Informational Writing — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. A student writes: "Polar bears live in the Arctic. They have thick fur. Pizza is delicious." Which sentence should be removed?
A) Polar bears live in the Arctic.
B) They have thick fur.
C) Pizza is delicious.
D) None of them.
"Pizza is delicious" is completely off-topic — it has no connection to the paragraph about polar bears in the Arctic.
2. Which is an example of a definition used as a supporting detail?
A) Erosion is cool.
B) Erosion is the process by which wind and water wear away rock and soil.
C) Erosion happens a lot.
D) I learned about erosion in class.
This sentence uses a definition ("is the process by which") as a supporting detail to explain a technical term.
3. What should a writer do before drafting an informational paragraph?
A) Write the conclusion first
B) Research and gather facts
C) Copy from another source
D) Use as many big words as possible
Gathering accurate facts through research is the essential pre-writing step that ensures informational content is reliable.
4. Which concluding statement best fits a paragraph about the water cycle?
A) Water is wet.
B) In summary, the water cycle continuously moves water between the Earth and atmosphere.
C) I hope you liked this paragraph.
D) There are other cycles too.
This conclusion restates the main idea about the water cycle using a summary transition phrase.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. An informational piece of writing explains or informs rather than persuades.
Informational writing explains and informs — its purpose is education rather than persuasion or entertainment.
2. Removing off-topic sentences makes a paragraph more focused .
Eliminating sentences that don't relate to the main idea creates a more focused, cohesive paragraph.
3. A strong paragraph uses at least two or three supporting details.
Multiple supporting details are needed to adequately develop and prove the topic sentence.
4. The phrase "in conclusion" signals that a summary is coming.
"In conclusion" is a transition phrase that signals the paragraph or essay is wrapping up with a summary.
5. Rereading a draft to fix errors is called revising .
Revising involves rereading a draft to improve content, organization, and clarity before editing for grammar.