Transitions   The sentences in this exercise are all taken from one paragraph in a student paper giving information and advice to readers about water conservation. For each numbered item, select the transition that makes sense in context. The following is the first sentence of the paragraph, with the transition in boldface:     Another way to conserve water is to replace your thirsty lawn with drought-resistant native plants, grasses, and shrubs. If you can’t bear to give up your lawn, (for instance / however / moreover), you can decide to water it early in the morning or late in the evening when the weather is cooler and water loss from evaporation is less likely.                    

Topic sentences   Each of the following items contains a topic sentence for a paragraph, followed by possible supporting sentences. In each item, choose the sentence that does not support the topic sentence.     The Latino tradition of quinceañera, the celebration of a fifteen-year-old girl’s rite of passage into adulthood, incorporates a number of long-standing traditions; however, some Latino girls today are modernizing these traditions.                

Thesis statements   In each of the following pairs, which sentence might work well as a thesis for a short paper?     

Thesis statements   In each pair, select the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.     Which passage would work better for a five-to-ten-page research paper for an introductory marine biology course?      

Transitions   The sentences in this exercise are all taken from one paragraph in a student paper giving information and advice to readers about water conservation. For each numbered item, select the transition that makes sense in context. The following is the first sentence of the paragraph, with the transition in boldface:     Another way to conserve water is to replace your thirsty lawn with drought-resistant native plants, grasses, and shrubs. If you can’t bear to give up your lawn, (for instance / however / moreover), you can decide to water it early in the morning or late in the evening when the weather is cooler and water loss from evaporation is less likely.                    

Transitions   The sentences in this exercise are all taken from one paragraph in a student paper giving information and advice to readers about water conservation. For each numbered item, select the transition that makes sense in context. The following is the first sentence of the paragraph, with the transition in boldface:     Many people resist such measures because they think that these inventions do not work as well as the old models. (Consequently / Therefore / On the contrary), because of technological advances, today’s water-conserving showers and toilets work surprisingly well.           

Writing paragraphs  Topic sentences   In each pair, select the sentence that would work well as the topic sentence of the paragraph described.     For a paragraph in an essay about US murder convictions, which version would work well as a topic sentence?     

Thesis statements   In each pair, select the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.     Which passage would work better for a four-to-eight-page literature analysis in an English literature course?      

Transitions   The sentences in this exercise are all taken from one paragraph in a student paper giving information and advice to readers about water conservation. For each numbered item, select the transition that makes sense in context. The following is the first sentence of the paragraph, with the transition in boldface:     (Finally / That is / Thus), turn the water off instead of letting it run when brushing your teeth or washing dishes by hand. Conserving water isn’t difficult to do; it just takes awareness.                          

Transitions   The sentences in this exercise are all taken from one paragraph in a student paper giving information and advice to readers about water conservation. For each numbered item, select the transition that makes sense in context. The following is the first sentence of the paragraph, with the transition in boldface:     Environmental experts caution that water resources are finite, but they also offer tips for doing your part to conserve.   (Thus / For example / Besides), if you install low-flow showerheads and water-saving toilets, your household can save dozens of gallons of water a day.