Writing for Life: Paragraphs and Essays, MLA Update, 4th Edition Solution Manual

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Answer Keyto accompany

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CHAPTER 1: PREPARING TO LEARN ABOUT WRITINGPRACTICE 1PHOTOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER: PREPARING TO LEARNThe following pictures represent one student’s effort to prepare to learn about writing. Write acaption foreach photograph that identifies her efforts to prepare to learn.What is this?Pencil and book: DictionaryWhat is this?Materials: Notebook, pen, rulerWhat is this?Study spaceWhat is this?Study groupWhat’s the point?To be prepared to learn about writing, you should have the books you need such as adictionary; supplies like a notebook, paper, ruler, and pens; a place to study; and a studygroup for support.One Student Writer’s ResponseThe following paragraph records one student’s efforts to prepare to learn about writing. As you read theparagraph, underline specific steps he took that you might use as well.Answers may vary.1

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Prepared to Learn(1) I began preparing to learn about writing on the first day of class. (2) First, I read the course syllabus,which listed the books and materials I needed; later that day, I bought everything listed, and I broughteverything I needed with me to every class. (3) I found three people who wanted to learn as much as I didso we formed a study group. (4) We helped each other a lot throughout the whole semester. (5) If one of uswas sick, we made sure he or she got the notes and assignment for that day, and we read each other’spapers to make sure they made sense and didn’t have any careless errors. (6) I alsoused a daily planner torecord assignments and set aside time to study and write. (7) I arrived a few minutes early when possible,so that when class began, I was prepared to get to work. (8) I have to admit I had to work on my attitude.(9) I was so shy and afraid of sounding silly that asking questions in class was really hard, so for a while, Istayed after class to ask my questions, but eventually, I gained enough confidence to ask them during class.(10) I also had to learn how to deal with feedback on my papers. (11) I worked so hard on each essay, yetfor a long time, my papers came back to me with grades and edits that showed I still needed to improve.(12) It took a while for my hard work to pay off, but I was determined to succeed. (13) I am proud to say,all my preparation and hard work paid off. (14) Not only did I earn an “A,” but I also improved my abilityto write.As you prepare to learn about writing, take some time to evaluate yourself as a student writer. Thinkabout your attitude, ways you can become an active learner, your relationship with your teacher, your studyplan, and how you will track your growing writing abilities. The more you reflect and the more youprepare, the more likely you are to learn about writing and to become an effective writer.PRACTICE 2ADOPT THE ATTITUDE OF LEARNINGRead the following reflection written by a student that records how she feels about writing and why. On aseparate sheet of paper, write a letter to the student, giving advice to help her overcome her anxiety.Answers may vary.The very thought of writing an essay and turning it in for a grade makes my stomach churn. I havepretty painful memories of writing classes. In one class, the teacher gave my paper back by handing itto the person in the front of the row to pass back. Everyone in my row got to see the large red “D” at2

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the top of my paper and all the red marks pointing out each one of my errors. I never could bringmyself to read the comments, and I was too embarrassed to ask questions. It didn’tseem to matter,anyway because I just can’t write.PRACTICE 10CREATE A PORTFOLIO OF YOUR WORKWrite an e-mail to a classmate who was absent. Explain the portfolio process. Explain how portfolioassessment will improve your writing skills.Answers may vary.Academic Learning Log: Chapter ReviewQUESTIONS FOR PREPARING TO LEARN ABOUT WRITINGTo test and track your understanding of what you have studied, answer the following questions.1.What are some of the materials and supplies needed by a writing student?dictionary, thesaurus, notebook and pen, computer2.What are the three attitudes of learning discussed in this chapter?positive self-talk, active learning, trust3.What three general steps can you take to create a study plan?gather tools, set goals, take action4.What are the four phases of exchanging information in the reading-writing cycle?The first phase is the writer composes a message. The second phase is the writer sends the messageto the reader. The third phase is the reader receivesthe writer’s message. The fourth phase is thereader responds to the writer’s message.5.What is the reading process represented by SQ3R?The reading process of SQ3R is a series of phases in the reading and thinking process. A reader canloop back or repeat stages as needed. The stages are Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review.6.What is a portfolio?A portfolio is a collection of all the work a writer does organized in a notebook or electronic folder.3

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7.What is included in a portfolio?A portfolio may include class notes and activities, textbook notes and exercises, grammar tests, labactivities, reflective journal entries, and writing drafts.8.What is a reflective journal entry?A reflective journal entry is a piece of informal writing in which an individual analyzes some aspectof his or her writing.4

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CHAPTER 2THINKING THROUGH THE WRITING PROCESSPRACTICE 1PHOTOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER: REASONS TO WRITEAcademic successEconomic powerPolitical expressionPersonal expressionWhat’s the point of writing well?Writing well increases academic success, economic power, political expression, and personalexpression.5

