English 103 - Composition and Critical Thinking » Fall 2020 » Reading Strategies: Previewing

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Question #1
Directions: Use this excerpt from The Norton Field Guide to Writing to answer the following question. Writing Out a Draft Once you have generated ideas and thoughts about how you want to organize your narrative, it’s time to begin drafting. Do this quickly—try to write a complete draft in one sitting, concentrating on getting the story on paper or screen and on putting in as much detail as you can. Some writers find it helpful to work on the beginning or ending first. Others write out the main event first and then draft the beginning and ending. Draft a beginning. A good narrative grabs readers’ attention right from the start. Here are some ways of beginning: • Jump right in. Sometimes you may want to get to the main action as quickly as possible. Nichols, for example, begins as she takes the ninth-grade proficiency test for the first time. • Describe the context. You may want to provide any background information at the start of your narrative, as Vallowe does with an anecdote exposing her fears that she may not be who she thinks she is. • Describe the setting, especially if it’s important to the narrative. Agosín begins by describing the constellations in her native Chile. • Provoke readers’ interest. Gomez opens her narrative by describing how she watched Disney movies over and over, memorizing the main characters’ lines. While previewing, which of the following items should the reader immediately notice?
A.   the heading "Writing Out a Draft" and the subheading "Draft a beginning"
B.   the word "story" in the third line of the first paragraph
C.   the second sentence in the first paragraph
D.   the word "concentrating" in the first paragraph
Question #2
Directions: Use this excerpt from The Norton Field Guide to Writing to answer the following question. Writing Out a Draft Once you have generated ideas and thoughts about how you want to organize your narrative, it’s time to begin drafting. Do this quickly—try to write a complete draft in one sitting, concentrating on getting the story on paper or screen and on putting in as much detail as you can. Some writers find it helpful to work on the beginning or ending first. Others write out the main event first and then draft the beginning and ending. Draft a beginning. A good narrative grabs readers’ attention right from the start. Here are some ways of beginning: • Jump right in. Sometimes you may want to get to the main action as quickly as possible. Nichols, for example, begins as she takes the ninth-grade proficiency test for the first time. • Describe the context. You may want to provide any background information at the start of your narrative, as Vallowe does with an anecdote exposing her fears that she may not be who she thinks she is. • Describe the setting, especially if it’s important to the narrative. Agosín begins by describing the constellations in her native Chile. • Provoke readers’ interest. Gomez opens her narrative by describing how she watched Disney movies over and over, memorizing the main characters’ lines. After reading the headings during previewing, the reader should also pay attention to _______.
A.   the phrase "ninth-grade proficiency test"
B.   the bulleted items that are in boldface print
C.   the phrase "she watched Disney movies over and over "
D.   the word "constellations"
Question #3
Directions: Use this excerpt from The Norton Field Guide to Writing to answer the following question. Writing Out a Draft Once you have generated ideas and thoughts about how you want to organize your narrative, it’s time to begin drafting. Do this quickly—try to write a complete draft in one sitting, concentrating on getting the story on paper or screen and on putting in as much detail as you can. Some writers find it helpful to work on the beginning or ending first. Others write out the main event first and then draft the beginning and ending. Draft a beginning. A good narrative grabs readers’ attention right from the start. Here are some ways of beginning: • Jump right in. Sometimes you may want to get to the main action as quickly as possible. Nichols, for example, begins as she takes the ninth-grade proficiency test for the first time. • Describe the context. You may want to provide any background information at the start of your narrative, as Vallowe does with an anecdote exposing her fears that she may not be who she thinks she is. • Describe the setting, especially if it’s important to the narrative. Agosín begins by describing the constellations in her native Chile. • Provoke readers’ interest. Gomez opens her narrative by describing how she watched Disney movies over and over, memorizing the main characters’ lines. One reasonable prediction the reader might make after previewing this passage is that _______.
