Major Works and Minor Works Quiz With Answers

M is for MAJOR WORKS AND MINOR WORKS!

Are you as ready to move on from this topic as I am? With teaching it to one hundred students last week and writing about it here several times, I am just about "major and minored" out! However, we can't leave such a misunderstood topic without a quiz!

So here you go.....Decide in each sentence provide whether the title is a major work or minor work. (Answers below.)



1. I used the encyclopedia essay titled Mammals for my report.

2. I just got a new cd called Ballads for the Ballroom. (That sounds like a good idea--I should do that!)

3. Have you ever read the book The Red Badge of Courage?

4. My favorite dance song on my new cd is Could I Have This Dance?

5. She assigned five chapters this week, starting with Non-Essential Information. (You guess it, LL readers--that is what we are going to study this week on here!)

6. They said we could consult Wikipedia, but we aren't allowed to cite it.

7. Our new favorite boxed television show is Person of Interest.

8. I haven't received a Reader's Digest magazine in years.

9. My favorite composition series is Meaningful Composition.

10. I am using their bonus book right now, called The SAT Essay and Other Timed Writing.

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ANSWERS! Major Works are shown with Italics; Minor Works are shown with quotation marks. Explanations are in parentheses following each sentence.



1. I used the encyclopedia essay titled, "Mammals," for my report. (Encyclopedia essay title is a Minor Work--found within the encyclopedia, whose title is a Major Work.)

2. I just got a new cd called Ballads for the Ballroom. (Musical compilation titles are Major Works--the song titles on/in the compilation are Minor Works.)

3. Have you ever read the book The Red Badge of Courage? (Book titles are Major Works--the chapter titles within the book are Minor Works.)

4. My favorite dance song on my new cd is "Could I Have This Dance?" (Song titles are Minor Works--the title of the songbook or cd that contains the song is the Major Work.)

5. She assigned five chapters this week, starting with "Non-Essential Information." (Chapter titles are Minor Works--the title of the book containing the chapters is the Major Work.)

6. They said we could consult Wikipedia, but we aren't allowed to cite it. (Encyclopedia titles are Major Works--the titles of the essays within the encyclopedia are Minor Works.)

7. Our new favorite boxed television show is Person of Interest. (Television show titles are Major Works--the titles of the scenes or chapters within the program are Minor Works.)

8. I haven't received a Reader's Digest magazine in years. (Magazine or journal titles are Major Works--the titles of the articles within the magazine/journal are Minor Works.)

9. My favorite composition series is Meaningful Composition. (Book titles are Major Works--the chapters within the book are Minor Works.)

10. I am using their bonus book right now, called The SAT Essay and Other Timed Writing. (Book titles are Major Works--the chapters within the book are Minor Works.)

Think Fast Answer Key

Think Fast Answer Key available to download in PDF.


https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9s1gDz0XKhwVW9YcDRpSHpHZU0/edit?usp=sharing

Q and A: Colons

"Sometimes I see colons used before quotes; other times I see them used before lists. Which is correct? How do I know when a colon is the right punctuation mark?"

Just taught this yesterday to a dozen kids preparing for the SAT--and I'll be teaching it again tomorrow to a dozen more who are preparing for the SAT. I will tell you what I told them:

1. You want to learn how to use colons. That skill will make you look smart since so few people know how to use them properly!


2. You should always have a complete sentence on the left side of the colon:

a. This means that it CAN be used following a speech tag (before your quoted words) IF the speech tag is a complete sentence:

      i. Yes: HE SPOKE WORDS OF COMFORT: "You can get through this. You are strong. I know you can make it." (Words on the left of the colon could stand alone; you could place a period there, and it would be a real, complete sentence.)

    ii. No: HE SAID: "You can get through this. You are strong. I know you can make it."

b. This means that it CAN be used to introduce a list IF the introduction to the list is a complete sentence:

     i. Yes: I NEED SEVERAL THINGS FROM THE STORE: milk, bread, eggs, and bananas.

     ii. No: I NEED TO GET: milk, bread, eggs, and bananas.

c. This means that it CAN be used to ask a rhetorical question IF the words preceding the colon make up a complete sentence:

  i. Yes: WE LOOKED FOR HIM EVERYWHERE: suddenly he appeared!

  ii. No: WE LOOKED AND: suddenly he appeared!


3. A colon should NEVER follow two types+ of words:

a. An action verb used as an action verb. No: SHE WANTED US TO GIVE: money, time, and household goods.

b. A preposition used as a preposition: No: SHE ASKED US TO: come early, stay late, and work non-stop.

+When a sentence ends in an action verb or a preposition, that word usually makes the sentence into a non-sentence (i.e. you can't put a period there and call it a real sentence): She asked us to.



4. Colon use is often subjective in technical writing, such as text books, blogs (!), and other places where they are used to teach or expound upon topics in list form, etc.

The Oxford Comma--Cute!