MAP Writing and Composition 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence uses correct subject-verb agreement?
- The students was excited about the field trip.
- The students were excited about the field trip. (Correct answer)
- The students has been excited about the field trip.
- The students is excited about the field trip.
Correct answer: The students were excited about the field trip.
'Students' is a plural subject, so it requires the plural verb 'were,' making 'The students were excited' the only grammatically correct option.
Question 2: What does it mean to 'revise' a piece of writing?
- Check for spelling and punctuation errors
- Write the first version of the piece
- Improve the content, organization, and clarity (Correct answer)
- Share the writing with an audience
Correct answer: Improve the content, organization, and clarity
Revision involves making improvements to the content, structure, and clarity of a draft, which is different from editing (fixing grammar/spelling) or publishing.
Question 3: Which sentence contains a comma splice error?
- I love reading books, especially mysteries.
- She finished her homework, then she went outside.
- He ate dinner, he watched TV afterward. (Correct answer)
- After school, I practice piano for one hour.
Correct answer: He ate dinner, he watched TV afterward.
'He ate dinner, he watched TV afterward' incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a comma, which is a comma splice error.
Question 4: When writing in third person point of view, which pronoun would an author use?
- I
- We
- You
- He/She/They (Correct answer)
Correct answer: He/She/They
Third person point of view uses pronouns such as he, she, it, or they to refer to characters or subjects outside the narrator.
Question 5: What is the function of a thesis statement in an essay?
- To provide background information about the topic
- To state the central argument or main point of the essay (Correct answer)
- To summarize the evidence presented in the essay
- To introduce the first body paragraph
Correct answer: To state the central argument or main point of the essay
A thesis statement presents the central argument or main claim of the essay, guiding the direction of all supporting paragraphs.
Question 6: Which word is spelled correctly?
- Recieve
- Beleive
- Achieve (Correct answer)
- Freind
Correct answer: Achieve
'Achieve' is the correctly spelled word; the others violate the common 'i before e except after c' spelling rule.
Question 7: A student writes: 'The dog ran quickly across the yard.' Which revision makes this sentence more vivid and descriptive?
- The dog ran across the yard quickly.
- The golden retriever bolted across the sun-drenched yard. (Correct answer)
- The dog went across the yard in a fast way.
- Quickly, the dog ran across the yard.
Correct answer: The golden retriever bolted across the sun-drenched yard.
Using specific nouns ('golden retriever') and strong verbs ('bolted') along with descriptive details creates a more vivid and engaging sentence.
MAP Writing and Composition 2
Which sentence uses correct subject-verb agreement?