Answers to Exercises in The Everyday Writer with Exercises

1. Arguable
2. Arguable, depending on the acceptance of scientific data
3. Arguable
4. Not arguable
5. Arguable
6. Not arguable, unless students want to discuss boiling temperatures at different air pressures
7. Arguable
8. Arguable, depending on the acceptance of statistical reports
9. Arguable
10. Arguable, although some studies continue to show correlations between reduced speed and lower accident rates. More readily verifiable is the correlation between speed limit and mortality rate.

1. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be managed but not solved. Thesis: The U.S. government should not attempt to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict because (1) it is essentially religious, not political; neither side has a tradition of compromise; and (3) both sides will accept nothing less than possession of the same territories.
2. Teenagers benefit from sex education in public schools. Thesis: Funding for sex education in public schools should not be cut because sex education has been shown to lower the rates of both teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
3. College tuition is too expensive. Thesis: Lowering college tuition rates would benefit our entire society by allowing more people to become educated contributors to the country’s economy.
4. The reinstatement of the U.S. military draft would force every citizen to consider whether a war would be worth his or her life, or the life of a family member. Thesis: Reinstating the draft would help bring the reality of war home to the United States as it would force everyone, before they agreed to let the country go to war, to consider whether they themselves would be willing to fight.
5. Music downloading is a convenient, seemingly victimless kind of petty crime. Thesis: Because theft should not be tolerated, even on a small scale, colleges should uniformly forbid music downloading.

1. Any medical treatments that improve a patient’s condition and do not harm anyone should be legal.
2. Women should not be exposed to a higher risk of death.
3. Only those who can talk can feel pain.

1. Concern over basic human rights if banned; concern about impacted social life; relief that pressure to drink would be lessened; concern that drinking would merely go underground and possibly become more dangerous; anger that a “right” has been restricted; resentment at being forbidden from doing something pleasurable.
2. Fear of terrorist hijackings; concern over possible invasion of privacy; anger over failure of past security measures.
3. Relief that unwanted pregnancies can be prevented; fear that easy access will lead to promiscuity; anger that the burden lies primarily with women.
4. Anger that taxes will be raised; relief that everyone will have health insurance regardless of class; concern for the efficiency of a new system.
5. Concern for the health of athletes; anger that coaches and players want to win at any cost.

1. Unacceptable; misstates the writer’s intent
2. Acceptable
3. Unacceptable; wording is too similar to original
4. Unacceptable; wording is too similar to original
5. Unacceptable; incomplete citation (missing page number)

1. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Desdemona simply lies down like a submissive victim and accepts her death as inevitable.
2. The budget office does not want to pay to replace the drafty windows, but the cost of heating the building should also be considered.
3. The discovery of the artifacts in King Tut’s tomb was one of the most important archeological events of the twentieth century.
4. In unfamiliar settings or with people he did not know well, Duncan often appeared cold and distant, but in reality he was terrified.
5. My family lived in Trinidad for the first ten years of my life, and we experienced many hardships, but when we came to America, we thought our prospects were good.

1. attentively
2. emphasize
3. conscientious
4. industrious
5. proceeds

1. tragic: distressing, alarming, disturbing; drama: excitement, tension, vitality
2. girl: young lady, miss
3. abide: tolerate; turns: changes; vital: alive; hold still: contain their energy

1. The entryway of the building looked like a garbage dump: paper was littered about, bottles lay shattered, and rotting cantaloupe and chicken parts gave off an unbearable odor.
2. The cheerful early morning sounds of birds outside my window make it easier to get up.
3. The feast at Mom’s on Sunday was delicious as usual: roast chicken, garlic and sage stuffing, sweet garden peas, gravy, and half a fresh-baked apple pie each.
4. The valet stepped toward my Porsche with excitement in her eyes.
5. My alarm clock clamored insistently until I mustered up the strength to get out of bed and turn it off.

