Writing Activities

Which of the following best describes an essay?

• a group of five paragraphs written for a school assignment

• an autobiographical piece of writing of any length

• a written personal reflection that has no particular structure

• a group of paragraphs related to a particular subject or theme

The three tasks of the introductory paragraph of an essay are to………………….. (Select all that apply)

• give an overview of your main points.

• state your thesis.

• summarize your supporting evidence.

• explain your qualifications.

• grab the reader's attention.

One of the three functions of an introductory paragraph is to …

• introduce the sources of support for the main points.

• make a transition between the body paragraphs of the essay.

• provide an overview of the main points the essay will cover.

• provide support for the main points of the essay.

Which of the following sentences would be the most appropriate for an introductory paragraph?

• I am going to explain that the trash along the roadways in our town causes several serious problems.

• This essay is about the problem of garbage along the roadways in our town.

• In this essay, you will learn about the problem of trash along our town's roadways, and I will include some information from the roads department.

• Last year, motorists and others dumped an estimated 200 tons of garbage along the roadways of our town.

Which of the following would be the best first sentence for an essay about texting while driving?

• Some people text while they are driving their car.

• I'm going to explain why texting while driving is dangerous.

• This essay will prove that texting while driving is dangerous.

• Texting while driving is now the leading cause of teen deaths.