Enter the course title:

Enter the section number:

Enter the current semester (i.e., "Spring 2000").

E-mail address of your professor (or yourself).
A written confirmation of your results will be sent to this address, if it is given:

1. Freewriting:

a. is writing that will not be graded.

b. is an excellent way to write a complete first draft.

c. is a way to overcome fear of the blank page.

d. is best accomplished in a classroom setting.

2. The technique of brainstorming:

a. can help students to find oral presentation topics as well as paper topics.

b. is only valuable in an academic context.

c. is particularly valuable for scientists and other highly intelligent professionals.

d. can raise questions about a student's sanity.

3. Which of the following techniques can be used effectively for writing papers and giving oral presentations?

a. constructing an outline

b. starting the paper/speech with a relevant anecdote

c. considering how much the professor knows about the topic before beginning work

d. A and B only

4. A thesis statement is best described as:

a. a promise from the writer to the reader that a paper will discuss a specific issue, problem, or idea.

b. an overview of a paper.

c. a statement of arguments and counterarguments.

d. a one-sentence summary of the paper.

5. All of the following statements about the ABBCC structure are correct EXCEPT:

a. the second B stands for body.

b. each letter represents one paragraph.

c. the first C, counterarguments, is an often overlooked but vital component of a well-written paper.

d. the conclusion should always refer back to the thesis in some way.

6. Students who have trouble writing first drafts:

a. pay relatively little attention to grammar and punctuation.

b. analyze each sentence immediately after writing it.

c. start in the middle instead of at the beginning.

d. start out with one thesis statement in mind and end up with another.

7. The revision process:

a. requires less thought for today's students, thanks to word processing programs.

b. is rarely necessary for accomplished writers of non-academic material such as fiction.

c. primarily involves checking grammar and paragraph transitions.

d. None of the above

8. One way to overcome public speaking anxiety is to:

a. use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing.

b. rely on visual aids to put the audience at ease.

c. write out presentations word for word so memory lapses won't be a problem.

d. All of the above

9. The process of "PREPing" to speak extemporaneously:

a. has many similarities to the process used to develop a coherently written paper.

b. is unrealistically complicated for situations outside the classroom.

c. is less valuable for students whose first language is not English.

d. involves naming each of the four steps aloud while responding to a question.

10. Imagine that after moving from Southeast Asia to Wisconsin, ThaoMee Xiong was assigned an oral presentation on the immigrant experience during her first week of class. Which of these techniques might have helped her give an effective speech?

a. discussing the effects of the Vietnam War on Laos

b. using the ABBCC method to organize her speech

c. beginning with a humorous anecdote about her mispronunciation of an English word and the confusion it caused in an Appleton grocery store

d. brainstorming with American-born students the night before the presentation