1. The original Star Trek television show, which ran from 1966 to 1969, had low ratings and was canceled by the network even though it was critically acclaimed.
2. Ancient Greeks relied on Athena, the goddess of wisdom, to protect the city of Athens, which was named in her honor.
3. When Harry Potter, a fictional wizard, turns eleven years old, he is taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
4. Flappers, who broke with 1920s social conventions by cutting their hair short and smoking in public, seemed rebellious to their parents’ generation.
5. In the mid-seventies, skateboarding originated in Venice, California, where, because of a drought, the swimming pools were empty.

1. The president persuaded his staff, Congress, and the American people.
2. If meteorologists are correct in their predictions, we can expect a decade of record-breaking tropical storms and hurricanes.
3. From the sightseeing boat, we saw a whale dive toward the photographer, lift itself out of the water, and crash its tail on the waves.
4. I did not realize that living in the city would mean selling my car, losing half my closet space, and eating canned soup every night.
5. Jake experienced several side effects from the medication, including dizziness, dry mouth, and severe abdominal pain.

1. To enroll in film school being my primary goal, I am always saving my money and watching for scholarship opportunities.
   

   To enroll in film school is my primary goal, so I am always saving my money and watching for scholarship opportunities.

2. Many people would suffer if air-pollution standards were relaxed.
   

   The reason air-pollution standards should not be relaxed is that many people might suffer if they were.

3. By turning off the water when you brush your teeth, you can save up to eight gallons of water per day.
   

   Turning off the water when you brush your teeth can save up to eight gallons of water per day.

4. Irony occurs when you expect one thing and get something else.
   

   The experience of expecting one thing and getting another is irony.

5. I ate the best meal of my life, bread and cheese from a farmers’ market, while sitting by a river.
   

   By the side of a river, I ate the best meal of my life, which consisted of bread and cheese from a farmers’ market.

1. Convection ovens cook more quickly and with less power than traditional ovens.
2. Argentina and Peru were colonized by Spain, while Brazil was colonized by Portugal.
3. She argued that children are even more important for men than they are for women.
4. Do you think the barbecue sauce in Memphis is better than it is in North Carolina?
5. The equipment in our new warehouse is guaranteed to last longer than the machines in our current facility.

1. Before buying a used car, you should note the mileage, take it for a test drive, and get it checked by a mechanic.
2. Three activities I’d like to try are mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and kayaking.
3. Working in a restaurant taught me not only the importance of service but also the art of small talk.
4. We must either walk quickly or drive slowly.
5. To pass the time in the waiting room, I read four magazines, texted all my friends, and stared at the clock.

1. I remember watching it the first time, realizing I’d never seen anything like it, and immediately vowing never to miss an episode of The Daily Show.
2. A crowd stood outside the school and watched as the graduates paraded by.
3. An effective Web site is well designed, provides useful information, and gives links to other relevant sites.
4. It is impossible to watch The Office and not see a little of yourself in one of the characters.
5. Lily was the winner not only of the pie-eating contest but also of the yodeling competition.
   

   Lily won not only the pie-eating contest but also the yodeling competition.

1. The greed of the 1980s gave way to the occupational insecurity of the 1990s, which in turn gave way to reinforced family ties in the early 2000s.
2. The building inspector suggested that we apply for a construction permit and that we check with his office again when the plans are complete.
3. The instructor grabbed her coat, wondered why the substitute was late, and ran out of the room.
4. Suddenly, we heard an explosion of wings off to our right, and we could see a hundred or more ducks lifting off from the water.
5. In my previous job, I sold the most advertising spots and earned a sales excellence award.
6. A cloud of snow powder rose as skis and poles flew in every direction.
7. The flight attendant told us to turn off all electronic devices but mentioned that we could use them again after takeoff.
8. The real estate market was softer than it had been for a decade, and buyers could practically name their price.
9. When in Florence, be sure to see the city’s famed cathedral as well as Michelangelo’s statue David.
10. The freezing weather is threatening crops such as citrus fruits, which are sensitive to cold.

1. We made mistakes. (The active voice implies that the speaker is taking responsibility in a mature way.)
2. Norah Jones has been influenced by such musical legends as Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, and Johnny Cash. (The passive voice puts the emphasis on a single musician who was affected by the music of three different predecessors.)
3. The city’s new noise complaint hotline took numerous reports about loud music from bars and shouting neighbors. (The active voice puts the focus on the new hotline.)
4. An eight-year-old performed the violin solo. (The active voice is more taut and dramatic.)
5. In a patient with celiac disease, the body’s immunological response to gluten damages the intestine. (Perhaps because both versions are long and technical, neither seems significantly better.)

