Writing Opinion Paragraph

Respuesta correcta: D) In my view, homework in the final year should be reduced, because it competes with study and family time.

• A) There are several arguments about homework that people discuss at length every year.No. This sentence announces a subject rather than a position, so the reader cannot tell what the writer intends to argue.
• B) Homework is a thing that students all over the world receive in many different forms.No. The sentence describes homework without taking any position on it, so it cannot open an argument.
• C) In the past, homework was given much more often than it is now in most schools.No. This is a statement about the past and gives no indication of what the writer thinks should happen.
• D) In my view, homework in the final year should be reduced, because it competes with study and family time.Correct! The position is stated in the first clause and the reason follows immediately, which is what a topic sentence of an opinion paragraph has to do.

Respuesta correcta: B) I believe public libraries should open later on Saturdays, mainly because working adults have no other free access to books.

• A) Weekends are the part of the week when most people have free time.No. This is true in general but it takes no position on opening hours, so it cannot guide the argument that follows.
• B) I believe public libraries should open later on Saturdays, mainly because working adults have no other free access to books.Correct! It states the opinion in the first clause and gives a main reason, which is exactly what the topic sentence of this paragraph requires.
• C) Some people think that libraries should not open at all on Sundays.No. This reports somebody else's view and leaves the writer's own opinion entirely unstated.
• D) The question of library opening hours has been discussed by councils for many years.No. The sentence describes the existence of a debate rather than entering it, so the paragraph would have no position to develop.

Respuesta correcta: B) Schools should start later because adolescents who sleep longer in the morning concentrate better in class.

• A) There are some reasons why school start times might be discussed in different countries.No. The hedging in 'might be discussed' removes the position entirely, and a paragraph built on this sentence could go in any direction.
• B) Schools should start later because adolescents who sleep longer in the morning concentrate better in class.Correct! It asserts what should happen, gives the reason immediately and makes the whole paragraph answerable.
• C) Some students and some teachers have different opinions about morning classes.No. This sentence reports disagreement without taking a side, so it cannot serve as the foundation of an argument.
• D) Later start times are a policy that several schools have already tried at least once.No. The sentence points to examples instead of arguing for anything, and examples cannot replace the claim they are supposed to support.

Respuesta correcta: C) A student who is silent for a whole term may still be the one who understands the lesson best.

• A) In conclusion, participation marks are unfair and schools should abandon them immediately.No. This introduces a conclusion inside the body of the paragraph and repeats the opinion, which leaves the argument without support.
• B) The word participation comes from the Latin language and originally had a different meaning.No. The history of the word is irrelevant to the argument about grading, so this sentence adds nothing the reader needs.
• C) A student who is silent for a whole term may still be the one who understands the lesson best.Correct! It develops the writer's position with a reason of its own, so it strengthens the argument instead of merely repeating it.
• D) There are many different ways of participating in a class, and each of them is valid.No. The sentence is true but it takes no side and supports no claim, so the paragraph loses its direction here.

Respuesta correcta: D) A separated lane on the avenue would remove most of the conflicts between cars and bicycles.

• A) It is clear that the roads near my school are dangerous for anyone on a bicycle.No. This restates the topic of the paragraph with a judgement attached, but it adds no reason that would make the case any stronger.
• B) I strongly believe that nothing will change until drivers are taught to watch for bicycles.No. The sentence states another position and adds a condition, so it competes with the main claim instead of supporting it.
• C) Cycling to school is something that many students already enjoy very much.No. The sentence describes an attitude rather than giving a ground for the claim, so it cannot serve as support in an argument.
• D) A separated lane on the avenue would remove most of the conflicts between cars and bicycles.Correct! It supplies a concrete measure that makes the writer's position credible, so it functions as a reason in support of it.

Respuesta correcta: D) Because the risks of fraud are manageable and the benefits for remote students are not, supervised exams should remain the norm.

• A) Online examinations are a topic that has been discussed a great deal in recent years.No. This introduces the subject again and closes nothing; a conclusion has to look forward or settle the argument, not restate its topic.
• B) There are also several universities in other countries that use online examinations every semester.No. A new example at the end of the paragraph adds information without drawing anything to a close.
• C) I do not think that this question can be answered in a simple way for every subject.No. The sentence withdraws from the position rather than defending it, and a conclusion cannot be an admission that the argument was not made.
• D) Because the risks of fraud are manageable and the benefits for remote students are not, supervised exams should remain the norm.Correct! It returns to the position, weighs the two sides explicitly and closes the argument with a clear recommendation.

Respuesta correcta: C) Critics argue that financial lessons take time from languages and sciences, a concern that deserves an answer.

