Study Guide Advanced Composition › DlRdaacF › English+paper.pdfWelcome to your Advanced...

Study Guide

AdvancedCompositionBy

Robert G. Turner, Jr., Ph.D.

About the Author

Robert G. Turner, Jr., holds a B.S. in business and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in sociology. He has more than 20 years of teaching experience, mainly at the college level, and is currently serving as an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg. Dr. Turneris primarily employed as a professional freelance writer. His literarycredits include two stage plays, two novels, and two nonfictionworks, along with an array of publications in academic and educational venues.

Copyright © 2012 by Penn Foster, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may bereproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be mailed to Copyright Permissions, Penn Foster, 925 Oak Street, Scranton,Pennsylvania 18515.

Printed in the United States of America

08/05/14

All terms mentioned in this text that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Use of a term in this text should not beregarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS 1

LESSON ASSIGNMENTS 9

LESSON 1: PLANNING A PAPER WITH SOURCES 13

LESSON 2: FINDING SOURCES AND TAKING NOTES 31

LESSON 3: WRITING A PAPER USING SOURCES 49

LESSON 4: LITERARY ANALYSIS: : FIGURATIVELANGUAGE IN MUSIC AND SONG 71

PREWRITING EXAMINATION 89

ESSAY EXAMINATION 93

LESSON 5: USING DEFINITION WITH CLASSIFICATION 95

EXAMINATION 103

LESSON 6: USING COMPARISON AND CONTRAST 107

PREWRITING EXAMINATION 117

ESSAY EXAMINATION 121

LESSON 7: WRITING AN ARGUMENT 123

EXAMINATION—COURSE FINAL 133

SELF-CHECK ANSWERS 137

APPENDIX 165

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to your Advanced Composition course. In thiscourse, you’ll practice research and writing skills by develop-ing papers that require you to use sources and correctly citethem using MLA formatting. You’ll learn to look at writingwith a critical eye—a skill you can apply to your own work,as well as to the reading you do for research or in your dailyactivities. You’ll apply these skills to your own writing throughediting and revising.

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course name: Advanced Composition

Course number: ENG 300

Instructors: See faculty listing in the Student Handbook.

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 A.M. to 7 P.M. EasternStandard Time

Contact information: After logging into your homepage at the student website, click Contact us. For email, chooseContact Your Instructor. You must type your emailaddress correctly to ensure a reply to your question andinclude your student number in the message. You alsomust add [email protected] to the list of approvedor accepted senders in your email browser.

For the best instructional assistance, ask specific questions,explaining what you don’t understand and the particularpage in the study materials or exam requirement that itrelates to.

Textbook: Kathleen T. McWhorter, Successful CollegeWriting, Brief Fifth Edition

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Instructions to Students2

COURSE OBJECTIVESPrimary objective: You’ll use research to plan, organize,develop, and edit a variety of papers with clarity and precisionusing standard MLA formatting.

When you complete this course, you’ll be able to

n Use the writing process to write essays using differentpatterns of development

n Apply an appropriate rhetorical style to an audienceand purpose

n Write effective thesis statements

n Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequatedetail, supporting evidence, and transitions

n Identify, define, and analyze literary elements

n Develop critical reading skills

n Use responsible research methods to locate appropriatesecondary sources

n Use Modern Language Association citation and docu-mentation style to reference secondary source materialcorrectly and appropriately

n Quote, paraphrase, and summarize secondary sourcematerial correctly and appropriately

n Use the conventions of standard written AmericanEnglish to produce correct, well-written essays

Note: For Lesson 6, you’re required to read one novel that has beenturned into a movie and to watch that movie. The list of moviesmade from books is extensive and includes To Kill a Mockingbird,The Princess Bride, and Girl with a Pearl Earring. (A short storyor children’s book isn’t an appropriate selection. You must read afull-length novel.)

Instructions to Students 3

A STUDY PLAN This study guide contains your lesson assignments and theexams for the seven lessons you’ll complete for this course.The self-checks at the end of each assignment will help youassess your understanding of the material so you’ll knowwhether you should move on to the next assignment orreview the material before continuing.

Study pace. You have a study time limit for the semesterbut not one specific to Advanced Composition. You must paceyourself wisely through the semester’s courses to meet theexpiration date, allowing sufficient time for reading, prewrit-ing, drafting, revising, and grading. Generally, you shouldallot at least two weeks for each English lesson, with sometaking longer than that, and you must complete each examin the correct order. The goal of this course is to help yougrow as a writer by building on your strengths and improvingyour weaknesses with each assignment. Therefore, this courseemphasizes the process approach to writing. Ideally, you’llsubmit each exam in order after you’ve received your evalua-tion of the previous lesson so that you can apply theinstructor’s feedback to your next writing project. You mustsuccessfully complete the prewriting assignments for Lessons 4and 6 before you can submit the essays. While you’re waitingfor evaluations, you should begin to work on the next les-son’s assignments. If you have other courses available forstudy, you may work on those materials while taking thisEnglish course and submit any completed exams.

Organization. To keep your work for this course organized,create clearly labeled files in your word processing program. Werecommend you create a primary file folder named “AdvancedComposition.” Within that folder, create separate files, such as “Self-Checks” and “Course Notes.” Also create afolder for each written exam (Lessons 4, 5, 6, and 7), whereyou’ll keep files of your research notes, rough drafts, andfinal draft. Establish a clear naming system for each file so you don’t confuse early drafts with your final version ofan essay. When you reopen a rough draft, immediately use“Save as” and add the date before further revision. That wayyou won’t lose anything you may delete but then wish youhad kept.


Exam submissions. Use the following guidelines when submitting your exams:n Multiple-choice examinations (Lessons 1, 2, and 3):

You’ll submit your answers for these exams online.n Written examinations (Lessons 4, 5, 6, and 7): Unless the

individual exam instructions specify otherwise, papersmust be typed double-spaced using a standard, 12-pointfont and left justification. Use 1-inch margins at the topand bottom and 1.25-inch margins for the left and rightsides of the document. Each page must have a header inthe proper format, containing student name, studentnumber with exam number, page number, mailingaddress, and email address. Jane Doe 23456789—50068000 5987 Nice StreetMy Town, AZ [email protected]

Name each document using your student number first, then the six-digit lesson number, and finally your name (for example, 23456789_500680 Jane Doe). Save each as “FileType: Rich Text Format” regardless of the word processingprogram you use. Follow the instructions in the text on pages637–639. Use “Instructor,” rather than an instructor’s name.The course is Advanced Composition ENG 300. Don’t useheadings in the body of your paper.