1. Scientific experiments on human subjects are now carefully regulated.
2. Her first afternoon as a kindergarten teacher had left her exhausted.
3. The Croatian news media is almost entirely owned by the state.
4. Our office manager, a stern taskmaster with a fondness for Chanel suits, has been terrifying interns since 1992.
5. Reading edited prose shows writers how to communicate.
6. The security officer at the border questioned everyone suspiciously.
7. People in the nineteenth century communicated constantly through letters.
8. Disease killed off a large number of tomato plants in the northeastern United States last year.
9. What do scientists know about dinosaurs?
10. The hula-hoop craze of the 1960s has made a comeback among adults looking for fun ways to exercise.

1. was released
2. will be arriving
3. have fallen
4. spoke; were taking
5. has been fingerprinted; is waiting

1. Halloween; the; children; candy
2. June; the; month; flooding; the; spring
3. Baking; a; activity; the
4. A; frost; the; ground; a; field; ice
5. The; cyclist; an; car; a; light

1. He; volunteers; themselves
2. kinds; those; who; those; who
3. Who; jeans; them; designer; himself; them
4. employees; themselves; their
5. everyone

1. The small; frightened; firmly; my; another; forward
2. Meanwhile; the financial; completely false
3. generally; quiet; loud; grunting; mating
4. The huge red; lovely; disappointingly
5. The youngest; the; a brilliant

1. of; from; through
2. from; across; into
3. Instead of; among
4. After; on; for
5. about; from; in

1. after; and; both . . . and; so
2. not only . . . but also
3. however; so
4. Although; so
5. because; but; still

1. That container of fried rice
2. the new tour guide
3. One student
4. Japanese animation,with its cutting-edge graphics and futuristic plots
5. Sniffer dogs trained to detect drugs, blood, and explosives

1. is proud of his heritage: lv—is; sc—proud
2. made me angry: tv—made; do—me; oc—angry
3. looks deserted: lv—looks; sc—deserted
4. will never die: iv—will . . . die
5. offered her a promotion: tv—offered; io—her; do—promotion

1. app—the motel clerk; verbal (inf)—to be certified as a river guide; prep—as a river guide
2. verbal (part)—made by hand; prep—by hand
3. abso—my stomach doing flips; verbal (part)—doing flips
4. verbal (part)—floating on my back; prep—on my back
5. verbal (ger)—Driving across town during rush hour; prep—across town; prep—during rush hour

1. ind—The hockey game was postponed; dep—because one of the players collapsed on the bench
2. ind—She eventually discovered the secret admirer; dep—who had been leaving notes in her locker; rel—who
3. dep—After he completed three advanced drawing classes; sub conj—after; ind—Jason was admitted into the fine arts program; ind—and he immediately rented a small studio space
4. ind—The test was easier; dep—than I had expected; sub—than
5. ind—I could tell that it was going to rain; dep—that it was going to rain; rel—that; ind—I tried to get home quickly

1. The economy, which had been in a serious downturn, gradually began to recover.
2. After hearing of an insurgent attack near her husband’s base station, Simone waited nervously by the phone.
3. Because some parents had complained about the lack of security on campus, new school safety rules were instituted this fall.
4. Rob, who frequently left his wallet at home, always borrowed money from his friends.
5. When the police shut down the outdoor concert, the crowd grew louder and more disorderly.

