31. Which change is needed in the passage to correct an error in punctuation?A. Part 1: Delete the comma after “author.”B. Part 2: Delete the comma after “newspapers.”C. Part 4: Delete the comma after “death.”D. Part 6: Insert a comma after “Almanzo.”

1Braising is cooking with "moist heat," typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid, which results in a particular flavor. 2Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to successfully break down tough connective tissue and collagens in meat. 3It is an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. 4Many classic braised dishes such as Coq au Vin, a highly evolved method of cooking otherwise tough and unpalatable foods. 5Swissing, stewing and pot-roasting are all braising types.6_____________________________________________________________________. 7The meat or poultry is first browned in hot fat. 8A cooking liquid that often includes an acidic element, such as tomatoes or wine, is added to the pot, which is covered. 9The dish cooks in relatively low heat in an oven or atop the stove until the meat is fork-tender. 10Aromatic vegetables are sometimes then browned as well. 11Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce or gravy. 12A successful braise intermingles the flavors of the foods being cooked and the cooking liquid. 13Also, the dissolved collagens and gelatins from the meat enrich and add body to the liquid. 14Braising is econonomical, as it allows the use of tough and inexpensive cuts, and efficient, as it often employs a single pot to cook an entire meal. Cookbook: Braising. (2010, January 16) Retrieved from Wikibooks: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Braising.

32. Which sentence, if added as part 6, would be the most effective topic sentence for the second paragraph of the passage?

A. Braising is not a difficult process.B. Most braises follow the same basic steps.C. Roasting is another effective way to cook tough meat.D. Stewing, however, is the easiest way to braise.

33. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the second paragraph clearer?

A. Delete Part 7.B. Place Part 9 after Part 6.C. Place Part 10 after Part 7.D. Delete Part 10.

34. Which underlined word in the passage is spelled incorrectly?A. successfulB. flavorsC. enrichD. econonomical

35. Which part of the passage contains a sentence fragment?A. Part 3B. Part 4C. Part 13D. Part 14

Sentence Corrections

The following sentences contain two errors (e.g., in construction, grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization, punctuation). Rewrite the text to that the errors are addressed and the original meaning is maintained.

36. Fortunately the Bookstore ordered several copies of the textbook.

37. If a student organization consisting of more than ten members want to sponsor an event, the members must file the proper paperwork and inviting other student groups.

38. Either Nancy or Ida have forgotten to wash the dishes, they both were running late.

39. The woman picked a flower in a yellow coat, after she walked around the garden several times.

40. Frequently moving from town to town, it has a negative affect on children.

41. Anyone who thinks they are a good softball player should attempt the team.

42. A large group of loud crows wake me up outside my window.

Writing Summary Exercise

Use the passage below to prepare a summary of 100-150 words.

In recent years efforts have been made to introduce computer assisted instruction as a means of relieving part of the burden of one-on-one instruction with autistic children while creating a more efficient medium for intensive instruction. Studies have found that autistic children often find computer-based instruction as more interesting than teacher-based instruction; the children spend more time paying attention and are often more motivated to continue working when they are working with computers (Moore & Culvert, 2000). The development of computer assisted instruction for children with autism could lead to breakthroughs in overcoming the social, emotional, and communication difficulties associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, while simultaneously easing the burden of caregivers.In addition to the many established benefits of computers in instructional technology, there are several additional reasons that computer intervention programs are an appropriate choice for autistic populations (Silver & Oakes, 2001). As mentioned above, one of the more common difficulties autistic children face is sensory-overload: the inability to filter out unneeded and irrelevant sensory input. Placing the child at a computer terminal and having him focus on the screen can help to avoid that problem because only important and necessary information needs to be displayed. The computer also provides an extremely stable and regular work environment; the computer has the ability to produce, without fear of fatigue or boredom, predictable and immediate feedback to any input the child provides for as long as the child wishes to participate. The goals and expectations are transparent to the child and the program moves at his own pace, not one set by the instructor or other children in the class. Skill sets can be customized to fit the student’s needs, and the structure of the program designed to increase in scope and difficulty as the child progresses (Silver & Oakes, 2001). In addition, computer intervention programs can be enhanced with multimedia (such as sound effects, graphics, and animation) designed to hold the attention of the children. These additions can make instructional sessions more interesting, and therefore more successful.Not surprisingly, programs designed in such a fashion have been very successful among autistic children: Autistic students participating in a study by Moore and Culvert (2000) spent more time attending to the computer assisted instruction than they did to the teacher-based instruction and more than half wanted to continue the intervention. In contrast, no subjects in the control group, who received only teacher-based instruction, were interested in continuing. The program, designed to teach autistic children new vocabulary words, produced a strong correlation between time spent paying attention and post-test scores. This meant that students who participated in the computer assisted instruction were able to learn more, and the more time they spent at the computer the more words they were able to learn.Emmons, J. (2008, June 8). Exploring the Use of Computer Assisted Instruction with Autistic Students. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m16541/1.1/

Composition Exercise

Read the passages below about banning children from working in professional performing arts or professional sports; then follow the instructions for writing your composition.

