The Final Draft: Essay Improvement and Finishing Touches (Challenge 4.1-4.2)

Identify methods for maintaining cohesion in an academic research essay. Which sentence uses parallelism in a way that creates cohesion?

Before she leaves for work, Shirley needs to walk the dog, feed the cat, and make the bed. This sentence creates cohesion through parallelism because the list of activities uses the same verb structure (present tense) throughout.

Examine familiar grammar and word choice errors to be addressed when polishing the final draft of an essay. Proofread the following paragraph and select the sentence that contains a grammar error. In the late 19th century, the United States was overtaken by a "bicycle craze." Bicycles became more popular, the medical community in the United States engaged in a lively debate over whether or not women should be encouraged to use this new form of transport. This debate primarily concerned the physical and moral effects of bicycle riding on women. By examining this argument, we can better understand 19th-century notions of women's biology and gender roles.

Bicycles became more popular, the medical community in the United States engaged in a lively debate over whether or not women should be encouraged to use this new form of transport. This sentence incorrectly uses a comma to separate two independent clauses. The sentence could be revised by replacing the comma with a semicolon or turning "Bicycles became more popular" into a dependent clause by beginning with the word "as."

Recognize the common issues addressed during the revising and editing stages of the research writing process. Which action takes place during the revising and editing stages of the research writing process?

Changing the order of sentences within a paragraph to improve the flow of ideas This activity takes place during the revising and editing process, as creating coherence is one of the two major revision concerns.

Identify major elements of revision necessary for any writing project. What does revising for organization involve?

Confirming that the conclusion corresponds to the introduction and does not include new material Ensuring that the conclusion corresponds to the introduction without presenting new evidence is part of revising for organization because this area of revision is focused on the structural components of the essay.

Recognize the common issues addressed during the revising and editing stages of the research writing process. Which action takes place during the revising and editing stages of the research writing process?

Eliminating areas of wordiness to make ideas as direct as possible This activity takes place during the revising and editing process, as identifying wordiness is one of the two major editing concerns.

Recognize the common issues addressed during the revising and editing stages of the research writing process. Which action takes place during the revising and editing stages of the research writing process?

Eliminating sentences that disrupt the unity of a paragraph This activity takes place during the revising and editing process, as creating unity is one of the two major revision concerns.

Implement methods for successful source integration in the final draft of a research essay. The rough draft of a research paper on representations of race in graphic novels only uses direct quotations from sources. How should you suggest the writer revise their final draft to better integrate the sources?

Encourage the writer to replace some of the direct quotations with paraphrases to demonstrate their understanding of their meaning. You should, in fact, suggest that the writer use paraphrasing where possible, as this shows readers that the writer has a thorough comprehension of and has thought deeply about the source's ideas.

Identify major elements of revision necessary for any writing project. What does revising for content involve?

Ensuring that the essay matches the expectations of the assignment Making sure that the essay fulfills the assignment guidelines is part of revising for content because this area of revision is focused on checking that the material included in the essay adequately addresses the scope of the assignment.

Examine familiar grammar and word choice errors to be addressed when polishing the final draft of an essay. Proofread the following paragraph and select the sentence that contains a grammar error. The cloud forest of Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. Its home to more than 500 species of birds, making it a bird-watcher's paradise. In recent years, however, the popularity of this region and an increase in tourism have placed a burden on its delicate ecosystem. Efforts should be made to direct tourist dollars to outfits that prioritize sustainability and demonstrate sensitivity to the ecology of the region.

Its home to more than 500 species of birds, making it a bird-watcher's paradise. In this sentence, the word "its" is missing an apostrophe. The apostrophe is needed to form the contraction "it is" since "its" is referring to the cloud forest of Ecuador.

Identify major elements of revision necessary for any writing project. What does revising for readability involve?

Making sure that the language choices within the essay are appropriate for the intended audience Ensuring that the essay's language is appropriate for the intended audience is part of revising for readability because this area of revision is focused on effective communication with readers.

Identify methods for maintaining cohesion in an academic research essay. Which pair of sentences uses pronouns in a way that creates cohesion?

