Production of Writing
Whether a sentence belongs, what a passage is for, and how ideas connect with transitions.
What it tests
Production of Writing is about the big picture. Does a sentence belong in the paragraph? Does the essay do what the writer wanted? Do the ideas connect in a logical order with the right transitions? You are thinking like the writer’s editor, not a grammar checker.
How it shows up
- The English test is 50 questions in 35 minutes — about 40 seconds per question — spread over several short essays. Each question points at an underlined part of the essay (or a numbered box) and gives four choices.
- Production of Writing is one of the two largest English categories.
- Many of these have a question stem: “Which choice most effectively introduces…?”, “Should the writer make this addition?”, “For the sake of logic, Sentence 3 should be placed…”, or “Suppose the writer’s primary purpose had been…”.
- Transition questions underline a word or phrase like However, Therefore or For example.
- Add/delete questions give two “Yes, because…” and two “No, because…” choices — the reason matters as much as the yes or no.
Key rules & concepts
The content you actually need to know.
Relevance: does it belong?
- A sentence belongs only if it supports the paragraph’s specific focus — not just the general topic of the essay.
- Delete (or don’t add) a sentence that goes off-topic, repeats something already said, or contradicts the paragraph.
- An interesting fact can still be irrelevant. “Interesting” is not the same as “on-topic.”
Yes/No + reason questions
- Step 1: decide yes or no based on relevance to the paragraph’s point.
- Step 2: check the reason. The reason has to accurately describe what the sentence actually does.
- Cross out any reason that is false about the sentence, even if the yes/no part is right.
Transitions — decide the relationship first
Cover the transition, read the sentence before it and the sentence it starts, and label the relationship.
- Same direction / adding: also, in addition, furthermore, similarly, likewise.
- Contrast: however, but, yet, nevertheless, instead, on the other hand, still.
- Cause → result: therefore, thus, as a result, consequently, so.
- Example: for example, for instance.
- Time / sequence: then, meanwhile, later, afterward, finally.
- Clarify / emphasize: in other words, in fact, indeed.
- Sometimes no transition is best. If the choice includes “OMIT” or “DELETE,” consider whether the sentences connect naturally without one.
Organization and sentence order
- Look for clues: a pronoun (she, this, these) needs its noun to appear earlier; time words (first, later, finally) signal order.
- An introductory sentence previews what the paragraph is about; a concluding sentence wraps it up or links back to the main idea.
- For “where should this sentence go?”, try it in each spot and check what comes right before and right after.
Writer’s goal questions
- Read the stated goal word for word. The essay must match ALL of it.
- Answer based on what the essay actually does, not what it could have done.
- The correct reason usually summarizes the essay’s real focus.
“Which choice most effectively…” questions
- Every choice is usually grammatical and true. Only one does the exact job named in the question.
- Underline the job: introduce, conclude, emphasize, illustrate, show contrast, set up the next paragraph.
Strategy & traps
Step by step
- 1Read the question stem first and underline the job the answer must do.
- 2Sum up the paragraph’s main point in five words or fewer.
- 3For transitions, cover the underlined word and label the relationship (same, contrast, cause, example, time).
- 4For add/delete, decide relevance first, then pick the reason that truthfully matches the sentence.
- 5Choose the option that does the job — even if another option is more interesting.
Interesting but irrelevant
A cool fact that drifts from the paragraph’s specific focus is still wrong.
Right answer, wrong reason
“Yes” may be correct, but if the reason misdescribes the sentence, the choice is wrong.
Close-but-wrong transitions
“However” and “Therefore” are opposites in logic. Always name the relationship before looking at the choices.
Worked examples
Try each one first, then reveal the solution.
Example 1
An octopus has no bones, so it can squeeze through a gap barely wider than its eyes. Therefore, it is surprisingly strong: a large octopus can pull with a force many times its own body weight.
Which choice is correct?
- ANO CHANGE
- BFor example,
- CDespite its soft body,
- DIn other words,
Example 2
[1] In 1903, the town of Millbrook had no public library. [2] That year, residents held bake sales and a Saturday market every week to raise money for one. [3] By 1906, they had collected enough to buy a building on Main Street and fill it with nearly two thousand books.
The writer is considering adding the following sentence after Sentence 2: “Bake sales remain popular fundraisers for schools today.” Should the writer make this addition?
- AYes, because it shows that bake sales are an effective way to raise money.
- BYes, because it explains how the library was funded.
- CNo, because it strays from the paragraph’s focus on how Millbrook got its library.
- DNo, because it contradicts the claim that residents raised money for the library.
Example 3
[1] ________ [2] First, she mixes the masa with warm water until it feels like soft clay. [3] Next, she presses each ball of dough flat between two sheets of plastic. [4] Finally, she cooks the tortillas on a hot comal, flipping each one exactly twice.
Which choice most effectively introduces the paragraph?
- AMy grandmother was born in Oaxaca in 1948.
- BMaking tortillas the way my grandmother does takes three careful steps.
- CTortillas can be made from corn or from wheat flour.
- DMany people prefer to buy tortillas at the store.
Practice
Pick an answer for instant feedback. Answers lock once chosen.
Question 1
Our team expected the balsa-wood bridge to hold at least 20 kilograms. In addition, it collapsed under just 12.
Which choice is correct?
Question 2
[1] When a honeybee finds a good patch of flowers, it returns to the hive and performs a “waggle dance.” [2] The angle of the dance tells other bees which direction to fly, and the length of each waggle tells them how far. [3] Beeswax is also used to make candles and lip balm. [4] Within minutes, dozens of bees can be headed straight for the new flowers.
The writer is considering deleting Sentence 3. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?
Question 3
Every Saturday that summer, my father jogged beside me as I wobbled down the path at Lincoln Park. He held the back of my seat and promised not to let go. On the fifth Saturday, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him standing thirty feet behind me, waving. I had been riding on my own for a whole minute without knowing it.
Suppose the writer’s primary purpose had been to explain how the bicycle changed transportation in American cities. Would this essay accomplish that purpose?
Question 4
[1] Last spring, our science class decided to build a weather station on the school roof. [2] Once the station was running, we posted the daily readings on the school website. [3] First, we had to convince the principal that the roof was safe to visit. [4] After she agreed, we spent three weekends assembling the sensors.
For the sake of logic, Sentence 2 should be placed:
Question 5
Five years ago, the city of Harlow Falls began planting shade trees along its hottest streets. Researchers measured sidewalk temperatures on those blocks before and after. On blocks where the trees had grown tall, the sidewalks were up to 15 degrees cooler on summer afternoons. ________
Which choice most effectively concludes the paragraph by connecting back to its main idea?