6th Grade Writing Quiz: Establish Maintain A Formal Explanatory Style

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Establish Maintain A Formal Explanatory Style, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 6th Grade Writing.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. Animals cannot survive if there is not enough food available. (correct answer)
2. Animals can’t survive if there’s not enough food to eat.
3. You cannot survive if there is not enough food available.
4. Animals won’t survive if there isn’t enough food around.

Explanation: A formal explanatory article uses full word forms and keeps an objective, third-person tone. The best revision writes out every contraction ("cannot," "there is") and stays focused on animals in general, which is exactly what formal informational writing requires. The choice that keeps "can’t" and "there’s" still relies on contractions, so it stays informal even though its meaning is fine. The choice beginning with "You" writes out its contractions correctly but shifts to second person, which breaks the objective tone needed for an explanatory article. The choice using "won’t" and "isn’t" keeps two contractions and adds the casual word "around," so it also fails to match a formal style. Only the first option removes every contraction while keeping the neutral third-person focus, making it the single formal, appropriate revision.

Question 2

1. To solve $2x + 5 = 17$, subtract 5 from both sides, then divide by 2 to isolate the variable. (correct answer)
2. To solve $2x + 5 = 17$, you should just move the 5 over to the other side first before you go ahead and figure out what x equals.
3. Solving an equation like $2x + 5 = 17$ is really awesome, and you can totally figure it out if you just try your best at it.
4. I think the best way to solve $2x + 5 = 17$ is to keep messing with the numbers on each side until x finally looks right.

Explanation: The best answer states the procedure objectively and precisely: it uses complete sentences, exact mathematical language such as "isolate the variable," and clear directions without addressing the reader or adding personal commentary. That objective, professional tone is exactly what a math textbook needs. The choice that tells the reader "you should just move the 5 over" and "go ahead and figure out" uses second person and casual filler, which breaks the formal, impersonal style a textbook requires. The choice that calls solving "really awesome" and says "you can totally figure it out" is enthusiastic and personal rather than measured and objective, so it is too casual. The choice that begins "I think the best way" gives a personal opinion and describes "messing with the numbers" instead of naming a precise procedure, so it is both informal and vague. Only the first choice keeps the neutral, exact, third-person style that formal informational writing demands.

Question 3

1. Plate tectonics is an interesting idea that explains how the continents move around across the surface of the Earth.
2. Plate tectonics is the process by which Earth's lithospheric plates move and interact over time. (correct answer)
3. You can observe evidence of plate movement by examining world maps and comparing the shapes of the continents.
4. I believe plate tectonics is important because it explains how mountains and volcanoes are formed.

Explanation: An encyclopedia entry needs a formal, objective style: third-person voice, precise scientific vocabulary, and no personal opinions. The best answer defines the topic directly and uses exact terms like "lithospheric plates" and "interact," keeping the tone measured and professional. The sentence calling the topic "an interesting idea" adds a personal judgment and uses the vague phrase "move around," which is too casual for reference writing. The sentence beginning "You can observe" speaks directly to the reader in second person, which breaks the objective distance a formal entry requires, even though its vocabulary sounds academic. The sentence starting "I believe" uses first person to state a personal opinion, so it reads like a student essay rather than an objective encyclopedia definition. Only the keyed sentence stays fully third-person, objective, and precise throughout, so it is the strongest choice.

Question 4

1. Replace “I think it is scary” with “Ground shaking can cause damage to buildings and roads.” (correct answer)
2. Replace “I think it is scary” with “Honestly, an earthquake would totally freak most people out,” which sounds friendly to readers.
3. Replace “fault” with “thing in the ground” so that younger students can understand the technical term more easily.
4. Keep the sentence as it is, because sharing personal feelings helps make informational writing sound more professional.

Explanation: Formal, objective writing for an informational page states facts and leaves out personal opinions and emotions. Replacing “I think it is scary” with “Ground shaking can cause damage to buildings and roads” removes the personal feeling and adds a factual statement that matches the objective, third-person tone of the first two sentences. Changing the sentence to “Honestly, an earthquake would totally freak most people out” only trades one personal, emotional reaction for another, using casual words like “honestly” and “totally” that do not belong in formal writing. Replacing the exact term “fault” with the vague phrase “thing in the ground” removes precise scientific vocabulary, which makes the writing less accurate and less formal, not clearer. Keeping the sentence is wrong because personal feelings actually break the objective tone rather than making the writing sound more professional. Only the factual replacement maintains a formal, objective style throughout the passage.