1. complex
2. compound
3. complex
4. simple
5. compound-complex

1. let, came, torn
2. reviewed, found
3. works
4. planted, gone
5. knew, ignored
6. painted, taken
7. sprang, swam
8. assumed, found
9. passed, fallen
10. decided, been

1. lies
2. laid
3. set
4. sitting
5. sitting, rise

1. shows/has shown—present action; may be seen as having started in the past and still ongoing
2. have feared/have been fearing—action begun in the past continues
3. emigrated—completed action
4. has been—started in the past and still ongoing
5. will direct/will be directing—future (continuing) action
6. ate/were eating—past action, completed
7. will have received—future action completed by a certain time
8. will have watched—future action completed by a certain time
9. expresses—literary work
10. last—general truth

1. When she saw Chicago, it made her want to become an actress even more.
2. Having left England in December, the settlers arrived in Virginia in May.
3. I had hoped to make the football team, but injuries prevented me from trying out.
4. Having worked with great dedication as a summer intern at the magazine, Mohan called his former supervisor in the fall to ask about a permanent position.
5. As we waited for the bus, we watched four taxis pass by.

1. The lifeguard informed the surfers of a shark sighting.
2. A picture of Sam with huge ears and a pointy chin was sketched by the cartoonist.
3. For months, the mother kangaroo protects her baby, feeds it, and teaches it.
4. Volunteers dressed as elves gave the gifts out to the children.
5. The board members chose a new advertising company.

1. was → were
2. was → were
3. (correct)
4. was → were
5. remains → remain

1. deserve
2. races
3. appears
4. needs
5. hides
6. was
7. comes
8. contributes
9. cause
10. leaves

1. are → is; Room and board is considered a singular unit
2. tell → tells; Three Cups of Tea is singular, a title
3. is → are; the subject, paintings, is plural
4. (correct; Most refers to students)
5. are → is; the subject, Each, is singular
6. were → was; “neither/nor”
7. were → was; the subject, committee, is treated as singular
8. (correct; who refers to one)
9. was (second verb) → were; that refers to countries
10. involve → involves; the subject, Economics, is treated as singular

• “Marriage seems to me”; Marriage is singular
• “the divorce rate—with or without new babies in the house—remains constant”; divorce rate is singular
• “The fabric of men-and-women-as-they-once-were is so thin”; fabric is singular
• “no amount of patching can weave that cloth together”; amount is singular
• “but even stronger is the growing perception”; singular, subject is perception
• “that only people who are real to themselves”; plural, who refers to people
• “that only people who are real to themselves can connect”; people is plural
• “Two shall be as one is over”; singular, Two shall be as one is an expression that forms a singular subject
• “no matter how lonely we get”; we is plural

1. Who (subjective)
2. Whomever (direct object of chooses)
3. whoever (subject of the clause)
4. whom (object of preposition with)
5. Who (subjective)

1. she
2. them
3. me
4. their
5. we

1. While shopping for a new computer for school, I noticed that laptops cost much less than they used to.
2. Congress usually resists presidential attempts to encroach on what it considers congressional authority.
3. Marco and Ellen were each given a chance to voice an opinion.
4. Emergency room doctors need to be swift and decisive; they also need to be calm and careful.
5. Every dog and cat has its own personality.

1. All scholarship applicants must fill out a financial aid form, meet with the dean, and write a letter to the committee members. The deadline is October 24, so applicants should start the process as soon as possible.
2. Patients on medication may relate better to their therapists and be more responsive to them; these patients may also be less vulnerable to what disturbs them.
3. Ms. Dunbar wanted to speak to my mother before speaking to me.
   

   Ms. Dunbar wanted to speak to my mother before I spoke to her.

4. Texans often hear about the influence of big oil corporations.
5. Many residents were outraged by a small band of protestors picketing the new shopping center.
   

   The new shopping center, which outraged many residents, was picketed by a small band of protestors.

1. nearly → impossible
2. immaturely → behaving
3. bad → Nora
4. really → dangerous
5. confidently → spoke
6. badly → bleeding
7. well → ran
8. terrific → Arjun
9. good → stew
10. accurately → measured

1. Alicia speaks both Russian and German, but she speaks Russian better.
2. The summers are rainier in New York than they are in Seattle.
3. He glanced at the menu and ordered the most expensive wine on the list.
4. Women tend to live longer than men; hence, more of the elderly are women.
5. Minneapolis is the larger of the Twin Cities.
6. She came up with a very silly plan for revenge.
   

   She came up with the silliest plan for revenge that I had ever heard.

7. Our theater company has produced several of the most famous classical Greek plays.
8. The student cafeteria is operated by a college food service, which is part of a chain.
9. It is safer to jog in daylight than in the dark.
10. Evan argued that subtitled films are more boring to watch than films dubbed in English.

