Writing Lanugage and Style Practice Exercises (page 3)

Updated on Aug 25, 2011


Read the following questions. Circle the letter of the answer you think is correct.

  1. In which of the following ways are Emma and Julia alike?
    1. They both are very outgoing and talkative.
    2. They both feel comfortable around animals.
    3. They both have a class called Earth Studies.
    4. They both live on farms outside Carrville.
  2. Which words best describe how Emma feels when her classmates first begin to pair up?
    1. angry and disappointed
    2. anxious and uncertain
    3. enthusiastic and joyful
    4. jealous and hurt
  3. Reread the following sentence from the story:
  4. Emma hesitated for a moment and then approached Julia, a talkative and outgoing girl who sat near her in class. "Could I be your partner?" Emma asked tentatively.

    As it is used in the story, what does the word tentatively mean?

    1. carelessly
    2. eagerly
    3. forcefully
    4. cautiously
  5. The author presents Julia as someone who
    1. makes friends easily.
    2. is fun-loving but a poor student.
    3. knows a lot about animals.
    4. treats her friends badly.
  6. Choose the correct sequence from the choices below.
    1. Julia and Emma sit together on the bus.
    2. A guide speaks about the nature center.
    3. Emma and Julia feed some baby squirrels.
    4. Josh introduces himself to the two girls.
    1. 3, 4, 2, 1
    2. 2, 4, 3, 1
    3. 1, 2, 4, 3
    4. 1, 4, 3, 2
  7. Which word best describes Julia's tone in the following paragraph?
  8. "Wow!" Julia chimed in. "You're always so quiet. I thought you were shy and scared of everything, but you're braver than I am if you can get close to a wild animal, even if it is just a squirrel."
    1. impressed
    2. jealous
    3. disbelieving
    4. embarrassed
  9. Reread Emma's reaction to Josh's offer.
  10. "Interested? I would love to work here! What an opportunity! Where are the application forms? When could I start?"

    The style of Emma's response

    1. helps create an excited tone.
    2. is repetitive and dull.
    3. shows that she is unsure what to do.
    4. reflects her shy nature.
  11. Emma is happy at the end of the story because
    1. she is no longer shy.
    2. she will be paid well for her work at the nature center.
    3. she has a new job and a new friend.
    4. she thinks Josh has a crush on her.


Exercise 1

  1. b In the first two sentences, the writers use the second person you to refer to readers. They use the first person we and our to refer to themselves in the second paragraph.
  2. c The shoes are named for the kind of running they're designed for. This is clear from each shoe's description. The Cheetahs (named after the fastest animal on earth) are "a racing shoe"; the Mountain Goats (named after these great climbers) are a "trail-running shoe." The Gray Wolves, meanwhile, are shoes designed for "training runs on hard pavement."
  3. a Most of the sentences are long and full of descriptive words such as high quality, revolutionary, complete, dedicated, unique, greater, and incredible. Only two of the sentences are short, so this passage definitely does not have a choppy or "bossy" style (choice b). There are no similes or metaphors, though the first sentence is a form of personification that compares feet to a bird, so choice c is incorrect. Finally, there is no slang, so choice d is incorrect.
  4. b Choices a, c, and d offer opinions about the quality and benefits of the shoes. Choices c and d use clear, evaluative words—revolutionary and superior—to show they are stating an opinion. Choice a doesn't provide any evidence for this claim about the benefits of the shoes. Only choice b states a fact; this is the only statement here that is not debatable.

Exercise 2

  1. c From the clue in the title, we quickly discover that the speaker in the poem is a cloud. The cloud is shown as a character who can do humanlike actions: "bring," "bear," "wield," and "laugh." This personification lets the reader see the cloud from a new perspective.
  2. b The cloud is explaining how dew helps wake up the "sweet buds" (flowers) that are rocked "on their mother's breast, / As she dances about the sun." Flowers grow from the earth, so the earth is their mother. The second clue is that the mother travels around the sun, just like our planet. (Notice the personification of the earth in these lines.)
  3. d The best option for the tone here is confident because the cloud is explaining its actions in a straightforward, self-satisfied way. The poet's word choices don't suggest anything gloomy (a), hesitant (b), or angry (c).
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