Title: The Writing Process—Revising and Proofreading
Course: Question Banks

Q: You are creating a revision checklist for your essay. Which of these activities belong on this checklist?
- Make sure that your line spacing is set correctly and that it’s applied properly throughout the entire essay. (Incorrect. The revision process focuses more on the content and organization of the paper.)
- Check carefully for each in-text citation, and remove each one for the final draft. (Incorrect. In-text citations should also be included in the final draft.)
- Count the number of sentences in each paragraph to make sure they are all equal. (Incorrect. The number of sentences between paragraphs don’t need to be the same.)
- Analyze your paper’s overall organization, and make sure that every body paragraph’s main point ties in to your thesis. (Correct! An important part of revision is checking that each body paragraph supports your main point.)
A: Analyze your paper’s overall organization, and make sure that every body paragraph’s main point ties in to your thesis.

Q: What is the most helpful to focus on FIRST when you begin the revision process?
- Combing through each sentence for grammar mistakes. (Incorrect. Correct grammar is important, but not the most important thing to focus on when you first begin revising a draft.)
- Checking that each citation is properly formatted. (Incorrect. Citation formatting is important, but at first it’s more important to focus on the “big picture” of the content of your paper.)
- Formatting of your title page in the way the instructor has specified. (Incorrect. Formatting is important, but it does not address the big picture, or overall message and organization of your paper, so it falls later in the revision process.)
- Checking that the clarity and strength of your thesis and the overall organization of your supporting paragraphs. (Correct! In the earliest stages, you want to be sure that the most important part of your paper, your main idea, is clear and well-supported.)
A: Checking that the clarity and strength of your thesis and the overall organization of your supporting paragraphs.

Q: While revising his paper, Tomas notices that his second body paragraph seems weaker than the others. He thinks it lacks focus. What could he do to strengthen this paragraph?
- Add more of his thoughts until he feels like he’s really covered the topic. (Incorrect. Adding more of the same will not typically help to increase the focus of a paragraph.)
- Check for any run-on sentences. (Incorrect. Strengthening a paragraph usually starts with revising the content of a paragraph rather than the mechanics.)
- Delete all outside quotations and citations so that only his views are clear. (Incorrect. Outside sources are important to supporting the main point of a paragraph. They should only be deleted if they are unrelated to the main point.)
- Delete any sentences that do not directly support the main idea or that are repetitive. (Correct! Looking for and deleting sentences that are slightly off-topic, irrelevant, or repetitive will strengthen the argument and readability of that paragraph.)
A: Delete any sentences that do not directly support the main idea or that are repetitive.

Q: Macy, a student in your class, is reviewing your paper. She seems reluctant to say anything more than a couple of vague compliments. What should you say to her to make this experience valuable for both of you?
- “Thanks for the good feedback! I like your paper too because your topic is really interesting. Good luck and see you later!” (Incorrect. While complimenting is nice, it doesn’t help the person you’re reviewing improve his or her paper.)
- “Thanks. I will take this essay to the writing center for more specific feedback.” (Incorrect. By asking more specific questions or pointing out problem areas in your paper, you can still obtain helpful feedback from a fellow student.)
- “You know, you’re not really being very helpful.” (Incorrect. Personal criticism will not improve your feedback experience.)
- “Thanks, but I’m struggling specifically with my thesis statement and need your help. Is my claim too weak?” (Correct! Asking for specific feedback helps the reviewer know what to look for and provide more helpful feedback.)
A: “Thanks, but I’m struggling specifically with my thesis statement and need your help. Is my claim too weak?”

Q: Nora received some written feedback from classmates on an essay draft. What is the right advice to give Nora?
- Do not read the feedback, because it is someone else’s words and ideas. (Incorrect. Another person’s words and ideas can be very helpful in strengthening and clarifying your own ideas.)
- Do not seek out feedback in the future, because it is not useful and wastes time. (Incorrect. Feedback is most often very useful in improving your essay.)
- Ignore the feedback unless the feedback comes from a professor or expert. (Incorrect. Peer feedback can be very useful in identifying ways your essay might be unclear or confusing.)
- Think of how to edit the essay in a way that responds to this feedback. (Correct! Having an open mind about feedback can help you to improve your essay in ways you might not have thought of on your own.)
A: Think of how to edit the essay in a way that responds to this feedback.