Arguments for banning children from working in professional performing arts or professional sportsSince they are still developing, children may not be able to make choices that are in their best interests thus making them susceptible to exploitation or injury. Furthermore, the rigorous schedule of professional performing arts and professional sports keeps a child from acquiring a healthy balance of education and recreational activities

Arguments against banning children from working in professional performing arts or professional sportsA child who works in a professional performing art or in a professional sport gains valuable experience in the work force and a sense of responsibility. This experience can also be beneficial to a child’s development by fostering strong social skills with a more diverse population than a school can provide and by fostering a child’s maturation.

Your purpose is to write a persuasive composition, to be read by a classroom instructor, in which you take a position on whether or not children should be banned from working in professional performing arts or professional sports. Be sure to defend your position with logical arguments and appropriate examples.

Answer Key

1. A2. A3. C4. C5. B6. C7. D8. C9. D10. A11. C12. A13. A14. D15. D16. C17. B18. B19. D20. A21. D22. A23. D24. C25. D26. B27. A28. C29. B30. B31. A32. B33. C34. D35. B

36. Fortunately the Bookstore ordered several copies of the textbook.

Fortunately, the bookstore ordered several copies of the textbook.

37. If a student organization consisting of more than ten members want to sponsor an event, the members must file the proper paperwork and inviting other student groups.

If a student organization consisting of more than ten members wants to sponsor an event, the members must file the proper paperwork and invite other student groups.

38. Either Nancy or Ida have forgotten to wash the dishes, they both were running late.

Either Nancy or Ida has forgotten to wash the dishes. They both were running late.OR Either Nancy or Ida has forgotten to wash the dishes; they both were running late.

4. The woman picked a flower in a yellow coat, after she walked around the garden several times.

The woman in a yellow coat picked a flower after she walked around the garden several times.OR After she walked around the garden several times, the woman in a yellow coat picked a flower.

5. Frequently moving from town to town, it has a negative affect on children.

Frequently moving from town to town has a negative effect on children.

6. Anyone who thinks they are a good softball player should attempt the team.

Anyone who thinks he or she is a good softball player should try out for the team.

7. A large group of loud crows wake me up outside my window.

A large group of loud crows outside my window wakes me up.

Good summary response: Computers are a valuable resource for children with autism. Computer programs enhance and provide meaningful learning experiences for children with autism who have special instructional needs. Studies have shown that children with autism truly benefit from the stability of computer programs in the classroom; such programs support children’s learning and inspire them to focus on their schoolwork. Computer programs enhance autistic children’s skills and provide individualized support. Children with autism benefit from the stimulus provided by these computer programs, thus eliminating distractions and superfluous information, which could lead to an unnecessary excess of information that may confuse or disrupt the children’s learning.

In addition, computer programs encourage vocabulary acquisition. All in all, computer programs should be fully utilized in classrooms, as they improve learning conditions for children with autism. Bad summary response:Computer programs are very good for autistic children. Computer assisted instruction is a means of relieving the burden of one-to-one instruction with autistic children. There are several reasons to choose computers and put them in classroom for autistic children. One, “they provide an extremely stable and regular work environment, the computer has the ability produce, without fear of fatigue or boredom, predictable and immediate feedback to any input the child provides for as long as the child wishes to participate”. These programs are good for autistic children; they are fun and worthwhile and are interesting for children who need instruction that will keep them interesting and busy.

Children working in professional performing arts/sportsGood Response

Recently, individuals have been debating about whether or not children should work in professional performing arts or professional sports. Proponents of banning children from professional arts and professional sports argue that children are still developing and may not be able to make the best choices for their health, education, and interests. They may also be more susceptible to injury and exploitation. Opponents of banning children from professional arts and professional sports argue that children who work in professional arts and sports gain a sense of responsibility and valuable social experiences. Each side presents a valid argument, but children should be banned from professional arts and sports because these experiences are very stressful for children at a young age. Children should focus on having a valuable childhood and educational experiences that will lead them to success in their future. At a young age, children may be taken advantage of, which may damage a child’s self-esteem and individuality in the future. Children need time to explore their options and interests before they reach adulthood to become well-rounded adults.

Participating in professional sports and arts can be very stressful for anyone, not just children. However, the pressure is increased for young children who have careers in professional sports and arts. Children have to endure long work hours with less than humane treatment from people who are older than them and have more control over them. When children are immersed in these experiences, they do not have time to enjoy being young and having the opportunity to just play outside with their peers. Many child actors and artists have said that they did not get to have a “real childhood” because they were forced to grow up too early and accept responsibility before they were ready. Children should not be overworked by the time they are ten years old; instead, they should have the time to enjoy their freedom to explore and learn about the world. Education should be a crucial part of a child’s life. This education includes formal schooling experiences as well as informal experiences where the child is learning by actively exploring his or her environment through play and curiosity. If children participate in professional sports and arts, they will lose the opportunity to really grow

and develop naturally because they are forced to endure stressful situations at a young age. Children should not be exploited at a young age.

