Editing Skills - Word Choice - Answer Sheet

© 2005 UsingEnglish.com

Choose the most appropriate word for the introduction of this

composition

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The 1) medium of writing, from 2) ancient times to today, has been used as a powerful

means to divulge the writer’s aim, to 3) influence people’s ideology, to give a 4) moral

lesson, and for many other reasons. The power of the pen, if used skilfully, can arouse

revolutionary ideals, love and hatred. It can 5) raise people to heights and throw them

into the limelight or, on the other hand, throw them into misery and dishonour by

stripping them of all their fame.

A good, modern, and recent example could be Storace, the president of The Italian

region of Lazio and member of Alleanza Nazionale, who tried to ban all 6) historical

textbooks written by Marxists from Italian high-schools, as he thought that the ideas in

these books could corrupt and influence the younger generation’s understanding of the

7) contemporary history of Italy.

Similarly, many of the 8) ancient writers had a specific aim and purpose, and show a

strong bias in their works. Thus my task in writing this essay will be, firstly to

understand myself what the aims of two Augustan writers were; Caesar and Livy, in the

De Bello Gallico, for the former; and in the Ab Urbe Condita, for the 9) latter.

Secondly, I will try to give an overview of these aims.

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This is taken, with permission and a lot of gratitude, from a composition by a former student.