Text Deletion 2.0

I had worked harder on this book report than anything else in my life. Thanks to this assignment, I ate, drank, and dreamed The Odyssey. I knew it would be devastating if Mrs. Daniels gave me anything less than a perfect grade. I was prepared to see a typical letter grade of A, B, C, D, or even F, but instead she had written, "See me after class." [1]

The writer is considering deleting the first part of the preceding sentence, so that the sentence would read:

She had written, "See me after class."

If the writer were to make this change, the essay would primarily lose:

• examples of the grades the narrator typically receives on book reports.

• a contrast between what Mrs. Daniels wrote and what the narrator was anticipating.

• details that suggest that the narrator knew the grade before the book report was returned to her.

• an indication that the narrator deeply respected Mrs. Daniels.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

Sometimes the hardest part of writing a book is putting that very first word down onto the page. Staring at a blank page in August of 1998 was the most terrifying feeling Chang had ever experienced. By December, he was celebrating with his friends and family: Chang had just complete the first chapter of what would become his best-selling masterpiece. [2]

The writer is concerned about the level of detail in the preceding sentence and is considering deleting the phrase "the first chapter of" from it. If the writer were to make this deletion, the paragraph would primarily lose information that:

• clarifies that only one chapter of the novel had been written by December of 1998.

• makes clear that by December of 1998, Chang had already begun writing the second chapter of his novel.

• provides evidence that Chang's loved ones believed the entire novel was completed at this time.

• reveals how much time and effort would go into writing a novel the length of Chang's.

In the late twentieth century, sculpture was making an enormous comeback. A new generation of artists had found their passion within the medium, and they took to it in innovative and modern ways. In the mid-1980's, the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art commissioned three local artists to sculpt a seventeen-foot statue in the museum's lobby.

If the underlined phrase were deleted, the sentence would primarily lose a detail that?

• provides new and relevant information to the sentence.

• is vague and unnecessary to the sentence.

• repeats details that have already been mentioned in the paragraph.

• must be included for the sentence to be grammatically correct.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.7.1

I grew up with a Christmas tree farm in my backyard and loved examining the trees. Each new sapling had its own distinct shape that I found captivating. [4] I quickly became an expert arborist and worked my way up to managing the family business.

The writer is considering revising "Each new sapling had it own distinct shape that I found captivating" to read "Each new sapling had its own unique shape." That revision would cause the sentence to lose primarily:

• variation on the writer's theme of his career as an arborist.

• fascination with the writer's own use of descriptive language.

• emphasis on the narrator's enthusiasm for the trees.

• details describing the various characteristics of the trees.

Industry outsiders are always surprised by how many recorded songs musicians have in their repertoire. Record producers will typically have an artist record as many songs as possible s they can edit them and pick out the best songs. Generally, an album will only include about twenty percent of what was originally recorded in the studio. [5] Why don't we ever hear the other songs?

If the writer were to delete the preceding sentence, the essay would primarily lose:

• a detail about the volume of songs an artist records when making an album.

• a factual detail about how song selection increases an artist's fan base.

• information that helps put record production into a broader context.

• a potential answer to the question asked next in the paragraph.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

As a brilliant inventor, Alexander Graham Bell laid the foundations for many of the technologies we still use today. Bell's experimentation with electrical currents and sound waves led to his invention of the telephone in 1874. Many of his theories were challenged, but Bell's invention was financially backed in part by someone else. [6]

The writer is deciding whether to add the following true statement (replacing the period with a comma after else):

who had faced doubt over his inventions-Thomas Edison.

Should the writer make this addition?

• Yes, because it demonstrates that most inventions are made through collaboration.

• Yes, because it adds interesting and relevant information to the paragraphs.

• No, because it weakens the claim that most of Bell's theories faced opposition.

• No, because it shifts the paragraph's focus away from Bell's biography.