1. Relating her stories in a deadpan voice, the comedian had the audience doubled over with laughter.
2. News reports that emphasize random crime or rare diseases can increase a listener’s irrational fears.
3. Legal documents and court records can reveal the habits of ordinary people in the Middle Ages.
4. Civilians learn about the conflict from the firsthand accounts of journalists who risk their lives in war zones abroad.
5. On a safari in Africa last spring, Melena saw lions in the wild.
6. Doctors recommend a new, painless test for cancer.
7. Every afternoon I find my windshield covered with flyers for free pizza.
8. After the opening credits, screeching strings told the audience that the killer was coming.
9. The coach awarded a medal made of solid brass to the most valuable player.
10. The five-year-old finally lost her tooth, which was hanging on by a thread.

1. The division that most profited deserves the prize.
   

   The division that profited deserves the prize most.

2. The soldier was apparently injured by friendly fire.
   

   The soldier was injured, apparently by friendly fire.

3. The collector who originally owned the painting planned to leave it to a museum.
   

   The collector who owned the painting originally planned to leave it to a museum.

4. Alcoholics who frequently try to quit drinking on their own tend to relapse.
   

   Alcoholics who try to quit drinking on their own tend to relapse frequently.

5. Ever since I was a child, I have liked only green peas with ham.
   

   Ever since I was a child, I have liked green peas only with ham.

1. Statistics tell us that strong economic times have led to increases in the college dropout rate.
2. Facing high levels of stress during finals, an otherwise honest student may consider cheating to achieve a higher grade.
3. The director encouraged us to applaud loudly and enthusiastically after each scene.
4. At the pinnacle of his career, Michael Jordan earned roughly $40 million annually in endorsements.
5. Because of the sudden trading, the stock exchange became a chaotic circus.

1. No longer obsessed with being the first to report a story, news shows now focus on presenting information as entertainment.
2. Late-night talk shows blend news with comedy to attract younger viewers.
3. When news programs highlight local events, important international news stories may get overlooked.
4. Chosen for their looks, newscasters may have weak journalistic credentials.
5. As an interactive medium, the Web offers online information that reinforces the views people already hold.

1. Many motorists are unaware of the dangers of texting while driving, so lawmakers have taken the matter into their own hands.
2. The tallest human on record was Robert Wadlow—he reached an amazing height of eight feet, eleven inches.
3. Some employers provide on-site care for the children of their employees; some reimburse workers for day-care costs.
4. The number of vaccine manufacturers has plummeted because the industry has been hit with a flood of lawsuits.
5. Although most crustaceans live in the ocean, some also live on land or in freshwater habitats.
6. She inherited some tribal customs from her grandmothers, including the sewing technique called Seminole patchwork.
7. Don’t throw your soda cans in the trash—recycle them.
8. Even though my West Indian neighbor has lived in New England for years, she always feels betrayed by winter.
9. The impressive Hope diamond in the Smithsonian Institution looks even larger in person than online.
10. You signed up for the course—now you’ll have to do the work.

1. Long stretches of white beaches and shady palm trees give tourists the impression of an island paradise.
2. Many college students are afraid of forgetting to study for an exam.
3. Much of New Orleans is below sea level, which makes it susceptible to flooding.
4. Fortunately for us, Uncle Ron forgot to bring his clarinet to the party.
5. Oscar night is an occasion for celebrating the film industry and criticizing the fashion industry.
6. Diners in Creole restaurants might try shrimp gumbo or turtle soup.
7. In the late 1940s, women began hosting Tupperware parties, casual gatherings in which the hosts act as salespersons.
8. I attempted to lose ten pounds in less than a week by eating only cottage cheese and grapefruit.
9. Our parents did not realize that we were hoarding our candy under our beds.
10. Thomas Edison was famous for such inventions as the phonograph and the first practical lightbulb.