Oftentimes, children in the professional arts and sports are taken advantage of because people do not think they understand the “business” and how things work in the industry. People try to exploit children by becoming their managers or agents through the idea that they will truly help the child succeed, but then they end up taking all of their money or most of the profits the child makes without the child’s consent or understanding. This type of treatment results in low-self esteem among children because they begin to feel worthless and may not be able to trust people because of the exploitation they have had to endure. These children may not be able to move on from this treatment and carry it for the rest of their lives. Children should not have to endure such treatment at a young age, and this treatment can be avoided if we ban children from participating in professional sports or arts. Instead, children should take the time to explore their interests and options in school and through community experiences instead of jumping into professional careers at an early age.

Opponents of banning children from professional sports and arts believe that children will gain a wealth of experience from professional careers in this area, more experience than they would have with their peers. Although participating in professional careers would provide a different experience for children, it is not necessarily a better experience for young children. Children who interact with their own peers learn crucial social skills for communicating with people that are similar in personality and age. These experiences are more valuable to children than experiences where they are struggling to communicate with older people who may not have the same interests. Thus, children should have the opportunity to interact with children their own age who have similar interests that allow them to explore together. If children have the time to explore their options and interests, they will have a better idea of what careers they are really interested in and what they want to pursue, which makes more sense than participating in professional careers at an early age.

All aspects considered, children should be banned from professional sports and arts. Children need the opportunity to play and explore their interests with their peers. Children should not have to endure exploitation or inhumane treatment solely because of their age. Allowing time for children to explore all of their interests and options will help them figure out what they want to do in the future. In general, children should spend more time playing and exploring than dealing with stress at an early age. This stress will only harm children, not help them in the future. We should let children develop naturally to ensure their success in the future.

Bad Response:

Of course children should not be banned from professional sports and arts! We should expose children to many different careers and options at an early age. Children are perfect candidates for the professional arts and sports because they are so young; they are less likely to get hurt and they will be able to bounce back from injuries and stress easier than older people would. This is why children should be allowed to participate in professional sports and arts.

Young children are perfect for experimenting and using them for careers that may have a higher risk of injury. Older participants may get injured and have to stay out of their jobs for a week or even a month; that is not the case for young children. Children who get hurt are able to bounce back after a few days. That’s amazing! Children do not need as much time to heal and that is just what we need, especially in the professional sports. There are too many people who get hurt and never return. That is why we never win a lot of sports awards-because so many people are injured! Children would be perfect for this career.

Children should have the chance to see what different career options would look like, especially at a young age. The arts and sports are career opportunities, so why children should be banned from them? Children who like arts should be able to get into professional arts careers by the time they are eight years old so that they can be in that career until they are seventy years old. That makes perfect sense! Children should get the most out of their career options, so they should start as early as possible. Children who like sports should be able to play professional sports when they are young so they can build a tolerance for pain and get used to all of the injuries that will happen in their career. Exposing children to these careers at an early age is important and necessary.

These children should have the opportunity to participate in professional arts and sports. They are good for dealing with injuries and will really help contribute to sports and arts. We need to see some young faces in these careers of sports and art and children should have the right to participate in these areas if they truly want to and can do it. Children should not be banned from the professional arts and sports, so let them join and have fun!

Complete Practice Test 21Children mature at different rates and have different personalities,

temperments, and energy levels. 2Most children get distracted, act impulsively, and struggle to concentrate at one time or another. 3Sometimes, these normal factors may be mistaken for ADHD. 4ADHD symptoms usually appear early in life, often between the ages of 3 and 6, and because symptoms vary from person to person, the disorder can be hard to diagnose. 5Parents may first notice that their child loses interest in things sooner than other children or seems constantly out of control and impossible to manage. 6Often, teachers notice the symptoms first, when a child has trouble following rules or frequently "spaces out" in the classroom or on the playground.

7No single test can diagnose a child as having ADHD. 8Instead, a licensed health professional needs to gather information about the child, and his or her behavior and environment. 9A family may want to first talk with the child's pediatrician. 10The pediatrician or mental health specialist will first try to rule out other possibilities for the symptoms. 11Some pediatricians can assess the child themselves, but many will refer the family to a mental health specialist with experience in childhood mental disorders such as ADHD. 12For example, certain situations, events, or health conditions may cause temporary behaviors in a child that seem like ADHD.National Institute of Mental Health. (2009, January 23) How is ADHD Diagnosed? Retrieved from NIMH Publications: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/how-is-adhd-diagnosed.shtml.


2. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the second paragraph clearer?A. Delete Part 9.B. Reverse the order of Parts 10 and 11.C. Delete Part 11.D. Reverse the order of Parts 11 and 12.

3. Which change is needed in the passage to correct an error in punctuation?A. Part 4: Delete the comma after “person.”B. Part 8: Delete the comma after “instead.”C. Part 8: Delete the comma after “child.”D. Part 12: Delete the comma after “example.”

4. Which underlined word in the passage is spelled incorrectly?A. temperments C. behavior B. constantly D. possibilities

1Folklore has it that people should avoid fresh oysters in months that do not

contain an “r” in their names (as in July), but few think about what that meant for the people who harvested and processed the delectable bivalves for a living. 2 Having to go out on the water during the coldest months of the year despite the snow and wind, oysters had to be dredged, scraped, or raked up by oystermen.3Women and girls had to stand for hours in unheated sheds prying open the shells and freeing the meat for canning and shipping. 4The small wooden sailing vessels that gathered the bounty had to be equally rugged.

