Paragraph Editing Practice

Candice needs a topic sentence for the third paragraph (sentences 19–21). Which of the following sentences should be inserted before sentence 19 to introduce the ideas in this paragraph?

• A. Over time a vast array of creatures has come to inhabit the Great Barrier Reef.

• B Marine animal species that are threatened are protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

• C The biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef ensures its long-term existence.

• D The waters along the Great Barrier Reef provide a habitat for marine animals that researchers study.

Candice may have a redundant sentence in the fourth paragraph (sentences 22–26). Which sentence, if any, should be deleted?

• F Sentence 24

• G Sentence 25

• H Sentence 26

• J No sentence should be deleted.

Melody’s opening sentence is unclear. What change should she make in sentence 1 to clarify her introductory paragraph?

• F Change They to Teachers and leaders at our school

• G Change continually to always

• H Change telling us to instructing us

• J Change community to surrounding neighborhood

What is the most effective way to combine sentences 6 and 7?

• My own sister is having a hard time in math attending one of the elementary schools that feeds into our high school.

• My own sister attends one of the elementary schools that feeds into our high school although she is having a hard time in math.

• My own sister, who attends one of the elementary schools that feeds into our high school, is having a hard time in math.

• My own sister attends one of the elementary schools that feeds into our high school, she is having a hard time in math.

Melody needs a better transition into the third paragraph (sentences 12–17) of her essay. Which of the following could she add before sentence 12 to improve this transition?

• F In researching mentoring programs, I learned of several promising results.

• G As I think about a mentoring program, I have many ideas on how it should work.

• H If struggling youngsters get the help they need, it could benefit teachers, too.

• J Because I believe in the mentoring concept, I’d like to see it at our school.

What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 4?

• Change benefitial to beneficial

• Insert a comma after people

• Change healthier to healthiest

• No change is needed in sentence 4.

What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 26?

• F Change minimal to minamal

• G Change are to were

• H Delete the comma after appropriate

• J No change is necessary.

Which sentence should be inserted before sentence 5 to introduce the ideas in this paragraph?

• A) The importance of proper punctuation cannot be overstated.

• B) Grammar rules are often confusing to students.

• C) Editing paragraphs requires attention to detail.

• D) Many students struggle with paragraph structure.

Which sentence, if any, should be deleted from the second paragraph (sentences 8–12)?

• A) Sentence 9

• B) Sentence 10

• C) Sentence 11

• D) No sentence should be deleted.

What change should be made in sentence 3 to clarify the paragraph?

• A) Change 'they' to 'the teachers'

• B) Change 'often' to 'frequently'

• C) Change 'telling' to 'instructing'

• D) Change 'students' to 'learners'