Exams can be submitted online from the student homepageusing the Take Exam button next to the lesson number onthe “My Courses” page. Check to be sure that the documentyou’ve uploaded is the one containing your final work forevaluation. When your paper is received into the exam sys-tem, it’s coded as RCD with the date received.

Evaluation. Evaluation usually occurs within seven businessdays of receipt (from the RCD date code). Exams are scoredaccording to the parameters of the exam assignment usingthe Advanced Composition Course Rubric, which is located inthe Appendix of this study guide with a complete explanationof evaluation criteria and skill levels. Instructors may writefeedback on both the essay and the evaluation chart. To readthe instructor’s comments, click on the View Project buttonnext to your grade for the exam and then download theInstructor Feedback file. Be sure to save this file to yourcomputer since it’s available on your My Courses page forjust a brief time.

Instructions to Students 5

Evaluation Process

Your instructors will score each writing assignment by apply-ing the rubric shown on the next page to evaluate how wellyour work illustrates both the basic and advanced traits ofgood writing in various research settings (see Appendix).Although the basic techniques of writing aren’t taught in thiscourse, you’re required to produce good writing. If you’reunsure of something, return to the textbook to fine-tune yourskills. For more information, scan your textbook’s table ofcontents for a chapter breakdown and page numbers. Forspecific characteristics, use the index of your textbook.

On the chart in the Appendix, each trait is broken into threeskill levels explaining what writing at that level looks like andto what extent the writing shows that trait. Each skill level isassigned a score that corresponds to the appropriate lettergrade within the Penn Foster College grading scale. (For infor-mation about the grading scale, see the Student Handbook.)As such, these scores don’t represent an amount awardedfrom a possible range of points. Instead, each score value isconstant. That means if your writing exhibits the given char-acteristics, you automatically earn the designated score forthat trait and skill level. Papers with inconsistencies amongskill levels will be scored according to the middle ground. Forexample, you may have spelled and punctuated everythingwith excellent style but your grammar is poor. The evaluatorwill average the score of high Skill Realized for Conventionswith the score of low Skill Emerging for the score onConventions.

Skill Emerging describes writing that either doesn’thave the trait or that lacks controlled, deliberate appli-cation. As below-average work, writing with traits atthis level earns a D or an F.

Skill Developing refers to writing which shows general competence in the trait but which lacksfinesse or depth of understanding in application.Traits in this range earn a low B or a C.

Skill Realized indicates the writing demonstratesthe trait effectively and creatively, earning an A or ahigh B.


When evaluating your paper, the instructor first readsthrough your essay to become familiar with its content andflow. He or she then works through the essay, evaluatingboth problem areas and strengths related to the rubric. Next,he or she fills out a blank evaluation chart identifying whereyour writing falls within each trait, relying on the descrip-tions in the Appendix to provide the full explanation of thetraits your writing displays. Consequently, while reviewingyour evaluated exam, you must refer to the following rubric.

The instructor may provide further comments or explanationabout a particular strength or weakness within a trait, butprimarily you’ll depend on the information given in yourstudy guide. In light of that feedback, you should reexamineyour paper and review the textbook to learn ways to strengthenthat trait the next time you write. With each exam, your goalis to craft your writing more deliberately and skillfully.

Thesis: Focus for Audience and Purpose

The thesis establishes a clearly defined, analytic focus unique to the assigned topic, purpose, and audience.

Development and Structure of Ideas in Relation to Thesis

Using applicable pattern(s) of development, the writer explores in depth the relationship betweenthesis, assertion, and evidence. The opening engages the reader with the thesis. The body para-graphs develop the thesis in a controlled fashion. The discussion closes with a sense of finalityreinforcing the thesis.

Incorporation of Source Material

Paraphrases, summaries, and direct quotations are aptly integrated with the writer’s style for thepurpose and audience. Sources are relevant and reliable.

Overall Organization of Writing

Transitional words and connective phrasing guide the reader through the relationships betweenideas. Each paragraph contains one idea that supports the thesis. The supporting sentences connect to/develop the paragraph’s focus.

Word Choice and Presentation Style

The writer shows a consistent point of view, captivating the reader with skillful, precise languagefor the purpose and audience. The essay is graceful and easy to read aloud with a natural, pleasantrhythm through varied sentence length and structures.

MLA Citation

Using the MLA citation style, the writer accurately documents the required number of sources.

Conventions

According to standard written American English, the writer correctly applies spelling, punctuation(including sentence structure), and grammar. These choices make the writing professional and easy tounderstand. The writing meets the required length and overall submission format for the assignment.

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Retakes. Students are required to complete all assignedwork, including a retake for any first-time failing attempt onan exam. The evaluation of any first-time failing exam willinclude a Required Retake form. That form must then beincluded with your retake exam submission to ensure properhandling. If the assigned work isn’t provided, submissionswill be evaluated according to the criteria but additionalpoints will be deducted for not following the instructions. Inaddition, please review school policy about retakes in theStudent Handbook (available online).

Plagiarism policy. Carefully review the plagiarism policy inthe Student Handbook (available online). The first submissionthat departs from this policy earns a grade of 1 percent. If it’sa first-time submission, you may retake the exam (per retakeprocedures). A second such submission on any subsequentexam means failure of the Advanced Composition course.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT ANDONLINE RESOURCESPenn Foster’s digital library offers students access to onlineresources in all major disciplines and courses offered at PennFoster, as well as one of the most comprehensive academicdatabases available today, Expanded Academic ASAP. Learnmore about the library here:

How-To Guide—http://community.pennfoster.edu/docs/DOC-57990

Top 3 things—http://community.pennfoster.edu/docs/DOC-58013

Digital Library FAQ—http://community.pennfoster.edu/docs/DOC-58011

Citation Information—https://community.pennfoster.edu/docs/DOC-58115

Penn Foster’s librarian is available to answer questions aboutresearch and to help students locate resources. You can findher in The Community, by using the Contact an Instructor linkin the Help Center in your student portal, and the Ask aLibrarian link in the library.