Q: Your friend Jane has never participated in a peer workshop before. Which of the following pieces of advice will best help her make this an effective revising activity for her and her peers?
- Tell her that for her first peer review, she should not offer any feedback on others’ writing, but only listen to what people say about hers. (Incorrect. Everyone has something useful to offer when giving feedback.)
- She should make every change that her peers suggest, since this is her first peer review session. (Incorrect. While every piece of feedback should be considered, they might not all be correct or necessary.)
- Try to avoid giving verbal feedback. Written is always best. (Incorrect. Written feedback is helpful, but talking it out can help improve clarity of the revisions and ideas offered.)
- She should offer her own reactions to others’ essays, such as “this didn’t make sense to me” or “this part really interested me.” (Correct! Specific, balanced feedback like this is very helpful.)
A: She should offer her own reactions to others’ essays, such as “this didn’t make sense to me” or “this part really interested me.”

Q: Youssef, your classmate, clearly does not want to engage with you in a peer workshop. Consider this problem. Which is a likely cause and best solution to the situation?
- Youssef may feel that his time is better spent doing other revision activities. In this case, make sure that your review of his paper is very rushed and not specific since he already knows what to do. (Incorrect. It is important to take your time in a peer workshop and communicate clearly about what specific areas each person would like help with.)
- Youssef may not know how to critique another paper at all. In this case, let him skip his critique of your paper, and just offer your own of his. (Incorrect. Youssef can offer good feedback even if he doesn’t realize it yet! Asking for feedback on specific areas might help him know where to start.)
- Ask for a new person to workshop with. You don’t want to waste any more time. (Incorrect. With a little encouragement, Youssef might be able to offer helpful feedback.)
- Youssef may feel uncomfortable with offering critique in case it is taken as mean. Assure him that you know your paper needs work and ask for help in specific areas. (Correct! Offering support and asking for specific help helps make workshopping less intimidating.)
A: Youssef may feel uncomfortable with offering critique in case it is taken as mean. Assure him that you know your paper needs work and ask for help in specific areas.

Q: Why should you create a profile of your reader?
- Readers are narcissistic and only care about their own opinion. (Try again! A more productive way to think about a reader is that if you write to what that reader cares about, a profile can help in what kinds of evidence and appeals will be persuasive.)
- It will always make writing easier. (Try again! Although a profile can certainly help you generate ideas and choose evidence, sometimes writing is challenging.)
- It will help you sound "smart." (Try again! Although people don't want to seem "dumb," a more effective way to think about your writing is what will be persuasive to that audience.)
- It will help you determine what types of evidence would be persuasive. (Correct! Knowing your specific audience will help you find effective pieces of evidence to support your claims.)
A: It will help you determine what types of evidence would be persuasive.

Q: In what ways does considering readers' biases and attitudes not help you when revising the content?
- You can add evidence to counter their existing ideas. (Incorrect. It can be effective to explore possible objections that a reader may have.)
- You can add evidence to expand their existing ideas. (Incorrect. It can be effective to add or further what your reader already knows.)
- You can add evidence to complicate their existing ideas. (Incorrect. It can be effective to add complexity and depth for what your reader already knows.)
- You can add evidence to mirror their existing ideas. (Correct! It is actually weak to not give your reader anything to further think about.)
A: You can add evidence to mirror their existing ideas.