1. Dependent-clause fragment: As soon as the seventy-five-year-old cellist walked onstage, the audience burst into applause.
2. Phrase fragment: The patient has only one intention, to smoke behind the doctor’s back.
3. Phrase fragment: Some reality shows feature people working in dangerous situations, such as fishing for Alaskan king crab or logging in swamps.
4. Dependent-clause fragment: After writing and rewriting for almost three years, she finally felt that her novel was complete.
5. Phrase fragment: In the wake of the earthquake, relief workers tried to provide food and shelter to victims.
6. Phrase fragment: Forster stopped writing novels after A Passage to India, one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.
7. Dependent-clause fragment: Because only two students signed up, the class was canceled this semester.
8. Compound-predicate fragment: I started running in April and ran my first marathon in September.
9. Phrase fragment: We sat stunned as she delivered her monologue, a ten-minute speech about everything we had done to annoy her.
10. Dependent-clause fragment: All primates have opposable thumbs, which sets them apart from other mammals.

1. After the concession speech, the senator’s supporters drifted out of the room.
2. To our surprise, the charity auction raised enough money to build a new technology center.
3. Unaware that the microphone was on, the candidate made an offensive comment.
4. Whenever someone rings the doorbell, her dog goes berserk.
5. Therefore, Sasha must take a summer course to receive her diploma.
6. (no comma needed)
7. A tray of shrimp in one hand and a pile of napkins in the other, the waiter avoided me.
8. (no comma needed)
9. When they woke up, the exhausted campers no longer wanted to hike.
10. Tears in his eyes, Keflezighi won the marathon.

1. The chef did not want to serve a heavy dessert, for she was planning to have a rich stew for the main course.
2. My mother rarely allowed us to eat sweets, but Halloween was a special exception.
3. Scientists have mapped the human genome, and they learn more every day about how genes affect an individual’s health.
4. Perhaps I will change my name when I get married, or maybe I will keep my maiden name.
5. Penguins cannot fly, nor can they walk the way other birds do.

1. (no commas needed)
2. (no commas needed)
3. The enormous new house, which was the largest in the neighborhood, had replaced a much smaller old home.
4. The rescue workers, exhausted and discouraged, stared ahead without speaking.
5. (no commas needed)
6. Viruses, unlike bacteria, can reproduce only by infecting live cells.
7. (no commas needed)
8. Hammurabi, an ancient Babylonian king, created laws that were carved on a stone for public display.
9. Birds’ hearts have four chambers, whereas reptiles’ have three.
10. (no commas needed)

1. The students donated clothing, school supplies, and nonperishable food.
2. The hot, humid weather did not stop the fans from flocking to the free outdoor concert.
3. The ball sailed over the fence, across the yard, and through the Wilsons’ window.
4. (no commas needed)
5. The young athletes’ parents insist on calling every play, judging every move, and telling everyone within earshot exactly what is wrong with the team.

1. One must consider the society as a whole, not just its parts.
2. Drinking caffeinated beverages can, in fact, be good for your health.
3. You don’t expect me to read this speech, do you?
4. Coming in ahead of schedule
5. and under budget, it appears, is the only way to keep this client happy.
6. Believe me, Jenna, I had no idea things would turn out this way.

1. The city of Dublin, Ireland, has a population of over 500,000.
2. (no commas needed, but a comma is optional in 1,200)
3. New Delhi, India, and Islamabad, Pakistan, became the capitals of two independent nations at midnight on August 15, 1947.
4. MLA headquarters are at 26 Broadway, New York, New York 10004.
5. I was convinced that the nameplate I. M. Well, MD, was one of my sister’s pranks.

1. (no comma needed)
2. My mother was fond of telling me, “You’d make coffee nervous!”
3. (no comma needed)
4. “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous,” Confucius argued.
5. (no comma needed)

1. Abalone fishing in California is strictly regulated; a person is allowed to harvest only twenty-four of these large mollusks per year.
2. City life offers many advantages; in many ways, however, life in a small town is much more pleasant.
3. The door contains an inflatable slide to be used in an emergency; in addition, each seat can become a flotation device.
4. Most car accidents occur within twenty-five miles of the home; therefore, you should wear your seat belt on every trip.
5. Involvement in team sports provides more than just health benefits for young girls; it also increases their self-confidence.

