Academic English I: Mid-term exam practice.
Practice questions:
Sentence types (Try the sentence type exercises from the reading “Chapter 10: Sentence
types.pdf” on the website: pp. 163-164, 167-168, 170, 173).
Topic sentences: topics and controlling ideas:
1. Circle the topic of each sentence and underline the controlling idea.
i.e, Thailand is a very interesting country to visit.
a. Dogs make excellent pets.
b. Learning a second language creates job opportunities.
c. Football is a popular sport because it is exciting to watch.
d. One of the most valuable tools for students is the computer.
2. For each paragraph, choose the best topic sentence from the list below.
a. ___________________________________________ When Ken wanted to enter a good
university, he had to study hard to pass the examination. The first time he took the exam, he did
not do well, and he felt very discouraged. But he knew he wanted to study at that university, so
he studied more. The next year, he tried to take the exam again. The second time, he did very
well, and now he is studying engineering Ken is a good role model for many people, and he has
demonstrated that never giving up is the best way to succeed.
i) Ken is a person anyone can trust.
ii) Ken is a very successful student.
iii) Ken is an admirable person because he does not give up.
b. __________________________. Visitors to California can find any weather they like. They
can find cool temperatures in the summer; also they can find warm weather in the winter. They
can find places that are difficult for humans to live in the summer because they are so hot. Or
they can find places closed in the winter because of the snow. On the other hand, visitors can
find the nature they like. They can find high mountains and low valleys. Visitors can find a huge
forest, a dead desert, and a beautiful coast. Therefore, California is the most wonderful place to
visit because of its weather and nature.
i) California is the most wonderful place to visit because of its variety of weather and its
beautiful nature.
ii) Cool temperature and high mountains are two reasons that California is wonderful to visit.
iii) California is wonderful.
3. Unity. Each of the following paragraphs break the rule of unity because they contain one or
more sentences that are off topic.
Step 1: Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph.
Step 2: Cross the sentence (or sentences) that are off topic.
a.
Adventure travel is the hot trend in the tourism industry. Ordinary people are no longer
content to spend their two weeks away from the office resting on a sunny beach in Florida. More
and more often, they are choosing to spend their vacations rafting down wild rivers, hiking
through steamy rain forests, climbing the world’s highest mountains, or crossing slippery
glaciers. People of all ages are choosing educational study tours for their vacations.
b.
Daredevil sports are also becoming popular. Young people especially are increasingly
willing to risk injury while mountain biking, backcountry snowboarding, or high-speed
skateboarding. Soccer is also popular in the United States now, although football is still more
popular. One of the riskiest new sports is skysurfing, in which people jump out of airplanes with
boards attached to their feet. Skysurfing rivals skydiving and bungee jumping for the amount of
thrills, and risks.
4. Coherence. Improve the following paragraph by inserting transition signals in the blanks.
Note: the brackets include hints of what kind of transition should be inserted.
Move Over, DVD. Here Comes BD!
First, CDs brought digital sound into our homes. Then DVD technology brought digital
sound and video and revolutionized the movie industry. Soon there will be (1) _______________
(additional idea) revolution: Blu-ray discs (BDs). A Blue-ray disc will have several advantages.
(2) ______________ (list in order) it has an enormous data storage capacity. A single-sided
DVD can hold 4.7 gigabytes of information, about the size of an average 2-hour movie. A singlesided BD,(3) ______________ (contrast), can hold up to 27 gigabytes, enough for 13 hours of
standard video. A (4) ________________ (list in order) advantage is that a BD can record, store,
and play back high-definition video because of its larger capacity. A double-layer BD can store
about 50 gigabytes, enough for 4.5 hours of high-definition video. The cost will be about the
same. (5) __________________ (additional idea), a BD has a higher data transfer rate - 36
megabits per second - than today’s DVDs, which transfer at 10 megabits per second. (6)
______________ (result) a BD can record 25 gigabytes of data in just over an hour and a half. (7)
______________ (conclusion), because of their larger storage capacity and comparable cost,
BDs will probably take over the market when they become widely available.
5. Step 1: Add an appropriate thesis statement to this essay.
Step 2: Add appropriate transition signals between the paragraphs.
"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the
only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best
friend. _______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are
affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a
purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls
and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their
owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and
punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats
will even fetch!
________________________, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do
not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet
existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and
most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when
shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A
tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture
alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed.
_______________________, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease
of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do
their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of
their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats
clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats
can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the
furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activities until their owners return.
Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or less
time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty
of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the
ideal house pet.
NOTE: There will be a question like our example exercise from class on Thursday.