Name: ______________________ Class: _________________ Date: _________

Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs Unit 1: Paragraphs

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
Use the simple present tense.

1. Someone from Holland ________________ (speak) Dutch.

2. Yesterday I learned that my neighbor’s name ________________ (be) Justine.

3. People in many countries ________________ (have) a traditional celebration for the new year.

4. The members of the student council ________________ (meet) once every month.

5. Khalil is a very friendly person. Everybody ________________ (like) him.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the correct word or phrase to complete the sentences about the four
features of a good paragraph. You will not use all the words.

concluding sentence details indented one topic title topic sentence

6. A paragraph has a/n ________________ that states the main idea. It is usually at the beginning of the
paragraph.

7. All of the supporting sentences in a paragraph are about ________________. Supporting sentences are
all related to the topic sentence.

8. The first line of a paragraph is ________________.

9. The last sentence, or ________________, brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion.

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Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, Fifth Edition Unit 1 Test

Name: ______________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the paragraph and answer the questions. You will not use all the
answers.

A Healthy Food
Without a doubt, one of the healthiest foods is spinach. Spinach is a superfood that is packed with
vitamins and nutrients. Many parts of our body benefit from these nutrients, including our skin, bones,
eyes, and hair. There are many delicious ways to prepare spinach. Eating spinach can also help to
decrease the risk of cancer, manage diabetes, and lower blood pressure. It is no wonder that regularly
eating spinach can help to maintain good health.

a. Spinach is a very healthy food.

b. Yes, it is.
c. No, it isn’t.
d. It is no wonder that regularly eating spinach can help to maintain good health.
e. A Healthy Food
f. Without a doubt, one of the healthiest foods is spinach.
g. There are many delicious ways to prepare spinach.
____ 10. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
____ 11. What is the topic sentence?
____ 12. Which sentence is not related to the topic?
____ 13. Is the paragraph indented?
____ 14. What is the concluding sentence?

INSTRUCTIONS: Identify which sentences show correct or incorrect capitalization or end

punctuation. Write “C” for correct or “I” for incorrect.

15. There are hundreds of species of cacti, many of which are found in Mexico. ______

16. the Microsoft Corporation is located in redmond, washington. ______

17. Many europeans immigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s. ______

18. What is the quickest way to travel from London, England to Madrid, Spain? ______

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 2

Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, Fifth Edition Unit 1 Test

Name: ______________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Match the word to the correct definition. You will not use all the
definitions.
a. to occupy space
b. a lot of; a large amount
c. to permit, let
d. very strong
e. about; more or less
f. very
g. to take away
____ 19. a great deal of
____ 20. allow
____ 21. approximately
____ 22. powerful
____ 23. remove

INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the blank with the word that most naturally completes the phrase.
You will not use all the words.

at least boil contrast ingredients majority patient take care of

24. all natural ________________

25. ________________ business

26. the ________________ of people

27. compare and ________________

28. ________________ water for tea

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the sentences with the best word in parentheses.

29. Airline employees are ________________ (require / required) to wear special uniforms.

30. The brothers behave quite ________________ (different / differently). One is very quiet, and the other
is more outgoing.

31. Please ________________ (divide / divided) the candy bar into two equal parts.

32. Yumi accepted the job offer because of the ________________ (attract / attractive) salary and benefits.

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Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, Fifth Edition Unit 1 Test

Name: ______________________

33. In many countries, it is ________________ (tradition / traditional) for the bride to wear a white dress
on her wedding day.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

____ 34. If Irma was nervous during her presentation, it was not ________________. She spoke calmly and
confidently.
a. obvious
b. at least
c. extremely

____ 35. It is ________________ for Nico to use public transportation. There is a bus stop in front of his
apartment building.
a. patient
b. approximately
c. convenient

____ 36. The ________________ of India in 2017 was more than 1.3 billion.
a. majority
b. population
c. attraction

____ 37. The movie Black Panther ________________ a fictional land called Wakanda.
a. takes place in
b. takes up
c. takes care of

____ 38. In a debate, you want to ________________ the audience that your arguments are stronger than your
opponent’s.
a. convince
b. remove
c. allow

INSTRUCTIONS: Unscramble the words and phrases to write a complete sentence. You may
need to adjust the verb form. Use the simple present tense.

Example:
buy / once a week / groceries / Milena
Milena buys groceries once a week.

39. books / on / the table / there are / three

_____________________________________________________________________

40. always / reply / Customer Service / to emails / immediately

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Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, Fifth Edition Unit 1 Test

Name: ______________________

41. Japan / the largest / be / in / Tokyo and Yokohama / cities

_____________________________________________________________________

42. pair / a new / cost / jeans / $60 / of

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INSTRUCTIONS: Rewrite these sentences, correcting two errors in each. Look for errors in
subject-verb agreement, capitalization, and punctuation.

43. The emergency shelter need donations of food and clothing

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44. there is a lot of excellent movies playing at the film festival this weekend.

_____________________________________________________________________

45. Many tourists who visit paris wants to see the Eiffel Tower.

_____________________________________________________________________

46. doing crossword puzzles and reading improve your vocabulary.

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Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, Fifth Edition Unit 1 Test

Name: ______________________

47. INSTRUCTIONS: Write about your favorite ways to relax. Why is relaxation important? How
does it make you feel? Write a topic sentence, 5-10 related sentences, and a concluding
sentence. Use at least two of the vocabulary words or phrases from Unit 1.

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