Successful college writing, Eighth edition - Kathleen T. McWhorter 2020

Answers to even-numbered exercises in the handbook

EXERCISE 7.1

Possible Revisions

2. Because of the importance of the information, it often must be transmitted secretly.

4. The Nazis’ enigma code was extremely difficult to crack. Its complexity was an enormous problem for the Allied forces.

EXERCISE 7.2

2. Every scientist has their own ideas about the state of the environment. [Correct, or may be changed to “Every scientist has his or her own ideas . . .”]

4. In one way, animals resemble plants: Some are “weeds” because they have the ability to thrive under many conditions.

6. When a “weed” and a delicate native species compete for their survival, the native species usually loses.

8. People should be more concerned about the extinction of plants and animals than they seem to be.

10. The earth has experienced several mass extinctions in its history, but another would take its toll on the quality of human life.

EXERCISE 8.2

Possible Revisions

2. Students must be careful, as all internships are not created equal.

4. Other companies may use unpaid interns for free labor instead of hiring full-time employees.

EXERCISE 11.1

2. The Russian czar’s only son and heir to the throne suffered from hemophilia. [Correct]

4. Czar Nicholas and his wife Alexandra often saw their little boy in terrible pain.

EXERCISE 12.1

2. The land became part of Central Park, and everyone who lived there had to leave in the 1850s.

4. Susan Smith McKinney-Steward was born in Weeksville and was the valedictorian of New York Medical College in 1870.

EXERCISE 13.1

2. Actor Bela Lugosi played Count Dracula as more of a romantic figure than a monster in the 1931 film Dracula; this depiction provided the standard image of the vampire as a sexy fiend. [Correct]

4. The popular Blacula (1972), which recast the vampire as an African prince in 1970s Los Angeles, inspired a series of black-themed “blaxploitation” horror movies.

EXERCISE 13.3

2. The proposed zoning change was defeated by a margin of 2:1.

4. To find out whether a film is historically accurate, consult Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies. [Correct]

EXERCISE 14.1

Possible Answers

2. Why did the professor assign “To an Athlete Dying Young”?

4. After September 11, 2001, President Bush said he was going to “fight terror.”

EXERCISE 14.2

Possible Answers

2. “Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.”

4. “[P]eople of all classes receive financial help from the government.”

EXERCISE 15.1

2. We probably know more about the day-to-day lives of others than ever before, as the details of our many friends’ days are recorded in online status reports.

4. Today’s parents can find out about their sons and daughters’ personal lives online, but they have less face-to-face contact with their children.

EXERCISE 16.1

2. The Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) tests claims of supernatural abilities. [Correct]

4. The invention of anesthesia made possible many advances in medicine (including lengthy surgery).

EXERCISE 18.1

2. The estimated cost was too low by $87.14.

4. All traffic stopped as a ninety-car train went slowly past.

EXERCISE 19.1

2. His professor insisted that Soap Opera Digest was not an acceptable research source.

4. The first European settlers at Plymouth arrived on the Mayflower.

EXERCISE 20.1

2. For many self-conscious teens and young adults, surgery seems to be the perfect solution.

4. But as more adults pay for nose jobs and tummy tucks, more teens are expressing interest.