Skills Lesson: Creating and Using Outlines

All of the following word groups show parallelism except __________.

A. funny, arrogant, kindhearted
B. to walk to the store, to jump over a puddle, to run around the yard
C. smiling at my mother, when I cleaned my room, to ask my parents for a favor
D. if we wanted to eat lunch, if we needed to buy a car, if we wished to go on vacation

All of the following are parallel in structure with “writing the final essay” except __________.
A. creating the outline
B. have someone edit your work
C. brainstorming ideas
D. developing a working thesis statement

All of the following are parallel in structure with “novel” except __________.

A. story
B. poem
C. reading
D. memoir

The headings and subheadings of the body of an outline should be __________.
A. long
B. parallel
C. interesting
D. complicated

Thesis statement: Drive-through facilities, while innovative, have had a negative impact on American society.

I. Uniformity of culture

A. Pervasiveness of national franchises

B. __________

II. De-personalization of relationships

A. Pharmacies

B. Banks

III. Sacrifice of quality for convenience

A. Food/drink establishments

1. Fast-food restaurants

2. Coffee shops

B. Religious institutions

Which of the following would best complete the missing piece of the outline?

A. Local businesses lost
B. Losing local businesses
C. Loss of local businesses
D. To lose local businesses

Which word group shows parallelism?

A. purple sunglasses, wearing striped shorts, I saw her pink lipstick
B. seashells, squishing my toes in the sand, stung by a jellyfish
C. to take a warm shower, to dry myself off, to comb my wet hair
D. bright blue sky, lying in the hot sun, when the cloud floated over

Thesis statement: Although many young people want to leave their family home immediately after high school, the transition can be quite difficult.

I. Cooking

A. How much does it cost?

B. __________

C. How healthy is it?

II. Cleaning

A. Common areas

B. Bathroom

C. Clothes

III. Bill-paying

A. Creating a budget

B. Planning for future expenses

Which of the following would best complete the missing piece of the outline?

A. Time and effort required
B. I want to know how much time and effort is required.
C. To require time and effort
D. How much time/effort does it require?

When dividing a heading in an outline, it should be divided into __________.

A. single-syllable words
B. two or more parts
C. pieces of sentences
D. four or five phrases

All of the following are steps in creating a useful outline except __________.

A. grouping related ideas together
B. writing the rough draft of an essay
C. labeling using main and subheadings
D. developing a working thesis statement

Which word group shows parallelism?

A. coffee mugs, soup bowls, salad plates
B. camera, pack my suitcase, to hug my mom
C. my favorite restaurant, playing music, walk to the park
D. watch TV, laying down on my bed, solitaire on the computer