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WRT 106 Midterm Exam ( 2024 /2025) | Actual Questions and Answers Latest
Updated 2024/2025 (Graded A+)
Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Say Answer ✔✔ Q. What does "enter the conversation" mean? Answer ✔✔Learn what's already been said about the text, and what others are thinking with the text. Why do they want you to use "I"? Answer ✔✔- avoids confusion between what they say and what you say
- you sound more confident
- can incorporate personal experience
- clearly states your position What are the Five Reasons for why you might want to introduce source material? Answer ✔✔- introducing what "they say"
- introducing "standard views"
- making what "they say" into something "you say"
- introducing something implied/assumed
- introducing an ongoing debate What are some tips for how to introduce source material well? Answer ✔✔- put yourself in the author's shoes
- summarize in light of your own agenda
- use signal verbs What are some mistakes people make when integrating source material? Answer ✔✔-quoting too little
- quoting too much
- assuming that quotes speak for themselves
- not selecting relevant quotes
- "hit-and-run" quotations
- using redundant/misleading words when introducing a quote What are signal verbs? Answer ✔✔Verbs used to describe how an author communicates information. What are the three ways you can respond to sources? Answer ✔✔1) Agree: but with a difference
- Agree: and disagree simultaneously
- Disagree: and explain why What are the reasons for why you might disagree? (Hint: page 61-62) Answer ✔✔1) Fails to account for relevant information
- Based on faulty evidence
- Rests on questionable assumptions 4 ) Uses flawed logic, contradictory evidence overlooks the real issue
- Too obvious
- Actually supports opposing position What are the three ways you can agree with a difference? (Hint: page 64) Answer ✔✔1) Point out unnoticed evidence or line of reasoning that supports X's claims that X herself hadn't mentioned
- Cite some corroborating personal experience or a situation not mentioned by X that helps readers understand her views.
- Make a more accessible translation of X's views. Why can it be good to agree and disagree simultaneously? Answer ✔✔- more nuances, helps us get beyond the kind of "is too/is not" exchange
- admitting the opposing view has a point bolsters credibility What are the different ways to use "voice markers" to distinguish what you say from what they say? Answer ✔✔1) fit opposing views in quotes
Deborah Tannen "Agonism in the Academy" Answer ✔✔ What is agonism? Answer ✔✔Automatic opposition rather than natural disagreement. What are some strategies (or metaphors) for avoiding agonism? Answer ✔✔- look for strengths not weaknesses
- don't be afraid to learn from/apply others' ideas
- think of working together, not competing
- believing game
- barn raising
- bread dough Harris's Rewriting Answer ✔✔ Why does Harris consider most writing as rewriting? Answer ✔✔Almost all academic essays and books contain traces from other texts, and using other tools to help us write is a way of life. Why does Harris want you to think about an author's project, rather than thesis? Answer ✔✔A project is more complex than a main idea because it refers to a set of questions and ideas that the either throws forward. What does it mean—generally—to "come to terms" with a source? Answer ✔✔When we come to terms with a source, we translate the language and ideas of that source into words of our own. In other words, we incorporate a text into our own project What are the three things you need to do to come to terms with a source? Answer ✔✔When coming to terms with a source, we define the project of the writer in our own words, note key words and passages, and access the limits and uses of an approach What are the three things you look for when you're trying to define an author's project? Answer ✔✔When defining an author's project, we look for aims (what is trying to be achieved, what is being
argued), methods (how samples are related to ideas, how one claim connects to the next), and materials (where the writer cites examples and evidence, what texts are described and discussed) What does it mean to "note keywords and passages?" Answer ✔✔Noting a particular moment of interest within a larger text What are some reasons for using a quotation? Or, how do quotes often work in your text or in someone else's? Answer ✔✔- show what our perspective makes visible
- take break from paraphrasing
- put pressure on paraphrasing
- highlight passages we want to return to
- show what aspects stand out to us What does it mean to assess the uses and limitations of a source? Answer ✔✔Note what the text does and says well, and where it falls short What is positive opposition? Answer ✔✔The use of words and values that don't contradict each other, but still exist in tension. What is the "moreover" approach? Answer ✔✔- suggesting there's something that's been failed to be made visible
