The writer wants to revise this essay to publish it in a local paper’s opinion page. Which of the following is the most important change the author should make in revising the organization of this essay for a general audience?
A Begin the essay with the example about the ACLU in Chicago.
B At some point in the introduction, give background information on Voltaire.
C Give more emphasis to the need for increased funding for girls’ sports.
D Rearrange the parts of the essay so that the idea about the “life of a philosopher” comes first.
The writer wants to change the purpose of the essay from an exploration of standing up for other people’s rights to a reflection on the author’s own experience standing up for someone else’s rights. Which aspect of organization should be revised to make the essay appropriate for this new purpose?
A Put more emphasis on the girls’ sports dilemma if the author is a male, and if the author is female, find a situation that involved her personally but that did not directly affect her rights.
B Put more emphasis on Michael J. Fox as an advocate for Parkinson’s research.
C Give details of the ACLU’s defense of the Nazi demonstration, making clear that in the end the Nazis were allowed to march but not in the Chicago suburb that was to be the location originally.
D Take out all references to the ACLU and the Nazi demonstration.
The writer is going to publish a revised version of the essay on the opinion page of the local paper. Between the time the essay was originally written and the time of the revision, several things have happened in the community. The author wants to mention one of these incidents in the introduction to make the essay more relevant to the context of its publication. Which incident would be most appropriate to use in the introduction of the revised essay?
A A local group has asked for volunteers to help out at the zoo.
B A local group has asked for volunteers who want to perform patriotic songs at a Fourth of July celebration.
C A local group has asked for volunteers to gather material about the history of the early settlers to the area.
D A local group has asked for volunteers in an effort to get everyone registered to vote and provide transportation to polls for people who need it.
This is not strictly speaking an organizational concern, but you should realize that things beyond the organization of an essay will be affected by the audience, purpose, and context. In this case, the author might want to change the tone of the essay for the local paper. Tone can often be indicated by vocabulary choices. Which set of words and phrases below do you think might be changed to make the essay sound more serious?
A “my aunt, his wife, is now very active,” “make an effort to support,” “If I understand Voltaire”
B “completely chauvinistic” “violence-advocating extremists” “do not want to discount this”
C “pretty hardcore,” “I mean, he said, . . . ,” “these jerks,” “spouting some philosophy”
D “a long view,” “the most startling part,” “it was ridiculous”
All complete. Great job!
