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Writing Competencies Tested on the PAPA
The PAPA Writing subtest consists of a 36 item multiple-choice test, two sentence correction assignments, and one constructed-response assignment. The skills addressed in this subtest require demonstration of the ability to write effectively at the college level.
An outline showing the objectives and descriptive statements is shown below. Each part includes one or more objectives and is expanded upon by descriptive statements. Descriptive statements provide examples of the range, type, and level of content that may appear on the test for questions measuring the objective.
0011 Understand Effective Writing
- revising text to introduce and conclude ideas effectively
- revising text to coordinate and subordinate ideas effectively
- revising text to create or improve the parallel structure of words, phrases, or ideas
- revising text to achieve the effective placement and emphasis of important words, phrases, or ideas
0012 Understand Clear, Concise, and Coherent Writing
- recognizing clear and concise position statements, topic sentences, and propositions
- revising text to achieve the logical development of a main idea (e.g., reorganizing sentences within a paragraph, selecting effective supporting details, using transitional words and phrases)
- revising text to achieve precise and appropriate language usage (e.g., replacing misused words and phrases; replacing vague expressions with concrete, specific language)
- revising text to eliminate wordiness, redundancy, and distracting or extraneous information
- revising text to eliminate misplaced or dangling modifiers, ambiguous or awkward pronoun references, and shifts in tense or mood
0013 Understand Grammatical Writing
- applying knowledge of the standard use of nouns and pronouns
- applying knowledge of the standard use of verbs
- applying knowledge of the standard use of adjectives and adverbs
- applying knowledge of subject–verb agreement and pronoun–antecedent agreement
- applying knowledge of the construction of simple, compound, and complex sentences
0014 Understand Writing Mechanics and the Conventions of Standard American English
- applying knowledge of the rules of spelling and commonly misspelled words
- applying knowledge of the rules of capitalization and the standard use of capital letters
- applying knowledge of the rules of punctuation and the standard use of punctuation marks
0015 Demonstrate the Ability to Develop a Focused, Well-Organized Piece of Analytical Writing that is Appropriate for a Given Audience and Conforms to the Conventions of Standard American English
- taking a position on an issue or proposing a plan or policy
- focusing and unifying ideas through the use of a clear thesis statement and topic sentences
- organizing ideas through the use of various sentence and paragraph structures and effective transitional words and phrases
- developing and supporting ideas through the use of sound reasoning and effective evidence and examples
- using language and vocabulary that is clear, precise, and appropriate for a given audience and purpose
- using language that is grammatical and conforms to the conventions of Standard American English
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