English 351 – Bell Work Quiz 2 Study Guide
Items that will appear:
–Passive vs Active Voice
–Dramatic/Verbal/Situational Ironies
–Transitions
–Vivid Verbs/Adjectives/Adverbs
–Classical/Historical/Literary Allusions
Total Worth: 20 Points
•Note: Bell Works done in class are now on my website for review/practice.
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Passive vs Active Voice:
Active voice is used for most non-scientific writing. Using active voice for the
majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the
sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Even in scientific writing, too
much use of passive voice can cloud the meaning of your sentences.
The action is performed upon the sentence subject, meaning this sentence
is passive (indirect).
This is an example of the active voice because the sentence subject
performs the action.
This is an example of the passive voice.
This is an example of an active voice sentence because the sentence subject
performs the action.
This is an example of the passive voice.
This is an example of an active voice sentence because its subject performs
the action expressed in the verb.
Sentences in active voice are also more concise than those in passive voice because
fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.
How this will look on the quiz:
Q: Which revision of the sentence uses the active voice?
“Action on the bill is being considered by the committee.”
a. The bill’s action is being considered by the committee.
b. Considered by the committee is the bill’s action.
c. The committee is considering action on the bill.
“C” is the correct choice because it is the most concise (shortest) and
to the point. Also, the subject (the committee) is directly performing
an action. The other options beat around the bush and have extra
words like “is,” “being,” “by.” The subject and verb are further apart
and not directly linked in “A” & “B.” On the EOC, when in doubt,
choose the shortest sentence!!!
Vivid Verbs/Adverbs/Adjectives:
“Vivid” words are the most specific, colorful, and interesting of choices
(as long as they still make sense).
On the EOC you will see questions such as,
Q: Avid fans sat in tiered bleachers or were around the edges like the
gallery at a golf tournament, savoring every shot.
What is the most vivid word to replace the underlined verb?
a. Stood
b. Got
c. Hovered
d. Stayed
“C” is the correct choice because it plants the visual in your mind of
“hovering.” “A,” “B,” and “D” are boring in comparison because they
create no interesting visual. They are broad, and “hovered” is a rather
specific way of being somewhere.
Other examples:
Spin (broad, boring) < Pirouette (a visually specific manner of
spinning that you can visualize exactly)
Punch (there are so many ways to punch; this is broad) < Uppercut
(This is a very specific and visually interesting manner of punching,
therefore it is more vivid)
Allusions:
Historical – This is real. Anything, any person, or any event that
existed or exists that is not specifically a work of art.
Classical – A work of art that is not a book, film, or play
Literary – A work of art that is a book, film, or play
Historical examples: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Custer’s Last Stand,
9/11, Stonehenge, William Shakespeare, Joan of Arc, The Alamo
Classical examples: The Mona Lisa, any famous musical symphony,
any famous sculpture, any other famous painting or photograph, etc.
Literary examples: The play Romeo and Juliet, the novel The Scarlet
Letter, the film The Crucible, etc.
Sample EOC/quiz questions:
Q: The narrator’s reference to the painting the Mona Lisa is which type
of allusion, if any? (answer is “A” because the Mona Lisa is a painting)
a. Classical
b. Literary
c. Historical
d. none
Q: The narrator’s reference to his little brother’s baseball glove is
which type of allusion, if any? (answer is none because the glove is not
a well known or famous piece of history, art, or literature)
a. Classical
b. Literary
c. Historical
d. none
Transitions:
• Transitions are phrases or words used to connect one idea to the next
• Transitions are used by the author to help the reader progress from one
significant idea to the next
• Transitions also show the relationship within a paragraph (or within a sentence)
between the main idea and the support the author gives for those ideas
• Different transitions do different things....
On the EOC, or on the quiz, a key strategy is to eliminate choices that don’t
make sense or sound weird in place of the underlined transition word.
For example:
Louisa thought the role of a lifetime would be too difficult for her. _________, she
took the role and prospered.
a. Nevertheless
b. Furthermore
c. Moreso
d. Consequently
“A” is correct because “nevertheless” means “in spite of this feeling I presented.”
She felt nervous about taking the role. The next sentence, though, shows that
she took it despite her nervousness and did well. If the first sentence is negative
(depicting her doubt), and the next one is positive (showing her success), then
we need a word that shows a change of ideas. “Furthermore” and “Moreso”
mean “I am going to add to my previous idea,” but the second sentence does not
do this. “Consequently” implies negativity because of “consequences,” and she
had a good outcome, not a bad one. Therefore, “Nevertheless” is the only real
choice left.
Here’s another example:
Kodi thought he was so cold that he’d take the test of a whim. _______, he took
the test and failed.
a. Nevertheless
b. Furthermore
c. Moreso
d. Consequently
“D” is the correct answer. The prior sentence shows that Kodi is about to do an
action and thinks he will do well because he is “so cold.” The second sentence
reveals that he ended up not doing well at all, so there is a change of ideas.
Therefore, “B” and “C” which add to ideas does not work because we’re changing
ideas between sentences, not adding. “A” implies a positive outcome, and “D”
implies a negative one. Since his outcome was failure, “D” is the answer.
Ironies:
Dramatic – When the audience knows something the character doesn’t
Situational – When the character’s outcome is opposite of what was expected
Verbal – When a character says something sarcastically or means the opposite
Dramatic example: We know Caesar is going to be stabbed by his best friend at
the capitol, but Caesar doesn’t. We watch him walk into his own death.
Situational examples: John walks to his car ready to take a ride, but he finds it
has been stolen. Or…a woman meets the man of her dreams, but he then
introduces her to his beautiful wife (get the Alanis Morissette reference?)
Verbal example: When you’re having a bad day, and due to your bad mood you
state, sarcastically, that it is the best day ever.