Directions:

Imagine you are writing a process paragraph about how blood pressure is measured. Using the outline below, answer the questions that follow.

 

 

Taking Someone’s Blood Pressure

 

I.       Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________

 

II.      Body

         

A.               Positioning the blood pressure cuff & stethoscope

1)                 bladder of cuff should be deflated

2)                 cuff placed around upper arm: snugly but not tightly

3)                 pump held in palm of hand à valve at top within reach of fingers (to release air later)

4)                 head of stethoscope placed under edge of cuff (just above crease of patient’s elbow) à held in place with thumb

5)                 earpieces of stethoscope placed inside ears

 

B.               Inflating the cuff

1)                 pump squeezed quickly (while watching pressure gage)

2)                 when pressure reaches ~180 à valve on pump slightly opened (not too fast/not too slow)

 

C.          Recording results

1)          recording of systolic blood pressure on gage (when rushing sound first heard)

2)          sounds intensify à recording of diastolic blood pressure (when sound last heard)

 

D.          Releasing air

1)          valve on cuff opened completely

2)          all pressure released

 

III.             Concluding Statement


Questions:

 

1.          Which of the following topic sentences is correct in terms of content and grammar?

a)                 To take a patient’s blood pressure, you have to follow four main steps.

b)                Measuring a patient’s blood pressure is a process involving four main steps.

c)                Measuring a patient’s blood pressure, a process involving four main steps.

d)                Following four steps is necessary to take a patient’s blood pressure by positioning, inflating, recording, and releasing.

 

2.          Which of the following is the most accurate, coherent, and grammatical major supporting sentence for positioning the cuff and stethoscope?

a)                 First, place the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope on the arm of the patient.

b)                Positioning the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope is an easy step.

c)                To begin with, the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope must be positioned correctly in order to get an accurate reading.

d)                First is placing the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope.

 

3.          Imagine you have just written the sentence from question 2 above, what would the next sentence be in terms of accuracy and cohesiveness?

a)       This is done by first ensuring that the bladder of the cuff is deflated and then placing it snugly around the arm of the patient.

b)      To do this, put the deflated cuff around the arm of the patient so that it is snug.

c)       This is done by deflating the bladder of the cuff while it is on the arm of the patient.

d)      The deflated cuff is placed tightly on the arm of the patient.

 


4.          Which of the following is grammatically correct?

a)       The pump should be held in the palm of the hand, the valve should be within easy reach of the fingers.

b)      The pump is held in the palm of the hand; making the valve within easy reach of the fingers.

c)       The pump, which is held in the palm of the hand, making the valve within easy reach of the fingers.

d)      The pump should be held in the palm of the hand so that the valve is within easy reach of the fingers.   

 

5)          Which of the following is grammatically correct?

a)                 The head of the stethoscope is placed under the edge of the cuff and held there by the thumb; the earpieces are placed in the ears.

b)                The head of the stethoscope is placed under the edge of the cuff, is held there by the thumb, and the earpieces are placed in the ears.

c)                The head of the stethoscope is placed under the edge of the cuff, is held there by the thumb, and is placed in the ears.

d)                The head of the stethoscope is held under the edge of the cuff by the thumb and the earpieces are placed in the ears.

 

6)          Which of the following is the most accurate, coherent, and grammatical major supporting sentence for inflating the cuff?

a)                 Second, you inflate the cuff.

b)                Inflating the cuff requires many things to be done.

c)                Once the cuff and stethoscope are in place, the cuff is inflated.

d)                Second, the cuff will be inflated.

 

7)          Imagine you have just written the sentence from question 5 above, what would the next sentence be in terms of accuracy and cohesiveness?

a)                 To inflate the cuff, the pump is squeezed quickly while watching the pressure gage, and the valve is opened after it reaches 180.

b)                Squeeze the pump quickly while keeping an eye on the pressure gage; once the gage reaches 180, open the valve slightly.

c)                To do this, the pump, which is squeezed quickly while watching the pressure valve, opens the valve slightly once the gage reaches 180.

d)                The pump is squeezed quickly while keeping an eye on the pressure gage; once the gage reaches 180, the valve is opened slightly.

 

8)          Which of the following is the most accurate, coherent, and grammatical major supporting sentence for recoding the results?

a)                 Third, the results are recorded.

b)                As the air begins to be released from the cuff, two results must be recorded: the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure.

c)                You must now measure the systolic as well as the diastolic pressure.

d)                Two things are involved in the result recording step.

 

9)          Which of the following is grammatically correct?

a)                 The systolic pressure, which is when the first rushing sound is heard, recorded.

b)                Recording the systolic pressure when the first rushing sound is heard.

c)                When the rushing sound is first heard, the systolic pressure is recorded.

d)                The rushing sound is first heard and this is the systolic pressure which is recorded.

 

10)          Which of the following is the most accurate, coherent, and grammatical major supporting sentence for releasing the air?

a)                 The last step in the process is completed once the valve is completely opened and the pressure is released.

b)                Finally, open the valve to release the pressure.

c)                Finally, the last step is releasing the air.

d)                To finish this process, the valve will be opened to release the pressure.

Although this is a process paragraph exercise, the exam may include any of the paragraph types that you have studied this semester.