Quick Writing & Editing Quiz · Elite Writing Academy

Aug '25 • Quizzes

Quick Writing & Editing Quiz

1. Which is the best edit?

Original: The reason why she resigned was because she wanted to spend more time with her family.

a) She resigned because she wanted to spend more time with her family.

b) She resigned for the reason that she wanted to spend more time with her family.

c) She resigned so she could have the opportunity to spend more time with her family.

2. What’s the main problem here?

The manager emphasised the need for better communication between team members, noting that communication was the key to project success.

a) Overuse of jargon

b) Excessive use of passive voice

c) Word echoes

3. Which has smoother flow?

a) She picked up the phone. She dialled the number. She waited.

b) She picked up the phone, dialled the number, and waited.

ANSWERS:

Cuts redundancy (“the reason why… was because”) while preserving meaning.
Option b replaces redundancy with formality, which doesn’t improve the sentence.
Option c adds unnecessary padding.

2. c) Word echoes

“Communication” appears twice in close succession, creating a clunky rhythm and making the prose feel lazy.
Repetition can be powerful when deliberate — but here it’s accidental and dulls the sentence.

3. b) She picked up the phone, dialled the number, and waited.

Combining short actions into a single sentence prevents a staccato rhythm that can feel mechanical.
Flow often comes from knowing when to link actions to create a graceful progression.

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