Lesson Assignments8

Penn Foster has partnered with the tutoring serviceSmarthinking to provide support for students including writ-ing, science, math, and business. Smarthinking is availableto all Penn Foster students through the link in the HelpCenter on their student portal. Smarthinking tutors areexperts in their subject areas and can provide general helpwith courses and papers. They are not, however, Penn Fosteremployees, so students must be sure to clearly explain thepurpose of an assignment to get the best possible resultsfrom their tutoring sessions. Students can live chat withtutors to ask questions about course material. Students canalso take advantage of the Writing Center and upload a paperfor review before submitting it to Penn Foster for grading.You’ll need to check the Drop-In Tutoring schedule for hoursof service for live chats, but you can submit a question atany time and a tutor will reply. Consider addingSmarthinking to your academic routine; tutoring can helpeven the best students enhance their education.

Grammarly.com is offering discounts to Penn Foster studentswho register for a year of service. For $40 (a $95 savings),Penn Foster students have unlimited access to the Grammarly’sgrammar, spell, and punctuation check, as well as the pla-giarism check. For students who have limited experience withresearch writing, Grammarly could be the helping hand youneed to negotiate the research papers in your future.

Other online resources for grammar, punctuation, sentencestructure, and mechanics include the following:

Daily Grammar

http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.shtml

Blue Book of Grammar and Mechanics

http://www.grammarbook.com/

Guide to Grammar and Writing, sponsored by CapitalCommunity College Foundation

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.htm

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Please contact yourEnglish instructor forregistration information

Lesson 1: Planning a Paper with Sources

For Read in the Read in study guide: the textbook:

Assignment 1 Pages 13–16 Pages 575–578




Assignment 5 Pages 28–30 Pages 46–65 and 89–93

Examination 500439 Material in Lesson 1

Lesson 2: Finding Sources and Taking Notes







Lesson 3: Writing a Paper Using Sources







Watch the Using and Citing Sources LectureQuiz 500697


Lesson Assignments 9

Assignments

Assignments

Lesson 4: Literary Analysis: Figurative Languagein Music and SongFor Read in the Read in

study guide: the textbook:





Watch the Figurative Language Analysing Poetry LectureQuiz 500698

Prewriting Examination: 50046800

Essay Examination: 50044200

Lesson 5: Using Definition with ClassificationFor Read in the Read in




Examination 50044300

Lesson Assignments10

11

Lesson 6: Using Comparison and Contrast in Novelsand MoviesFor Read in the Read in






Watch the Using Comparison and Contrast/Analyzing a Novel LectureQuiz 500699

Prewriting Examination: 50046900

Essay Examination: 50044400

Lesson 7: Writing an ArgumentFor Read in the Read in






Final Examination: 50044500

Note: To access and complete any of the examinations for this studyguide, click on the appropriate Take Exam icon on your “My Courses”page. You should not have to enter the examination numbers. Thesenumbers are for reference only if you have reason to contact StudentServices.

Note: For Lesson 6, you’re required to read one novel that has beenturned into a movie and to watch that movie. The list of moviesmade from books is extensive and includes To Kill a Mockingbird,The Princess Bride, and Girl with a Pearl Earring. (A short storyor children’s book isn’t an appropriate selection. You must read afull-length novel.)

Advanced Composition12

NOTES

Lesson 1 13

Planning a Paper with Sources

INTRODUCTION

The writer Isaac Asimov is said to have written many of hispopular-science books without doing any research. But Asimovwas a professor of biochemistry and vice president of MensaInternational, an organization for people with exceptionallyhigh intelligence. While most of us use the reservoir of knowl-edge and experience in our minds when we write, it’s unlikelythat the average person can write competently and extensivelyusing only that mental filing cabinet. Even if you think youknow something—for example, a quote you memorized longago—when you check it against the original, it may not beprecisely as you remembered it. That’s why we use sources to check, and while we’re checking, we may find additionalinformation that’s relevant to our topics.

Research papers aren’t busy work. You’ll learn not only howto think, write, and organize, but also how to pay attention to detail, communicate your ideas to others, and find supportfor your ideas. The skills used in developing a research paperare all transferable to the job market.

OBJECTIVES

When you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to

n Develop a feasible topic

n Frame useful research questions

n Establish a working thesis statement

n Read actively and critically to analyze sources

n Identify bias and recognize the difference between fact and opinion

n Explain the difference between primary andsecondary sources

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ASSIGNMENT 1: USING SOURCES Read the following assignment. Then read pages 575–578 inyour textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gaugeyour progress.

INTRODUCTION

People in any society depend on each other for sustenance of all kinds. That’s definitely true in the world of scholars.Those who acquire and express ideas through the writtenword rely on many resources, and they understand the needto acknowledge the work of other thinkers and writers. LikeIsaac Asimov, they may have assimilated a lot of generalknowledge and made conclusions of their own; but anytime awriter borrows ideas and words directly from another person,that person must be cited as the source for those ideas.

When you write a research paper, you develop your idea by searching for similar ideas to back it up. As you locatesources to support your thesis, you recognize that all theideas aren’t your own, so you make it clear which ones areand which are not. This practice applies no matter the typeor date of the source.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Quick Starts. These opening exercises for each chapteraren’t assigned activities, but pause to read each one beforebeginning the chapter reading.

Pages 575–578. The sources you select for your researchwill fall into two distinct categories. Primary sources come from“the horse’s mouth.” That is, the information is available in afirst-person document or recording, rather than a quote orinterpretation by another person. Such sources are consideredextremely reliable. Primary sources include letters, speeches,diaries, the writings of scientists and philosophers, and manyother types of text or records. It may be a personal account ofa battle or an interview with a celebrity.