• A) Anyone who disagrees with this proposal simply has not thought about the problem carefully enough.No. This attacks the reader instead of the argument, which closes the discussion rather than opening it fairly.
• B) Opponents of the proposal never present any evidence, and that shows how weak their position is.No. The sentence claims that opponents have no evidence without saying what they actually argue, so no real position is on the table.
• C) Critics argue that financial lessons take time from languages and sciences, a concern that deserves an answer.Correct! It reports the opposing ground in the writer's own terms and signals that it will be dealt with rather than dismissed.
• D) There are not many subjects in the curriculum that are less useful than anything to do with money.No. The sentence is a vague dismissal rather than a statement of what the opposing view is, and it cannot be answered point by point.

Respuesta correcta: A) Because

• A) BecauseCorrect! It states the link directly, showing that the opinion holds on account of the reason that follows.
• B) HoweverNo. 'However' marks a contrast, and the first reason supports the opinion rather than opposing it.
• C) NeverthelessNo. This word also signals contrast, so it would make a supporting sentence read as an unexpected turn.
• D) OtherwiseNo. 'Otherwise' introduces a bad consequence if something does not happen, which does not describe a supporting reason.

Respuesta correcta: D) Although

• A) BecauseNo. 'Because' would make the following clause a reason that supports the writer, which is the opposite of a concession.
• B) ThereforeNo. 'Therefore' marks a result, so the clause after it would be presented as following from the opinion rather than opposing it.
• C) For exampleNo. 'For example' introduces an instance, and an instance is not a point that the writer then disagrees with.
• D) AlthoughCorrect! It introduces a fact that the writer accepts while going on to reject its conclusion, which is the standard form of a concession.

Respuesta correcta: B) I believe students should choose their own subjects. My main reason is that a fixed choice hides abilities that nobody noticed at the start.

• A) I believe students should choose freely. Others argue that the opposite is more realistic.No. The paragraph changes voice in the second sentence and hands the argument over to other people instead of defending the writer's view.
• B) I believe students should choose their own subjects. My main reason is that a fixed choice hides abilities that nobody noticed at the start.Correct! Both sentences are in the same first person voice and the second develops the position stated in the first.
• C) Students should choose freely, according to this report. Other students say that they prefer to be advised instead.No. The first sentence hides the writer behind a report and the second introduces another group, so no single voice carries the paragraph.
• D) We all know that free choice is unfair to schools. Some of us think it should be limited.No. The opening is a general claim with no position behind it, and the second sentence adds an unnamed group rather than an argument.

Respuesta correcta: A) Schools that prepare pupils for a digital workplace, rather than schools that merely mention computers, are the ones that will be ready for what comes next.

• A) Schools that prepare pupils for a digital workplace, rather than schools that merely mention computers, are the ones that will be ready for what comes next.Correct! It closes by returning to the distinction the argument rests on and extends it, which leaves the reader with the writer's point of view intact.
• B) In conclusion, computing is a subject like many others in the school curriculum.No. The sentence places computing on a level with other subjects, which contradicts the whole argument that more lessons are needed.
• C) To sum up, there are many schools in the country that already teach computing.No. Ending on the existence of examples leaves the reader without a conclusion about what should be done.
• D) Finally, it should be said that the topic of computing in schools is a difficult one.No. Calling the topic difficult adds no position and hands the reader a conclusion that is weaker than the argument already made.

Respuesta correcta: C) In one school, a class that had to build a model of the local reservoir together produced a better final project than any individual submission that year.

• A) Some educators have said for years that group work is difficult to organise properly.No. The sentence reports what others have said and offers no case, so it neither supports nor refutes the position.
• B) The phrase group project has been used in schools for many decades.No. This is a fact about wording rather than about learning, so it contributes nothing to the argument.
• C) In one school, a class that had to build a model of the local reservoir together produced a better final project than any individual submission that year.Correct! It gives a concrete case with a comparison, and the comparison is what connects the case to the claim being defended.
• D) Group projects are not always easy to grade fairly for every teacher.No. The sentence raises a practical difficulty without showing how it affects what students learn, which is the question the paragraph argues about.

Respuesta correcta: C) Holiday homework should be short and optional, because its purpose during a break is to maintain a habit rather than to cover new content.

• A) Homework during holidays is a subject on which people often have strong feelings.No. The sentence reports the existence of feelings and states none, so nothing in the paragraph could support or contradict it.
• B) It is possible that some homework in the holidays is unnecessary for some pupils in some families.No. Three hedges in one sentence remove the commitment, and a paragraph built on it could argue in any direction without contradiction.
• C) Holiday homework should be short and optional, because its purpose during a break is to maintain a habit rather than to cover new content.Correct! It states the position, restricts it to short and optional work, and gives the purpose that justifies the restriction.
• D) Every teacher in every country has to decide whether to give holiday homework or not.No. This is a description of a decision other people face, and the writer takes no position on what the decision should be.

