Instructions: Choose the appropriate option for each of the following sentences:

Question 1:

In “Voices,” Alice Munro uses dramatic irony to depict a ________ coming of age experience.
a) young girls’
b) young girls
c) young girl’s
d) young girls’s

Question 2:

In ___________ “Blind Man,” the _________ the narrator to see.
a) Raymond Carver’s / blind man’ teaches
b) Raymond Carvers’ / blind man teaches
c) Raymond Carvers’s / blind man’s teaches
d) Raymond Carver’s / blind man teaches

Question 3:

________ and ________ essays are both concerned with animal rights.
a) Regan’s / Cohen’s
b) Regan / Cohen’s
c) Regan / Cohen
d) Regans’ / Cohens’

Question 4:

Drew Hayden Taylor is critical of ________ to the First Nations People. He points out that the Canadian ________ have not historically been fair to ________ indigenous peoples.
a) Steven Harpers’ apology / governments’ policies / it’s
b) Steven Harper’s apology / governments policy’s /its
c) Steven Harper’s apology / government’s policies / its
d) Steven Harpers apology / government’s policy / it is

Question 5:

William Zinsser argues that writers must eliminate all unnecessary clutter in their writing ________long words should be replaced by short words and non-functional words should be eliminated.
a) :
b) ;
c) –
d) ,

Question 6:

Revision is crucial to good writing ________ good writing is crucial to academic success.
a) :
b) ;
c) –
d) ,

Question 7:

David Bartholomae argues that ________must teach academic writing to students ________ however, Peter Elbow argues for an “expressivist” approach to teaching writing.
a) teachers / ;
b) teacher’s / ,
c) teachers’ / :
d) teachers / ,

Question 8:

J.D. ________ and F.H.C. ________ paper articulates and contextualizes the discovery of DNA in the research of others.
a) Watson / Crick
b) Watson’s / Crick’s
c) Watson’s / Crick
d) Watson / Crick’s

Question 9:

For Donald M. Murray, writing is about discovering and clarifying meaning ________ saying exactly you want to say.
a) ;
b) :
c) ,
d) , however,

Question 10:

Three students in the class have allergies ________ Vicky, who is allergic to strawberries ________ Jacob, who is allergic to pollen ________ and Will, who is allergic to dogs.
a) : / , / ,
b) ; / ; / ;
c) : / ; / ;
d) ; / , / ,

Higher Education

Writing in the Academic Disciplines: Apostrophe, Colon, and Semi-Colon Errors