Lesson 1 15

Here are some examples:

n A letter from James Madison to his wife Dolley

n Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address

n A diary kept by a soldier during the Korean War

n The poetry of Emily Dickinson

n A radio broadcast from a reporter observing the destruction of the Hindenburg

n Albert Einstein’s published papers on the special theoryof relativity

Secondary sources either support or comment on primarysources. They may serve your purpose better than primarysources if you’re looking for authority to back up an argument.If an original manuscript of a play is the primary source, thena critical essay discussing the work is the secondary source. Anauthor interested in the life of Samuel Adams would consult asmany primary sources (actual writings by Adams himself) as heor she could before writing a biography of Adams. If you usedthe resulting biography as a source for your paper, that wouldbe a secondary source. The author may have quoted the primarysources and collected facts from them, but he or she also wenton to interpret and draw conclusions from the material.

Even when using primary sources, you must be careful oftranslations. For example, Plato’s dialogues have been trans-lated differently by different scholars; Emily Dickinson’s poemswere arbitrarily edited in early editions. You may have to dofurther research to determine the professional reputation ofthe translator or editor. Also be careful with websites; it’soften difficult to verify the credentials of a website’s author(s).

Examples of secondary sources include

n Ken Burns’ documentary, The Civil War

n An Encyclopedia Britannica article on Freud’s theories

n Rome: The Biography of a City by Christopher Hibbert


Pages 577–578. A research paper, like any other type ofconventional writing, needs a structure. Facts, statistics, andother details have to be fitted together so they flow logicallyand create a meaningful article, narrative, or commentary.Using the framework of your thesis, you must seek out infor-mation to support your ideas, choosing evidence that bestsupports each point in your thesis. Just as every line of dia-logue in a screenplay is designed to move or inform the plot,every source you use must contribute to developing yourthesis. Your in-text citations also must fit into the flow, pro-viding the necessary information in the correct form. MLAstyle is the preferred approach to parenthetical in-text cita-tions in English and the humanities, and it’s what you’ll usein this course. Chapter 23 provides a guide. Take a fewmoments to skim through the MLA section.

Review Figures 21.1 and 21.2 on pages 578–579 for a visualof the systematic way you need to approach locating andusing sources. In particular, note all the ways informationcan be extracted and used during the research and writingprocess.

Self-Check 1

At the end of each section of Advanced Composition, you’ll be asked to pause and check your understanding of what you’ve just read by completing a “Self-Check” exercise. Keepyour answers in your self-check file or a separate notebook. Answering these questionswill help you review what you’ve studied so far. Please complete Self-Check 1 now.

1. Write a brief paragraph differentiating primary and secondary sources and give one example of each. Then, in a second paragraph, describe the advantages and disadvantages of secondary sources.

2. Using an example for each, describe how to acknowledge sources in an MLA-style essay or research paper.

3. What element of a research paper determines its boundaries, guides its development, and establishes its objective?

Check your answers with those on page 137.

Lesson 1 17

ASSIGNMENT 2: PLANNINGYOUR PAPER Read the following assignment. Then read pages 578–583 ofChapter 21 in your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

INTRODUCTION

Complete freedom to choose a topic might make the job ofplanning a paper harder, not easier. Your assignment willgive you some limits to work within and some description ofwhat’s expected, so begin planning your paper by definingthe assignment. First, think about the objective of the paper.A good place to start is with the verbs—what are they askingyou to do? Verbs like describe, persuade or convince, or com-pare and contrast tell you what you need to accomplish withthe paper, as well as what primary pattern of development toapply. Once you have your objective clearly in mind, you’ll be able to explore appropriate sources.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Review Figures 21.1 and 21.2 on pages 578–579, which showyou the steps involved in writing a paper using sources. Thischapter’s skills are outlined in detail. The basic steps inselecting, narrowing, and discovering ideas for a researchtopic are similar to methods used in any other essay writing.They include preliminary reading, prewriting, and viewingyour topic from different perspectives.

Pages 578–583. In this section, you’ll study five practicalguidelines for choosing an appealing and feasible topic.Consider what these recommendations mean to you.

After defining the assignment, and perhaps above all, itmakes sense to choose a topic that interests you. However, inactual experience, some topics may seem interesting at firstglance, but then seem less interesting as you learn more. Inother cases, a random idea or topic may catch your attention


while you’re exploring on the Internet or in an online catalogat the library. That’s why seeking out an interesting topicrequires an open mind, as the following scenario shows.Think through it carefully, because it will reappear as thislesson proceeds.

Your composition teacher requires you to develop apaper with some connection to Central Africa, leavingthe details to your interests. You’re interested in whatmotivated Joseph Conrad when he wrote The Heartof Darkness. The novel contrasts the mentality ofWesterners to the apparently random savagery ofCentral Africa, where nature seems to overwhelmthe order and reason of civilization. You do someInternet searching, but, as you do, you find thatEnglish graduate students and scholars of all kindshave written mountains of material on this topic.Not only would the topic be unmanageable, it’s also unlikely that you could come up with a freshperspective on the topic.

However, you do find that the film Apocalypse Nowis based on Conrad’s book. Now you may be on tosomething. But soon the same problem arises. You’llhave to know Conrad literary criticism inside out towrite anything fresh and engaging about the film. So your search continues.

Then, skimming a page on Central Africa, you discover that civil war and mass murder in theDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (formerly Zaire)involve international corporate interest in a mineralcalled columbite-tantalite, popularly known as coltan.You’ve never heard of coltan, but a quick Internetsearch reveals that coltan is essential to the produc-tion of cell phones and other electronic products.Quickly searching some more, you find that thetopic yields sources, the topic is fresh and current(but not too new, since there’s information avail-able), and it seems manageable.

Lesson 1 19

As you know, a reasoned approach to narrowing and discov-ering ideas about a topic is preliminary reading, prewriting,and viewing your topic from different perspectives. You’reinterested in the coltan issue and so far, in your preliminaryreading, you’ve unearthed the following facts:

n Coltan is a mineral that combines niobium and tantalum.Tantalum is a rare metal that’s a crucial component ofthe transistors used in cell phones and in some othertechnological contexts.

n As the demand for coltan has soared, so has its price ininternational markets.

n Roughly 80 percent of the global supply of coltan isfound in the far eastern highland regions of theDemocratic Republic of Congo.

n The Democratic Republic of Congo is the third-largestAfrican nation. Its capital, Kinshasa, is near the mouthof the Congo River, far to the west of the highland region.

n The government centered at Kinshasa oversees a land ofpoverty and political corruption.

n The coltan mining region borders Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

n A brutal civil war, characterized by rape, torture, and random murder, disrupts the entire coltan mining region.

n The violence is strongly related to the smuggling ofcoltan from the DRC.

n International interests, out of Belgium and other nations,will buy the coltan wherever they can get it.

n Efforts by the United Nations and other nations to contain the violence have had little or no success.

n The mining is creating extensive environmental destruction.

n The habitat of the endangered Eastern Lowland Gorilla isbeing destroyed by the mining operations.


