Workplace Writing II

Select the example of constructive feedback.

"This paragraph would benefit from a more effective topic sentence."

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 use this new form of transportation. This debate primarily concerned the physical and moral effects of bicycle riding on women. By examining this argument, we can better understand 19th-century ideas about 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 use this new form of transportation.

Which of the following is an activity involved in the research process?

Brainstorming your topic so that you can determine the main concepts you want to write about.

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 to better integrate the sources in the final draft?

Encourage the writer to replace some of the direct quotations with paraphrases to demonstrate his or her understanding of their meaning.

Which of the following is an ineffective research question?

How many solar systems are there in the universe?

Khalil is writing an essay that argues that the voting age should be lowered to 16. He wants to refute the counterargument that kids under the age of 18 lack the necessary maturity and knowledge of how their government works.Select the best response to refute the counterargument.

In fact, a recent study shows that high school students do equally as well as adults on tests of civic knowledge and the democratic process.

Which of the following statements about the classical argument model is true?

It emphasizes the use of logos, pathos, and ethos as persuasive techniques.

Why does learning about persuasive writing help you to become a better communicator in the workplace?

It teaches you to express your ideas in a way that is compelling to your coworkers.

What does revising for readability involve?

Making sure that the language choices within the essay are appropriate for the intended audience

Adalia is writing an email to her boss asking for a letter of recommendation for a grant application.Considering her audience and purpose, which of these is an appropriate tone for her writing?

Polite, using formal language

It is time for our state to make the same reasonable decision that other states have made and legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Although no drug is safe, research indicates that marijuana is safer and less addictive than alcohol and even cigarettes. As more states take a stand, perhaps the federal government will consider revisiting its laws as well. We can continue to spend countless amounts of tax dollars fighting the use of a relatively safe drug, or we can make a change, legalize marijuana, and actually see a tax and revenue benefit for our state. Which strategy for writing effective conclusions is employed here?

Proposing a course of action

Which thesis statement is strong because it makes an arguable claim?

The main reasons for the high infant mortality rate in the early 20th century were government corruption and unsanitary housing.

Which statement about the process of developing a research question is true?

The requirements of the assignment are a key consideration when developing a research question.

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.

Read the paragraph from a sample argumentative essay:Everyone should adopt a vegetarian diet because it's clearly more healthy. Researchers recently published the results of a 30-year study that tracked the eating habits and health conditions of 150,000 Americans. Their research found that people who ate at least 1 portion of red meat every day developed heart disease at five times the rate of the other people in the study. They also found that the same individuals had a shorter life span on average.Consider the rhetorical situation. For what audience will this argument likely be effective?

This argument should effectively persuade readers who are concerned about physical well-being.

Select the reason why critical reading is important to strong research writing.

Through critical reading, you generate meaning from your research sources.

Ronaldo is writing a research essay on early childhood education. He has created a working thesis, and now he is thinking about how and where to find sources of information.What strategy should he use when locating source materials?

Try different keyword search terms as he looks online to see what he can find.

When is paraphrasing or summarizing a source preferable to quoting it?

When you want to condense a large amount of material from a text into a sentence or two.

Select the statement that best describes the relationship between research, communication, and problem-solving.

You are better able to solve problems when your research and communication skills are both strong.

The tone of a piece of writing must match the writer's __________.

audience and purpose

The first draft of any research essay should include __________.

body paragraphs that support the thesis

Roger has prepared an outline of his essay's main points and is now writing complete paragraphs.Roger is in the __________ stage of the writing process.

drafting

Which of the following speech excerpts uses parallel structure to create emphasis?

"Hello, Chicago. If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."-Barack Obama, presidential victory speech, 2008

Which source for a research paper is most likely to contain bias?

A press release of the results of a scientific study that was paid for by a pharmaceutical company on the health benefits of their new drug.

You are writing a research essay on current trends in international travel among 18-25 year olds.Which source is likely least relevant to your essay?

A travel blog run by a 22-year old that was last updated in 2013.

What should the structure of an argumentative essay include?

An acknowledgement of views that conflict with your own

Choose the true statement about using an outline while drafting.

An outline should be structured in the same way you plan to structure your paper.

Emmeline is reading a blog post about a new beauty product. The blogger argues that the beauty product greatly improved her skin texture, and everyone should try it. Emmeline doesn't want to spend money on a product that doesn't actually work, so she decides to analyze the blog post.What is one activity that Emmeline must complete as she analyzes the blogger's argument?

Assess whether the blogger's purpose is to give an honest review or to help sell the product.

What should you do if reliable sources disagree with one another?

Carefully review and evaluate each one to decide which is most credible and why.

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

In the context of research writing, which of the following does the innovation skill most directly support?

Choosing the right words to engage your audience

Which research strategy is best for finding current journal articles about a topic?

Consulting a periodical database

Select the APA style in-text citation that is correctly formatted.

Current drivers of market expansion, Perlecki explains, "include the continued growth of biotechnology and healthcare companies in the city, alongside growing consumer and investor confidence" (2018, p. 2).

Select the true statement about using your prewriting during drafting.

Doing prewriting activities, such as creating an outline, can help you draft an essay more quickly.

Marcus writes a research paper that argues that the current drop in unemployment has not improved the lives of workers. Read an excerpt from his essay:Although the unemployment rate is at an historic low, wages remain flat. This is a source of frustration for many workers. Wage stagnation flies in the face of traditional economic wisdom, which states that as unemployment falls, wages should rise, because employers have to compete for the labor of an ever-smaller pool of available workers. Economists are divided over why traditional wisdom is failing to hold up in the current economic climate. "While rates of unemployment are indeed quite low as compared to the past, we must take into account the changing nature of the economy" (2018). The rise of "gig" work and other forms of self-employment have reduced the rate of unemployment, but not necessarily the rate of underemployment.How could Marcus best revise his final draft to improve cohesion?

