This set has ten original questions, ordered from easier to harder. They mix the five skills from paragraph cohesion: pronoun reference, transitions, topic sentences, repetition between paragraphs and shifts in viewpoint.
Write your own answer before opening each explanation.
There are no mark labels, so judge yourself on one thing: would a reader who has only the page understand the link? Many questions have more than one good answer, so compare the reasoning, not the exact wording. The writing revision compare view and the mistake log and retest queue are useful for recording what you find.
Questions
1. Rewrite so the pronoun is clear: “Dina told Mei that she had left her bag on the bus.”
Show answer
“She” and “her” could each be Dina or Mei. Decide and say it: “Dina told Mei, ‘I left my bag on the bus.’” or “Dina told Mei that Mei had left her bag on the bus.” Direct speech is a clean way to remove doubt.
2. Choose a transition for the gap: “The shop ran out of stock by noon. ______ it closed early.”
Show answer
Closing early follows from running out, so this is cause and result: “As a result,” or “Consequently,”. However would wrongly signal contrast.
3. Which opening sentence connects more closely to the task “Explain why young people should learn to cook”? (a) Kitchens come in many shapes and sizes. (b) Cooking teaches young people to look after themselves before they leave home.
Show answer
(b). It gives a reason that answers the question and uses its key idea (young people, cooking). Sentence (a) is true but not about the task.
4. Find the shift and repair it: “When a driver is tired, you should stop and rest.”
Show answer
It moves from “a driver” to “you”. Repair: “When a driver is tired, he or she should stop and rest.” or “When drivers are tired, they should stop and rest.” The second version avoids the awkward “he or she”.
5. What is unclear? “The teacher gave the students a worksheet and a book, and they found it useful.”
Show answer
“It” could mean the worksheet, the book or both, and “they” may refer to the students or be read more loosely. Decide what was useful: “The students found the worksheet useful.” If both were useful, write “found both useful”.
6. Fix the tense shift: “Last Sunday we visited the old fort. Our guide tells us that it was built long ago, and we listen carefully.”
Show answer
The story is in the past, but “tells” and “listen” are present. Repair: “Our guide told us that it had been built long ago, and we listened carefully.” Note that “was built” becomes “had been built”, because the building happened before the guide spoke.
7. Two adjacent paragraphs in an essay on cycling to school. Paragraph A ends: “Cycling therefore keeps students fit.” Paragraph B begins: “Students who cycle also stay healthy, since the exercise is good for the body.” What is the fault? How would you repair paragraph B’s opening?
Show answer
Paragraph B repeats the idea of A (fitness and health are the same point) and “also” promises something new. Give B a new job, such as cost or time: “Cycling also saves families money, because there is no bus fare or fuel to pay for.” It now adds a fresh reason.
8. Each pair needs a link. Name the relationship and choose a transition. (a) “Amin studied very little. ______ he passed easily.” (b) “The museum is open on weekdays. ______ it closes on public holidays.”
Show answer
(a) The result goes against expectation, so it is contrast: “Even so,” or “However,”. (b) The second sentence limits the first, which is also contrast or exception: “However,” or “But it”. A common wrong answer for (a) is “Therefore”, which suggests that studying little caused the pass.
9. This paragraph has three faults. Find and repair them.
A good neighbour keeps the noise down. You should also greet people politely. One can tell that they are happy to live there. It is nice when someone does this.
Show answer
Faults: (1) the viewpoint shifts from “a good neighbour” to “you” to “one”; (2) “they” is unclear, as it could mean the neighbours or the people greeted; (3) “this” in the last sentence has no clear target. A repair: “A good neighbour keeps the noise down and greets people politely. Such a neighbour makes the people nearby happy to live there. That courtesy costs nothing and is always noticed.” Each fix keeps one viewpoint and names the noun after “that”.
10. Here are the topic sentences of four paragraphs in an essay arguing that every school should have a vegetable garden. Which one drifts, and what would you do with it? (1) A garden teaches students where food comes from. (2) Working outdoors gives students a break from screens. (3) The canteen menu has changed many times this year. (4) Shared tasks in the garden build teamwork between classes.
Show answer
Sentence 3 drifts: it is about the canteen menu and does not give a reason for a garden. Either cut the paragraph or link it, for example “Growing vegetables on site could give the canteen fresher ingredients for its menu.” The other three each give a separate benefit, which is what topic sentences in this essay should do.
If you got these wrong
Use the pattern of your errors to choose the lesson to revisit.
| If you slipped on | Return to |
|---|---|
| Questions 1, 5 and the “this” or “they” in question 9 | maintain clear pronoun reference |
| Questions 2 and 8 | use transitions that express the actual relationship |
| Questions 3 and 10 | connect topic sentences with the task |
| Question 7 | remove repetition across adjacent paragraphs |
| Questions 4, 6 and the viewpoint fault in question 9 | repair a sudden shift in viewpoint |
When you mark yourself, write down the type of slip as well as the question number. If the same type appears twice, that is the skill to practise next.
Once this set feels comfortable, move on to sentence control. If you want someone to look at your own paragraphs and not only the ones here, that is what online one-to-one English First Language tuition is for.