Question

The following selection is taken from "I Don't Like Tomatoes." What should the author do FIRST to revise this paragraph?

"2013, my freshman year of high school, I was asked out on a date. After politely declining, he seemed almost shocked that I didn’t take up his offer. He then continued to try and persuade me to change my answer by offering to buy me gifts. After firmly declining oncemore, he finally let the situation go. Growing up I was always surrounded by couples i.e. my parents, my siblings and their relationships, friends, even strangers and looking into this way of life that I was not yet apart of made it all seem complicated yet beautiful. I couldn’t wait for the day I would get my turn to experience what everyone was so happy to find. Now thinking back at it, I looked at potential partners as like walking into a restaurant not sure what you want to order. The waiter will give you suggestions and you will slowly settle on a meal by process of elimination based off what you like and what you do not like. For instance, I do not like tomatoes and therefore I would not bother to order a meal with them. At a young age I was not exactly sure what it was I wanted in a partner, but I know what I did not want. We should never have to settle for less than what we want. I did not turn the young man down because he was not worthy of me, it was more along the lines I found it rude when he would not hold the doors open or when he would mess around instead of doing his work and showing some initiative to pass the class. It bothered me the way he stepped closer to me after I denied him the first time and the fact he thought he could buy me to accompany him on a date."

Group of answer choices

Eliminate awkward analogy comparing human traits to items in a salad

Rework the hook and use a complete sentence rather than a fragment

Refocus the paragraph to include just one main idea, rather than three

Reorganize the paragraph to follow a general to specific structure

Fix spelling and grammatical errors

Answer 1

The first thing the author should do to revise this paragraph is:

**Rework the hook and use a complete sentence rather than a fragment.**

The opening sentence, "2013, my freshman year of high school," is not a complete sentence. To improve readability and clarity, the author should rephrase it into a full sentence or integrate it into a more complete introduction. This will help set the stage for the paragraph and provide context for the reader. Additionally, addressing any grammatical errors should also be part of the revision process, but reworking the hook is the most immediate improvement needed.

Step-by-step explanation: