English Composition - Reading Quiz

Structure

Depends on its purpose. For example, to help readers to find a specific term easily and quickly, dictionaries arrange words and their definitions in alphabetical order. Once readers understand the way the words are listed, looking up a word is not difficult.

SQ3R

Survery Question Read Recite Review

Literature

Primary goal: to entertain includes poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and drama. Distinguishing factors = Artistic use of language, Plot: action, Characters follows a dramatic arc structure Ex: Harry Potter series

explicit thesis

included as a sentence as part of the text. It might be near the beginning of the work, but not always-some types of academic writing leave the thesis until the conclusion. directly stated

sufficiency

refers to the amount of detail - is there enough detail to support the topic? In essay writing, this means the author finds enough information to support a thesis, and also finding information that is credible and accurate. however, The power of information is determined less by the quantity of details than by their quality.

Rhetorical context

refers to the circumstances surrounding an act of reading and/or composition. how and what you communicate is shaped by: The writer, author, creator, also known as the rhetor, The audience, including primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences, The topic of the communication The purpose, which often can be broken into a primary, secondary, and tertiary purpose The context and culture within which the communication is taking place. The context and culture impact the rest of the rhetorical situation (rhetor, audience, topic, purpose).

paraphrase

skill that asks you to capture the idea of a text, without using any of the same words. roughly the same length as the original text. use entirely distinct wording from the original text. keep the same meaning and tone as the original text.

everyday life

what you read is usually written to grab your attention and get a message across quickly before you "switch channels," so to speak. Cheerfully use language as a blunt instrument, to cudgel our way through the discussions that spring up around us.

What is one strategy that can help you predict what the content of a text will be? A. Figuring out the thesis and the topic sentences that support it B. Figuring out the main argument and the author's credibility C. Figuring out the rhetorical context and the intended audience

A. Figuring out the thesis and the topic sentences that support it

First, second, third, and finally are signal words for what kinds of details in a text? A. Major Details B. Minor Details C. Thesis Details

A. Major Details

In your summary essay of a chapter from your abnormal psychology textbook, what are the things you would need to include? A. Only the thesis and main/essential points of the chapter B. The thesis, the main/essential points, and the best illustrations in the chapter C. Only the chapter's thesis, but in your own words

A. Only the thesis and main/essential points of the chapter

What do you do if you are scanning to preview a text? A. Review the chapter summary or concluding paragraph to make sure that you understand the main points of what you have read B. Read the first paragraph line by line, read all bolded headings, read the first sentence of every paragraph, study all the visuals, and read the last paragraph of text C. Run your eyes over the text to find specific answers to questions, looking at subheadings or key words, phrases, and numbers

C. Run your eyes over the text to find specific answers to questions, looking at subheadings or key words, phrases, and numbers

thesis

consists of a specific topic and a position statement on the topic. All of the other ideas in the text support and develop this Presents the main idea Most often is one sentence Tells the reader what to expect Is a summary of the essay topic Usually worded to have an argumentative edge Written in the third person

implicit thesis

do not contain a specific sentence that sums up the core concept of the writing. However, readers should finish the piece with a good understanding of what the work was trying to convey. the primary point of the reading is conveyed indirectly, in multiple locations throughout the work. (In literature, this is also referred to as the theme of the work.)

academic debate

may be a lot longer than the headline, but it is not "wordy" for the sake of it. It is very precisely argued; it would be quite difficult to cut out words without altering the meaning. Uses language as a scalpel, to cut precisely between closely related arguments, so that they can be spread apart and analyzed in detail.

dramatic arc

"Exposition" provides setting and background information. "Rising action" is where the events of the story start to get complicated. The "climax" is where the drama reaches its most dramatic moment. "Falling action" then shows the fallout from the climax, and "resolution" (also known as a denoument) is the closing action where the issues of the plot are fully resolved.

Rhetoric

"the art of persuasion," although it also has a larger meaning that includes the way we communicate—specifically the words, language, and techniques used to convey a persuasive message. about strategic choices and approaches to communication whether textually, verbally, or even aurally and visually. When we communicate to different types of audiences about the same topic, we make strategic decisions on what details to include or omit, what types of evidence or support to use, and so on.

What type of publication is written to engage peers in conversations about new research in their fields? A. Academic or scholarly journals B. Literary non-fiction C. Textbooks

A. Academic or scholarly journals

One strategy for improving your reading comprehension is to summarize what you read, using the High-5 strategy. What step is missing from the High-5 process? Activate Background Knowledge, Question, ________, Create Mental Images, Summarize A. Analyze the text structure B. Review the main ideas C. Paraphrase the argument

A. Analyze the text structure

The best authors will elaborate on and support the narratives they use. Which of the following things help authors do that? A. Description of internal states B. Delimitations of the physical states C. Relations of the plot

A. Description of internal states

What do you do if you are scanning to preview a text? A. Run your eyes over the text to find specific answers to questions, looking at subheadings or key words, phrases, and numbers B. Read the first paragraph line by line, read all bolded headings, read the first sentence of every paragraph, study all of the visuals, and read the last paragraph of the text. C. Review the chapter summary or the concluding paragraph to make sure that you understood the main points of what you've just read

A. Run your eyes over the text to find specific answers to questions, looking at subheadings or key words, phrases, and numbers

What strategy are you employing when you read the first paragraph line by line, read all bolded headings, read the first sentence of every paragraph, study all of the visuals, and read the last paragraph of the text? A. Skimming B. Scanning C. Surmising

A. Skimming

Look for list and addition words and make outlines or maps of what you are reading. What will this help you find? A. Supporting details B. The topic sentence C. The thesis

A. Supporting details

When you annotate a chapter in your textbook or in a research printout, what are some of the suggested elements that you should comment on in the margins? A. Tone, biases, definitions, and concepts B. Class notes, references, and citation details C. Publisher information, interesting data, and biographical details

A. Tone, biases, definitions, and concepts

What is one of the first things you should do when you begin annotating a text, in order to boost your comprehension and give you focus as you read? A. Write questions about the section headings B. Record your responses to the text in the form of reactions, insights, and connections C. Circle all of the words you don't know after a quick scan

A. Write questions about the section headings

Scanning and skimming are two ways to A. review a text to get the gist of what we will be reading B. memorize the text for later recitation C. Learn the details when cramming for a quiz or test

A. review a text to get the gist of what we will be reading

High 5 strategy

Activate background knowledge Question Analyze Text Structure Create mental images Summarize

What kind of thesis is likely if you have read the whole work, summarized it, looked for nearly matching sentences in the text you are reading, and haven't found a sentence or two that sum up the whole text, but the meaning and point is clear? A. An explicit thesis B. An implicit thesis C. A topic thesis

B. An implicit thesis

Literature is intended to entertain. What are its distinguishing features? A. Peer reviewed, well-cited, and topically appropriate content B. Artistic use of language, a plot, and characters C. Discrete, well-bounded scope useful for future reference, and internally consistent style

B. Artistic use of language, a plot, and characters

Which of the following questions will help determine the purpose of a text? A. Do I believe what the author is saying? Did the author link or cite his sources? What else have I read by the author? B. Did the author write this for a national or regional audience? Is the text a letter? Did the writer intend for other people to even read this text? C. What is the authors most interesting point? Where did I laugh or react to the text? What does this remind me of?

B. Did the author write this for a national or regional audience? Is the text a letter? Did the writer intend for other people to even read this text?

General public writing, such as that found in newspapers, A. Fully Justifies arguments B. Gets the message across c. Uses a wordy style

B. Gets the message across

How do you know when you have found a text's explicit thesis statement? A. If you have read the sentence at the top of each new paragraph and found a match to another text B. If you have read the whole work, summarized it in a sentence or two, looked for nearly matching sentences in the text you are reading, and have found a correct match C. If you have read the whole work, summarized it, looked for nearly matching sentences in the text that you are reading, and haven't found a sentence or two that sum up the whole text

B. If you have read the whole work, summarized it in a sentence or two, looked for nearly matching sentences in the text you are reading, and have found a correct match

The two most important paragraph elements that help you become an effective reader are A. Graphs and examples B. Points and supporting details C. Thesis statements and citations

B. Points and supporting details

In active reading, you use the SQ3R strategy, which stands for Survey, Question, Read, ________, and Review. A. Ruminate B. Recite C. w(rite)

B. Recite

What is one of the first things you should do when you begin annotating a text, in order to boost your comprehension and give you focus as you read? A. Circle all of the words you don't know after a quick scan B. Write questions about section headings C. Record your responses to the text in the form of reactions, insights, and connections

B. Write questions about section headings

Description of internal states

Books have an advantage over movies because they let the reader inside the characters' thoughts and feelings. Good writers also use dialogue to reveal a character's personality, internal thoughts, and feelings and to provide background information about the story.

In your reading about Eucalyptus consumption by Koala bears, you come across a section that you might want to quote. Which of the following questions that you ask yourself would help you determine whether or not to quote it? A. Does the quotation come up frequently in searches on Spark Notes, Shmoop, or Brainy Quotes? B. Does the quotation reflect generally accepted ideas in reference texts? C. Does the quotation say something in an original or powerful way that is hard to paraphrase?

C. Does the quotation say something in an original or powerful way that is hard to paraphrase?

In a research writing, authors will need to use outside support to be convincing, like which kinds of support? A. Description, character, and plot B. Testimonials, opinions, and insights C. Facts, statistics, and examples

C. Facts, statistics, and examples

What relevant information about the author of a magazine article about endangered species will help you determine the author's role in the rhetorical context? A. Her subconscious desires, her first name, the city where she went to college, and her number of siblings B. Her readers' political stance, the number of her readers, the number of years the magazine has been in circulation, and the reviews from professional reviewers C. Her personal background and experience with the subject, her native language, her education level, and her location.

C. Her personal background and experience with the subject, her native language, her education level, and her location.

You need to make sure that you understand what Eldridge Cleaver was talking about in a section from his book Soul on Fire about race and gender relations. This means that you need to paraphrase the main argument of the chapter. What is one thing you need to do in this paraphrase? A. Make the paraphrase shorter than what he wrote for his main argument B. Make the paraphrase longer than what he wrote for his main argument C. Keep the paraphrase about the same length as what he wrote for his main argument

C. Keep the paraphrase about the same length as what he wrote for his main argument

When you look over notes you made while reading, and add additional notes to clarify the contents, you are performing which stage of the SQ3R method? A. Read B. Recite C. Review

C. Review

What types of transition word clues might you look for in a paragraph that uses addition to combine multiple reasons to buy local produce? A. Similar, however, instead B. First, then, eventually C. To begin with, furthermore, and moreover

C. To begin with, furthermore, and moreover

What strategies should we use to determine a target audience for a text? A. We should search our feelings and experiences to see if we agree or disagree with the text's thesis B. We should google the author and check with her website C. We should figure out who is going to be most affected by the text's purpose or thesis

C. We should figure out who is going to be most affected by the text's purpose or thesis

What is a peer-reviewed periodical that focuses on a narrow field of study called? A. A field journal B. A textbook C. an academic journal

C. an academic journal

annotate by focusing on:

Definitions. Look up and write down definitions of unfamiliar words. Concepts. Underline what you think are the most important, interesting, or difficult concepts. Tone. Note the writer's tone-sarcastic, sincere, witty, shrill. Biases. Look out for the writer's biases and unstated assumptions (and your own). Responses. Ask questions and note your own reactions and insights. Connections. Make connections with other texts you have read or your own experiences.

description of physical states

Good writers use sensory details to show readers what things in their story look like, sound like, smell like, taste like, and feel like. Similes and metaphors can also help readers construct a picture by comparing the object being described to something they know well

Description of Action

Just as slow-motion replay helps television viewers understand the action in a sporting event, good writers can slow down a moment, breaking down an event into a moment-by-moment replay of the action.

headline

Makes its point quickly, but it says far less. It presents little basis for analysis and debate.

textbooks

Primary goal: To educate commonly associated with formal education. all the material should relate to a solid understanding of the subject, usually mixing theory and practice for each topic as it covers the subject domain, uses examples and problems, after the first few sections, there should be little or no surprises for the student in terms of layout and presentation of material, isolate material that is useful to the future application of subject knowledge,

Academic Journals

Primary goal: to distribute new ideas peer-reviewed periodical that focuses on a narrow field of study, serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research. generally written by experts in a particular field. They assume that readers have a depth of knowledge about the subject matter, as well.

