Name: ______________________ Class: _________________ Date: _________

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research Unit 3: Using Original Sources

INSTRUCTIONS: Determine if the following information would need a citation in an essay.

Write “Y” if the information needs a citation or “N” if it does not.

____
N 1. The approximate number of casualties of the United States Civil War according to multiple
historians.

____
Y 2. Detailed instructions on how to make a homemade drone taken from a book titled DIY (Do It
Yourself) Today!

____
Y 3. Transcripts of interviews that were used in an article about political corruption.

____
Y 4. A copy of a classification chart showing different types of invertebrate animals taken from a biology
textbook.

____
Y 5. A famous photograph of soldiers returning from World War II that originally appeared in the New
York Times newspaper.

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 1

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the essay and answer the questions that follow.

Real Genius

Most parents believe that their child is special: the truth is that they are right. All children are
born with unique characteristics that distinguish them from one another. However, the fact is that
most children in the world are born with a similar level of intelligence. While it is not uncommon for a
child to have above average intelligence, it is rare for a child to qualify as a true genius. Although few
and far between, genius children do indeed exist, and they typically share several characteristics.
In order to measure the intelligence level of a child, psychologists rely on a series of tests that
calculate the child’s intelligence quotient (better known as IQ). Most children have an IQ somewhere
in the range of 85-115. A child with an IQ higher than 115 is considered “highly intelligent,” while it
takes an IQ of 130 or higher to be classified as “gifted.” The highest IQ scores on record are above
250. Some notable geniuses such as Steven Hawking and Albert Einstein scored in the 180-190 range.
While IQ tests are very unpopular among educators and parents who believe that intelligence is too
abstract to be quantified in any meaningful way, the evidence does show that the majority of children
who score high on IQ tests have a faster rate of cognitive, or brain, development than most other
children of the same age. Of course, this is not always the case. Supporters of the tests admit that
they can only measure a child’s potential for genius. There are numerous other factors than can
increase or decrease a child’s chance of developing into a true genius (Grit, 2017).
In addition to having an IQ higher than 130, genius children typically display the ability to learn
complex skills much faster and earlier in life than most other children do. In her article, Tell-tale Signs
of a Genius Child, BBC reporter Lina Serck (2012) gives some fascinating examples, including
children who start “speaking” nearly immediately after birth. Obviously, they cannot verbalize much
of anything at first, but they begin using full sentences before reaching their first birthday. Other
examples include babies of less than one year of age teaching themselves how to navigate a web
browser, two-year-old children teaching themselves to write, and three-year-old children reading
literature such as Charles Dickens. Mensa (2019), the world’s most established society of highly
intelligent people, has a checklist of characteristics that parents, educators, and psychologists look
for if they believe a child may in fact be a genius. These include an unusually good memory, an
awareness of world events, a tendency to constantly ask questions, a developed sense of humor,
musicality, and a preference for spending time with older children or adults.

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 2

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

Unfortunately, high intelligence in children can come at a price. Educational consultant Wendy
Roedell (1984) points out that, because genius children develop at a much faster rate than other
children of the same age, they may struggle to fit into the constructs of the society in which they
live. Schools are typically designed for students of average or below average intelligence and may do
little to foster the healthy development of gifted students. As a result, genius children are often left
understimulated by school which can lead to antisocial behavior. Many highly intelligent children
also feel alienated by the world around them and are unable to maintain healthy personal
relationships with others. The sense of being an outsider is often compounded by an inner drive for
perfection as well as unrealistic expectations being placed on the child by adults. This can lead to
many social and emotional disorders that can severely affect the mental health of a gifted child. Most,
however, grow up to be perfectly normal, happy, sociable adults.
Whatever definition of intelligence you use, it is undeniable that some children are born with a
unique capacity to learn. Most interestingly, this is perhaps the only characteristic that they have in
common with one another. Genius children exist among all ethnicities and nationalities. They grow
up to occupy a range of jobs from truck drivers to actors to nuclear physicists. Like all human traits,
it seems that having a high level of intelligence does not determine a child’s path in life. It is simply a
starting point from which there are countless possibilities.

References

Fox, L. H. (1981). Identification of the academically gifted. American Psychologist, 36(10),

1103-1111.