At this point, you can think about different perspectives onthe general topic of coltan mining. Different points of viewand, therefore, different narrowed topics can be explored byusing research questions. For example,

n What’s the history of Western colonialism in this region?

n What are the uses of coltan?

n What cultural and sociological impacts does coltan mining bring about?

n What’s the economic importance of coltan locally and globally?

n Who benefits from the use of coltan?

n What’s the environmental impact of coltan mining?

n What parties are responsible for the smuggling and howare they involved in the civil war (to what advantage)?

Clearly, addressing all of those aspects of the coltan issuewould be unmanageable within the limits of a relatively briefresearch paper. You’ll need to create a working thesis thathelps you narrow your topic. Reviewing all of your questions,you decide to concentrate on the environmental issue. Youwrite, “Regional conflicts in Africa are threatening the lasthabitat of the rare Eastern Lowland Gorilla.”

To develop this thesis, you have to confine yourself to sum-marizing the coltan issue while focusing on the EasternLowland Gorilla and its threatened habitat. Now you neednew research questions for your narrowed topic. They might include

n What’s the Eastern Lowland Gorilla’s habitat like?

n How is the mining affecting it?

n How long has the habitat destruction been going on?

n Can the damage be reversed?

n How else can the gorillas be protected?

Lesson 1 21

Self-Check 2

Use this background material to complete the self-check. Keep your answers in your self-check file or a separate notebook.

n According to Queensland’s Environmental Protection Agency, more than 90 percent of thespecies that have existed on Earth are now extinct.

n Natural habitats and particular species have been affected by human activity, sometimesleading to the extinction of a species (bison, mountain lions, and gray wolves are nearlywiped out).

n Over millions of years, many species died out when they couldn’t adapt to an environmentaltered by climate change.

n Natural selection is the process by which species develop traits favorable to survival withina particular habitat.

1. Review the material under “View Your Topic from Different Perspectives” on page 581. Use Exercise 21.1 on page 581 for reference. To address the topic “extinction of animalspecies,” list one or more questions each from the perspective of biology, geology, history, and economy.

2. After reviewing the material on pages 582–583, create a working thesis and at least threeresearch questions to address one of the perspectives further.



ASSIGNMENT 3: SELECTING ANDEVALUATING USEFUL SOURCESRead the following assignment. Then study pages 583–587 inChapter 21 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-checkto gauge your progress.

INTRODUCTION

Before you begin your search for sources, make sure you havea copy of your working thesis and your research questions infront of you. Refer to it each time you locate a potential source,and make sure it’s relevant to your topic before you print orcopy any articles or borrow any books. While you may notwant to take time to thoroughly read each piece, at least lookin a book’s index to see if your topic is covered and scan anyitem you believe you need. The information you find might bea repetition of something you already have, it may be out ofdate, or it may be too general for your needs. Select only thosesources that you’re likely to use before closely reading thesource.

An Internet search engine may be your favorite place to findinformation quickly, but don’t depend too heavily on the articles you find there. A lot of the best, in-depth information fora research paper is found only in print sources. Make sure youconsult your library’s “search engine”—the reference librarian.He or she can show you where to find excellent sources onlineas well as in print. Make a point of choosing at least a fewprint sources, particularly when you need primary sources.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Page 584. When is a source relevant? Use common sense. Ifthe source helps you answer one of your research questions,it’s relevant. But remember to consider your audience, yourthesis, and the timeliness of your source.

The school’s library provides access tomany print sourcesonline through theExpanded AcademicASAP periodical data-base. Use the librarylink from your home-page at the school’swebsite.

Lesson 1 23

Your audience and your purpose—the way you intend todevelop your thesis—will affect the sources and informationyou choose to review and to include in your paper. Supposeyou’re looking at the pros and cons of DNA testing in crimeinvestigations. A scientific work in population genetics mightbe too technical for your audience. A mainstream magazinearticle on how DNA testing is used in novels or television programs may be biased and misleading. Your most relevantsources will be articles from law enforcement agencies or civilrights organizations that focus on this issue.

Also remember that the world changes quickly, particularlyin respect to technology. When evaluating a source, you mayfind that it’s simply out of date. On the other hand, oldersources may be helpful if you’re researching the historicalbackground of an issue.

Pages 584–585. How can you decide if a source is reliable?Your text offers you four guidelines. In general, scholarlysources are more factual and balanced than general-interestsources. Some news sources are considered reliable—TheNew York Times has a better reputation than a supermarkettabloid, and a website that ends in .edu is more reliable thana blog. A good source names the author, so you can checkhis or her credentials. But even among scientists and schol-ars, judgments and opinions differ. You may have to checkfacts and other opinions to tell whether an article is biased,but be aware of your own biases, too.

Pages 585–587. The techniques for evaluating Internetsources aren’t much different from those used for evaluatingprint sources. The main difference is that the accuracy, pur-pose, and timeliness of Internet sources can be somewhatdifficult to evaluate. If you can’t verify a fact or a site’s credi-bility, it’s best not to use it.

Note: Study Table 21.1 page 586. Notice the different pur-poses of the websites, as well as questions to guide yourevaluation of the site before you use the information you findthere. Sometimes a commercial URL seems to be offering afactual report when it’s actually just a public-relations piece.


ASSIGNMENT 4: ANALYZINGSOURCES AND WORKING WITH TEXTRead the following assignment. Then read pages 587–593 inChapter 21 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

Most of this section is devoted to detecting bias. You’ll reviewyour concept of identifying bias and determine when an ideapresented as a fact is actually an opinion. You’ll also searchout underlying assumptions, many of which are implied ratherthan explicit, and review the skills needed for reading sources.