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PRACTICE 2ASSESS THE WRITING SITUATION: TOPICSSkim a newspaper, a magazine, and a textbook and write a list of five topics from each one. Then, shareyour list with your class or in a small group.Answers may vary.TOPICS FROM A NEWSPAPER:TOPICS FROM A MAGAZINE:TOPICS FROM A TEXTBOOK:PRACTICE 3ASSESS THE WRITING SITUATION: PURPOSEState the purpose of each of the following topic sentences. Discuss with your class or in a small group howa writer’s purposes may be combined in certain situations.Answers may vary.1.My experience and education make me an excellent candidate for this job.To persuade a prospective employer to hire the writer2.Adult stem cell research should be funded by the government.To persuade the reader to support government funding for stem cell research3.The gentle breeze, the lapping water, and the dappled shade soothe the human soul.To express the power of the beauty in nature4.Eating disorders fall into several categories based on their symptoms.To inform the reader about the types and traits of eating disorders5.Based on my unit exam, I need to review the following topics.To reflect upon academic progress and set study goals6

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PRACTICE 4ASSESS THE WRITING SITUATION: AUDIENCEBased on your first thoughts about the audiences represented by the four pictures on page 24, write a briefresponse to the following questions. Then, discuss your answers with your class or in a small group.Answers may vary.•What are the most important traits of each audience represented by the pictures?•Did your main points differ based on the audience? Why or why not?•Will your word choice or examples differ based on the audience? Why or why not?PRACTICE 5ASSESS THE WRITING SITUATION: AUDIENCEEach of the following four pieces of writing appeals to one of the audiences depicted by the photos on thispage. Write the letter of the piece of writing in the picture that shows its audience.A. Scientists funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a federal government agency, havefound that the damage to the brain’s thinking abilities that results from smoking marijuana can last up to 28days after an individual last smoked the drug.B. Marijuana use today starts at a younger age—also, today stronger forms of the drug are available toyou. Marijuana use is a serious threat—do not use it!C.Under the influence of marijuana, you can forget your best friend’s phone number, watch your gradepoint average drop like a stone, or get into a car accident.7

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D.Welcome to the Mothers Against Drugs speaker series. During today’s speaker panel, we’ll investigatethe fascinating facts about marijuana. You may have heard it called pot, weed, grass, ganja, or skunk, butmarijuana by any other name is still a drug that affects the brain.BCDAPRACTICE 6ASSESS THE WRITING SITUATION: TOPIC AND AUDIENCEThe following writing prompts apply an academic topic to a real audience.Write the name of the college course(s) for each prompt and describe the traits of each audience. Discussyour answers with your class or in a small group. Talk about how each audience affects the writer’s choiceof words and details.8

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1.Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper that supports or opposes a political candidate.COURSE(S):political scienceAUDIENCE:general audience of various races and cultures with varying ages, levels of income,and years of education2.Write a report for the school board that explains the benefits of smaller class sizes.COURSE(S):education, psychologyAUDIENCE:educated, mature audience of various races; well informed about localeducational issues3.Write an e-mail to a classmate explaining the five steps for problem solving.COURSE(S):mathematics, scienceAUDIENCE:Answers may vary.4.Write a memo to a new, young employee at a fast food restaurant that explains how the cost of hisinsurance is based on his age.COURSE(S):mathematics, businessAUDIENCE:male, little experience, probably in high school or just beginning collegePRACTICE 9USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY QUESTIONINGAssume you are a reporter at the scene of a car accident. Using the box “The Writing Process Step by Step:Prewriting by AskingQuestions,” write a list of questions to identify your point and generate details. Shareyour ideas with the class or in a small group.Answers may vary.9

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PRACTICE 10USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY QUESTIONINGAsk questions to brainstorm your first thoughts about one of the following topics:Answers may vary.•Road Rage•Graffiti•Drug Abuse•Positive Thinking•Workplace StressPRACTICE 11USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY FREEWRITINGRead the following two freewrites. Discuss with your class or in a small group how ideas develop usingfreewriting and focused freewriting. What are the advantages of freewriting? What are the disadvantages?Answers may vary.Okay, the essay is due in two days. The topic is my choice, and I have no idea what to write about. My mindis a blank. Dr. Reese says just start writing and don’t stop and pretty soon something will come to you. Noluck yet. Okay, what’s going on in the world? Lots of people looking for work not many jobs are out therethat’s why I’m in school to get prepared for a good paying job. But life isn’t all about work. Sure I want agood job, but I don’t want a job that takes it all out of me. I want time for family and fun, too. I love totravel. If I won the lottery, I would spend a lot of time traveling. My favorite vacation was snorkeling in theFlorida Keys. It would be so much fun to snorkel other places like in Hawaii and Australia.Focused FreewriteWhen I was a boy, my family went to the Florida Keys on a snorkeling vacation. That vacation remains oneof my favorite memories. My brother and I were like prunes we were in the water so much. The water wasthe prettiest, clearest blue-green you’ve ever seen. You can see all the way to the bottom. And the fish andcoral are so colorful. We watched schools of colorful fish shimmer in the water as they darted around.They varied from yellow with black stripes, to neon green, to brown speckles. Did you know that coral is aliving thing? And it grows in all shapes and colors. Some look like purple fans waving in the current.10