5_____________________________________________________. 6The oyster sloop Priscilla is a reminder of those days when oystering was done under sail from Long Island Sound to Apalachicola Bay, Florida . 7Built in 1888, the sloop remains afloat at the Long Island Maritime Museum in West Sayville, New York, which also preserves the 1908 Rudolph Oyster house and oystering artifacts. 8On February 17, 2006, Priscilla joined the ranks of a handful of preserved historic oystering boats and properties that have been declared National Historic Landmarks. National Park Service. (2007, April 1) Maritime Heritage Highlights. Retrieved from National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program: http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/.

5. Which sentence, if added as part 5, would be the most effective topic sentence for the second paragraph of the passage?A. Oyster boats had to be not only strong but wide and shallow.B. The United States is fortunate to have a few surviving examples of the boats and places that once provided oysters and other seafood to the nation.C. Unfortunately, little evidence survives as to what these boats were like.D. Preserving these boats is of great importance to United States maritime history.

6. Which part in the passage contains a misplaced modifier?A. Part 2B. Part 3C. Part 7D. Part 8


1In clinical research studies that seek to test the effectiveness of a new intervention (for example,

a new medication or a new psychotherapy technique), participants will usually be evenly placed in different study groups. 2Participants do not know to which group they have been assigned. 3One group receives the experimental intervention; the other receives standard or no treatment. 4This process, called randomization, allows researchers to compare results among the two groups.

5People who take part in studies requiring randomization are generally placed in a group based on chance, not choice. 6Some participants are placed in the “experimental” group, and the others are placed in the “control” group. 7To understand how this works, imagine that 100 people decide to participate in a study, that compares a new treatment to a standard treatment. 8Each participant is randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group. 9To do this, researchers use a “coin toss” or similar method. 10The control group will receive standard treatment, a placebo, or other intervention based on the design of the study. 11Half of the people are assigned to the treatment group and half are assigned to the control group. 12The researchers then compare the results of the two groups to see which treatment works better, functioning more effectively. 13They also try to figure out why it works better. National Institute of Mental Health. (2009, February 4) What is Randomization? Retrieved from NIMH Publications: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-participants-guide-to-mental-health-clinical-research/what-is-randomization.shtml.


9. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the second paragraph clearer?A. Place Part 8 after Part 6.B. Delete Part 9.C. Delete Part 11.D. Reverse the order of Parts 12 and 13.

10. Which change is needed in the passage?A. Part 2: Change “to” to “in.”B. Part 4: Change “among” to “between.”C. Part 7: Change “to a standard treatment” to “from a standard treatment.”D. Part 10: Change “on” to “in.”

11. Which change is needed in the passage to correct an error in punctuation? A. Part 1: Insert a comma after “placed.”B. Part 3: Change the semicolon to a comma.C. Part 6: Delete the comma before “group.”D. Part 7: Delete the comma after “study.”

1Natural areas, or wilderness areas, comprise ecosystems in which human activity has not significantly affected the plant and animal populations or their environment. 2According to the "Wilderness Act of 1964," wilderness areas are defined as being those areas where the nearest road is at least five miles away and where no permanent buildings stand. 3More than 100 million acres of land are now preserved as wilderness under this act.

4_____________________________________________________. 5Few undesignated areas in the contiguous states remain that would qualify as wilderness. 6California’s wilderness areas are most significant, with over 4 million acres of National Forest Wilderness areas, and 1.5 million acres of mostly desert wilderness in the Mojave Desert National Preserve. 7Because of the large population of the state, the demand for recreational use of these areas is very steep. 8Heavy demand for the use of a relatively few natural areas is the contiguous states’ biggest challenge regarding resources. 9It is not an easy task for natural resource managers’ to manage these natural areas in a way that conserves biological diversity while supporting a sustainable and balanced level of human use. UCCP., & California, U. (2008, June 18). BIOLOGICAL. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m16729/1.2/

12. Which sentence, if added as part 5, provides the best transition from the first to the second paragraph?A. Although wilderness areas are scattered among most of the continguous 48 states, the largest percentage is found in the western states.B. Preserving wilderness areas will be one of the most important political challenges of the 21st century, yet we must struggle to maintain these reserves.C. Unfortunately, these areas are increasingly being developed and lost, especially in the contiguous 48 states.D. The Wilderness Act of 1964 will not last forever, however.


14. Which of the following revisions is needed to correct an error in the use of apostrophes?A. Part 1: Change “populations” to “population’s.”B. Part 6: Change “California’s” to “Californias’.”C. Part 8: Change “states’” to “states.”D. Part 9: Change “managers’” to “managers.”

1Project management in its present form began to take root a few decades ago. 2In the early 1960s, industrial and business organizations began to understand the benefits of organizing work around projects. 3They understood the critical need to communicate and integrate work across multiple departments and professions.