Journalism

Primary goal: to inform writing is neutral: it shows no opinion, just facts. News, usually focused on current events. Follows an inverted triangle structure Relies on research. They refer to sources by name, but don't have separate citations at the end of the piece.

picking quotes

Return to the annotations you made during the reading process. These should point to things that you found compelling as you read. 2. For each, ask yourself: Does it say something in an original or unusually vivid and powerful way that is hard to paraphrase? Does it come from someone with first-hand experience with the issues? Does it come from an expert whose authority is particularly important? 3. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, make a note of it and hold onto it. If the answer to all of these questions is no, you don't need it—set it aside.

Reviewing

To check your memory, scan portions of the material or your notes to verify your answers. Review the material and note the main points under each heading. This review step helps you retain the material.

setting

also known as the setting or situation, describe the circumstances of the text. It was written in a specific time, context, and/or place, all of which can affect the way the text communicates its message.

Audience

any person or group who is the intended recipient of the text, and also the person/people the text is trying to influence. To understand the rhetorical situation of a text, one must examine who the intended audience is by thinking about these things: what is the demographic information (age, gender, etc.) what is/are the background, values, interests? how open to the author? what assumptions might be made about the author? in what context is being received by the text?

expository (essay) genres

informational, critical, and argumentative writing. While writers of narratives can often rely solely on their own observations and inner resources to develop their writing, writers of this genre have to look outside themselves for the information they need to develop their writing.

Academic texts

often raise broad, abstract questions and are unconcerned about arriving at quick answers. Writers use cautious, considered language in an effort to be as exact as they can in their analysis. They try to say only what they mean and what they think can be justified.

readers keep their attention on the material by:

predicting what the material will be about questioning the material to further understanding determining what's important identifying key vocabulary summarizing the material in their own words, and monitoring their comprehension (understanding) during and after engaging with the material

Relatedness

refers to the quality of the details and their relevance to the topic. Good writers select only the details that will support their focus, deleting irrelevant information. In narrative writing, details should be concrete: they contribute to, rather than detract from, the picture provided by the narrative. In essay writing, information should be relevant to the writer's goal and strengthen the writer's ability to meet that goal.

topic sentence

serve as captains: they organize and sub-divide the overall goals of a writing into individual components. Each paragraph will have this. Often act like tiny thesis statements, by making a claim of some sort. When this is made, the paragraph which follows must expand, describe, or prove it in some way. make a point and give reasons or examples to support it. Often, though not always, the first sentence of the paragraph.

Topic

subject matter, covered in the reading. What is it about? What information is presented? And in what format or medium is the argument being made: image? written essay? speech? song? protest sign? meme? sculpture? An author may be trying to inform, to convince, to define, to announce, or to activate, while an audience may be trying receive notice, to quantify, to feel a sense of unity, to disprove, to understand, or to criticize. Any and all of these determine the 'why' behind the decisions both groups make.

Author

the creator, the person utilizing communication to try to effect a change in their audience. doesn't have to be a single person, or a person at all - could be an organization. To understand the rhetorical situation of a text, one must examine the identity and the background. What kind of experience in the subject? What values does are had, either in general or with regard to this particular subject? How invested in the topic of the text? In other words, what affects the perspective on the topic?

inverted triangle

used by journalists to illustrate how many news articles are organized. The widest part at the top represents the most substantial, interesting, and important information the writer means to convey, lower parts illustrate that other material should follow in order of diminishing importance. useful for two reasons. First, readers can leave the story at any point and understand it, even if they do not have all the details. Second, readers get a sense of how important different content is, depending on where it appears in the article.

Skimming

used to quickly gather the most important information, or "gist." Run your eyes over the text, noting important information. 1. Read the first paragraph of the chapter line by line. 2. Next, read all the bold print headings starting at the beginning. 3. Read the first sentence of every paragraph. 4. Study any pictures, graphs, charts, and maps. 5. Finally, read the last paragraph of the chapter. you could write down the main ideas and develop a chapter outline.