Gritt, E. (2017, November 05). These are Mensa’s 17 signs of a child genius — so how does your
kid match up? Retrieved from
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4845887/these-are-mensas-17-signs-of-a-child-genius-so-how-do
es-your-kid-match-up/

Roedell, W. (1984). Vulnerabilities of Highly Gifted Children. USA. Roeper Review.

Serck, L. (2012). Tell-tale Signs of a Genius Child. UK. BBC South.

6. What is the hook for this essay? Write it here. _______________________________

Most parents believe that their child is special: the truth is that they are right.

_____________________________________________________________________

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 3

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

7. What is the topic sentence of body paragraph 2? Write it here. __________________

_____________________________________________________________________
In order to measure the intelligence level of a child, psychologists rely on a series of tests that calculate the child’s intelligence quotient (better known as IQ). Most children have an IQ somewhere in the range of 85-115.

_____________________________________________________________________

8. What key words does the writer use from the introduction paragraph in the conclusion of this essay?
Write at least three here.

_____________________________________________________________________
intelligence, child, genius, unique, characteristic

9. How many citations are used in this essay? _________________________________

Four citations are used in this essay

10. What is the list of sources at the end of the essay called? _______________________
Reference

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete each sentence with the correct word from the box. Use a word
only once. You will not use all the words.

reveal fraction congestion linguistic premium seek pioneer

11. The traffic ________________

congestion in Los Angeles costs the average commuter at least ten hours per
week.

12. Scientist will continue to ________________

reveal answers regarding black holes for centuries to come.

13. Chameleons’ tongues can catch prey within a ________________

fraction of a second.

14. ________________
Linguistic psychologists study the neurobiological factors that affect verbal
communication.

15. The novels of Laura Ingalls Wilder tell about the ________________
pioneer way of life in the nineteenth
century United States.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the word that best completes each sentence.

____
d 16. With over 80 percent of votes already counted, the candidate had no choice but to
________________
concede the election.
a. array
b. reveal
c. master
d. concede

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 4

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

____ 17. The study ________________

b that nearly 87 percent of homeless people suffered some sort of brain
injury before becoming homeless.
a. sought
b. pointed out
c. founded
d. mastered

____ 18. With recent advancements in marine navigation, many mysteries of the ocean may soon be
________________.
b
a. pointed out
b. revealed
c. conceded
d. mastered

____ 19. The most luxurious hotels are located downtown and offer ________________
a service and
accommodation.
a. premium
b. legacy
c. intensive
d. complex

____ 20. Financial misconduct from an administration can destroy the ________________
d of even the most
distinguished universities.
a. array
b. pioneer
c. fraction
d. legacy

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the word or phrase that is most closely related to the vocabulary
word.

____
a 21. found
a. discover
b. see
c. look
d. start

____
d 22. legacy
a. history
b. beginning
c. relationship
d. wealth

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 5

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

____
a 23. seek
a. look for
b. remind
c. forget
d. define

____
d 24. reveal
a. hide
b. repeat
c. decide
d. show

____
c 25. fraction
a. circle
b. finances
c. part
d. union

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the correct word form to complete each sentence.

26. Many people feel that holidays have become overly ________________
commercialize (commercially /
commercialized).

27. Air traffic controllers monitor a vast and ________________

complex (complexity / complex) network of
flight monitoring systems.

28. The mildest form of altitude sickness is known as ________________

acute (acute / acutely) mountain
sickness.

29. The ________________

intensity (intensity / intensive) of the heat from the sun is so strong that it can be felt
millions of miles away.

30. Although the reporter expected it to be a tough question, the mayor answered it ________________
masterfully
(masterful / masterfully).

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 6

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the shorter sentences. Choose the sentence that best combines the
ideas of the shorter sentences.

____
a 31. Making decisions is a major part of the president’s job.
The decisions are difficult to make.
The president is under a lot of pressure.
a. Making difficult decisions under pressure is a major part of the president’s job.
b. A major part of the president’s job is under a lot of pressure to make difficult
decisions.

____
b 32. Software applications can save time and money.
Software applications can cause inefficiency.
Inefficiency results from using too many applications at the same time.
a. Using too many software applications can cause inefficiency while saving you
time and money.
b. While software applications can save time and money, using too many
applications can cause inefficiency.

