Recommendation for individuals using a screenreader: please set your punctuation settings to "most."
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions of spelling and capitalization to use when developing text.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions of punctuation to use when developing text.
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate word usage and grammatical sentence structure to use when developing text.
- Recognize methods of developing an introduction to a text that draws a reader's attention, specifies a topic, and provides a thesis.
- Recognize methods of developing the body of a text that presents, emphasizes, links, and contrasts ideas in a clear, concise, and coherent manner.
- Recognize methods of developing a conclusion to a text that provides a summary or resolution, suggests a course of action, or offers a personal commentary.
Sample Item:
A writer is developing an expository essay on how to listen to and appreciate classical
music. The writer's intended audience consists of young people who listen mainly to
rock music, not classical music, which is unfamiliar to them. Which of the following
short introductory paragraphs would be most effective for engaging the readers' interest
in this essay?
- Classical music has traditionally formed the backbone of good ballet. However,
some contemporary ballets use rock music instead of classical music as the basis for
their choreography. These rock-based ballets are gaining popularity among teens who
like the faster tempo.
- You may know that famous composers and performers of classical music such as
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert were child prodigies, but would you
recognize any of their music if you heard it? You do not have to be a genius to
enjoy classical music, but you do need to be patient and concentrate fully while you
listen to classical music in order to truly understand it.
- Many soundtracks for movies and television programs use classical music to create
a mood or help advance the story line. In fact, the instruments used to play classical
music, such as violins, flutes, and clarinets, each have a distinct sound, and with that
sound comes a distinct personality.
- Classical music is often performed by large symphony orchestras that include a variety
of brass, wind, and stringed instruments, but that does not mean that classical music has
to be slow or boring. In fact, many rock groups, from Foo Fighters to Phish, have recorded
songs with large symphony orchestras, which contributed to these songs the powerful sounds
of classical music.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. This question requires the examinee to recognize methods of developing
an introduction to a text that draws a reader's attention. An audience of young people
who listen mainly to rock music would likely be most interested in reading an essay about
classical music if the essay introduction explained how contemporary rock musicians have
incorporated the sounds of classical music into their recordings. Response D provides an
introduction that establishes the clearest and strongest link between classical and rock
music.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate form of writing to use for a particular purpose and audience.
- Recognize methods of generating and organizing ideas for writing.
- Recognize methods of drafting and revising text to show consistent development of a central idea or theme and to eliminate redundancy and distracting details.
- Recognize methods of editing and proofreading text to generate interest, clarify meaning, and correct grammatical errors.
- Recognize methods of composing specific, open-ended questions for a research topic.
- Recognize methods of identifying and locating multiple and various sources of information for a research topic.
- Recognize methods of assessing the credibility, objectivity, and reliability of sources of information.
- Recognize methods of incorporating into a text information from sources effectively and appropriately.
Sample Item:
Read the excerpt below from the first draft of an essay; then answer the question that
follows.
1Scientists have recently discovered that laughter is a survival mechanism
possessed by both humans and animals. 2Animals laugh in order to signal to
other animals when they are playing and not fighting. 3When rats laugh, they
emit a high-pitched chirp that is inaudible to the human ear. 4In both humans
and animals, laughter comes as an involuntary response, like sneezing. 5Studies
have shown that humans are more likely to laugh because they want to gain acceptance in
a social group than because they think something is funny. 6It is possible to
suppress laughter, but it is difficult to produce laughter convincingly without some kind
of real, spontaneous stimulus. 7Therefore, laughter is generally interpreted
as an honest expression of friendliness and sociability.
Which of the following sentences should be removed from this excerpt to eliminate a
distracting detail?
- Sentence 2
- Sentence 3
- Sentence 5
- Sentence 6
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. This question requires the examinee to recognize methods of revising
text to eliminate distracting details. The primary purpose of the essay is to explain
why both humans and animals laugh and not to describe the unique qualities of particular
animals' laughter. Sentence 3 provides a detail that distracts from this primary purpose
and should therefore be eliminated.
View Cart