Deck 3: Grammar, Style and Language Basics

Question 1

When writers make errors, ______.

A) they make it harder for readers to trust them
B) they don't really do any damage to their reputations
C) it has no effect on their publications
D) readers rarely notice

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The more you can do to make your material clear and concise, ______.

A) the better chance readers will become bored
B) the better chance you have of drawing readers and retaining them
C) the more likely you will lose audience because they are not challenged
D) the more likely your material will be ignored

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Random capitalization, misspelled words, or awkward construction will ______.

A) not be noticed by readers
B) only be noticed by other writers
C) bother readers even if they can't articulate it
D) have no effect on your writing

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A simple sentence builds from a ______.

A) verb-noun structure
B) noun-noun-verb structure
C) direct object-noun-verb structure
D) noun-verb structure

Question 5

Students use diagram sentences ______.

A) to help them see how each sentence was constructed
B) to help plot out the story
C) to help visualize the story
D) for fun

Question 6

Writers often find the need to use adjectives and adverbs when ______.

A) they choose concrete nouns and vigorous verbs in their sentences
B) they fail to choose concrete nouns and vigorous verbs in their sentences
C) they have something important to write
D) they have something unimportant to write

Question 7

______ puts the object in the sentence first.

A) Redundancy
B) Wordiness
C) Active-voice construction
D) Passive-voice construction

Question 8

______ will control the pace and flow of your writing.

A) Sentence length
B) Sentence width
C) Paragraph length
D) Word length

Question 9

Commas work like ______.

A) stop signs
B) yield signs
C) detour signs
D) construction signs

Question 10

______ sentences pack a punch.

A) Extra long
B) Long
C) Short
D) Medium

Question 11

______ sentences usually contain one or two key points and help move from the sentence above to the sentence below with intrinsic transitions.

A) Short
B) Long
C) Extra long
D) Medium

Question 12

______ sentences can create a sense of speed or a feeling of unyielding chaos.

A) Long
B) Short
C) Medium
D) Extra long

Question 13

Clarity is ______.

A) not as important as grammar
B) sometimes more important than grammar
C) optional
D) elusive

Question 14

Reading your work aloud ______.

A) is not important
B) has value only for broadcast writers
C) has value for all writers
D) is a waste of time

Question 15

The AP Stylebook is ______.

A) short for "All-Purpose" Stylebook
B) no longer necessary
C) used only in book publishing
D) used as the primary source for standardization

Question 16

Ten percent of the rules in the AP Stylebook ______.

A) cover 90% of style questions
B) are never used in contemporary writing
C) have to deal with numbers
D) have to deal with titles

Question 17

Write quickly but edit ______.

A) slowly
B) lowly
C) when you can
D) in half the time

Question 18

A cliché is a ______.

A) handy shortcut
B) worn-out phrase
C) funny way to end a story
D) good way to start a story

Question 19

In order to eliminate words that shouldn't be there, ______.

A) write faster
B) try to become more general
C) try to become more specific
D) write slowly

Question 20

______ occur when people don't know how a word works or what it means and thus misapply modifiers to it.

A) Split infinitives
B) Run-ons
C) Clichés
D) Redundancies

Question 21

"Completely destroy" is an example of ______.

A) a redundancy
B) a split infinitive
C) a run-on
D) empty words

Question 22

When you rely heavily on prepositions and prepositional phrases, your writing will ______.

A) be brief and have broken fragments
B) take on a song-like quality
C) be clear and concise
D) be strong and contain long sentences

Question 23

Each time you use a pronoun, find the ______ and make sure they match.

A) antennae
B) decedent
C) precedent
D) antecedent

Question 24

Writing clean copy really doesn't matter to media writers.

Question 25

When writers make errors, they make it harder on themselves to maintain trust.

Question 26

The more you can do to make your material clear and concise, the better chance you have of drawing readers and retaining them.

Question 27

Random capitalization, misspelled words, or awkward construction rarely bothers readers.

Question 28

Master writers have more options to fix grammatical problems properly because they know how to use the language in ways novices don't.

Question 29

You should write in the fanciest way possible to keep your readers entertained.

Question 30

"The attack was the worst shooting on a college campus in recent memory" is an example of an author using a qualifier to couch his facts.

Question 31

You don't need to make the best possible choices for the noun and verb of each sentence.

Question 32

Passive voice construction places the object first.

Question 33

Active voice writing is beneficial because it is longer.

Question 34

Problems ranging from too many prepositions to the overuse of personal pronouns will emerge when you read your work aloud.

Question 35

Long sentences usually contain 17-23 words with a solid and inherent pace to them.

Question 36

You can fix many writing problems if you know how to use a simple diagram.

Question 37

The length of each sentence will control the pace and flow of your writing.

Question 38

A short sentence can take a long time to make a point.

Question 39

What are some ways to keep your writing tight and right?

Question 40

Why is grammar and style important?

Question 41

What is the AP Stylebook?

Question 42

Why is writing in the active voice beneficial?

Question 43

Why do grammar and style matter?

Question 44

How can you write sentences clearly and plainly?

Question 45

How can you keep your writing tight and right?

Question 46

Describe how to edit slowly.

Question 47

What is the AP Stylebook and some basic rules?