MAP Writing (Grades 6-8) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which element is most important to establish early in a narrative piece of writing?
- The resolution of the conflict
- The setting, characters, and situation (Correct answer)
- The lesson or moral of the story
- The climax of the plot
Correct answer: The setting, characters, and situation
The exposition at the beginning of a narrative introduces setting, characters, and the initial situation to orient the reader before the story develops.
Question 2: What does it mean to 'cite evidence' in an informational essay?
- To make up facts that support your argument
- To quote or reference specific details from a source text to support a claim (Correct answer)
- To write a summary of the entire source
- To list all books you have ever read
Correct answer: To quote or reference specific details from a source text to support a claim
Citing evidence means using specific quotes, statistics, or details from source texts to support and strengthen a claim in your writing.
Question 3: Which word choice makes this sentence more precise: 'The dog moved across the yard'?
- The dog went across the yard.
- The dog traveled across the yard.
- The dog sprinted across the yard. (Correct answer)
- The dog proceeded across the yard.
Correct answer: The dog sprinted across the yard.
'Sprinted' gives the reader a much clearer, more vivid picture of how the dog moved compared to vague verbs like 'moved,' 'went,' or 'traveled.'
Question 4: In which section of an essay does the writer restate the thesis and summarize the main points?
- Introduction
- Body paragraphs
- Conclusion (Correct answer)
- Hook
Correct answer: Conclusion
The conclusion restates the thesis in different words and briefly summarizes the main supporting points made throughout the essay.
Question 5: Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?
- Running through the park, Jenna spotted a deer.
- While reading the book, the phone rang. (Correct answer)
- Exhausted from practice, the players collapsed on the bench.
- After finishing her homework, she watched TV.
Correct answer: While reading the book, the phone rang.
In 'While reading the book, the phone rang,' the modifier 'while reading the book' incorrectly modifies 'the phone' instead of a person, making it a dangling modifier.
Question 6: What is the main purpose of using sensory details in descriptive writing?
- To list facts and statistics about a topic
- To help the reader experience what is being described through the five senses (Correct answer)
- To persuade the reader to change their opinion
- To explain a step-by-step process
Correct answer: To help the reader experience what is being described through the five senses
Sensory details engage sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to create vivid images that help readers experience the subject as if they were there.
Question 7: Which sentence is written in passive voice?
- The students completed the assignment on time.
- The teacher graded the tests over the weekend.
- The award was presented to Mia by the principal. (Correct answer)
- She wrote a detailed report about climate change.
Correct answer: The award was presented to Mia by the principal.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action rather than performs it; 'The award was presented to Mia' has the subject 'award' receiving the action of being presented.
MAP Writing (Grades 6-8) 2
Which element is most important to establish early in a narrative piece of writing?