Supporting Details in Writing

Which three details would you want to include in a paragraph about you dog Otis not being very bright? 1. He's five years old and doesn't respond to his name yet. 2. He cries when I leave for work every day. 3. He always gets excited when visitors arrive. 4. He often attacks the backyard hedge as if it's a hostile animal. 5. He gets along very well with my neighbor's cat. 6. I often have to put food in front of him because he can't find it by himself.

1. He's five years old and doesn't respond to his name yet. 3. He always gets excited when visitors arrive. 6. I often have to put food in front of him because he can't find it by himself.

Which sentences support the following thesis? Riding a skateboard is harder than it looks. A The first time I tried it I fell off. B You need to have very good balance. C Some people do amazing tricks on skateboards. D I once saw someone do a somersault on a skateboard. E Stopping is difficult.

A The first time I tried it I fell off. B You need to have very good balance. E Stopping is difficult.

Choose the paragraph that is the most specific and most clearly shows us the authors point. Our new kitten causes us lots of trouble. A. He has shredded the curtains in my bedroom with his claws. He nearly drowned when he crawled into the washing machine. And my hands look like raw hamburger from his playful scratches and bites. B. He seems to destroy everything he touches. He's always getting into places where he doesn't belong. Sometimes he plays too roughly, and that can be painful.

A. He has shredded the curtains in my bedroom with his claws. He nearly drowned when he crawled into the washing machine. And my hands look like raw hamburger from his playful scratches and bites.

Choose three details that Addie could include in her essay about how schools should get rid of summer vacation. A. It costs too much money for school buildings to be empty in the summer months. B. Students have more energy than adults. C. Year-round school can better prepare students for year-round work in the adult world. D. During summer classes, schools should be air conditioned. E. Students will learn more and forget less if they attend school twelve months a year. F. Students won't be able to take summer jobs that would provide money for college.

A. It costs too much money for school buildings to be empty in the summer months. C. Year-round school can better prepare students for year-round work in the adult world. E. Students will learn more and forget less if they attend school twelve months a year.

Choose the paragraph that is the most specific and most clearly shows us the authors point. My brother is accident-prone. A. Once he tried to open a tube of Krazy Glue with his teeth. When the cap came loose, glue squirted out and sealed his lips shut. They had to be pried open in a hospital ER. B. Even when he does simple jobs, he seems to get into trouble. This can lead to funny but sometimes dangerous results. Things never seem to go right for him, and he often needs the help of others to get out of one problem or another.

A. Once he tried to open a tube of Krazy Glue with his teeth. When the cap came loose, glue squirted out and sealed his lips shut. They had to be pried open in a hospital ER.

Which sentence best completes the paragraph? Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the "Moses of her people." __________________________ _______________________________________ The Underground Railroad was a secret network of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. She later became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she was a spy with for the federal forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse. A. Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. B. There should be a national holiday to celebrate Harriet's achievements. C. As a small child, she was a slave and frequently subjected to severe whippings.

A. Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Choose the sentence that would be the best topic sentence for the paragraph. We love to play the same sports. We love to play video games and watch movies. We both can hardly wait for pizza every Friday night. It's great to have a brother who is just like me. A. We love to play the same sports. B. We love to play video games and watch movies. C. We both can hardly wait for pizza every Friday night. D.It's great to have a brother who is just like me.

A. We love to play the same sports.

Which set of evidence supports the authors point? Aunt Isabel is my least favorite relative. A. When we meet, she always has something critical to say, such as "What have you done with your hair?" or "You look terrible in that color." She calls my sister "the smart sister" and me "the dumb one." On my birthday, she said, "I didn't think you wanted a present." B. She works as a billing clerk at a hospital. She dropped out of high school, but earned her GED and then attended community college. She's held the job for more than 15 years and has been the hospital's "Employee of the Month" a number of times. C. Isabel is about five foot seven and is a little on the heavy side. She wears her hair very short and always has on long dangly earrings. She's almost 50 but looks younger. She wears very little makeup just some mascara and sometimes lip gloss.

