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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the forms and purposes of narrative writing, such as describing an event or relating a personal experience.
- Recognize methods of selecting and limiting a subject for narrative writing.
- Recognize methods of selecting an effective organizational approach to use in narrative writing, such as chronological order, flashback, or in medias res.
- Recognize methods of selecting effective and appropriate sensory details and using specific nouns and strong verbs to convey precisely the unique aspects of a subject.
- Recognize methods of selecting an appropriate style, tone, and voice and appropriate diction to use in narrative writing for a particular purpose and audience.
Sample Item:
Which of the following versions of a paragraph from a personal journal best demonstrates the use of vivid, concrete details to describe a place?
- In my town, the most popular breakfast spot is Josie's Diner. Situated just off the main highway, the diner has been a favorite with both locals and out-of-towners ever since it opened in 1972. Once you try the pancakes at Josie's, you will understand why many people refuse to eat pancakes anywhere else.
- I have been a loyal patron of Josie's Diner for many years. I am a local, but many other loyal customers travel from great distances. Because Josie's is close to a major highway, there are always many interesting people at the counter when I stop in for breakfast. Most of us are there for one thing: the pancakes.
- Josie's Diner may look like a ramshackle house, but it is really breakfast heaven. Inside, friendly chatter and clattering dishes drown out the rumble of traffic from the nearby highway. The torn vinyl stools at the stainless-steel counter are front-row seats for the best breakfast in town: a short stack of hot buttermilk pancakes.
- Even though Josie's is a roadside diner like hundreds of other roadside diners, it has become a popular place in our town, and for miles around, to eat breakfast. The diner itself is nothing special to look at inside or out, but the people who come from near and far are not there for the view. They are there for the pancakes.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. This question requires the examinee to recognize methods of selecting effective and appropriate sensory details and using specific nouns and strong verbs to convey precisely the unique aspects of a subject. In response C, the writer uses vivid details, such as "clattering dishes," "torn vinyl stools," and "hot buttermilk pancakes," to create the clearest and strongest sensory impression of the diner.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the forms and purposes of expository writing, such as explaining a factual subject, providing or requesting information, or interacting socially or professionally.
- Recognize methods of selecting and limiting a subject for expository writing.
- Recognize methods of formulating a specific question to address through expository writing and of developing a thesis statement that provides a focus for writing.
- Recognize methods of selecting an effective organizational approach to use in expository writing, such as cause-and-effect, problem-and-solution, or chronological order.
- Recognize methods of selecting effective and appropriate supporting details to use in expository writing, such as statistics and examples.
- Recognize methods of developing expository writing that is direct, simple, and succinct.
Sample Item:
A writer develops the topic sentence below for a paragraph in an expository essay on ancient Egyptian architecture.
The Great Pyramid is an immense structure and the largest of the three pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
Which of the following supporting details would be most effective for the writer to use in the paragraph with this topic sentence?
- The length of each side of the Great Pyramid at its base is over 750 feet, which is equivalent to the distance spanned by about 20 full-size school buses placed end to end.
- The four sides of the Great Pyramid are slightly and evenly bowed in, creating a concavity which, remarkably, matches the curvature of the earth.
- The Great Sphinx, which lies just south of the Great Pyramid, extends approximately 240 feet in length and is carved entirely from limestone.
- The ancient Greek historian Herodotus estimated that it took about 100,000 laborers over 20 years to complete the construction of the Great Pyramid.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. This question requires the examinee to recognize methods of selecting effective and appropriate supporting details to use in expository writing. Response A provides the only supporting detail pertaining to the size of the Great Pyramid ("each side . . . over 750 feet") and does so in a way that is easy to envision ("the distance spanned by about 20 full-size school buses"). The other responses provide details pertaining to the shape or construction of the Great Pyramid and so do not support the topic sentence.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the forms and purposes of persuasive writing, such as stating an opinion or influencing beliefs.
- Recognize methods of establishing a clear position or controlling idea in persuasive writing.
- Recognize methods of selecting an effective organizational approach to use in persuasive writing, such as logical order or order of importance.
- Recognize methods of selecting effective and appropriate supporting details to use in persuasive writing, such as facts, reasons, and appeals.
- Recognize methods of anticipating questions, concerns, and counterarguments for points made in persuasive writing and of incorporating effective responses to them into the writing.
- Recognize methods of selecting a style, tone, voice, and diction to use in persuasive writing that conveys respect for the reader.
Sample Item:
A writer has drafted the short paragraph below as part of a newspaper editorial.
I am against the current proposal for constructing a new expressway that would run through, or at least closely around, our city. We are already grossly over budget in our spending on the city's bridges and roads, so spending even more money on an expressway at this time would be unwise.______________________________________________ blank Let's face it, expressways are dirty, noisy, and dangerous. Therefore, we should act now to block this proposal and preserve the high quality of life that we currently enjoy in our city.
Which of the following sentences would be most effective for the writer to use in the blank in this paragraph to anticipate and respond to a potential counter-argument?
- Supporters of this proposal would like to fund the construction of the expressway through a federal loan, but they have not yet determined what the term and amount of the loan should be.
- Some people insist on promoting systems and technologies that shuttle us through our daily lives at a faster and faster pace, when really what we need to do is slow down and savor each day.
- Supporters of this proposal completely lack any background knowledge in urban planning or city transit systems, which makes them unqualified to assess the soundness of the proposal.
- Some people claim that having a new expressway would alleviate downtown traffic congestion, but an expressway could also make down-town traffic worse by facilitating drivers' access to the city.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. This question requires the examinee to recognize methods of anticipating a counterargument for a point made in persuasive writing and of incorporating an effective response to it in writing. Response D provides the most effective counterargument to the "no new expressway" position: namely, an expressway could reduce downtown traffic. Response D also responds to the counterargument effectively: an expressway could actually increase downtown traffic by providing easy access. The other responses either fail to provide a compelling counterargument and response or provide one that is immaterial or irrelevant to the writer's position.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the forms and purposes of critical or analytical writing, such as critiquing or interpreting a literary work or works.
- Recognize methods of formulating a specific question to address through critical or analytical writing and of developing a thesis statement that makes a significant claim or conveys a purpose for writing.
- Recognize methods of selecting an effective organizational approach to use in critical or analytical writing, such as order of increasing complexity or comparison and contrast.
- Recognize methods of developing a cogent analysis of a literary work, such as incorporating specific words and phrases from a literary work to support a claim made in critical or analytical writing.
- Relate characters, themes, and points of view from one literary work to characters, themes, and points of view from other literary works.
Sample Item:
A primary purpose of analytical writing in response to literature is to:
- argue a point about the artistic merits of a literary work by citing relevant supporting details from the work.
- explain how a literary work has influenced and been influenced by social and cultural trends.
- interpret a literary work by examining its plot, characters, themes, and stylistic elements.
- describe the process by which the author of a literary work conceived and developed the idea for the work.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the purposes of analytical writing in response to literature. The primary purpose of analytical writing, particularly in response to literature, is to examine closely how various literary devices and techniques, such as plot, characterization, and imagery, are used to create meaning, convey messages, and develop themes or central ideas in a work.
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