He needs to better integrate the quotation by introducing it, so that readers know why it is credible.

Choose the sentence from the following paragraph that is missing a citation or is otherwise improperly cited.The Supreme Court's decision to desegregate public schools in Brown v. Board of Education defined the rights of children living in a democracy to enjoy political and social equality, but to what effect? Immediately following the Supreme Court's decision, Thurgood Marshall, the chief lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case, expressed optimism for the future when he estimated that school desegregation would be eliminated nationwide in "up to five years" (Patterson, 2001). However, ten years after the court ruling, only 18% of school districts in the South were officially desegregated, and schools in the North were also slow to desegregate due to long-established residential patterns (p. 352). Clearly, the difficult work of ensuring African-American civil rights was hardly over.

However, ten years after the court ruling, only 18% of school districts in the South were officially desegregated, and schools in the North were also slow to desegregate due to long-established residential patterns.

How does an awareness of rhetorical appeals improve argumentative writing?

It equips a writer with different strategies for convincing an audience of a position.

Why is research writing important?

Many jobs require strong research writing skills.

Which brainstorming technique involves creating a visual representation of how ideas connect?

Mapping

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 speaking English in ways we might expect.

Vijay is writing a research essay that argues the government should provide universal healthcare for all citizens. He drafts a body paragraph describing the beneficial effects of universal healthcare on social inequality.Select the best transition to begin his next paragraph, which discusses the counterargument that universal healthcare is too expensive.

On the other hand, critics argue that universal healthcare is simply too expensive and will drive the government deeper into debt.

"When the manager of the store called me back personally and apologized for the incident, I really felt like the company valued my loyalty."Sanjay wants to use this quotation from a survey in his research essay. However, he wants to use only part of the quotation, and change it so that it flows better with his writing.Select the option that correctly integrates the quotation.

One survey respondent said that this type of customer outreach made her "really [feel] like the company valued [her] loyalty."

In which component of the Toulmin argument model do you limit the universality of a claim?

Qualifier

For an argumentative essay that opposes homework in elementary school, which of the following is the best source to use as researched evidence?

Recent, expert psychological research that demonstrates that homework is not helpful for young children.

Which of the following statements is true regarding evidence in argumentative writing?

Researched evidence can come from first-person data or experts in the field.

In which scenario is plagiarism most likely to occur?

Sarah loses her notes in the middle of her research process and can't remember where she got some of her evidence from.

Which quality distinguishes scholarly journals from other publications?

Scholarly journals always include citations like footnotes and references to document research.

Which of the following is a recommended strategy for planning out a research project?

Separate large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

Thesis: School uniforms should be adopted by all school districts because they have positive effects on student experience.Body Paragraph: School uniforms benefit students by creating a more harmonious environment at school and reducing tardiness. They create a more harmonious environment by eliminating divisions between students over clothing and brand choices. For example, students who can afford fashionable or expensive clothing are less likely to self-segregate when everyone is wearing the same thing. Another benefit of school uniforms is their effect on student tardiness. If a student doesn't have to spend time in the morning deciding what to wear, he or she is more likely to arrive to school on time. Which action should be taken to make this body paragraph more effective?

Source-based evidence that is more specific should be selected in order to make the argument less general and more compelling.

Which of the following is a recommended strategy for blending your source material with your own work?

Surround your source material with your own analysis.

Nguyen, Derek. (2018). Imprisonment Rates in California: An Analysis. Phoenix, AZ: Haldon Publishers. Nguyen is a professor of social science at the University of California with a specialty in the social indicators of future incarceration among juveniles. He is a knowledgeable and respected scholar with many peer-reviewed publications. This is his most recent book, which is based on the most up-to-date statistics available on imprisonment rates in California. I think it has a lot of really good information that I can use in my paper, and it is easy to read and understand. Identify the error in the sample annotated bibliography entry.

The entry contains vague statements about the usefulness of the source.

In the early 1980s, the United States Department of Agriculture, in an attempt to make it easier for schools to comply with nutritional regulations for school lunches, reclassified condiments such as pickle relish as vegetables. The public outcry was swift, and the federal government was accused of harming children by replacing healthy vegetables with sugary sauces and seasonings. Everyone knows that vegetables are an important part of a nutritious and well-balanced diet, as this incident demonstrates. But can parents go too far? Does making young children follow a vegetarian diet actually benefit them? The answer is no. Strict vegetarianism can do more harm than good for children. Which strategy will make this sample introduction more effective?

The introduction should provide more of a road map for the reader, including more detail about the thesis and the kinds of information that will be used to support the argument.

Rita, an English instructor, is giving her student feedback on his research essay. Rita thinks he should add more analysis of a quotation he uses.What feedback should Rita give him?

This is a great quotation, but you need to explain exactly how it supports your thesis and argument.

What is the purpose of persuasive writing?

To influence your audience to accept your point of view

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.

You are writing a newspaper editorial that argues for funding more homeless shelters in your city.Which argument best represents an appeal to ethos?

You discuss your 20 years of experience working in the city's Department of Homeless Services.

Which action represents an accurate and ethical use of sources?

You explain an argument from one of your sources in your own words, and you maintain the author's original meaning. You then cite the source.

The controlling idea of an entire essay, which drives its goals and structure, is also known as __________.

a thesis

When writing a final draft, the innovation skill will most help you to:

add creativity to your writing.