Q: You’ve been assigned a research essay analyzing the events leading up to the beginning of World War I. Considering the essay’s purpose, what information do you NOT need to include?
- Information from multiple peer-reviewed scholarly sources (Incorrect. Scholarly sources are appropriate in a formal research essay meant to inform.)
- Your analysis of the sources you’ve used (Incorrect. Analysis is appropriate information for the purpose of this assignment.)
- An excerpt from a newspaper describing the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. (Incorrect. Primary sources about events like this leading up to World War I are appropriate information considering that the purpose of a research essay is to inform.)
- An entertaining anecdote about your Great Grandpa who fought in World War I (Correct! The purpose of this essay is mainly to inform, not to entertain.)
A: An entertaining anecdote about your Great Grandpa who fought in World War I

Q: Taylor focuses on one paragraph of her essay and notices that the sentence structures are simple and repetitive. She works to combine a few sentences to make them more complex, and then uses a prepositional phrase at the beginning of another sentence. What revision strategy has she used?
- eliminating wordiness (Try again! Combining sentences does not impact wordiness.)
- word choice (Try again! Combining sentences does not affect word choice.)
- voice (Try again! Combining sentences does not necessarily alter the voice of the passage.)
- sentence variety (Correct! Combining sentences to make them more complex is an effective strategy to achieve sentence variety.)
A: sentence variety

Q: Which of the following sentences does not include unnecessary, repetitive words?
- Sarah is going to postpone her party until later. (Try again! “Postpone” and “until later” have the same meaning; therefore, this sentence includes unnecessary repetition.)
- Participants will be rewarded with a free gift. (Try again! It is understood that a gift is already free; therefore, this sentence includes unnecessary repetition.)
- Dr. Johnson is absolutely certain that she locked the laboratory. (Try again! “Certain” means without any doubt, so “absolutely” is an unnecessary adjective.)
- Before resigning, employees must provide two weeks’ notice. (Correct! There are no unnecessary, repetitive words in this sentence.)
A: Before resigning, employees must provide two weeks’ notice.

Q: In the following sentence, which phrase is unnecessarily wordy?

Move-in week was stressful for me due to the fact that my parents and I had to drive six hours in a car without any air conditioning.
- for me (Incorrect. It is important to explain for whom the week was stressful.)
- Move-in week (Incorrect. Move-in week is needed to convey the meaning of the sentence.)
- without any air conditioning (Incorrect. The lack of air conditioning helps to explain the writer’s discomfort.)
- due to the fact that (Correct. This phrase is unnecessarily wordy. The word “because” is sufficient to convey the meaning.)
A: due to the fact that

Q: What would be the best strategy to revise the following two sentences for style?: Heroin is an extremely addictive drug. Thousands of heroin addicts die each year.
- Choose a different word for “addict” to avoid offending readers. (Incorrect. "Addicts" is the precise, accurate word for this context.)
- Rewrite both sentences using the active voice. (Incorrect. These sentences are already in active voice.)
- Delete “extremely.” (Incorrect. The adjective "extremely" is necessary to convey the severity of the message.)
- Combine the two simple sentences into one compound sentence. (Correct!)
A: Combine the two simple sentences into one compound sentence.

Q: Vaughan is writing a numbered list of his essay’s paragraphs and summarizing each paragraph in a sentence on that numbered list. What is this activity helping him accomplish?
- Revising for lower-order concerns (Incorrect. A post-draft outline looks at the big picture of the essay, checking the organization and main messages of the essay. It won’t help address lower-order, close up issues with the paper such as grammar or word choice.)
- Examining the usefulness of his initial outline (Incorrect. At this point in revision, his original outline is irrelevant. He’s working with the draft he has now to see how it has evolved and if his current organization is effective.)
- Finding common grammar errors he makes in his sentences. (Incorrect. Summary and outlines of a draft will not help with grammar errors.)
- Evaluating for clarity and cohesion (Correct! A post-draft outline can help him determine that his ideas all support the main idea and are ordered in a cohesive way.)
A: Evaluating for clarity and cohesion

Q: Alex is revising a research paper for psychology and wants to make sure he’s incorporated evidence in an order that makes sense. Which of the following methods for revising would be most appropriate?
- Strengthening transitions (Incorrect. Focusing on transitions may not ensure that evidence is incorporated effectively.)
- Strengthening introductions (Incorrect. Focusing on introductions for major sections of the paper may not ensure that evidence is incorporated effectively.)
- Reviewing past outlines (Incorrect. Past outlines will most likely not help him to see how he’s incorporating evidence in his most recent draft.)
- Reverse outlining (Correct! Reverse micro outlining would allow Alex to consider the order in which he is presenting evidence.)
A: Reverse outlining