4__________________________________________________. 5Their initial goal was to establish an organization where members could share their experiences in project management and discuss issues. 6Today, PMI is a non-profit project management professional association and the most widely recognized organization in terms of promoting project management best practices. 7PMI was formed to serve the interests of the project management industry. 8The premise of PMI is that the tools and techniques of project management are common even among the widespread application of projects from the software to the construction industry. 9PMI first began offering the PMP certification exam in 1984 although it took a while for people to take notice, now more than 260,000 individuals around the world hold the PMP designasion.Barron, M., & Barron, A. (2009, September 24). History of Project Management. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m31428/1.2/

15. Which sentence, if added as part 5, provides the best transition from the first to the second paragraph?A. One important businesswoman took the lead in professionalizing this work.B. A forum was needed for project managers to communicate with one another, so PMI (Project Management Institute) was founded.C. The Project Management Institute (PMI) was founded in 1969 by five volunteers.D. A group of volunteers from various institutions took the initiative to organize a conference.

16. Which part of the passage contains a run-on sentence?A. Part 5B. Part 6C. Part 8D. Part 9

17. Which underlined word in the passage is spelled incorrectly?A. initialB. associationC. widespreadD. designasion

1After seeing a famous painting by François Milet, Les Graneuses (“The Gleaners”), of a group of women stooped over picking up leftover stalks of wheat, French Documentary Filmmaker Agnès Varda began to wonder about modern-day gleaners — the people who scavenge their food from the scraps that our modern industrial society discards as waste. 2She wondered about trash in our modern times: “Who finds a use for it? How? Can one live on the leftovers of others?” 3In today’s world, many believe that food waste is a leading cause of world hunger.

4The result, The Gleaners and I, is a moving depiction of the people who — after the harvest — pick through the dirt to find potatoes and tomatoes left behind, scour the beach for oysters washed up after storms, pick grapes and figs that farmers reject, and go “dumpster diving” to recover discarded loaves of bread, sandwiches and other food. 5Gleaning has a long history among commoners. 6It’s what they do to put food on the table. 7Although gleaning often exists in the twilight zone between law and custom. 8The law in many instances formally recognizes gleaning as a right. 9In the film, a lawyer standing in a field reads the text of a 1554 French law that allows “the poor, the wretched, the deprived” to enter the fields once the harvest is over, and take what they wish. Bollier, D. (2009, November 21) The Gleaners and I. Retrieved from On the Commons: http://onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2579.

18. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the passage?A. Part 1B. Part 2C. Part 3D. Part 5

19. Which part of the passage is a sentence fragment?A. Part 6B. Part 7C. Part 8D. Part 9


1Limestone is a type of rock made of calcium carbonate. 2Although few things seem less life-like than rocks, most limestone is actually biogenic, formed from the shells, skeletons, and excretions of marine invertebrates. 3Jellyfish and sea anemones are marine invertebrates. 4In the shallows around tropical islands and continents, warm clear water, strong sunlight, and abundant nutrients allow mollusks, crustaceans, and plankton to flourish. 5When these creatures die or molt their hard parts fall to the sea floor. 6As the remains pile up, the weight of the overlying debris compacts the deepest layers. 7Cements precipitate out of groundwater, fusing the individual fragments into solid rock. 8Some limestone goes no further, so that the component shells remain distinct and clearly visible. 9In other limestone, subject to more intense heat and pressure, the organic material is recrystallized into a featureless mass.

10______________________________________________________. 11Crushed limestone is a component of cement, paper, plastic, and paint, and is used to adjust the pH of soil and water. 12Whole limestone that retains visible shell material is used for decorative stonework. 13Common blackboard chalk is a limestone made from microscopic skeletons. 14Limestone is extremely plentiful, making up about 10-15% of all sedimentary rocks on Earth, so that even though it is heavily used, its reserve are not being significantly depleted. UCCP., & California, U. (2008, June 18). BIOLOGICAL. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m16729/1.2/

21. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the passage?A. Part 3B. Part 4C. Part 5D. Part 6

22. Which sentence, if added as part 5, would be the most effective topic sentence for the second paragraph of the passage?A. Limestone is thus hard to recognize.B. Limestone is widely used in industrial processes.C. Additionally, limestone has many uses.D. Limestone has so many uses that it may become scarce soon.

23. Which part of the passage should be revised to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?A. Part 11B. Part 12C. Part 13D. Part 14

24. Which of the following changes should be made to correct an error in punctuation?A. Part 2: Delete the comma after “biogenic.”B. Part 4: Delete the comma after “continents.”C. Part 5: Insert a comma after “molt.”D. Part 8: Insert a comma after “distinct.”


1Through the 1970s, the United States underwent a wrenching period of low economic growth, high inflation and interest rates, and intermittent energy crises. 2Added to this was a sense of uneasiness that in both foreign and domestic affairs the nation was headed downward. 3By the beginning of the election season, the prolonged Iran hostage crisis had sharpened public perceptions of a national time of trouble.