Respuesta correcta: D) If phones were allowed throughout the timetable, teachers would spend more time managing devices than teaching.

• A) Phones are objects that many students carry every day without any difficulty.No. The sentence is a neutral observation and it neither supports the position nor follows from it.
• B) In the past, some schools used to allow phones in the corridors between lessons.No. A reference to a former practice adds no argument about the practice under discussion.
• C) Phones, like many electronic devices, are objects that most families can afford.No. The sentence turns to the cost of devices, which is a different question from the effect of phones on teaching.
• D) If phones were allowed throughout the timetable, teachers would spend more time managing devices than teaching.Correct! The conditional connects the proposal to its result, so the consequence becomes the reason the position is held.

Respuesta correcta: A) A canteen can earn more from a dish that is bought often than from an expensive dish that is bought rarely.

• A) A canteen can earn more from a dish that is bought often than from an expensive dish that is bought rarely.Correct! It answers the objection with a general principle about income, so the reader can see why more vegetarian options need not reduce profit.
• B) Many families in the country prefer buying food from outside the school.No. The sentence describes a general habit and says nothing about the canteen's own income.
• C) Vegetarian food is a kind of food that many people around the world eat every day.No. The sentence is too general to answer a question about the finances of one particular canteen.
• D) The canteen of our school has been open for many years and serves the whole school.No. The sentence describes the canteen without addressing how it could be affected by a change in its menu.

Respuesta correcta: C) A textbook that cannot be opened on a rainy afternoon without a battery in the room is not a textbook in any useful sense.

• A) Digital textbooks are a relatively recent invention in the history of education.No. The sentence is neutral and historical, so it neither supports the opposition nor appears anywhere in an argument for it.
• B) Some parents and some teachers have mentioned the subject of digital books more than once.No. The sentence reports who has spoken without stating what they said, and it hides the writer's own position.
• C) A textbook that cannot be opened on a rainy afternoon without a battery in the room is not a textbook in any useful sense.Correct! It argues from a consequence that the writer is willing to defend, which keeps the position present at every stage of the paragraph.
• D) There is a large amount of printed material still available in schools today.No. The sentence notes the existence of printed material but draws no conclusion from it, so it adds no force to the opposition.

Respuesta correcta: A) A leader who cannot be contradicted in a staff meeting cannot discover what the school is getting wrong.

• A) A leader who cannot be contradicted in a staff meeting cannot discover what the school is getting wrong.Correct! It develops the position from a different angle, showing a consequence rather than restating the claim about leadership.
• B) School leadership is a role that has existed in every school system for a long time.No. The sentence is a historical observation and contributes no argument about the qualities the leader should have.
• C) There are many different words in English that describe the qualities of a person in charge of others.No. The sentence is about vocabulary and does nothing to support the list of qualities being defended.
• D) In conclusion, the position of a school leader is one of the most discussed roles in education today.No. A conclusion placed in the middle of the paragraph ends the discussion before the argument is complete.

Respuesta correcta: B) A student who sees a low mark may lose interest in the subject for the rest of the year.

• A) A student who receives an early result has more time to ask for help before the next examination.No. This supports the position by giving the concrete benefit that publication produces for a student.
• B) A student who sees a low mark may lose interest in the subject for the rest of the year.Correct! It gives a genuine reason against the position, so a paragraph defending publication would have to answer it.
• C) Parents who see a result can discuss the next steps with the teacher at the meeting.No. This reinforces the position by showing who else benefits and for what reason.
• D) A school that keeps results private may leave families unable to judge the teaching they are paying for.No. The sentence strengthens the argument by describing what secrecy costs the families who fund the school.

Respuesta correcta: A) Opponents hold that timetable conflicts within a year group come from habits rather than from the order of lessons.

• A) Opponents hold that timetable conflicts within a year group come from habits rather than from the order of lessons.Correct! It states the opposing ground in terms a reader can evaluate, which is what a fair presentation requires.
• B) No reasonable person could argue that students should be consulted about the timetable.No. This dismisses the opposite view without stating it, which is not a fair presentation and gives the reader nothing to weigh.
• C) Only students who dislike timetables would want to change them.No. The sentence attacks the motives of hypothetical opponents and leaves their actual reasoning unstated.
• D) Consulting students about the timetable is clearly a bad idea that should be stopped.No. This is the writer's own position stated negatively, not the position of somebody else.

Respuesta correcta: B) For instance

• A) In conclusionNo. A conclusion placed here would close the paragraph before the example that supports it.
• B) For instanceCorrect! It introduces a particular case that illustrates the general claim without adding a new position.
• C) HoweverNo. 'However' marks a contrast, and an example of the same claim does not contradict it.
• D) ThereforeNo. 'Therefore' marks a result and would claim that the case follows logically from the claim rather than illustrating it.