Q: Which of the following describes a strategy for revising the structure of an essay?
- eliminating wordiness (Incorrect. This is a revision strategy for style.)
- adding your commentary on a source (Incorrect. This is a revision strategy for content.)
- add examples so your reader can understand (Incorrect. This is a revision strategy for content.)
- compose stronger topic sentences that introduce your main ideas (Correct! This is a revision strategy that addresses the structure of your writing by highlighting key sections of your argument.)
A: compose stronger topic sentences that introduce your main ideas

Q: Taylor prints off her essay as separate paragraphs and shuffles the order of her body paragraphs. In the process of shuffling her paragraphs, she realizes she needs to make changes to the order of several body paragraphs. What strategy has she used to revise her essay?
- reading aloud (Incorrect. Reading aloud to yourself or to a partner is more useful when revising for grammar or style.)
- reverse outlining (Incorrect. Taylor is not creating an outline from what she has written.)
- hotspotting (Incorrect. Hotspotting is a strategy that involves additional writing to develop your ideas.)
- cutting it up (Correct! This strategy can help you, like Taylor, quickly play with the order of paragraphs and see your writing in a new light.)
A: cutting it up

Q: Taylor's assignment is to write a thesis-driven argument about a Civil War novel for an introductory History class. Which kinds of evidence could Taylor add in order to expand the draft?
- personal observations (Incorrect. Because this is an assignment about the past, your own personal observations would be weak evidence.)
- personal opinions about the time period (Incorrect. Although you do want to weigh in on this topic, it would be strong to use evidence-supported claims rather than your opinion.)
- personal experience (Incorrect. Because this is an assignment about an event that occured before your lifetime, your personal experience would not be strong evidence.)
- facts about significant historical events (Correct! This reader will expect facts to support claims.)
A: facts about significant historical events

Q: While reviewing his second body paragraph in his essay about stem cell research, Hayden notices that this particular paragraph has one long passage of evidence with only one sentence before it and one sentence after it. What technique could he use to strengthen this use of evidence?
- Outlining the entire essay again (Incorrect. A closer look at the specific information within the paragraph would be a more useful technique in this case.)
- Reading the paragraph out loud (Incorrect. Reading out loud might help to ensure the style, tone, and flow of a paragraph work, but might not help him expand his personal commentary.)
- Cutting the paragraph up (Incorrect. Sentence organization and order does not appear to be the problem here.)
- Hotspotting the commentary he has made within the paragraph (Correct! He could freewrite about one of his own sentences to expand his own ideas about the piece of evidence he used.)
A: Hotspotting the commentary he has made within the paragraph

Q: Which question is the MOST important when determining if a claim or evidence is appropriate or in need of revision within an essay?
- Is the claim appropriately worded? (Incorrect. Word choice would not be the first concern when determining if you should revise a claim.)
- Is the evidence provided too long? (Incorrect. Length is not the primary concern when reviewing evidence.)
- Would someone else use this evidence? (Incorrect. Originality is always valuable within a paper, but it is not the first concern when you’re reviewing or revising the evidence or claims you’ve included.)
- Does the claim or evidence directly support and further my thesis? (Correct! The first question you should ask yourself when reviewing your claims or evidence is whether or not they clearly support the main claim of your essay.)
A: Does the claim or evidence directly support and further my thesis?

Q: Taylor has written the following in a rough draft:

Many residents rely on municipal water sources.[1] Because so many people get water from the city, it is vital that municipal water sources are clean and free of contamination. [2] Currently, the city spends $4 million on its water treatment plant, and this amount is barely enough to keep the plant running effectively.[3] Residents must agree to a tax increase in order to continue drinking clean water. [4]

Where would the following sentence best fit? In 2011, 89% of residents got their water from the city, with the remaining 11% getting water from well water.
- [2] (Incorrect. Here, the numbers are following the sentence that explains why these statistics are important.)
- [3] (Incorrect. Here, the statistics have nothing to do with the preceding or subsequent sentences.)
- [4] (Incorrect. Here, the statistics would not make sense as the last sentence in the paragraph because they have nothing to do with the preceding sentence.)
- [1] (Correct! These statistics fit best here. They illustrate the point that many people rely on water from the city.)
A: [1]