4The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran against him as an independent. 5Anderson was socially liberal but fiscally conservative. 6Reagan, who was aided by the Iran hostage crisis and a worsening economy at home, won the election in a landslide. 7Carter, after defeating Ted Kennedy for the Democratic nomination, attacked Reagan as a dangerous right-wing radical. 8For his part, Reagan, the former Governor of California, repeatedley ridiculed Carter, and won a decisive victory; in the simultaneous Congressional elections, Republicans won control of the United States Senate for the first time in 28 years. 9This election marked the beginning of what is popularly called the "Reagan Revolution.”United States Presidential Election, 1980. (2010, September 5) Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1980.

25. Which part of the passage draws attention away from the main idea of the second paragraph?A. Part 5B. Part 6C. Part 7D. Part 8

26. What change is needed in the passage?A. Part 1: Change “through” to “in.”B. Part 2: Change “this” to “those.”C. Part 4: Change “ran against him” to “ran against them.”D. Part 6: Change “who was” to “that was.”

27. Which underlined word in the passage is spelled incorrectly?A. wrenchingB. intermittentC. independentD. repeatedley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1980

1_________________________________________________________. 2Flip through The New Yorker and other upscale magazines, and you are invited to enter the fantasy world of private aviation, where there are no crowds, no long security lines and no boring waits in noisy airport lounges. 3You can just drive up to the plane whenever you want (in your limo, of course) and jet to wherever you want! 4The outrageous reality is that private jets’ are one of the most piggish forms of conspicuous consumption imaginable. 5The private jet is not only a symbol of extreme privilege and exclusivity; it imposes significant costs on the air travel system, taxpayers, shareholders and the environment.

6Private jet travel has “taken off” over the past forty years — from 1,000 jets in 1970 to over 10,000 in 2006, a number that is expected to double in quantity by 2017. 7For years, private aviation’s expansion rate roughly paralleled that of commercial aviation. 8Then, in 1997, private aviation took off — a trend that not-so-coincidentally paralleled the worsening of inequality. 9Unfortunately, private jets’ costs shift significant burdens onto the commons, such as the emissions of carbon into the atmosphere. 10The per-passenger emissions of CO2 while flying in a Cessna Citation X across the country is more than five times those of a commercial air passenger. 11A private jet also emits 26 times more carbon than four passengers making the same trip in a Toyota Prius.Bollier, D. (2010, April 15) High Flying Free Riders. Retrieved from On the Commons: http://onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2711.

28. Which sentence, if added as part 1, would be the most effective topic sentence for the first paragraph of the passage?A. Private jets make traveling easier, but they do not come without a cost.B. The private jet is always cast as the ultimate status symbol.C. The New Yorker has been an institution on the American literary scene for decades.D. Flying in these turbulent times can be a hassle.


30. Which part of the passage should be revised to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?A. Part 8B. Part 9C. Part 10D. Part 11

31. Which of the following revisions is needed to correct an error in the use of apostrophes?A. Part 4: Change “jets’” to “jets.”B. Part 7: Change “aviation’s” to “aviations’.”C. Part 9: Change “jets’” to “jet’s.”D. Part 10: Change “emissions” to “emission’s.”

1Students in higher education may have activities and tasks in addition to schoolwork that they have to balance. 2In addition to academic responsibilities, there may also have been paid or volunteer work and other commitments to consider. 3If these demands are not managed effectively, the result will be inadequate time to complete projects, missed deadlines, and the quality of the work may also suffer as a result. 4Time management relates to techniques or methods of scheduling time, which result in the efficient organization of outstanding tasks in order to meet deadlines.

5______________________________________________. 6Each task is then listed in order of priority, giving a list of smaller goals in place of a large task. 7These goals are then given deadlines for it to be achieved by. 8The result of this work will be a plan covering the entire process of completing the project. 9If time is not managed properly, it can become too simple to put off tasks and projects in favor of other activities; procrastination becomes most likely when there is the least time management. 10When this plan is complete, the tasks should be completed sequentially and without skipping or leaving tasks partially completed.Davies, W. (2009, June 16) Is Time Management Important for Students? Retrieved from GenerallyThinking: http://generallythinking.com/blog/why-is-time-management-important/.

32. Which sentence, if added as part 5, provides the best transition from the first to the second paragraph?A. Meeting deadlines is an important skill that all students must learn early in their academic careers. B. Not all time management strategies work, however.C. Time management strategies can begin with breaking the outstanding projects into smaller tasks.D. First, a list must be created.

33. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the second paragraph clearer?A. Reverse the order of parts 6 and 7. B. Reverse the order of parts 8 and 9.C. Place part 9 before part 6.D. Reverse the order of parts 9 and 10.

34. Which part of the passage contains an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement?A. Part 1B. Part 7C. Part 9D. Part 10

35. Which underlined word or words in the passage should be replaced by a more appropriate verb form?A. Part 1: may haveB. Part 2: may also have beenC. Part 3: will beD. Part 4: relates to


The following sentences contain two errors (e.g., in construction, grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization, punctuation). Rewrite the text to that the errors are addressed and the original meaning is maintained.

36. After Angie moved to a new town she began to have difficulty in school and about work.

37. Anyone who watches more than three hours of television each day is in danger of harming their eyesight, gaining weight, and loss of cognitive ability.

