Deck 8: Punctuation and Format

Question 1

Sentences end with __________________.

A) a period
B) a question mark
C) an exclamation mark
D) All of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The abbreviation of Royal Canadian Mounted Police should appear as which of the following?

A) Royal Can MP
B) R.C.M.P
C) RCMP
D) -RCMP-

Answer 2

C

Question 3

How many spaces should appear after a sentence?

A) None
B) One
C) Two
D) Three

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is the purpose of a rhetorical question?

A) Pique the curiosity of the reader
B) Gain information about the reader's opinion
C) Allow the reader to not think about their point of view
D) All of the above

Question 5

Which of the following is incorrect?

A) She wondered where was the meeting was.
B) She wondered where was the meeting?
C) Where was the meeting?
D) She asked, "Where was the meeting?"

Question 6

How often should you use questions in an essay?

A) Often
B) Sometimes
C) Sparingly
D) Never

Question 7

How often should you use exclamation marks in essays?

A) Often
B) Sometimes
C) Sparingly
D) Never

Question 8

Margaret Atwood, Christmas, and January are capitalized because they are what type of noun?

A) Pronoun
B) Common noun
C) Proper noun
D) Concrete noun

Question 9

Which of the following is not capitalized properly?

A) Prime Minister Trudeau
B) English Class
C) Mardi Gras
D) A Tale of Two Cities

Question 10

Which part of the following sentence needs to be capitalized? I need to take another biology class. I'm thinking of taking introductory cell biology, bio 200.

A) biology class
B) bio 200
C) introductory cell biology
D) B and C

Question 11

Which of the following sentence contains correct comma use?

A) Students come to school to learn, not to socialize.
B) Students, come to school to learn, not to socialize.
C) Students, come to school to learn not to socialize.
D) Students come to school to learn not, to socialize.

Question 12

What is a comma before and in a series of items called?

A) Simple comma
B) Cambridge comma
C) Optional comma
D) Serial comma

Question 13

Joining two independent clauses with a comma is a __________________.

A) fused sentence
B) sentence fragment
C) comma splice
D) run-on sentence

Question 14

Of the words or phrases listed below, which should you not place a comma after?

A) Although
B) Such as
C) That
D) All of the above

Question 15

On a MLA style works cited page, how should author names be formatted?

A) Given name, family name.
B) Family name, initials of given name.
C) Given name, initials of family name.
D) Family name, given name.

Question 16

A semicolon is used to __________________.

A) join two related sentences
B) introduce a list
C) join an independent clause to a dependent clause
D) A and C

Question 17

Of the following examples, which contains correct colon use?

A) Writing an essay requires three basic stages: planning, drafting, and revising.
B) The dessert selection includes: ice cream, apple pie, crème caramel, and fruitcake.
C) The eligible candidates are: Diego, Sergei, Leslie, and Mona.
D) She participated in a number of different extra-curricular activities, such as: the chess club, volleyball, and the yearbook committee.

Question 18

How often are you required to use semicolons and colons in formal writing?

A) Always. Writing is not formal without them.
B) Often. Using them gives credibility to your writing.
C) Sometimes. They help with logical clarity, but should not be overused.
D) Never. You can write perfectly good sentences without them.

Question 19

What are apostrophes used for?

A) Taking place of missing letters in contractions
B) Showing possession
C) Showing a plural where the word would be hard to read without it
D) All of the above

Question 20

When formatting your essay, what justification works best?

A) Right justification
B) Full justification
C) Left justification
D) Middle justification

Question 21

When starting a paragraph, how many spaces should you indent?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5

Question 22

What size of margin should be used on all sides of your essay?

A) Half an inch
B) One inch
C) One and half inch
D) Two inches

Question 23

In North American style, which of the following is formatted properly?

A) "The medium is the message."
B) "The medium is the message"
C) "The medium is the message".
D) 'The medium is the message.'

Question 24

What should be used to indicate explanatory words to a quotation?

A) Parentheses
B) Ellipses
C) Square brackets
D) Hyphens

Question 25

How do you show a quotation within a quotation?

A) Italics
B) Single quotation marks
C) Parentheses
D) Ellipses

Question 26

To signal a shift in thought that interrupts the sentence, use __________________.

A) hyphens
B) parentheses
C) quotation marks
D) dashes

Question 27

What formatting technique is used to indicate words that are discussed as words?

A) Underline
B) Italics
C) Parentheses
D) Quotation marks

Question 28

Which of the following typefaces (fonts) should you use for your essays?

A) Comic Sans
B) Arial
C) Lithograph
D) Franklin Gothic

Question 29

Which of the following should be included on a MLA style cover page?

A) Your essay title
B) Your name
C) Your student number
D) Your instructor's name
E) All of the above

Question 30

What type size is required for both APA and MLA style?

A) 10 pt
B) 11 pt
C) 11.5 pt
D) 12 pt

Question 31

Why does written language depend on punctuation marks? What do they help distinguish?

Question 32

What parts of spoken language does punctuation take the place of? Provide at least two parts and provide an example for each.

Question 33

Sentences end with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark. In what type of situation would you use each of these? Provide an example for each situation.

Question 34

Beyond ending a sentence, what other uses are there for periods? List at least two uses and provide an example for each.

Question 35

Why are rhetorical questions used in essays? Why should you limit your use of questions in formal, academic writing?

Question 36

Why are exclamation marks not used in formal writing? Why are they more useful in text messaging? Where possible, provide an example of what you mean.

Question 37

The first word of every sentence is capitalized. Name at least two other instances where words need to be capitalized. Provide examples for each.

Question 38

How does MLA and APA style differ in terms of capitalization? Provide an example of this difference.

Question 39

What is the danger in using too many commas in your writing? What is the result of a misplaced comma?

Question 40

Revise each of the following sentences, ensuring that the comma appears correctly:
i) Coming in second in the race after training so hard, was a crushing disappointment to him.
ii) The movie starring Matt Damon that I wanted to see, is no longer playing.

Question 41

A good rule to remember is that a semicolon should not be used where a comma is needed. What is the exception to this rule? Provide one or two examples.

Question 42

What is the function of a semicolon? What coordinating conjunction can be used to determine if you are using a semicolon correctly?

Question 43

When should you use a colon? Give at least two situations and give an example for each.

Question 44

Is it necessary to use colons or semicolons in formal writing? If so, be clear why. If not, say why not.

Question 45

Name two of the three uses of apostrophes. Give an example for each use.

Question 46

For unpublished essays, how do you indicate the beginning of a new paragraph? How do you do this on a computer? How do you do it on an in-class essay?

Question 47

What is the best type of justification to use for unpublished work? Why is it the better choice?

Question 48

Which types of punctuation require a space after them? Name at least two. Which type(s) of punctuation require no spacing around them? Name at least one.

Question 49

What type of line spacing should be used when formatting typed or handwritten essays? What are some benefits of formatting the essay this way? (Name at least two.)

Question 50

When showing a quotation, how do you do the following: add explanatory words, omit words, and show a quotation within a quotation?

Question 51

What is the difference between a hyphen and a dash? Provide an example of the correct use of each.

Question 52

Name two of the three uses for italics in essay writing. In addition, when should underlining be used instead of italics?

Question 53

What are some general guidelines for MLA style formatting? Name at least three of these guidelines.

Question 54

What information appears on the first page (no cover page) in MLA style? Name at least three of the four pieces of information. In addition, where should this information appear?

Question 55

What standard typefaces/fonts should be used in MLA or APA style? Provide at least two examples. Which fonts should not be used? Give at least two examples.