Self-Check 3

In your self-check file or notebook, complete the following exercises.

1. In a paragraph, explain the difference between relevant and reliable sources tosupport the thesis of a research paper or essay. Use examples to support your ideas.

2. Complete Exercise 21.3 on page 585.

3. List three questions you could use to evaluate the accuracy of an Internet source.

4. Which of the following will probably contain the most objective data?

a. A report with charts documenting hourly wage rates by an occupational group b. A memoir about working in a coal minec. An editorial in The Washington Postd. A letter rebutting an article in a medical journal

5. You may consider an article from an Internet source reliable if the article

a. first appeared in a print source or publication.b. contains the author’s name and the publication date.c. provides documented information. d. is published by a national association.


Lesson 1 25

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 588–589. There are opinions and there are facts, butthere’s no definitive line between the two. For instance, thedistance from Earth to our Moon is 238,855 miles—sometimes.When its orbit is closest to Earth, it’s only 225,780 milesaway. Statistical facts are always off by a mathematicallydetermined margin of error. But if the sample is correctlytaken, a statistic can be called a fact—even though that factmay change next week. Very few facts are incontrovertible.You may say that men are physically stronger than women,and that may be true on the average, but there will be manyexceptions among individuals. Not all opinions have equalweight, either. An opinion based on empirical evidence mattersmore than an opinion based on an unsupported belief. Forexample, if an agronomist who is also a meteorologist statesthat the Iowa corn harvest will be down 10 to 12 percent thisyear, her expert opinion is more significant than that of aman next to you in the grocery line. Be sure to read theboxed example of facts and opinions on page 588.

Pages 589–590. People naturally have opinions and favoredpoints of view. But are all viewpoints biased? Well, yes, butthere are degrees of bias. It may be possible to determine thatviewpoint X is better supported than viewpoint Y, and a bal-anced journalistic comparison of X and Y could be relativelyfree of bias. Regardless, there are three things to rememberabout opinions. First, recognize that you have biases of yourown, and try to keep an open mind. Second, a clear argumentin favor of a viewpoint can still be a reliable and relevantsource. Third, when in doubt, seek out alternative viewpointssupported by logical, reasoned, and substantial evidence.

Pages 590–592. Generalizations and assumptions arerelated, but you need to understand how they’re different. A generalization is an interpretation of a set of facts. There-fore, a generalization can be valid. For example, the assertionthat children who grow up in poverty are more likely to bemalnourished is probably a valid generalization, at least instatistical terms—if it’s based on factual data that’s beencorrectly gathered and analyzed. But now consider two otherversions of this assertion:


Children who grow up in poverty are always malnourished.This isn’t a generalization because “always” makes it a categorical statement—there are no exceptions. Clearly, thereare instances of poor children who aren’t malnourished.Therefore, the generalization is invalid.

Young people who grow up in poverty are delinquent moreoften than middle-class children. Reread this sentence. Does it appeal to your intuition? If it does, you may have been misled. Actual sociological data suggests that the likelihood ofbeing labeled delinquent is higher among the poor. However,the frequency of delinquent acts is similar for both middle-class and poor children.

Now imagine an article or research paper with this thesis:“Rates of delinquency can be reduced by reducing poverty.” If the author doesn’t supply sociological studies that definethe issues, the whole argument will be based on a falseassumption. Keep in mind that assumptions like these often establish the foundation for a thesis, so you should be prepared to evaluate an author’s assumptions, as wellas your own.

Pages 592–593. When you read a textbook, you’re seekingknowledge about specific concepts. By contrast, you’ll readsources to find information that will answer your researchquestions. That’s why you should read sources selectively,skipping over material that isn’t relevant to your working thesis. By skimming for keywords or phrases, you’ll pick outwhat you need more quickly. You read the title, an introduc-tory paragraph, the headings, the graphics, and key terms orphrases. Make sure you read the last paragraph—it will oftenbe a summary of the article. Later you can carefully read thearticles you chose and take notes. Make sure you mark anycopies or printouts with the information you’ll need for yourin-text citations and works-cited page.

As sources, websites offer some unique challenges, particularlyin the way they’re laid out. You’ll have to scroll through thehomepage to see what links and features are offered. Whileyou do, try to avoid the temptation to get too absorbed inbrowsing. Keep your mind focused on your topic and stayalert for information related to your working thesis.

Lesson 1 27

Reminder: ForLesson 6, you mustread a book thatwas later made into a movie. Youalso need to watchthe movie. If youhaven’t yet made achoice and begunreading, do sobefore you beginLesson 2.

Self-Check 4

Label each of the following statements as fact (F), opinion (O), or expert opinion (EO).

______ 1. A Gallup poll indicated that 60 percent of respondents agree that it’s better to marry

someone who shares similar interests.

______ 2. According to Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University, there are at least eight differ-

ent kinds of intelligence.

______ 3. The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee offer unsurpassed opportunities for

landscape photography.

______ 4. The attention span of adults is about 20 minutes.

______ 5. Mexico City is one the world’s most populous cities.

______ 6. Denver, the so-called Mile-High City, is the site of a U.S. government mint.

______ 7. It’s understood that, on average, women are more familiar with cooking than men.

______ 8. In 1852, since President Franklin Pierce was greedy to expand U.S. influence, he

offered to buy the island of Cuba.

______ 9. Although Mozart died in poverty, his music remains immortal.

Label each of the following as fact (F) or generalization (G). Indicate what kind of supportor documentation would be necessary for you to evaluate each statement’s accuracy.

______ 10. Most people who live in San Francisco hold far-left political views.

______ 11. Jupiter’s atmosphere is rich in methane.

______ 12. People in many nations opposed the invasion of Iraq.

______ 13. Africa has a bright future because it’s rich in natural resources.

______ 14. The average summer temperature in Seattle is 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Continued)


ASSIGNMENT 5: ACTIVE-READING REVIEWRead the following assignment. Then, in your text, readChapter 3, “Reading in College,” on pages 46–65. In Chapter 4,“Responding Critically to Text and Images,” read “A Guide toResponding to Text” on pages 86–93. Be sure to complete theself-check to gauge your progress.