38. Rolling around on the floor, Larry enjoyed watching his elderly cat have fun, although he was worried about her.

39. Neither walking to school nor taking the stairs provide enough of a change in lifestyle to lose weight unfortunately many believe that these small changes are enough.

40. The highway is under destruction, therefore we will have to take the detour route.

41. The mountain ranges of northern New Hampshire provides a view of both the Atlantic ocean and the surrounding valleys.

42. Cooks that dont pay attention to what they are doing often get burned or cut themselves badly.

Writing Summary Exercise

Environmental health science is getting short shrift in some K–12 schools, according to an analysis in the May 2006 Journal of Geoscience Education. Students in some states “study the air, water, rocks, plants, and animals, but don’t study any object or process caused by humans. In other states, human–environment (H-E) interactions are shoved into all sorts of nooks and crannies in the science standards,” says lead author Kim Kastens, a senior research scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.

Kastens and Margaret Turrin, education coordinator at Lamont-Doherty, examined science education standards in 49 states (Iowa has no statewide standards), focusing on courses required for graduation. All state standards included at least minimal discussion of H-E interactions, but 15 state standards included less than 1 discussion of H-E topics a year, on average. Only 2 states averaged more than 5 discussions a year. State curricula more often included information on how humans affect the environment than on how the environment affects humans and human society. Curricula were least likely to include information on ways the actions and decisions of individuals in their daily lives impact the environment; only 57% of state standards included such information.

The paucity of H-E information is at odds with the National Science Education Standards developed by the NAS, says Bora Simmons, director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education of the North American Association of Environmental Educators. Indeed, it counters surveys conducted by Roper Reports/NOP World for the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation showing that 95% of adults and 96% of parents support teaching children about the environment. This general support for H-E education may not be reflected in some standards because of concerns that such topics could generate controversy, says Simmons. “Many standards have not one word on global warming,” adds Kastens.

Kastens and Turrin did find H-E information in standards for other disciplines including health, geography, and consumer studies. For example, in some states children are taught that recycling is healthy, says Kastens, but they don’t necessarily learn the scientific reasoning behind such assertions—information that could well be taught in science class. The analysis calls for more and better-integrated H-E education so students can build their understanding of environmentally sustainable choices and actions. Kastens says, “An education system that never asks students to think about the impact of their actions on the environment now and in the future is a flawed system.” Freeman, K. (2006) Education: Standards Vary for EH Curricula. Retrieved from Environmental Health Perspectives: http://ehsehplp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.114-a578b.

Composition Exercise

Read the passages below about using alternative types of assessment rather than exams in elementary education; then follow the instructions for writing your composition.

Arguments for the use of alternative types of assessment in elementary educationExams are not an appropriate assessment method for elementary aged children because they only evaluate a student’s ability to memorize information rather than the student’s ability to learn and internalize the information. Therefore, interactive assessments are necessary for a more comprehensive evaluation of the student’s abilities.

Arguments against the use of alternative types of assessment in elementary educationExams are an appropriate assessment method for elementary aged children because they expose students to the demands of pressure and allow for a student to apply their knowledge under such pressure.

Your purpose is to write a persuasive composition, to be read by a classroom instructor, in which you take a position on whether or alternative types of assessments should be used in elementary school education. Be sure to defend your position with logical arguments and appropriate examples.

Answer Key Test 21. D 2. B3. C4. A5. B6. A7. C8. D9. C10. B11. D12. A13. C14. D15. C16. D17. D18. C19. B20. A21. A22. B23. D24. C25. A26. C27. D28. B29. A30. C31. A32. C33. D34. B35. B


36. After Angie moved to a new town, she began to have difficulty in school and at (or in) work.37. Anyone who watches more than three hours of television each day is in danger of harming his or her eyesight, gaining weight, and losing cognitive ability.

38. Larry enjoyed watching his elderly cat have fun rolling around on the floor although he was worried about her.

39. Neither walking to school nor taking the stairs provides enough of a change in lifestyle to lose weight. Unfortunately many believe that these small changes are enough. (or semicolon instead of period)40. The highway is under construction; therefore we will have to take the detour route. (or period instead of semicolon)41. The mountain ranges of northern New Hampshire provide a view of both the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding valleys.42. Cooks who don’t pay attention to what they are doing often get burned or cut themselves badly.

Human-Environment Interactions Summary Good Response

Many schools throughout the nation are not including human-environment interactions into their classroom curriculum. It is true that many schools stress the importance of taking care of the environment through actions such as recycling, but many science curriculum standards neglect to explain the scientific benefits of such actions. Some of these topics may not have a place in the classroom because they are widely and hotly debated, but it is evident that these topics are significant and need to have a place within the classroom. In order to communicate the importance of making smart decisions that will improve environmental conditions through science and curriculum standards in the classroom; thus, it is crucial to add more thorough discussions about human-environment interactions to encourage students to analyze their influence on the environment and the world at large. Bad Response

Science is not really interesting for students in schools. A lot of schools make a lot of science projects for students to do while they’re in school, and sometimes they are really hard to complete. Many of the schools in the country don’t think science belongs in the classroom and teachers don’t really like to talk about science. Instead of adding more science in the classroom, we should add more psychology and writing, because it’s better.