Michael runs a graphic design business with Mark. It has done very well this year. This pair of sentences creates cohesion through the use of the pronoun "it," which clearly demonstrates that we are still talking about the graphic design business without needing to restate the full noun in the second sentence.

Identify methods for maintaining cohesion in an academic research essay. Which pair of sentences uses a transitional word or phrase in a way that creates cohesion?

Most English speakers don't live where we might expect them to. In addition, they're not using English in ways we might expect. This pair of sentences uses the transitional phrase "in addition" to create cohesion between the two ideas. This phrase signifies that the second sentence is providing further information about the idea in the first sentence.

Examine familiar grammar and word choice errors to be addressed when polishing the final draft of an essay. Proofread the following paragraph and select the sentence that contains a grammar error. The death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Most states recognizes this fact by either outlawing or severely curtailing its use. In fact, although almost 1500 people have been executed in the United States in the last 40 years, the annual number of executions peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s and has been declining ever since. Experts estimate that this downward trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

Most states recognizes this fact by either outlawing or severely curtailing its use. This sentence contains an error in subject-verb agreement. The noun "states" is plural, so the verb "recognizes" should instead be "recognize."

Distinguish between assumptions and strong evidence in academic research writing. Select the sentence that reflects an assumption that could weaken a research essay.

Of course, no one wants green energy to completely replace coal as a source of power. This sentence uses the term "no one," which reflects a sweeping generalization and assumption on the writer's part.

Assess the value of the reflection process as it relates to research writing. What is the value of reflecting on your research writing experience?

Reflection can help you practice self-awareness and self-improvement. Reflecting on your research writing experience does, in fact, help you practice self-awareness and self-improvement because it encourages you to think about both your strengths and your weaknesses so that you can determine what to focus on for the next project.

Implement methods for successful source integration in the final draft of a research essay. The rough draft of a research paper on the mating habits of red-eyed tree frogs contains several long quotations from sources. How should you suggest the writer revise their final draft to better integrate the sources?

Suggest that the writer evaluate the importance of the quotations to ensure they are not merely increasing the word count. You should, in fact, suggest that the writer determine whether all of the long quotations are necessary, as too many long quotations can give the impression that the writer does not have anything original to say.

Distinguish between assumptions and strong evidence in academic research writing. Select the sentence that reflects an assumption that could weaken a research essay.

There is never a way to end a relationship without one person feeling hurt or betrayed. This sentence uses the term "never," which reflects a sweeping generalization and assumption on the writer's part.

Distinguish between assumptions and strong evidence in academic research writing. Select the sentence that reflects an assumption that could weaken a research essay.

This essay won't go into detail about the way microfinancing works since most people are familiar with its structure and purpose. This sentence assumes that the majority of people are familiar with the concept of microfinancing. Even if this were true, the writer should still include a description of the particular context in which the topic will be discussed in this essay.

Implement methods for successful source integration in the final draft of a research essay. The rough draft of a research paper on espionage in the Napoleonic Wars uses the signal phrase "says" to introduce all of the source quotations. How should you suggest the writer revise their final draft to better integrate the sources?

Urge the writer to find more creative and meaningful ways to introduce the quotations they want to use. You should, in fact, suggest that the writer find more meaningful and creative ways of introducing quotations because the verbs used in signal phrases should communicate the purpose or context of the quotation.

Assess the value of the reflection process as it relates to research writing. What is the value of reflecting on your research writing experience?

You can identify your strengths as a writer and build on them in future research projects. Reflecting on your research writing experience does, in fact, help you identify and build on your strengths as a writer. This is because reflection is a personal process that allows you to better understand yourself in the context of your writing.

Assess the value of the reflection process as it relates to research writing. What is the value of reflecting on your research writing experience?

You can learn from an analysis of how and why your original thinking changed over time. Reflecting on your research writing experience does, in fact, help you analyze how your ideas have changed over the course of the writing process. This is because reflection encourages you to develop a sense of where you were as a writer and where you are now that the writing process has concluded.