As you may recall, there are two parts to the reading process.First, you must comprehend what the author says, and second,you must figure out what the author means. Interpreting theauthor’s use of words and their connotations or symbolismisn’t always as straightforward as it may seem. No matterhow scholarly an article seems, you must approach it with acritical eye. Sorting out facts and opinions or generalizationsand valid conclusions comes easier with practice. You’llbecome more skillful in active reading the more you use it.

Self-Check 4

15. In one or two short paragraphs, identify and explain what assumption or assumptions you findin the following paragraph.

I love man as my fellow; but his scepter, real or usurped, extends not to me, unlessthe reason of an individual demands my homage; and even then the submission isto reason, and not to man. In fact, the conduct of an accountable being must beregulated by the operations of its own reason; or on what foundation rests thethrone of God?

—Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), excerpt from A Vindication of the Rights of Women

(Second Revised Edition, 1792)


READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 47–48. Take note of the four common misconceptionsabout active reading. Remember that not everything you seein print is true. Approach what you read with a good sense of what you’re looking for. When in doubt, read difficult para-graphs more than once. Keep alert to material that’s relevantto your purpose.

Pages 48–50. Active readers preview material with a purpose in mind, turn headings into questions that needanswers, and are careful to review what needs reviewing.Make sure you review Figure 3.1 on page 49. It gives you anoverview of the active reading process. Notice its applicationto the previous discussion on locating and using researchmaterial. Also, read the feature box at the top of page 50 tocompare the attitudes of passive and active readers.

Pages 50–52. The essay “American Jerk” permits you toclearly understand the parts of an essay that should bescanned in the previewing process. Which paragraphs areread completely? What part of other paragraphs is read?

Pages 52–57. Read with a purpose. Remember to formquestions to guide your reading and to search for key elements.A repeat of the “American Jerk” essay, on pages 54–55, walksyou through the search for key elements, naming them in themargin comments. The thesis statement is highlighted.Practice looking for key elements in a short opinion piece.

Pages 57–61. Not all texts or all graphics are “userfriendly.” Table 3.1 on page 59 offers you a list of usefulapproaches to difficult text. Remember that creating agraphic organizer—a visual graph that breaks down the content of a difficult text into key elements—is one of youroptions. Review Figure 3.2 on page 60 and Figure 3.3 onpage 61.

Pages 62–65. Chapter 3 ends with “Combat High,” an essayby Sebastian Junger. If you’ve ever wondered how solidersfeel about combat, you’ll find the essay fascinating. Beforereading the essay, study the directions on page 62. For item 1, which will appear in the self-check, preview the essayfollowing the steps on page 49. You may want to do item 2for practice, following the directions and jotting down a fewideas and impressions.

29


Pages 86–88. Active reading can be likened to a two-wayconversation. An essay like “Combat High” raises questionsand forms impressions. Posing questions about what you’rereading and reflecting on your impressions is your side of theconversation. Study Figure 4.3 on page 87. It provides anoverview of an active response to a reading. Notice the threeprimary stages of the active reading process.

Self-Check 5


1. Turn to page 62 in your text. Refer back to the instructions that precede the reading. Afterpreviewing the Junger essay, respond with at least three questions to guide your reading.

Read the following paragraph and respond to the questions that follow.

Prior to 1600, Japan was generally divided into regions ruled by warlords. However,from 1600 on, and for several centuries, Japan was united under a dynasty ofshoguns of the Tokugawa clan. Having adopted the musket by way of Portuguesetraders, the Tokugawa shoguns organized armies that succeeded in maintainingpolitical unity. However, for a time, Tokugawa hegemony was threatened. In particular, Western missionaries had succeeded in converting large numbers ofJapanese to Christianity. In response to this threat, the shoguns took steps. First,they established Confucianism as the state religion. As they did this, they also gotbusy persecuting native Christians and Western traders. By 1650, it was illegal tobuild seagoing ships and Japanese were effectively forbidden from traveling abroad.

2. Were shoguns warlords? If not, what Western equivalent title or function could you assign tothe term shogun?

3. What does the term dynasty imply?

4. By what means did the Tokugawa shoguns enforce political unity?

5. In terms of long-term historical or social patterns, what implications might you infer from thelast sentence of the paragraph?


Lesson 2 31

Finding Sources and Taking Notes

INTRODUCTION

Many students have been trained to think that the first thingthey need to do when they have a research assignment is tovisit libraries, log onto the Internet, or interview other peoplein search of information. But you yourself are an importantsource of information—in fact, you should be the first sourceof ideas for your research project. No matter what subject ortopic you’re researching, you probably have some knowledgeor ideas about it. That’s why we covered the various ways togenerate ideas, consider different perspectives from which toview topics, and develop research questions—all before youlooked for any source material.

This lesson guides you through the next phase of the process—locating, choosing, and using sources to develop and supportyour narrowed topic (your working thesis). We begin at thelibrary, a resource often neglected because Google searches areso easy. For an academic research paper, however, the libraryis your most essential tool and should act as the starting pointfor your search process. Use your local library (and, in partic-ular, the reference librarian) as well as virtual libraries, suchas the college’s library (click the Library Services link onyour student page) or others including

Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org

The WWW Virtual Library http://vlib.org

Library Index http://www.libdex.com

OBJECTIVES


n Use keywords, library catalogs, databases, and periodicalindexes to locate sources in the library

n Locate and evaluate sources on the Internet

Le

ss

on

2L

es

so

n 2


n Describe techniques for choosing and narrowing a topic

n Take effective notes from sources

n Explain techniques for gathering citation information

n Correctly paraphrase information taken from sources

n Properly record direct quotations

n Explain plagiarism and how to use sources ethically

n Prepare an annotated bibliography

ASSIGNMENT 6: USING LIBRARY SOURCES Read the following assignment. Then read pages 595–603 inChapter 22 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

Carefully study the material under “Locating Useful LibrarySources.” Refer to it often as you learn to locate usefullibrary sources.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 596–597. The best way to learn your way around alibrary is to tour a library. Ask for a map or floor plan at thecirculation desk. Take some time to look around. Locate thestacks, the periodical section, and the microfiche and micro-film resources. Talk to the reference librarians about the typesof resources they offer. Ask about the library’s website andhow to link to the library catalog or databases to which thelibrary subscribes.

