MCQs on Writing
1. A paragraph _____________________________.
a) is a topic sentence plus a quote from a secondary source
b) includes all the information you brainstormed in your draft even if it is off the topic
c) is a series of questions about the topic
d) develops one main idea
2. Writing has coherence if _______________________.
a) readers can discern the meaning you intend without your filling in all the details
b) each sentence and idea seems to fit together smoothly
c) it repeats key transition words so that readers can follow
d) you have one main idea per paragraph
3. What is meant by ‘paragraph development’?
a) Paragraphs have generalized ideas that form a coherent whole.
b) Main ideas are properly outlined and included in the paragraphs.
c) Paragraphs involve library research evidenced by the use of quotes from experts in
the field.
d) Paragraphs include details, evidence, examples, and the like from personal experience
as well as from library research.
4. Effective introductions do what?
a) discuss all the main points of the essay, as well as the counterarguments that are
addressed, and include facts, statistics, and a review of literature
b) impress the reader with the specialized knowledge the writer has been able to
discover and decipher
c) converse with the reader using colloquial language, often through the employment of
slang terms and jokes to pique interest
d) build interest in and bring the reader into the writer's world
5. Effective conclusions do what?
a) contain a number of quotes by noted experts to remind readers of the importance of
your topic
b) may look backward or forward
c) contain all the information that didn't "fit" the body of the paper
d) bring up new points so as to leave your reader with many questions about your topic
6. Patterns of paragraph organization include _________________.
a) narration, analogy, examples, and subtraction
b) sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste
c) description, classification, definition, and narration
d) chronology, priority, trends, and expectations
7. What is narration?
a) detailing the people, places, and things drawn from the senses
b) setting down a structured and orderly selection of points
c) jotting down ideas on a regular basis
d) telling a story with events typically arranged in chronological order
8. What is description?
a) providing details about people, places, and things drawn from sensory
experiences
b) clustering
c) outlining
d) explaining the way something works
9. What is an analogy?
a) dividing one item into parts to better analyze it
b) classifying items
c) the tracing of causes in a paragraph
d) comparing things that may seem to have little in common
10. Illustration is a pattern of organization: what are illustrations?
a) sights, sounds, smells, and other descriptive details
b) types of evidence
c) charts, graphs, and images you may include in the paper to help inform and
persuade your audience
d) extended examples
11. Two subjects, one at a time is what?
a) an example of comparison and contrast
b) several people dividing the work on one project
c) incoherent
d) divide and conquer
12. Two subjects, point by pointis what?
a) discussing both subjects at the same time, item by item
b) starting with one item and dividing it into parts
c) reading your essay aloud
d) checking for adequate transitions between paragraphs
13. What is process analysis?
a) telling how to complete a procedure
b) using examples and comparisons
c) something that takes a direct object
d) fleeting or ephemeral referent
14. Looking backward means what?
a) it is a history of the nature of the problem you are discussing
b) discussing an idea by offering an extended example
c) summarizing the main points to remind the reader what was discussed
d) two subjects, point by point
15. Looking forward means what?
a) offering advice to your readers based on your argument or proposal
b) referring back to the introduction
c) arranging information chronologically
d) moving from general to specific information