A.   examples of strong opening paragraphs will follow
B.   suggestions for good essay topics will follow
C.   information about writing argumentative essays will follow
D.   advice about using persuasive language will follow
Question #4
Directions: Use this excerpt from The Norton Field Guide to Writing to answer the following question. Writing Out a Draft Once you have generated ideas and thoughts about how you want to organize your narrative, it’s time to begin drafting. Do this quickly—try to write a complete draft in one sitting, concentrating on getting the story on paper or screen and on putting in as much detail as you can. Some writers find it helpful to work on the beginning or ending first. Others write out the main event first and then draft the beginning and ending. Draft a beginning. A good narrative grabs readers’ attention right from the start. Here are some ways of beginning: • Jump right in. Sometimes you may want to get to the main action as quickly as possible. Nichols, for example, begins as she takes the ninth-grade proficiency test for the first time. • Describe the context. You may want to provide any background information at the start of your narrative, as Vallowe does with an anecdote exposing her fears that she may not be who she thinks she is. • Describe the setting, especially if it’s important to the narrative. Agosín begins by describing the constellations in her native Chile. • Provoke readers’ interest. Gomez opens her narrative by describing how she watched Disney movies over and over, memorizing the main characters’ lines. After previewing this excerpt, the reader will realize that its purpose is to _______.
A.   entertain the reader with personal stories
B.   persuade the reader to use personal anecdotes in the first draft
C.   inform the reader of some strategies for writing a first draft
D.   argue the point that, for some students, writing a draft is not helpful
Question #5
Directions: Use this excerpt from The Norton Field Guide to Writing to answer the following question. Writing Out a Draft Once you have generated ideas and thoughts about how you want to organize your narrative, it’s time to begin drafting. Do this quickly—try to write a complete draft in one sitting, concentrating on getting the story on paper or screen and on putting in as much detail as you can. Some writers find it helpful to work on the beginning or ending first. Others write out the main event first and then draft the beginning and ending. Draft a beginning. A good narrative grabs readers’ attention right from the start. Here are some ways of beginning: • Jump right in. Sometimes you may want to get to the main action as quickly as possible. Nichols, for example, begins as she takes the ninth-grade proficiency test for the first time. • Describe the context. You may want to provide any background information at the start of your narrative, as Vallowe does with an anecdote exposing her fears that she may not be who she thinks she is. • Describe the setting, especially if it’s important to the narrative. Agosín begins by describing the constellations in her native Chile. • Provoke readers’ interest. Gomez opens her narrative by describing how she watched Disney movies over and over, memorizing the main characters’ lines. Previewing this excerpt will help the reader realize that the audience is probably _______.
A.   technical writers who must write reports about their work
B.   college students who are learning effective writing techniques
C.   businessmen who must master the art of memo writing
D.   experienced writers who wish to polish their skills
Question #6
Effective previewing involves _______.
A.   locating clues to help determine main ideas
B.   reading the introduction to decide if the text merits your interest
C.   finding the definitions of important terms that are in the text
D.   skimming the text for general ideas and knowing where the text is headed
Question #7
Knowing something about the writer’s stance during previewing means _______.
A.   recognizing the author’s main pattern of organization
B.   knowing the author’s credentials
C.   understanding the author’s use of vocabulary
D.   understanding the author’s position or viewpoint on the topic
Question #8
Which of the following questions helps the reader consider the rhetorical situation while previewing?
A.   Who is the audience?
B.   What is the genre?
C.   All of these
D.   What is the purpose?
Question #9
Which of the following statements is NOT true about previewing?
A.   The goal of previewing is to get a sense of where the text is heading.
B.   While previewing, read the title and subtitle, headings, and first and last paragraphs.
C.   While previewing, stop to look up unfamiliar words.
D.   Underlining, highlighting, or electronic annotations are effective ways to mark unfamiliar words for later study.
Question #10
While previewing, the reader should also notice and study _______.
A.   any illustrations and other visuals
B.   writing patterns used by the author
C.   any references to footnotes or information in small print
D.   minor details that provide support for major details

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