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Attempts Attempt1 score is3Attempt 2 was not attempted.-Attempt 3 was not attempted.-
Keep the Highest 3 out of 33 / 3
Directions: Read the following paragraph, in which a writer describes what she is seeing. Then answer
the questions that follow.
(1) From the window of my hotel, the Egyptian city of Cairo looks chaotic and
desolate. (2) Rectangular buildings of erratic heights from approximately 3 to 30 stories are crammed
together. (3) Within this overwhelmingly brown cityscape, the occasional clothesline strung across a
balcony appears minuscule and colorless. (4) On top of most of these mud-colored buildings, multiple
satellite dishes of various circumferences look toward the same direction, like metal flowers moving
5 . Descriptive Paragraph - Paragraph and Plan
The descriptive paragraph begins with a topic sentence that provides an overall impression.
The body sentences of the descriptive paragraph contain specific details that support this
impression. Your reader will better envision the person, place, or thing you are describing if you
arrange your details according to spatial order, such as left to right, up to down, or front to back.
Here is an example of a descriptive paragraph that uses spatial ordering to help the reader feel as
if he or she is at Nueve de Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires. In the left-hand column, select Topic
Sentence or Body Sentence to see an explanation of each sentence's function.
Example Descriptive Paragraph
Topic
Sentence:
Body
Sentence:
Body
Sentence:
Body
Sentence:
Body
Sentence:
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nueve de Julio Avenue is one of the biggest and
busiest city streets in the world.
Under the tall rectangular buildings that line most of the avenue, people jam
the broad sidewalk at all times of the day and night; some are hurrying past
each other, while others are relaxing at one of the many sidewalk cafés.
Beneath the sidewalk, the C Line of the subte, the Buenos Aires subway,
rumbles and spouts up heated air through vents onto the ankles of passersby.
Between the sidewalks of Nueve de Julio Avenue lie 20 traffic lanes, which are
broken up by three grassy and fountain-filled medians; simply to cross the
street often requires up to 10 minutes.
A pedestrian who makes the time-consuming walk across the avenue can then
stroll south toward the tall, white spire of the Obelisk monument or north
toward the stately stone and wrought-iron French Embassy.
their faces toward the sun. (5) Cairo is the largest city in Africa, with a population of 6.8 million within
the city and an additional 10 million inhabitants in the surrounding metropolitan area. (6) In the midst
of this deluge of brown rectangles and metal disks, the spherical dome of a bone-colored mosque is
almost undetectable. (7) Behind the chaotic Cairo rooftops, a low brown ridge dominates the
horizon. (8) Its cliff side bears the scars of mining, and its top has been planted with old antennas
reaching toward the smoggy sky. (9) Overall, my view shows the marks of Cairo's enormous
population, but without the people themselves, it seems a brown and deserted wasteland.
What is the topic sentence of this descriptive paragraph? (Hint: A topic sentence for a descriptive
paragraph provides an overall impression.)
(7) Behind the chaotic Cairo rooftops, a low brown ridge dominates the horizon.
(4) On top of most of these mud-colored buildings, multiple satellite dishes of various circumferences
look toward the same direction, like metal flowers moving their faces toward the sun.
(1) From the window of my hotel, the Egyptian city of Cairo looks chaotic and desolate.
Points:
1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
"From the window of my hotel, the Egyptian city of Cairo looks chaotic and desolate" is correct. It has a
topic (Cairo) and a controlling idea (looks chaotic and desolate). The controlling idea provides an
overall impression that the writer will develop in the body sentences.
Which sentence does not clearly relate to and support the topic sentence?
(2) Rectangular buildings of erratic heights from approximately 3 to 30 stories are crammed together.
(7) Behind the chaotic Cairo rooftops, a low brown ridge dominates the horizon.
(5) Cairo is the largest city in Africa, with a population of 6.8 million within the city and an additional
10 million inhabitants in the surrounding metropolitan area.
Points:
1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
"Cairo is the largest city in Africa, with a population of 6.8 million within the city and an additional 10
million inhabitants in the surrounding metropolitan area" does not clearly relate to and support the
topic sentence. This sentence does not provide specific details about the view.
What spatial order does the writer use?
Front to back
Back to front
Left to right
Right to left
Points:
1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
The spatial order of this description is "front to back." The writer begins describing what appears in
near the window (the brown buildings, satellites, and mosque) and then moves farther back to the
ridgeline, then the antennas, and finally the polluted sky.
What specific details support an overall impression made by the topic sentence? Check all that apply.
Low brown ridge
Overall
Bone-colored mosque
3 to 30 stories
Scars of mining
Points:
1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
"Bone-colored mosque," "scars of mining," "low brown ridge," and "3 to 30 stories" all provide specific
details that help the reader envision this view of Cairo. These words appeal to the reader's senses by
describing the dimensions and colors of the scene.
