[CliffsTestPrep] American BookWorks Corporation - CliffsTestPrep PCAT_ 5 Practice Tests (2006, Cliffs Notes)

Part I: Introduction
Computers and word processors have made the drafting process physically easier. Some writers do all their editing and
revision on the screen, printing out only final versions. Others find it useful to print out drafts and save sections that
have been removed in case they will be returned to the text. Other writers may print out a draft and write in the revisions
until each sentence is perfect, but this kind of labor is relatively uncommon. Whichever method a writer uses, that
does not eliminate the difficult and thoughtful part of drafting—deciding what changes to make.
Experienced writers often find that after the shape and content of the paper have been determined in a second draft, in
the third draft they reword phrases and sentences.
The exception to the rule about first drafts is in timed writing assignments like the PCAT, for which you may have time
for only one draft. Spend a few moments planning your answer, noting examples you intend to use, and then move
ahead. Graders of these assignments are looking for substance, support for the thesis, and clear organization.
The Paragraph
A paragraph develops one idea with a series of logically connected sentences. Most paragraphs function as small essays
themselves, each with a main topic (stated or implied) and several related sentences that support it.
How many paragraphs do you need in your paper? That depends on your content and thesis and the assignment. That
an essay consists of five paragraphs, an introduction, three paragraphs of examples, and a conclusion is a formula only
used by beginners. You will probably read no texts that follow this pattern. You may well have more than three examples
or points to make, and you may have an example or point that requires several paragraphs of development in itself.
Do not limit yourself. Let your particular topic and supporting points guide you in creating your paragraphs.
Paragraph Length
Paragraphs vary in length. For example, short paragraphs (one to three sentences) are used in newspaper stories where
the emphasis is on reporting information without discussion, or in technical writing where the emphasis is on presenting
facts such as statistics and measurements without analysis. Written dialogue also consists of short paragraphs, with
a new paragraph for each change of speaker. In an essay, a short paragraph can also be effectively used for dramatic
effect or transition. Generally, however, avoid a series of very short paragraphs in your essays. They suggest poor development
of an idea.
On the other hand, paragraphs a page or more in length are difficult for most readers, who like to see a subject divided
into shorter segments. Look carefully at long paragraphs to see whether you have gone beyond covering one idea or are
guilty of repetition, wordiness, or rambling. Do not arbitrarily split a long paragraph in half by indenting a particular sentence,
however. Make sure that each paragraph meets the requirement of a single main idea with sentences that support it.
Paragraph Unity
A unified paragraph is one that focuses on one idea and one idea only. Look at the following example of a paragraph
that lacks unity.
Identification of particular genes can lead to better medicine. For example, recently, scientists identified a defective
gene that appears to cause hemochromatosis, or iron overload. Iron overload is fairly easily cured if it is
recognized and treated early, but currently it is often misdiagnosed because it mimics more familiar conditions.
The problem is that when not treated in time, iron overload leads to a variety of diseases, from diabetes to liver
cancer. The identification of the faulty gene can prevent misdiagnosis by allowing physicians, through a screening
test, to identify patients who carry it and treat them before the condition becomes too advanced. It is interesting
that most people do not realize the exact role of iron in the body. They know that it is important for their
health, but few are aware that only about 10 percent of the iron in food is normally absorbed by the small intestine.
Most of the rest is tied up in hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs.
The first sentence of the paragraph presents the main idea that identification of genes leads to improved medical care. This
idea is developed by the example of how the identification of a gene causing iron overload can lead to better diagnosis and
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