Q: If you’ve been given an assignment to write an essay about what caused World War I, and in your first paragraph you want to describe the sequence of historical events that led up to it, which paragraph structure would be the MOST appropriate?
- Rank Order (Incorrect. For a paragraph describing the sequence of events, Rank Order would not be the most appropriate structure.)
- Spatial (Incorrect. Because this paragraph is about a sequence of events, not a description of something, Spatial would not be the best choice.)
- General to specific (Incorrect. A general to specific paragraph structure takes a broad idea and narrows it to a specific one, which would not be the best structure for organizing a sequence of events.)
- Chronological (Correct! A chronological structure is the appropriate choice for a paragraph describing a sequence of historical events.)
A: Chronological

Q: All of the following are effective proofreading strategies EXCEPT:
- Printing a hard copy of your paper. (Incorrect. Printing a hard copy is an effective strategy.)
- Reading the paper aloud. (Incorrect. Reading the paper aloud is an effective strategy.)
- Reading the paper backwards one sentence at a time. (Incorrect. Reading the paper backwards sentence by sentence is an effective strategy because it allows you to focus on the sentences individually.)
- Reading the paper in the back of your mind. (Correct. Reading the paper in the back of your mind is reading for meaning; reading in the front of your mind is proofreading.*)
A: Reading the paper in the back of your mind.

Q: While revising his paper, Ames’ professor suggested he could find errors by reading his paper as if he had never read the paper before to help him catch errors he might have missed. What proofreading technique is his professor suggesting?
- Reverse outlining (Incorrect. Reverse outlining looks at the big picture of a paper by examining its structure.)
- Read from the end (Incorrect. This technique involves reading the paper from the end to the beginning.)
- Slow down (Incorrect. Slowing down slows your reading to 25% of your normal speed to help you catch errors.)
- Adopt a listening ear (Correct! Approaching the paper as if you’re a new reader can help you to catch grammar and mechanical errors you might have missed in previous readings.)
A: Adopt a listening ear

Q: After working all week revising the content and organization of her paper, Julia knows she’s close to her final draft. She’s exhausted and overwhelmed, but wants to move on to editing her paper. What advice would you give her about the best time to proofread her paper at this point?
- Do it right away. It’s better to get it over with before thinking too much about it. (Incorrect. Proofreading requires careful, slow reading. Doing it when you’re overwhelmed or exhausted might mean you’ll miss important errors.)
- Save it until the day you’re ready to turn it in. She’s already made the most important revisions. (Incorrect. While content revisions are important, proofreading is also crucial to a good paper, and it will require time and focused attention.)
- There’s no need to revise that closely. She should have already caught those errors in her early drafts. (Incorrect. Earlier drafts usually focus on correcting larger mistakes in the content or organization. Taking time to focus specifically on grammar and mechanics is important to producing the best final draft possible.)
- Take a break and come at it with a fresh, focused mindset tomorrow. (Correct! She should wait until she’s rested and able to focus closely on proofreading. She’ll be better able to catch and correct errors with this mindset.)
A: Take a break and come at it with a fresh, focused mindset tomorrow.

Q: How can you tell this sentence is a run-on?

In the long run, we will have to choose which path to take, we won’t have time to hike everywhere.
- It uses two commas. (Incorrect. Commas do not indicate run-on sentences.)
- The sentence includes “which” instead of “that.” (Incorrect. Which and that are commonly confused, but they do not necessarily create run-ons.)
- The sentence includes a comma. (Incorrect. Commas don’t necessarily indicate run-ons.)
- The sentence includes two subjects and two verbs but no semicolon or coordinating conjunction combined with a comma. (Correct. Checking subjects and verbs is a good strategy to help identify run-ons.)
A: The sentence includes two subjects and two verbs but no semicolon or coordinating conjunction combined with a comma.

Q: Which of the following indicates a subject-verb agreement error appears in the sentence below?

