Writing Opinion

Respuesta correcta: A) In my view, the extra fees should be removed before the term begins.

• A) In my view, the extra fees should be removed before the term begins.Correct. 'In my view' marks the statement as the writer's judgement, and 'should' proposes an action rather than reporting one.
• B) The handbook contains a page about the extra fees.Wrong. The sentence reports the existence of a page and expresses no judgement at all.
• C) The extra fees were listed in the handbook for the term.Wrong. The sentence states that something was written, which is a verifiable fact.
• D) The extra fees were removed before the term began.Wrong. The sentence reports a completed action, which is a fact rather than an opinion.

Respuesta correcta: B) The library should extend its hours, since most students finish classes in the afternoon.

• A) The library should extend its hours, and it is a library in the city.Wrong. The second clause restates what the library is and supports nothing.
• B) The library should extend its hours, since most students finish classes in the afternoon.Correct. The reason given explains why extending the hours would be useful, since it links the change to students' real schedule.
• C) The library should extend its hours, since a library is a place with books.Wrong. The reason explains what a library is rather than why longer hours would help.
• D) The library should extend its hours, which is what the students think.Wrong. The clause reports what students think without giving a reason of its own.

Respuesta correcta: C) Admittedly the current system is cheaper, but it also serves two districts least well.

• A) The current system is cheap although the current system is not cheap.Wrong. The clause contradicts itself and concedes nothing.
• B) The current system is cheap, and the current system is also cheap.Wrong. The sentence repeats the same claim twice without conceding anything.
• C) Admittedly the current system is cheaper, but it also serves two districts least well.Correct. 'Admittedly' concedes the strength of the opposing point before 'but' turns the argument against it.
• D) The current system is cheap, so the current system should be replaced.Wrong. 'So' moves to a conclusion without acknowledging the opposing point at all.

Respuesta correcta: D) Charging for the service reduced use of it, since registrations fell by a third after the charge began.

• A) Charging for the service is bad, and everyone knows that charging is bad.Wrong. The sentence asserts a general judgement without any supporting evidence.
• B) Charging for the service is bad, because charging for the service is bad.Wrong. The sentence repeats the same claim in place of a reason.
• C) Charging for the service reduced use of it, which is obviously a bad idea.Wrong. 'Obviously' asks the reader to accept the conclusion without giving evidence.
• D) Charging for the service reduced use of it, since registrations fell by a third after the charge began.Correct. The sentence attaches a specific measurable figure to the claim, which makes the assertion checkable.

Respuesta correcta: A) Charging for the service discourages use, because a small charge becomes a barrier over a year.

• A) Charging for the service discourages use, because a small charge becomes a barrier over a year.Correct. 'Because' introduces the reason that explains why the charge discourages use.
• B) Charging for the service discourages use, because of a small charge.Wrong. 'Because of' requires a noun or gerund, and 'a small charge becomes a barrier' is a clause.
• C) Charging for the service discourages use, and a small charge is a barrier over a year.Wrong. 'And' joins two clauses without showing which explains which, so the reasoning is left implicit.
• D) Charging for the service discourages use, so a small charge becomes a barrier.Wrong. 'So' introduces a result, but the sentence makes the second clause sound like the conclusion rather than the cause.

Respuesta correcta: B) For those reasons, the council should extend the library's hours rather than leave them as they are.

• A) The library is a public building in the city centre.Wrong. The sentence adds an irrelevant fact and does not close the argument.
• B) For those reasons, the council should extend the library's hours rather than leave them as they are.Correct. 'For those reasons' explicitly gathers the arguments and restates the recommendation clearly.
• C) Some students would like the library to close earlier in the evening.Wrong. The sentence reports what some students want and does not deliver a conclusion.
• D) The council has been asked to consider the library's hours this year.Wrong. The sentence reports a procedural step rather than restating the writer's position.

Respuesta correcta: C) Topic sentence, two supporting reasons with evidence, a concession, and a concluding recommendation.

• A) A quotation, an unrelated anecdote, and a summary of the paragraph's topic sentence.Wrong. A quotation and anecdote do not develop the writer's own claim with evidence.
• B) Background information about the town, a list of dates, and a description of the building.Wrong. The outline describes a place rather than developing an argument.
• C) Topic sentence, two supporting reasons with evidence, a concession, and a concluding recommendation.Correct. This is the conventional structure of an opinion paragraph: claim, evidence, counter-argument and conclusion.
• D) Three unsupported claims, each followed by the word therefore.Wrong. The claims have no evidence, and the repeated 'therefore' adds no logical support.

