| Exemplary Prose: |
| Essential Writing Skills in Context |
Write or select sentences
which logically support and develop the concept of the subtopic; i.e. details
not only are on the same topic as the topic sentence or opinion statements,
but expand and develop them.
Detail support is important because without it, your writing will lack focus and tend to wander. As a teacher (and grader) of writing papers, this is perhaps my second most infuriating pet peeve (behind a wanton negligence regarding proofreading). The following examples should help you understand more clearly why every sentence in a paragraph is important. As Jack LaLanne would say: "You must trim the fat" in order to make your writing phat (or "strong," for you folks my age).
Below are 4 questions taken from the writing section of the HSGQE practice test. Try them out and see how you do. Each question has a direct link to its answer, but don't hit it until you have answered it yourself.
1. A student wrote a paragraph about a trip to the video store. There are some mistakes that need correcting.
(1) After school, we went to the video store. (2) Looking at all the new releases. (3) We stayed in the store for a whole hour, but we still weren't able to decide on a movie we would all like. (4) We decided to play a game instead.
Where would this sentence best fit in the paragraph?
That way we'd get more exercise anyway.
A. after Sentence 1
B. after Sentence 2
C. after Sentence 3
D. after Sentence 4
2. Choose the sentence that best fits in the blank.
Most people agree that exercise is good for both body and soul. _____________________ Additionally, exercise causes the release of endorphins which stimulate our sense of well being. In general, exercise simply makes us feel better
A. Walking for twenty minutes a day is considered a good standard.
B. Combining work and play makes the days go faster.
C. A regimen of daily exercise helps maintain a steady calorie-burning
metabolism.
D. Exercises need not be difficult for anyone to complete.
3. Choose the sentence that best fits the blank in the
paragraph.
The short story is usually defined as a brief fictional
prose narrative involving one connected episode. Early in the nineteenth
century, Edgar Allen Poe was one of the first to try to define the elements
necessary to a short story. ___________________________ Since real life seldom
is so neatly unified, all fiction is, in a sense, “lies.” Ironically,
however, we judge short stories based on how true they are to our emotions and
how accurately they reflect our lives.
A) He died at an early age after a troubled life.
B) Some of those elements are character, plot, theme, and setting.
C) He stressed unity of effect as the story’s most important feature.
D) He also wrote many poems.
4. Choose the concluding statement that best fits the paragraph.
Many people enjoy reading in their spare time. The mystery
and suspense of Agatha Christie and the horror and surprise twists of events
found in novels written by Stephen King make them among the most popular authors
in America. Danielle Steele is a tremendously successful author who appeals to
readers who enjoy love stories and intrigue. _________________________
A) Books of mystery, horror, and romance satisfy America’s hunger for possibilities.
B) Agatha Christie, however, was British.
C) Two of these three popular authors are still writing today.
D) Reading is more popular today than ever.
The answer to question 1 is: D Return to 1.
The correct answer is C. The key to this question is recognizing that the next sentence begins with "Additionally" which means the sentence that comes before it must also provide an example of the value of exercise. Return to 2.
The answer is C. This is the correct answer as the next sentence refers specifically to the unity mentioned in sentence C. A and D would be inappropriate as the information is extraneous to the passage. Answer B does not provide the fluency of answer C. Return to 3.
The correct answer is A. It effectively summarizes the three types of writing mentioned in the passage. Answers B and C deal with only part of the passage. Answer D does not take into consideration the information provided in the passage and is merely a repeat of the information in the topic sentence. Return to 4.
I hope that after you have completed these exercises you feel more confident in you ability to write or select sentences that support and enlighten your topic. Remember, when you write for the HSGQE, brevity and conciseness are traits you'll want to adopt in order to score high.