Instructions: For each question, click on the radio button beside your answer. When you have completed the entire quiz, click the “Submit my answers” button at the bottom of the page to receive your results.

Question 1:

In reading and writing, understanding conventions can help ________.
a) communicate effectively with your audience
b) organize your writing
c) both A and B
d) neither A nor B

Question 2:

In general, non-academic essay writers ________ within an essay.
a) use analysis more than synthesis
b) use synthesis more than analysis
c) favour either analysis or synthesis
d) try to balance analysis with synthesis

Question 3:

Non-academic writers may use personal experience ________.
a) to create interest
b) to enable the reader to relate to the writer
c) to enable the reader to relate to the topic or a situation
d) All of the above.

Question 4:

A reflective essay emphasizes ________.
a) the writer’s life experiences
b) the writer’s thoughts and observations
c) both A and B
d) neither A nor B

Question 5:

To be successful, personal essays should ________.
a) focus on the most interesting parts of a writer’s life
b) use a humorous or ironic tone
c) try to evoke a strong emotional response
d) universalize an experience to make it relevant

Question 6:

An introduction that begins with ________ is not considered an interest-based introduction.
a) a general statement
b) a description or a story
c) a question
d) a challenging statement

Question 7:

Thesis statements are less common in non-academic writing because ________.
a) non-academic writers are less concerned with structure than are other writers
b) thesis statements are not a good strategy to keep readers focused on the topic
c) a thesis statement at the end of the introduction may reduce reader interest
d) non-academic writers often write quickly and do not have the time to include a thesis

Question 8:

If a writer uses an ironic tone, you should ________.
a) focus on the literal or surface meaning
b) look for an alternate meaning in subsequent sentences
c) look for the intended meaning beyond the surface one
d) suspect that the writer is not being truthful and may have a bias

Question 9:

A periodic sentence ________.
a) is a grammatically and stylistically effective sentence
b) begins with the main idea and then adds detail
c) begins with detail and ends with the main idea
d) None of the above.

Question 10:

The relationship between the non-academic and academic communities can best be described as ________.
a) an interdependent one
b) a mutually exclusive one
c) an adversarial one
d) a stereotypical one

Higher Education

Becoming an Active Reader: Chapter 9