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Others look like grey brain matter. And others look like electric orange honeycombs. I’ll never forget whenwe saw a shark. My brother kept screaming “shark, shark.” But his screams were muffled sounds of panicbecause he was screaming into his snorkel. Boy, we made it back to the boat in record time. Dad said henever knew we could move so fast. What a great time we had!PRACTICE 12USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY FOCUSED FREEWRITINGStep 1:Choose one of the following topics and freewrite for five minutes. Ask and answer the reporter’sand reflective questions before you begin freewriting.•Popular Music•Useful Technology•Reality TV•An Influential PersonStep 2:Read your freewrite and highlight ideas. Write a focused freewrite for an additional five minutesusing the idea(s) you highlighted.Answers may vary.PRACTICE 13USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY LISTINGPrewriting for an academic course:The following lists are based on the table of contents of twotextbooks. Identify the academic courses to which each list is related. Then, brainstorm a list of additionalwriting topics based on an idea from each list.COURSES:Mass Communication orCOURSES:HealthPolitical ScienceList 1List 2Mass Media and PoliticsCoping with StressThe Power of the MediaEating SmartSources of the MediaMaintaining Proper WeightBias in the MediaKeeping FitFreedom versus FairnessControllable Health Risks11

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New Lists of Additional IdeasNew Lists of Additional IdeasAnswers may vary.Answers may vary.Prewriting for Business Writing:Assume you have just been given two weeks’ notice because yourcompany is downsizing and eliminating your job. To locate job opportunities, take the following steps:Answers may vary.Step 1:Go to your favorite job search site (for example, your local newspaper likely has listings online).Step 2:Choose one of the advertised positions and list the skills needed to compete for the job.Step 3:List the skills you already possess that qualify you for the job.Step 4:On your own paper, repeat steps 2 and 3 for each of the jobs you listed in Step 1.PRACTICE 14USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY MAPPINGThe writer of the following paragraph used a concept map to brainstorm ideas. Read the paragraph. Then,recreate her concept map by filling in the appropriate blanks with ideas from her paragraph. Discuss howthe concept map differs from her final draft.12

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Ballroom dancing can have many positive effects. The most obvious of these is physical fitnessthrough exercise. Your body becomes more toned and that, in turn, can make you feel better aboutyour appearance. However, several other less obvious effects are just as important. First, confidence isa big factor in dancing. It takes a lot of confidence to dance in front of people, or even to go out ontothe floor and dance with someone you do not know very well. For someone who does not have a lot ofself-assurance to begin with, dancing causes them to quickly build up their confidence. Next, improvedcoordination, balance, and posture are a few more positive effects of ballroom dancing. Practicingpatterns in each dance forces you to develop better coordination as you try to get the steps in the rightorder. Technique makes you develop better balance and posture as you focus on holding your framewhile performing the correct steps. Another subtle but important effect is a better understanding of thedifferent types of rhythm in music. Listening to songs over and over again as you practice your dancesand having to understand the timing in each one makes you aware of the various rhythms that existamong different types of music. A final and very beneficial effect of ballroom dancing is relievingstress. If you enjoy dancing, it can become a huge help in relieving stress. Dance is a fun challenge anda welcome break from your hectic day. Therefore, there are various benefits caused by dancing that,when combined, create an enjoyable pastime for anyone.13

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PRACTICE 15USE THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITE BY OUTLININGThe following reflection and concept map was created by a student during the prewriting phase of anassignment. Complete the outline with ideas from the concept map.Laura’s First Thoughts:I am going to write about the topic “My Ideal Mate,” and my classmates are my audience. I amgoingto focus my topic by discussing three traits of an ideal mate and how my boyfriend is a perfect exampleof an ideal mate. My purpose is to let the reader know what a great boyfriend I have.Main idea statement:My boyfriend Kelly is my ideal mate.A.Kelly is one of the smartest people I know.1.He excelled in high school and college.2.He is people smart.B.Kelly is funny.1.We goof around together.2.He keeps me laughing.3.He lifts my spirits.C.Kelly has goals.1.He is working toward a singing career.2.He wants a family.14

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