Question 5

1. The legislative branch creates laws that guide how the country is governed.
2. The executive branch enforces laws through federal agencies and departments.
3. The judicial branch interprets laws by reviewing court cases and legal arguments.
4. The legislative branch is pretty important and handles a bunch of stuff for the country. (correct answer)

Explanation: The sentence about the legislative branch being "pretty important" and handling "a bunch of stuff" should be revised because its language is too casual for a formal report. Phrases like "pretty important" and "a bunch of stuff" are vague and conversational; a formal explanatory report needs precise terms such as "drafts legislation," "approves budgets," or "oversees federal agencies." The other three sentences all keep a formal style. The sentence about laws that "guide how the country is governed" uses objective, third-person wording and names a specific function. The sentence about enforcing laws "through federal agencies and departments" uses precise governmental vocabulary. The sentence about interpreting laws "by reviewing court cases and legal arguments" also gives an exact, professional description. Because those three describe each branch clearly and objectively, they do not need revising. Only the sentence with vague, casual wording breaks the formal tone the report requires.

Question 6

1. You really cannot miss how amazing and powerful these eruptions look from a distance!
2. Watching an eruption is an amazing experience that you should try to see for yourself someday.
3. Volcanic eruptions can be observed when lava, ash, and gases are released from a vent. (correct answer)
4. Eruptions send lava shooting out everywhere, which makes them incredibly exciting to watch.

Explanation: The first two sentences of the passage use an objective, third-person tone with technical terms like “magma,” “molten rock,” and “vents.” A formal explanatory style has to stay consistent, so the revision needs to describe the eruption without contractions, direct address to “you,” or excited language. The best revision reports the event factually in the third person and adds precise terms (“lava, ash, and gases,” “vent”), matching the encyclopedia tone already set. The choice that says you cannot miss how amazing eruptions look keeps a contraction, speaks directly to the reader, and ends in an exclamation, so it stays informal. The choice about an experience you should try to see also uses second person and gives personal advice, which does not belong in an objective reference entry. The choice describing lava shooting everywhere sounds enthusiastic and vague rather than measured and factual. Only the third-person description keeps the neutral, informative style the passage needs throughout.

Question 7

1. The Nile River was super important because it gave people water and other stuff they really needed to survive.
2. I think the Nile River was important because it helped farmers a lot and made their lives so much easier back then.
3. The Nile River provided water and fertile soil, which supported agriculture and settlement in ancient Egypt. (correct answer)
4. You can see why the Nile mattered so much when you imagine yourself living in the middle of a dry desert.

Explanation: A museum information label teaches visitors, so it needs formal, objective style: third-person description, precise vocabulary, and no personal opinions or casual language. The sentence stating that the Nile River provided water and fertile soil, which supported agriculture and settlement, does all of this. It describes facts directly, uses exact terms like "agriculture" and "settlement," and never addresses the reader or shares an opinion. The sentence with "super important" and "other stuff" is too slangy and vague for a professional label. The sentence beginning "I think" adds a personal opinion, which does not belong in objective informational writing. The sentence starting "You can see" speaks directly to the reader with "you" and "yourself," which is too casual and conversational for an educational display. Only the third-person, fact-based sentence keeps the measured, credible tone a museum label requires.

Question 8

1. Yes, because it uses complete sentences and clearly explains how the Roman government was structured and organized.
2. Yes, because addressing the reader with second person makes informational writing feel clearer and more direct.
3. No, because “You can totally tell” is casual and uses second person, which weakens the report's objective tone. (correct answer)
4. No, because the sentences are too short and formal writing needs longer, more complicated sentences throughout.

Explanation: The report opens in a formal, objective style: it describes the government in third person ("The Roman Republic established," "Laws were recorded") using precise vocabulary and complete sentences. The correct answer notices that the last sentence breaks that style. "You can totally tell" speaks directly to the reader ("you"), adds the casual word "totally," and sounds like conversation instead of measured historical explanation, so the objective tone is not maintained. The choice saying the report stays formal because it has complete sentences is wrong, because complete sentences alone don't fix the casual last sentence—style also depends on tone and word choice. The choice claiming second person makes the writing clearer is wrong, because addressing the reader as "you" actually breaks the objective perspective a formal report needs. The choice saying formal writing requires longer, more complicated sentences is wrong, because formal style is about vocabulary, tone, and perspective, not sentence length—short sentences can be perfectly formal. To keep the style consistent, you could revise the ending to something like "The Romans showed a strong commitment to governing through law."