- we're neither endorsing nor rejecting the text, only accessing its limits and uses What are Harris' Five Ways to quote? Answer ✔✔Block quotes, scare quotes, in text quotes, epigraphs, allusions Why does Harris use the metaphor of "forwarding" to talk about using sources? Answer ✔✔When we forward, we take ideas found in texts and reuse them when we look at separate issues. We put them in use to new contexts, shifting the focus of the readers away from the original text and to our new piece. What are the four ways to forward? Answer ✔✔Illustrate, authorize, extend, borrow,
- have to be engaging for the reader What is clutter? Answer ✔✔Words or phrases that are not essential in understanding an idea, it reduces simplicity and overall clarity. How can you cut out clutter and still sound like yourself? Answer ✔✔Clear your head of clutter so your writing communicates the main ideas you are hoping to get across. Also, go over every word and eliminate unnecessary ones. Why is it important to write for yourself? Answer ✔✔You are your audience - it is a way of self expression and how you find your own personal style and voice. If your writing is entertaining to you, it will also be entertaining for any worthwhile audience. Why do you need to write for your audience? Answer ✔✔You don't want to lose your readers due to something sloppy or careless in your writing. How can you write for yourself and for your audience simultaneously? Answer ✔✔Say what you want in your writing but don't say anything you wouldn't in conversation. Why should you care about the words you choose? Answer ✔✔Precise word choice can make your writing mean exactly what you want it to mean and make it more descriptive. What are some strategies you can use to help you care about words? Answer ✔✔1. Use a thesaurus
- Listen to what you write - how it sounds and the rhythm What's the difference between jargon and usage? (hint: specific object "rule" on page 44) Answer ✔✔Usage: a specific meaning Jargon: a word that people use that doesn't really have a specific meaning What are some strategies for achieving unity? Answer ✔✔Pronouns, tense, mood
What are some strategies for preparing or creating a good lead? Answer ✔✔1. Hook the reader
- Let the reader know why they're reading
- State the purpose of the piece What are some strategies for preparing or creating a good ending? Answer ✔✔1. Thoughtful last sentence
- Looking for the nearest exist
- Thoughtful quotation - give the reader something they can think of What specific pieces of advice does he suggest in each section of ch. 10? Answer ✔✔- omitting useless words such as passive verbs
- writing purposefully
- trusting the truth to be interesting Trimble's Writing with Style Answer ✔✔ What's the difference between a novice and veteran writer? Answer ✔✔Veterans consider their readers with every move they make, novices write in a vacuum with their chairs turned away from the reader. Why is it important to anticipate your reader's response? Answer ✔✔This helps the writer stay attuned to how to captivate the reader's attention and keep them from turning out. What is formalism? Answer ✔✔Writing in a formal style, different from how you would talk. What is General English? Answer ✔✔A middle style, a compromise between formal and informal that involves the mingling of contraries: formal and informal diction, objectivity and subjectivity, and impersonality and directness. What specific pieces of advice does he suggest at the end of the chapter "Readability"? Answer ✔✔- Contractions are okay; so is the word "I "Use dashes for emphasis
- Minimize adjectives and adverbs
What is the main point of Savini's "Looking for Trouble"? Answer ✔✔Finding inspiration to write can come from finding something that troubles you, seeking out difficulty, and finding problems What are the four steps of Savini's looking for trouble? Answer ✔✔1. Noticing - looking for anything unique, identifying patterns, etc
- Articulating a problem and its details
- Posing fruitful questions - why, how, what questions
- Identifying what's at stake - so what? what's at stake if I don't understand this? WIDER CULTURAL CONTEXT Savini has four approaches for "articulating a problem and its details." What are they? Answer ✔✔1. Juxtapose texts or look for tension/contradiction
- Differences b/w text and own experiences, "That's not universal"
- Troubling assumptions
- A gap or something overlooked What is the main point of Bunn's "How to Read Like a Writer"? How is RLW different from "normal" reading? Answer ✔✔Reading purposefully allows you to identify choices the writer as made in their writing so you can integrate them into your own What are some questions you should ask before you start reading? Answer ✔✔1. What's the context (audience and purpose)
- Genre?