1. Social scientists face difficult questions: should they use their knowledge to shape society, merely describe human behavior, or try to do both?
2. The court denied a New Jersey woman’s petition to continue raising tigers in her backyard.
3. I screamed at Jamie, “You rat! You tricked me!”
4. The reporter wondered whether anything more could have been done to save lives.
5. Zane called every store within fifty miles to ask if they had the Wii game he wanted.
6. “Have you seen the new George Clooney film?” Mia asked.

1. Grammar is everybody’s favorite subject.
2. An ibis’s wingspan is about half as long as a flamingo’s.
3. Charles and Camilla’s first visit to the United States as a married couple included a stop at the White House.
4. The long debate over states’ rights culminated in the Civil War.
5. Kobe Bryant’s and Tiger Woods’s personal crises have threatened to overshadow their athletic careers.
6. She insists that her personal life is nobody’s business.
7. Parents often question their children’s choice of friends.
8. This dog has a beagle’s ears and a St. Bernard’s face.
9. The sidewalk smokers disregarded the surgeon general’s warnings.
10. Anna and Tobias’s income dropped dramatically after Anna lost her job.

1. There was a big revival at my Auntie Reed’s church.
2. I heard the songs and the minister saying: “Why don’t you come?”
3. Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: . . . “I’m tired o’ sitting here. Let’s get up and be saved.”
4. So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I’d better lie. . . .
5. That night . . . I cried, in bed alone, and couldn’t stop.

1. Stephen Colbert introduced Americans to the concept he calls “truthiness” on the first episode of The Colbert Report.
2. Margaret Talbot’s article “A Risky Proposal” examines the constitutionality of state laws that ban gay marriage.
3. “The little that is known about gorillas certainly makes you want to know more,” writes Alan Moorehead in his essay, “A Most Forgiving Ape.”
4. My father’s way of “helping” usually meant doing the whole project for me.
5. Should “America the Beautiful” replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem?
6. In the chapter called “The Last to See Them Alive,” Truman Capote shows the utterly ordinary life of the Kansas family.
7. The 30 Rock episode “Reunion” won an Emmy award for outstanding comedy writing.
8. Several popular films, including Mamma Mia! and Muriel’s Wedding, have used Abba hits such as “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me.”
9. My dictionary defines isolation as “the quality or state of being alone.”
10. In his poem “The Shield of Achilles,” W. H. Auden depicts the horror of modern warfare.

1. The committee was presented with three options to pay for the new park: (1) increase vehicle registration fees, (2) install parking meters downtown, or (3) borrow money from the reserve fund.
2. The FISA statute authorizes government wiretapping only under certain circumstances (for instance, the government has to obtain a warrant).
3. The health care expert informed readers that “as we progress through middle age, we experience intimations of our own morality [sic].”
4. Some hospitals train nurses in a pseudoscientific technique called therapeutic touch (TT) that has been discredited by many rigorous studies.
5. Because I was carrying an umbrella (which, as it turned out, wasn’t even necessary), I was required to enter the stadium through the high-security gate.

1. Most people would say that Labradors are easy dogs to train—but they never met our Millie.
2. Even if marijuana is dangerous—an assertion disputed by manystudies—it is certainly no more harmful to human health than alcohol and cigarettes, which remain legal.
3. If too much exposure to negative news stories makes you feel depressed or anxious—and why wouldn’t it?—try going on a media fast.
4. Union Carbide’s plant in Bhopal, India, sprang a leak—a leak that killed more than 2,000 people and injured an additional 200,000.
5. Refrigerators—especially side-by-side models—use up more energy than most people realize.

1. After discussing the case study, the class reached one main conclusion: in any business, the most important asset is the customer.
2. Another example is taken from Psalm 139:16.
3. Roberto tried to make healthier choices, such as eating organic food, walking to work, and getting plenty of rest.
4. (correct)
5. Sofi rushed to catch the 5:45 express but had to wait for the 6:19.

