Revising & Editing Practice Questions

Use "A Thanksgiving Scare" to answer the following question.

Matthew wants sentence 1 to show that Robert does not want to take a summer course. What is the most effective replacement for "decided to sign up for"?

• hated to take

• asked to regist3er for

• considered taking

• dreaded the thought ofr sitting through

Use "A Thanksgiving Scare" to answer the following question.

In the second paragraph (sentences 5 - 9), what should be the most effective way to increase the story's level of suspense?

• move sentence 6 so that it follows sentence 8

• replace sentence 9 with a detailed description of the cut and of the danger

• build in descriptive details that tell the reader more about Robert's uncle

• insert a flashback to Robert's class on the day that he learns how to treat dangerous cuts

Use "A Thanksgiving Scare" to answer the following question.

In sentence 10, Matthew wants readers to recognize that Robert's uncle is acting brave but is frightened. What is the most effective replacement for "his uncle asked"?

• his uncle sobbed, his voice shaking

• his uncle shrugged, his voice trembling

• his uncle glared, his voice quiet and calming

• his uncle grinned, his voice loud and comforting

Use "A Thanksgiving Scare" to answer the following question.

Which sentence uses figurative language to create a more vivid description of the cut in sentence 13?

• Blood ran down his arm and started to splash in the sink.

• Although the sink's water was cold, his arm wouldn't stop bleeding.

• As if a pipline had burst in his arm, blood just kept pouring into the sink.

• The bright red liquid mixed with water from the sink, looking pink as it ran into the drain.

Use "A Thanksgiving Scare" to answer the following question.

Matthew would like to replace "drove" with a more vivid verb in sentence 21. Which verb more vividly describes the action of getting to the hospital?

• headed

• raced

• traveled

• went

Use "A Thanksgiving Scare" to answer the following question.

Matthew's readers might not understand what the doctor means when saying "Nice job" in sentence 23. Write a line of dialogue to go after sentence 23 to have the doctor elaborate on what he means by "Nice job" and to clarify that the comment is meant as a compliment to Robert.

Use "Food in the Future" to answer the following question.

Sacha wants to use figurative language to introduce the setting. What is the most effective way for her to rewrite sentence 1?

• Everyone looked toward the door as the futuristic instructor bolted into the classroom.

• Everyone looked toward the door as the shiny metal instructor teetered into the classroom.

• The enthusiastic students looked up eagerly as the robot instructor rolled into the classroom.

• The students gazed up like obedient pets as the robot instructor rolled into the classroom.

Use "Food in the Future" to answer the following question.

What is the most effective way to combine sentences 12 and 13 to make the meaning clearer?

• We all laughed and realized he had to be joking.

• We all laughed, we knew he was joking.

• We all laughed because we thought he had to be joking.

• We laughed, of course he was joking.

Use "Food in the Future" to answer the following question.

Which sentence should be added after sentence 17 to support sentence 16 and add to readers' understanding of the futuristic setting?

• Using water could ruin the food.

• No one touches dirt or steps outside to grow our food.

• Most labs are located inside large factories outside the main city.

• Restaurants purchase their vegetables from labs.

Use "Food in the Future" to answer the following question.

Sacha wants to convey the narrator's feelings about the first step of the experiment. Which sentence would be most effective following sentence 20?

• I
  was shocked to find I was touching real dirt.

• The dirt was a dark, grainy substance.

• I knew what dirt was but had never seen it before.

• Some of the dirt spilled on my desk, ad I brushed it off.