- Published or student-made?
- Will I have to write something like this? What are some questions to ask as you are writing? Answer ✔✔1. What technique is the author using here?
- Is this technique effective?
- Advantages and disadvantages of implementing this technique in your own writing?
What is the main point of Carillo and Horning's "Effectively and Efficiently Reading the Credibility of Online Sources"? Answer ✔✔As readers, we need the critical reading skills to identify credible sources from non-credible ones What is lateral reading? Answer ✔✔An approach to reading that helps determine a source's credibility by leaving the source and seeing what is said elsewhere. What are three steps of lateral reading? Answer ✔✔1) Leave the site and compare information with other fact checking sites
- Research the author
- Research the site of publication What role does bias play (your own and others') when searching online? Answer ✔✔Sources - they often are titled towards one side or another, and your job as the reader is to:
- Recognize the bias in each perspective
- Consider its effect on the source's credibility
- Negotiate it as you develop your own point of view or argument. Personal Bias: Confirmation Bias - we seek out the sources that confirm our preexisting views. Fighting Confirmation Bias:
- regularly monitor the perspectives in the sources to ensure you are not relying on them as a way to confirm your ideas
- deliberately seek out sources that oppose your ideas, allowing for a well-rounded understanding of the subject What issues should we consider when looking at online images? Answer ✔✔- "Seeing is believing" is no longer true - the existence of photoshop and deep fakes
- Details of an image can be cropped out - Trump w/ Epstein
- Two or more photos can be merged in a problematic way, for example, to put someone alongside another person or people in order to discredit them - John Kerry and Jane Fonda
- Conduct a reverse image search to validate the authenticity of an image - find the original image
- Be cautious of primary sources, especially photos and videos
What are the five parts of an article you should read before you actually read the article? Answer ✔✔Title, Abstract, Introduction, Subject Headings, Conclusions. What are the four parts of most abstracts? Answer ✔✔1) the main problem
- the approach
- the shiny new thing
- why people should care What is a "roadmap," where does it usually appear, and how can this help you? Answer ✔✔1. Roadmaps tell the structure of the paper
- Appear at the end of the introduction
- Can help you by finding where in the paper things are What ideas does a conclusion often include? Answer ✔✔Rephrasing of the argument Limitations of the argument Unanswered questions Syllabus, handouts, etc. Answer ✔✔ Where is my office? Answer ✔✔Batelle-Tompkins 245 What is the attendance policy? Answer ✔✔3+ absences = failure, message on Slack if going to be absent, make up all missing work and content Can you hand in your papers late? Answer ✔✔late work can be handed in one meeting late and will lose a full letter grade What do you need to do to earn an A in participation? Answer ✔✔Comes to every class having prepared the text with notes and questions for discussion Adds to the conversation during discussions and brings quality discussion from classmates
Brings thoughtfulness and energy Diligently works to help classmates improve in and out of class Makes a semester long effort to improve What are some tips for writing good marginal comments in a classmates' draft? Answer ✔✔I statements to sound friendlier and not bossy, explain what it was like to read an idea, offer specific instructions, praise and critique. Library Research In-class Instruction Answer ✔✔ What's the difference between a "Walmart database" and discipline-specific databases? Answer ✔✔"Walmart database" = mile wide and a couple of inches deep, you can find things in a huge range of areas like history, political science, biology, business administration, and nearly every other subject, but it doesn't have much depth Discipline-specific database = couple of inches wide, but a mile deep, these have loads and loads of articles on narrow subjects (e.g. Shakespeare or Childcare) What are two "Walmart" (or general) databases? Answer ✔✔Academic Search Premier and ProQuest Central What are Boolean operators? Answer ✔✔AND(narrow), OR(expand), NOT(restrict) How can you tell if a source is scholarly or popular? Answer ✔✔Format, publisher, sources, citations, etc. If you can't seem to find what you're looking for, how long should you wait before asking for help from a librarian? Answer ✔✔Do not wait to get help, email ASAP Which three major newspapers do you automatically have access to? Answer ✔✔Washington Post, NY Times, Wall Street Journal