Many first-year college students has memorized the school song before moving into their dorms.
- The sentence includes an auxiliary verb. (Incorrect. The presence of an auxiliary verb doesn’t necessarily indicate an agreement error has occurred.)
- The subject is modified by the adverb “many.” (Incorrect. The presence of a modifying adverb before a subject does not necessarily indicate an agreement error has occurred.)
- Collegei is singular. (Incorrect. College is acting as an adjective in the sentence, not as the subject.)
- The subject “students” doesn’t match in sound or number with the auxiliary verb “has.” (Correct. The subject “students” doesn’t match the verb “has.”)
A: The subject “students” doesn’t match in sound or number with the auxiliary verb “has.”

Q: Which of the following uses of the word “affect” is correct?
- The result of the election had a ripple affect in other countries. (Incorrect. The word “affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence,” which doesn’t make sense in this usage. This would be “effect.”)
- One affect of not sleeping enough is grouchiness. (Incorrect. The word “affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence,” which doesn’t make sense in this usage. This would be “effect.”)
- The Rebel defense played very well on Saturday, and the affect was a resounding victory over LSU. (Incorrect. The word “affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence,” which doesn’t make sense in this usage. This would be “effect.”)
- One way I can positively affect my performance in school is to study more. (Correct. The word “affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence,” and in this sentence “affect” means to influence school performance.*)
A: One way I can positively affect my performance in school is to study more.

Q: Which of the following sentences is a fragment?
- College is wonderful! (Incorrect. This sentence, though short, contains a subject and a verb.)
- I am majoring in Biology and minoring in Spanish. (Incorrect. This sentence contains at least one subject and verb.)
- Campus is so green. (Incorrect. This sentence, though short, contains a subject and a verb.)
- The best tailgating in the South, by far. (Correct. This is not a complete sentence as it contains no verb.)
A: The best tailgating in the South, by far.

Q: Which of the sentences below contains an error of commonly confused terms?
- With temperatures soaring to the nineties, you can rest assured it’s summertime in the south. (Incorrect. This sentence uses “it’s” correctly.)
- When Marcus mentioned how tired he was, he was implying it was time for us to get out of his dorm room. (Incorrect. “Imply” is used correctly because Marcus is making a subtle suggestion or indication.)
- The speaker’s story about his difficult childhood really affected me. (Incorrect. “Affect” is used correctly as a verb in this sentence.)
- For the backpacking trip, we will need to pack lots of non-perishable foods, e.g. Cheerios, instant coffee, and trail mix. (Correct. The writer should replace “e.g.” with “i.e.” because she is providing examples of non-perishable foods.)
A: For the backpacking trip, we will need to pack lots of non-perishable foods, e.g. Cheerios, instant coffee, and trail mix.

Q: Which of these examples is a sentence fragment?
- My boss, a famous art inspector, was asked to look at a supposed Picasso. (Incorrect. This sentence expresses a complete idea so it is not a fragment.)
- She said that it was a fake. (Incorrect. This sentence expresses a complete idea so it is not a fragment.)
- Though an art forger had duped many other experts, he was unable to fool my boss. (Incorrect. This sentence is a complex sentence that begins with the dependent clause. It expresses a complete idea and is not a fragment.)
- Which, because she is so skilled, she was able to tell immediately. (Correct. This is a sentence fragment because it is a dependent clause and does not convey a complete idea.)
A: Which, because she is so skilled, she was able to tell immediately.

Q: Which of the following sentences has an unnecessary comma?
- She was excited to graduate, but she didn’t feel ready for college. (Incorrect. The comma before “but” is correct because the clauses on each side of the conjunction are independent.)
- The cat scratched her, so she cried. (Incorrect. The comma before “so” is correct because it joins two independent clauses.)
- She was excited to graduate, and she couldn’t wait to start college. (Incorrect. The comma before “and” is necessary because it joins two independent clauses.)
- She was excited to graduate, but didn’t feel ready for college. (Correct! In this case, the clause following the coordinating conjunction “but” is not independent, so a comma is not necessary.)
A: She was excited to graduate, but didn’t feel ready for college.