1. The town in the South where I was raised had a statue of a Civil War soldier in the center of Main Street.
2. Sarah Palin, the former governor, frequently complained that the press had treated her harshly before she accepted a position as an analyst for Fox News.
3. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting relies on donations as well as on grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
4. During the economic recession, companies such as Starbucks had to close some of their stores; others, such as Circuit City, went out of business.
5. Most Americans remember where they were when they heard about the 9/11 disaster.
6. Accepting an award for his score for the John Wayne film The High and the Mighty, Dmitri Tiomkin thanked Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, and Strauss.

1. The Columbine school shootings in 1999 prompted a debate about gun control laws in the United States.
2. Every professor in the Department of English has a degree in literature.
3. The cast included several children, but only two of them had speaking roles.
4. (correct)
5. The price of oil has fluctuated this winter.

1. Every Friday, my grandmother would walk a mile to the post office and send a care package to her brother in Tennessee.
2. The blue whale can grow to be 180 feet long and can weigh up to 380,000 pounds.
3. Many a Michigan-based auto company, including General Motors, requested financial aid from the government.
4. A large corporation like AT&T may help finance an employee’s MBA.
5. Rosie began by saying, “If you want my two cents,” but she did not wait to see if listeners wanted it or not.

1. Al Gore won the popular vote with 50,996,116 votes, but he was still short by five electoral votes.
2. Two hundred thousand people may have perished in the 2010 Haitian earthquake.
   

   As many as 200,000 people perished in the 2010 Haitian earthquake.

3. The senator who voted against the measure received 6,817 angry emails and only twelve in support of her decision.
4. (correct)
5. In that age group, the risk is estimated to be about 1 in 2,500.

1. (correct)
2. Homemade sushi can be dangerous, but so can deviled eggs kept too long in a picnic basket.
3. The Web site Poisonous Plants and Animals lists tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum) as one of the most popular poisons in the world.
4. The monster in the Old English epic Beowulf got to tell his own side of the story in John Gardner’s novel Grendel.
5. The 2009 film Star Trek imagines the youthful life of James T. Kirk and his early years as a starship captain.

1. The group seeks volunteers to set up chairs in the meeting room before the event.
2. Despite concerns about reliability, police lineups are still frequently used to identify suspects.
3. I was ill prepared for my first calculus exam, but I managed to pass anyway.
4. Some passengers were bumped from the oversold flight.
5. Having an ignore-the-customer attitude may actually make a service-industry job less pleasant.
6. Both pro- and anti-State Department groups registered complaints.
7. At a yard sale, I found a 1964 pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster in mint condition.
8. Applicants who are over fifty years old may face age discrimination.
9. Neil Armstrong, a self-proclaimed “nerdy engineer,” was the first person to set foot on the moon.
10. Carefully marketed children’s safety products suggest to new parents that the more they spend, the safer their kids will be.

1. In the 1870s, a group of New York City dog owners officially formed the Westminster Kennel Club.
2. Members of the club enjoyed telling stories about their dogs’ talents.
3. Soon the group began hosting an annual dog show in which dogs were judged and awarded prizes.
4. It was this show that eventually became the Westminster Dog Show, a popular event still held every January.
5. (correct)
6. If you want to know more about purebred dogs, you will enjoy watching the Westminster Dog Show.

1. Before the middle of the nineteenth century, surgery was usually a terrifying, painful ordeal.
2. Because anesthesia did not exist yet, the only painkiller available for surgical patients was whiskey.
3. The pain of surgical procedures could be so severe that many people were willing to die rather than have surgery.
4. In 1846, one of the hospitals in Boston gave ether to a patient before he had surgery.
5. The patient, who had a large tumor on his neck, slept peacefully as doctors removed it.

1. Over the past forty years, average temperatures in the Arctic have increased by several degrees.
2. A few years ago, a robin was observed in Inuit territory in northern Canada.
3. Inuit people in previous generations would never have seen a robin near their homes.
4. The Inuit language, which is called Inuktitut, has no word for robin.
5. Many Inuits are concerned that warmer temperatures may change their way of life.

1. lay off: phrasal verb
2. (correct) count on: prepositional verb
3. (correct) pick up: phrasal verb
4. look at: prepositional verb
5. As I looked at the newspaper, I was surprised to see that I was qualified for a job that paid much better than mine.
6. (correct) give up: phrasal verb