Writing Essay Practice Problems: Pre-GED Language Arts, Writing (page 2)

The study guide for this practice quiz can be found at:

Writing Essay Study Guide: Pre-GED Language Arts, Writing

1. What is the purpose of a prompt?
   1. to help the student start writing about the topic
   2. to state the main idea of the essay
   3. to provide support for the main idea
   4. to suggest a possible conclusion
   5. to give the student an answer
2. Which of the following states the main idea of an essay?
   1. thesis statement
   2. transition
   3. topic sentence
   4. introduction
   5. conclusion
3. Which of the following sentences would be a good thesis statement?
   1. My favorite object is my grandfather's old leather bag.
   2. This is an essay about my favorite object.
   3. The bag is made of leather.
   4. My grandfather's leather bag
   5. I have a favorite object.
4. Why is it helpful to brainstorm when writing?
   1. it helps give you ideas of what to write about
   2. it takes up time
   3. it helps you write the thesis statement
   4. it puts your ideas in order
   5. it makes revisions unnecessary
5. What is the purpose of creating an outline?
   1. to organize your ideas
   2. to take up time
   3. to practice your spelling
   4. to make revision unnecessary
   5. to skip the writing process
6. Which of the following should always state the main idea of a paragraph?
   1. topic sentence
   2. transition
   3. thesis statement
   4. introduction
   5. conclusion
7. How many main ideas should a paragraph have?
   1. one
   2. two
   3. three
   4. no fewer than two
   5. as many as necessary
8. Which of the following is a purpose of supporting sentences?
   1. to provide examples
   2. to state the main idea
   3. to restate the thesis
   4. to give the reader a sense of closure
   5. to introduce the topic
9. Which of the following should a good conclusion do?
   1. state a new idea
   2. end with a question
   3. use specific examples
   4. restate the last body paragraph
   5. leave the reader with a sense of closure
10. What is the purpose of revising when writing?
    1. to move paragraphs
    2. to rewrite the essay
    3. to restate the thesis
    4. to correct minor errors
    5. to find the topic sentence