Q: Which of the following is NOT the correct usage of a semicolon?
- Nobody ever found any of the ship’s remains; it is presumed to have sunk off the coast of Northern Ireland. (Incorrect. A semicolon is a mark of co-dependency, and these two parts are equal but both independent. A semicolon works well here.)
- Of all the people who spoke up about the violence, Sheena had the best answer; however, few people listened to her. (Incorrect. A semicolon is a mark of co-dependency, and these two parts are equal but both independent. Semicolons often work well before "however.")
- The traffic stretched farther than we could see; we spent over an hour just to go two miles. (Incorrect. A semicolon is a mark of co-dependency, and these two parts are equal but both independent, so a semicolon is appropriate.)
- There are three rules at the Fullerton household; no swearing, no yelling, and no smoking. (Correct! A semicolon separates independent parts. Here, the punctuation needed is a colon to set up the list.)
A: There are three rules at the Fullerton household; no swearing, no yelling, and no smoking.

Q: Which of the following sentences uses a comma incorrectly?
- Adults benefit from 6-8 hours of sleep per day, but most adults rarely get that much sleep. (Incorrect. This comma is correctly used to separate two independent clauses.)
- To be honest, I’m not sure how any one could get the sleep they need. (Incorrect. A comma should be used to separate an introductory phrase.)
- The most common causes of lack of sleep are stress, bad sleep environment, and distractions. (Incorrect. These commas correctly separate the items in the list.)
- It’s suggested that adults should drink 64 ounces of water, per day. (Correct! This comma is unnecessary in this sentence.)
A: It’s suggested that adults should drink 64 ounces of water, per day.

Q: Karla is worried about making spelling mistakes in her essay. What should you tell her?
- Don’t worry about running spell-check, because it never helps at all. (Incorrect. While spell-check certainly won’t find every error, it’s a good place to start to catch many of them.)
- Turn in your essay with spelling errors. Your instructor won’t mind. (Incorrect. It’s important to turn in your best work so that simple spelling errors don’t distract from the content of your paper.)
- You only need to look for three spelling errors to correct. That’s good enough. (Incorrect. When proofreading, you should look to catch as many errors as possible in order to turn in your best work.)
- Run spell-check and do a visual check for words that are commonly misspelled, like lose and loose. (Correct! Spell-check won’t catch every error, so it’s useful to both run it and look for commonly misspelled words yourself.)
A: Run spell-check and do a visual check for words that are commonly misspelled, like lose and loose.

Q: You can find and fix punctuation errors by
- playing music and thinking about your essay. (Incorrect. You need to read your essay to find errors.)
- putting your essay away to work on something else. (Incorrect. While taking a break so you can come back with a fresh mind might be useful, you still need to read the essay carefully to find and fix punctuation errors.)
- running grammar check. (Incorrect. Running spell and grammar checks on your word processor might catch the largest errors, but they will not catch all of them. A more careful reading is needed to do the most thorough proofreading of your paper.)
- reading the last sentence first, and then the second-to-last sentence, and continuing that way to the beginning. (Correct! Reading sentences out of order will help you focus on the mechanics of each individual sentence, making it easier to find and fix punctuation errors.)
A: reading the last sentence first, and then the second-to-last sentence, and continuing that way to the beginning.

Q: After completing her latest draft, Sandy is ready to proofread her essay. She’s been working for hours and is tired and hungry. What advice would you give her about approaching proofreading?
- You’re almost there! Just push through and finish proofreading right now. (Incorrect. Proofreading requires focus and can be time-consuming. When she’s been working for an extended period of time, she’s more likely to miss errors while proofreading.)
- Correct everything spell check found, then you’ll be ready to turn it in. (Incorrect. Spell check will not sufficiently find every error that needs to be corrected before turning in a final draft.)
- You’ve been working so long; I’m sure your paper is ready to turn in. Proofreading is an unnecessary step. (Incorrect. Proofreading is an important step to ensure you’re turning in the best work possible.)
- Take a break before proofreading so that you can read your essay with a rested mind and fresh eyes. (Correct! Because proofreading takes focus, some writers find it helpful to put a little distance between finishing a draft and moving on to proofreading so that they can come at it with fresh eyes.)
A: Take a break before proofreading so that you can read your essay with a rested mind and fresh eyes.