____
a 33. Modular homes are faster to build.
Modular homes are cheaper to build.
They are made in a factory.
They are assembled on the home site.
a. Made in a factory and assembled on the home site, modular homes are faster and
cheaper to build.
b. To build modular homes, they are made faster in a factory and assembled cheaper
on the home site.

____
a 34. A wiki is a website.
The website is a knowledge base.
Wiki users modify.
Users modify from a web browser.
a. A wiki is a knowledge base website on which users modify from a web browser.
b. A wiki is a knowledge base website that users modify from a web browser.

INSTRUCTIONS: Rewrite these sentences, correcting two errors in each.

35. Before Copernicus publish his theory astronomers thought Earth was at the center of the universe.

_____________________________________________________________________
Before Copernicus published his theory, astronomers thought Earth was at the center of the universe.

_____________________________________________________________________

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 7

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

36. Our genes are made of DNA and determined things such as what color hairs and eyes a person will
have.

_____________________________________________________________________
Our genes are made of DNA and determined things such as the hair and eye color a person will have.

_____________________________________________________________________

37. Raised by a single mother, Billy the Kid moves to Kansas when he was young and then went west to
the New Mexico in 1870.

_____________________________________________________________________
Raised by a single mother, Billy the Kid moved to Kansas when he was young, and then went west to the New Mexico in 1870.

_____________________________________________________________________

38. As digital technology enable people to share information more and more rapid, the quality of
professional journalism is lowered dramatically.

_____________________________________________________________________
As digital technology enables people to share information more and more rapidly, the quality of professional journalism is lowered dramatically.

_____________________________________________________________________

39. Most people who considered color-blind can still see colors but they have difficulty seeing the
difference between them.

_____________________________________________________________________
Most people who considered as color-blind can still see colors, but they have difficulty seeing the difference between them.

_____________________________________________________________________

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 8

Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, Fifth Edition Unit 3 Test

Name: ______________________

40. INSTRUCTIONS: Write a comparison/contrast essay comparing 2 aspects of 2 different

objects:
- 2 cuisines from different countries
- 2 novel genres
- 2 types of media (electronic, print, etc.)
- 2 types of movie genres
- 2 school subjects
- 2 colours

Your task: Compare the two things you have chosen on 2 criteria (same for the 2 things).
For example:
- Cuisines: The level of spiciness and the sugar content
- Novels: How characters react in the face of danger and how the novels usually end
- Media: Ease of access and volume of information available
- Movie genres: Kind of people who watches the genre, how much money they make at the Box Office
- School subjects: How useful to have a career, how interesting
- 2 colours: How they make people feel, popularity as favourite colour

Outline to follow:
Each body paragraph (only 2 body paragraphs)
1. Topic sentence: The criterion that is being compared
2. Object #1 and the criterion with specific real-life examples
3. Object #2 and the criterion with specific real-life examples
4. Concluding sentence (summarize the paragraph) or link to the next paragraph

Certain type of media enjoys greater popularity than others. This is because they have different traits. It can relate to the
accessibility or the volume of information available. However, some of them have more in common than you might
realize. Print and electronic media are two instances of this. They are different in terms of platform and reader, but at the
same time, they shared some surprisingly similar characteristics.

The accessibility of both is the first similarity. You can access print media in terms of newspapers or magazines every
day and everywhere. These usually come from different newspaper offices and get released daily. People can order
directly and get newspapers shipped to their houses whenever there is a new one released. Same for electronic media.
People have constant access to electronic media. They only need to get online and search. News is posted every day.
People can get subscribe to get notification whenever a journalist upload something. Anyone of any age can learn new
information every day thanks to the accessibility of these two sorts of media.

They both store vast quantities of information, which is another resemblance. Print media presents a variety of
information, including breaking news, knowledge, and new products. These were published by journalists who visited
places where dramatic events occurred or for investigation. The same happens to electronic media. It has a wide range
of information like print media. They also provide details about emerging companies, well-known brands, and other topics
like finance. The reader can receive a variety of information by using these two media formats.

Print media and digital media have numerous distinctions, yet they also have many criteria, making them the most widely
used media kinds. Regarding accessibility and the amount of information available to readers, they are comparable.

© 2020 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning company 9