College Composition / Unit 20 CMP 0492 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Common Traps in Revision Choices
The idea
A handful of recurring traps account for most wrong revision choices, and knowing them helps you test every option.
In practice
Learn the traps. First, the smooth wrong transition: a connecting word that sounds natural but claims the wrong relationship. Second, the overclaim: a version that states a cause, a certainty or a universal the passage does not support. Third, the interesting irrelevance: an added sentence that is true and engaging but serves a different point. Fourth, the wordy correct version: grammatical but padded with filler. Fifth, the shifted tone or person: a choice that drops into slang or into you in a formal passage. Sixth, the needless change: altering a sentence that was already the best choice.
Where people slip
Every trap looks acceptable at a glance. The defense is the same each time: name the passage's purpose, state what the sentence must do, and test each option against that, not against your ear alone.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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