Alternative types of assessment:Good response

Assessment is an integral part of the learning process. Teachers often use assessment to evaluate how children are learning and to assess their own teaching styles for future lessons. Thus, it is important that children are an active part of the assessment process, which means that they must be given the opportunity to actively demonstrate their knowledge and the skills that they have learned during a particular unit or lesson. Using exams as a form of assessment does not allow children to demonstrate their knowledge and skills; instead, these exams force children to memorize facts and information while focusing only on one or two specific skills. In addition, these exams force teachers to “teach to the test” rather than providing interactive and engaging curriculum, also known as developmentally appropriate

practice. Thus, children’s success in school is hindered and teachers will never know if the children in their class are actually learning. Therefore, in order to accurately assess children’s knowledge and skills in the classroom, teachers should use alternative assessment instead of exams to support children’s learning.

First of all, children have to cease active learning in order to prepare for exams. Instead of being active participants in their learning and engaging in projects and activities, students are forced to memorize facts and numbers that do not have any real meaning to their lives. Instead of learning about the weather through investigation and observation, children may be reading facts about the weather in books and listening to the teacher as he or she reads facts word for word from a manual or text. At the end of this unit, these children will be asked to regurgitate these facts back to the teacher to “prove” what they have learned about weather. By listening to and memorizing facts, these children have not learned any skills that can be used later on in their school careers; instead, all these children are learning are basic facts that they will probably forget after a few days have passed. If these children were actively engaged in project-based learning, they would learn how to critically observe changes in the weather, how to predict the weather, etc. An alternative assessment for a unit on weather could be a class presentation on weather using graphs and charts the children created or giving a weather forecast to the entire school. This type of assessment allows children to demonstrate the skills they have used in a particular unit and show other individuals not only what they have been learning but how they have been learning, which is the true purpose of assessment. Using exams to assess children takes away from children’s ability to truly show that they are learning. Alternative assessment is more rewarding for both children and teachers; teachers have more freedom to teach instead of worrying about teaching only facts-essentially “teaching to the test”.

Nowadays, teachers face a great amount of stress because they must account for the standards and curriculum outlined by their school districts or states to make sure that children are learning “what they are supposed to”. As a result, teachers sometimes feel that it is easier to pick a generic topic of study and find facts in books or online to tell their students and then move to another unit of study after giving students an end-of-the-unit exam, which does not give students an accurate experience with the unit they are studying. If teachers use alternative assessments, they will face less pressure in teaching facts and have more freedom to develop meaningful experiences for children so that they can teach more practical skills such as observation and interview techniques. Teachers will have more time to plan assessments that allow children to showcase their newfound skills and talents. These assessments will also provide more feedback for teachers because they are tangible products of the students’ work. Although an exam can tell a teacher what a student has gotten wrong on a test, it does not help a teacher identify a student’s weakness or if the teacher needs to alter his or her teaching style to help the student improve. Using authentic assessment allows teachers to evaluate their teaching styles and practices to better support their students, which will benefit students’ learning. With authentic assessment, both teachers and students will have the opportunity to improve their learning in the classroom.

While in the classroom, children need meaningful and engaging experiences to support their learning. If children are not given the opportunity to learn relevant skills

through active exploration based on their interests, children will become bored, which results in learning meaningless material that wastes both the teacher’s and the students’ time. Taking exams will not help children learn and will hinder their learning in future years. Using exams tells students that learning through other means is impossible. Because exams only focus on a few specific skills, if any at all, children do not get to put a variety of newly acquired skills into practice; thus, they will have learned new information without learning or putting new skills into practice. Because these skills are not utilized, they may be forgotten, which only hinders children’s progress in the future. If we want children to succeed, we will not bombard them with exams that do not let them put their skills into practice.

All in all, exams do not let children demonstrate their full potential. Instead, children only memorize facts and information to get a good grade. Meaningful experiences need to be assessed authentically; children should have the opportunity to engage in projects that are tangible representations of what they have learned. Exams do not provide enough information for teachers or children of their strengths and weaknesses, which is not beneficial for teachers and children. If we continue to use exams, we continue to tell children that their ability to create a final product and use multiple crucial skills is unimportant. To provide developmentally appropriate practice and support children in the classroom, we need to use alternative assessment instead of generic exams.Bad Response Teachers should use alternative assessments because they would be good for their students. Students do not like taking exams and they should not be forced to take them. Children should be able to do what they want in the classroom and teachers should support that. Using exams is not good for children’s learning because they do not get to learn a lot. Children learn best by doing, according to some development specialists, so they should not be given exams to help them support their learning. Children are our future so we cannot do anything to damage their learning. Giving children exams would be bad because they do not like them and they would probably just sit there and stop learning. Teachers would not be able to do their jobs because children would not like the way they are using exams to assess them. Exams do not work for children so other means of assessment should be used in the classroom. This is why exams should not be used in the classroom and alternative assessments should be used instead.

writing subtest instruction: framework - improving … subtest... · web viewwhich part of the...

Documents