Respuesta correcta: D) The building should be repaired, and the delay is not defensible.

• A) It could conceivably be argued that the building is perhaps old.Wrong. The sentence hedges twice about a matter of fact and never states an opinion at all.
• B) It might possibly be the case that the building should perhaps be considered.Wrong. The chain of hedges leaves the reader unable to tell what the writer actually thinks.
• C) Perhaps, possibly, it may conceivably be the case that the building might perhaps be worth repairing.Wrong. The sentence stacks five hedges, which makes the opinion almost impossible to identify.
• D) The building should be repaired, and the delay is not defensible.Correct. The sentence commits to a judgement and explains why the delay is not acceptable.

Respuesta correcta: A) Several schools report that later hours reduced the number of late submissions, which supports the case for the change.

• A) Several schools report that later hours reduced the number of late submissions, which supports the case for the change.Correct. The example names what the schools reported, what it measured and how it bears on the argument.
• B) The case for the change is made by schools, and the schools are several.Wrong. The sentence states that the case is made, which is a claim rather than evidence.
• C) The change is supported by the fact that schools exist.Wrong. The existence of schools is not evidence for anything about opening hours.
• D) Several schools report anything at all about hours, so they support the change.Wrong. The clause does not say what the schools reported and therefore supports nothing.

Respuesta correcta: B) The night bus is cheap, whereas the day bus runs three times as often.

• A) The night bus is cheap, whereas three times as often the day bus runs.Wrong. The second clause places an adverbial between 'whereas' and its subject.
• B) The night bus is cheap, whereas the day bus runs three times as often.Correct. 'Whereas' contrasts two clauses, and each clause here is complete and correctly ordered.
• C) The night bus is cheap, whereas three times as often runs the day bus.Wrong. 'Runs' is placed before its subject, which is not the word order after 'whereas'.
• D) The night bus is cheap, whereas runs three times as often the day bus.Wrong. The second clause separates 'whereas' from its subject, leaving the clause headless.

Respuesta correcta: C) The council approved the plan, and it asked residents to comment on it before work began.

• A) The council approved the plan, and that asked residents to comment on it before work began.Wrong. 'That' cannot refer back to perform the action of 'asked' in this construction.
• B) The council approved the plan, and the council asked residents to comment on the plan before work began.Wrong. Repeating both nouns is grammatical but heavier than necessary for a short paragraph.
• C) The council approved the plan, and it asked residents to comment on it before work began.Correct. 'It' clearly refers back to the council and 'it' at the end refers to the plan, with no ambiguity.
• D) The council approved the plan, and asked residents to comment on it before work began.Wrong. The second clause has no subject, so the sentence is not grammatical.

Respuesta correcta: D) It marks the statement as the writer's judgement and keeps a personal view distinguishable from verifiable fact.

• A) It replaces the need for evidence, since a personal view cannot be disputed.Wrong. Evidence is still required; the marker does not make a claim immune to challenge.
• B) It signals that the writer is uncertain about the facts rather than about the opinion.Wrong. The marker concerns the status of the claim as an opinion, not doubt about the facts.
• C) It makes the essay sound more personal, which is appropriate for a formal register.Wrong. A more personal tone is not the purpose of the marker in a formal essay.
• D) It marks the statement as the writer's judgement and keeps a personal view distinguishable from verifiable fact.Correct. This explains the argumentative function of the marker, which is to separate judgement from established fact.

Respuesta correcta: A) The kids from next door reckon the council is just making it up.

• A) The kids from next door reckon the council is just making it up.Correct. 'Kids', 'reckon' and the final phrase belong to an informal register that clashes with the rest of the paragraph.
• B) The young people nearby argue that no justification has been offered.Wrong. 'Argue that' is entirely appropriate in a formal discussion.
• C) The neighbours consider that the council's explanation is insufficient.Wrong. 'Consider that' is a formal way of presenting an opinion.
• D) The residents next door maintain that the council has not provided evidence.Wrong. 'Maintain' and 'consider that' are appropriate formal verbs for reporting a view.

Respuesta correcta: B) It answers the strongest opposing argument instead of restating its own claim in different words.