A. When we meet, she always has something critical to say, such as "What have you done with your hair?" or "You look terrible in that color." She calls my sister "the smart sister" and me "the dumb one." On my birthday, she said, "I didn't think you wanted a present."

Which sentence belongs in the blank? Martin Luther King, Jr. was a strong leader. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He went to college to become a minister, like his father was. Dr. King became a leader and civil rights advocate. __________ _______________________________________ On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by celebrating his birthday as a national holiday. A. Martin had a white childhood friend who was not allowed to play with him after they started attending different schools. B. His nonviolent leadership and powerful speeches gained him respect from the American people. C. We should all honor and respect Martin Luther King Jr. for the work he has done.

B. His nonviolent leadership and powerful speeches gained him respect from the American people.

Choose the paragraph that is the most specific and most clearly shows us the authors point. The food in the cafeteria is terrible some days. A. They serve canned vegetables, which are not as good as fresh ones. The macaroni and cheese does not do anything for your appetite, and the pizza is not as good as the kind you can get at a pizzeria. Some of the meat is virtually inedible. Lots of luck if you want something good to drink. B. The string beans and other canned vegetables are limp and salty, and the macaroni and cheese is gluey and tasteless. The pizza is usually spongy and cold and does not have much cheese on it. You'd need diamond tipped teeth to be able to chew the beef in the stew. The hamburgers taste like rubber.

B. The string beans and other canned vegetables are limp and salty, and the macaroni and cheese is gluey and tasteless. The pizza is usually spongy and cold and does not have much cheese on it. You'd need diamond tipped teeth to be able to chew the beef in the stew. The hamburgers taste like rubber.

Choose the paragraph that is the most specific and most clearly shows us the authors point. The little boy was in a stubborn mood. A. When I asked him to do something, he gave me nothing but trouble. He seemed determined to make things difficult for me, for he had made his mind up. B. When I asked him to stop playing in the yard and come indoors, he looked me squarely in the eye and shouted "NO!" and then spelled it out: "N. . . O!"

B. When I asked him to stop playing in the yard and come indoors, he looked me squarely in the eye and shouted "NO!" and then spelled it out: "N. . . O!"

Choose the sentence that best completes the paragraph. Born Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke Ellington was one of the founding fathers of jazz music. _____________________________ ______________________________________ A pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer, Ellington and his band played together for 50 years. Some of Ellington's most famous songs include "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Sophisticated Lady" and "In a Sentimental Mood." A. While vacationing in Asbury Park, Duke heard of a hot pianist named Harvey Brooks. B. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. C. He started playing the piano at the age of seven, and by the time he was 15, he was composing.

C. He started playing the piano at the age of seven, and by the time he was 15, he was composing.

Identify the sentence that best completes this paragraph. My friend's mom let me help them make a batch of sugar cookies. We followed all of the steps carefully and then put the cookies in the oven. ___________________ . They were delicious and I decided making cookies was fun. A. I really like chocolate chip cookies but they are very messy. B. When they were done she let us taste the first ones out of the oven. C. The oven has to be very hot to bake a cake. D. Making cookies is hard work.

C. The oven has to be very hot to bake a cake.

Choose a good topic sentence for these details. In almost 100 years only about twelve white tigers have been seen in India. They are almost extinct. Most of the ones living are in zoos, not in their natural habitat. A. The white tiger's diet consists mostly of deer and antelope. B. White tigers have white fur, blue eyes, and a pink nose. C. White tigers are extremely difficult to find in the wilderness. D. White tigers are still hunted in the wilderness today.

C. White tigers are extremely difficult to find in the wilderness.

Which sentences do not support this idea; Birthday parties are a lot of fun. A People bring you presents. B You get to be with all of your friends. C Sometimes people bring cupcakes to school on their birthdays. D You get to play fun party games. E It is a lot of work to plan a birthday party.

E It is a lot of work to plan a birthday party.