• A) It uses longer sentences in order to fit more of the same claim into each one.Wrong. Length alone adds nothing; the same claim in a longer sentence is still the same claim.
• B) It answers the strongest opposing argument instead of restating its own claim in different words.Correct. Addressing the strongest counter-argument shows the writer has tested the position, which is what strengthens an argument.
• C) It avoids naming anyone who disagrees with the writer.Wrong. Avoiding the opposing view hides the weakest part of the argument rather than strengthening it.
• D) It repeats its claim more often so that the reader remembers it.Wrong. Repetition of a claim does not make it more persuasive.

Respuesta correcta: C) The library, which opened in 1994, is clearly the most useful building in the district.

• A) The library opened in 1994, which is a fact that anyone can check.Wrong. The second clause comments on checkability and adds no judgement about the library's value.
• B) The library opened in 1994 and it is a building in the district.Wrong. Both clauses state verifiable facts and no judgement is expressed.
• C) The library, which opened in 1994, is clearly the most useful building in the district.Correct. The date is checkable and the superlative is a judgement, so both appear in the same sentence.
• D) The library is in the district, and the district has many libraries.Wrong. Both clauses state verifiable facts without evaluating anything.

Respuesta correcta: D) Keep the claim and the strongest piece of evidence, and cut the concession and the second reason.

• A) Keep all the material and shorten the words in each sentence instead.Wrong. Compressing wording without removing material usually harms clarity, and something still has to go.
• B) Keep the conclusion and drop every reason, since the conclusion carries the argument alone.Wrong. A conclusion with no reasons is an assertion rather than an argument.
• C) Keep the concession and both reasons, and cut the claim, since the reasons imply it.Wrong. Without the claim the reader cannot identify what is being argued.
• D) Keep the claim and the strongest piece of evidence, and cut the concession and the second reason.Correct. The claim and one piece of evidence are what make the paragraph an argument; the rest supports a complete treatment.

Respuesta correcta: A) I argued last year that the scheme was unworkable, but the new figures have changed my mind.

• A) I argued last year that the scheme was unworkable, but the new figures have changed my mind.Correct. 'Have changed my mind' states plainly that the position is now the opposite of the earlier one.
• B) I argued that the scheme was unworkable before I read the new figures last year.Wrong. The sentence orders two facts without stating any change of opinion.
• C) I argued last year that the scheme was unworkable, so the new figures confirm my view.Wrong. 'Confirm my view' extends the same position rather than reversing it.
• D) I argued last year that the scheme was unworkable, and I still argue that today.Wrong. The position is unchanged, so there is no reversal to identify.

Respuesta correcta: B) The council could extend the library hours, which would suit students better.

• A) The council could to extend the library hours, which would suit students better.Wrong. 'Could to extend' adds a second infinitive marker that modals never take.
• B) The council could extend the library hours, which would suit students better.Correct. 'Could' plus the infinitive is the standard form for a suggestion in an opinion paragraph.
• C) The council could extends the library hours, which would suit students better.Wrong. 'Extends' is a third person form that cannot follow the modal 'could'.
• D) The council might extended the library hours, which would suit students better.Wrong. 'Extended' is a past form and cannot follow the modal 'might'.

Respuesta correcta: C) The bins in the district are emptied only twice a week, which is inadequate during the warm months.

• A) The bins in the district are emptied only twice a week, which is why the council will change the schedule.Wrong. The council's decision is stated, so the solution is already present.
• B) The bins in the district are emptied only twice a week, so they should be emptied three times.Wrong. 'Should be emptied three times' proposes the remedy, so the sentence moves past the problem.
• C) The bins in the district are emptied only twice a week, which is inadequate during the warm months.Correct. The sentence establishes the problem and its inadequacy without naming any remedy.
• D) The bins in the district are emptied only twice a week, and this has been solved.Wrong. 'This has been solved' announces a resolution, which contradicts the problem the sentence states.

Respuesta correcta: D) The library was built in 1962 and needs repairs, in my view worth doing at once.

• A) The library opens at nine and closes at eight in the evening.Wrong. The sentence reports opening hours, which is factual information rather than opinion.
• B) The library stands at the end of the avenue, opposite a small park.Wrong. The sentence states where the building stands, which is description.
• C) The library was built in 1962 and has a grey concrete front with three narrow windows.Wrong. The sentence describes the building's appearance and makes no judgement.
• D) The library was built in 1962 and needs repairs, in my view worth doing at once.Correct. The sentence adds a judgement about what should be done, which is opinion rather than description.