Study Figure 22.1 on page 597. It will guide you through thesteps involved in researching your topic.

Pages 597–598. Quite often, library resources such as catalogs and journals are located on databases. To searchefficiently, remember to use keywords to access informationin a database of any kind. Suppose you enter the word“Napoleon” into a computer linked to a database and pressGo or Search. The keyword will bring up a list of resources

Lesson 2 33

that contain the word “Napoleon”—probably hundreds orthousands of them. If you’ve already narrowed your topic,add the area of your focus, such as “unification” or“Napoleonic Code” to limit the number of sources to thosemost likely to be useful. Each database links keywords tosubject matter in different ways; your reading will help youunderstand some of those differences.

In general, keywords are words or phrases related to yourtopic. If you’ve used search engines like Google or Yahoo,you’re already familiar with the concept. You’ll need to keepin mind that library resource databases often categorizeinformation under subject headings. The issue here for aresearcher is the fact that subject headings, like substanceabuse or financial services, may be quite distant from key-words you might use to look for information on an Internetsearch engine. When information is arranged under subjectheadings, you might want to use a strategy suggested in yourtext. For example, if your topic is the causes of residentialsegregation, you could look enter key words or subject head-ings like urban racial segregation, mortgage red-lining, orurban renewal.

Pages 598–600. You can use a library catalog to locatebooks and, in many cases, periodicals, newspapers, govern-ment documents, and electronic sources (websites). Theillustrations in Figures 22.2 and 22.3 show sample searchpages and search results. However, your library’s format andprocedures for accessing the library’s catalog may differ.Check the menus on the monitor screen to help you getstarted, but always ask for help if you don’t know how tobegin or can’t find what you want on the menus.

Pages 600–603. A bibliography is a list of books, articles,documents, web-posted articles, and other resources relatedto a particular topic. In performing keyword searches, youcan locate a bibliography by attaching that term to a subject.For example, to locate sources on Walt Whitman, you couldenter “Bibliography Walt Whitman” in the search window.


Indexes of periodicals may be general or specialized. They’reaccessible online or from a CD-ROM. The Reader’s Guide toPeriodical Literature lists more than 200 popular publicationsdating from 1900, although they’re not very useful for academicresearch. InfoTrac databases access thousands of periodicalsources. You have access to several databases through theLibrary Services link on your student homepage.

Full-text articles may be directly accessed if they’re offered inHTML. Articles in PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader toview or print the material. Make sure you have this free down-load on your computer.

Specialized periodical indexes and abstracts generally listtechnical and academic articles within a specific academic dis-cipline, such as art history, biology, or education. The Essay andGeneral Literature Index is accessible online or as a CD-ROM.Look over the list of academic indexes on page 603, but notethat many specialized databases require registration throughan academic institution or a subscription to access full articlesas opposed to abstracts.

The most common sources available for research include nonfic-tion books, reference books, periodicals, and the Internet.Nonfiction books contain facts, as well as extensive discussionsof opinions, ideas, and theories. Use nonfiction books when youneed an in-depth discussion of a topic.

Reference books include general-interest encyclopedias, special-ized encyclopedias, dictionaries, specialized dictionaries, atlases,and almanacs. If you want to look up a fact, read a concise dis-cussion of the history of a topic, or find basic backgroundinformation, use a reference book. In addition to referencebooks for the general reader, specialized reference books offermore academic and detailed discussions.

Periodicals contain relatively short articles; some, such asnewspapers and certain magazines, are of general interest, cov-ering a range of topics that appeal to many different people.Special-interest periodicals focus on a single topic such assports, news, or medicine. Unlike books and reference books,the articles in periodicals are about focused ideas related to

Lesson 2 35

a larger topic. Their short format allows them to concentrateon one specific aspect of a topic, and their more frequentpublication may mean the information is more up to datethan that in a book. Use periodicals to familiarize yourselfwith current ideas and information—but not for backgroundinformation, facts, or in-depth information.

Study Table 22.1 on page 601 for a comparison of scholarlyjournals and popular magazines.

Self-Check 6

In your self-check file or notebook, answer the questions based on the following onlineexploration.

1. Access http://www.vt.edu/ and study the homepage. Then answer these questions.

a. Where are Virginia Tech Extension facilities located?

b. Scroll down and click on Libraries. On top of the search box click on the Addison tab.Select “author” from the drop-down menu. Then enter “Freud, Sigmund” and click Search.You’ll open a list of sources for Sigmund Freud. Scroll down to the book Civilization and ItsDiscontents. Where is it located in the Newman Library? What is this book’s call number?Who translated and edited this work and who was the publisher?

c. Click on the link for this entry. Explore the information available in this area. What are thesubject categories for this book?



ASSIGNMENT 7: RESEARCHTHROUGH THE INTERNETRead the following assignment. Then read pages 603–606 inChapter 22 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-checkto gauge your progress.

Electronic media have radically transformed the way peopletransmit, store, and access information. You’re probably familiarwith the Internet and sites like Twitter and YouTube. However,this assignment will show you how to locate Internet sourcesyou can use to write a serious essay or a research report.Internet sources include listservs, newsgroups, email, and theWeb. While much of this material may sound familiar, readingit can help you understand more about the Internet and how tofind your way around.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 603–605. The Web was originally designed to allow scientists and academics to share information. Today, the Weblinks millions of websites across the globe and facilitatesquick communication, commerce, and information access.Websites are accessed through online web browsers, such asFirefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome. Eachwebsite is identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) withthree parts.

http://www.vt.edu/info/facts/index/html

1 2 3

Part 1, http, stands for hypertext transfer protocol. Part 2 identifies the URL server. Opening it should lead to a site’shomepage. Part 3 identifies a cyber-path to the location of aparticular web page.

Part 2 is the key element to examine. It identifies the serverwhere the site’s information is stored and explains extensions—the tag that identifies the type of entity publishing the site. Forresearch purposes, .edu and .gov are usually the most reliable,although reputable news, medical, and business organizationsmay have a different tag, such as .org or .com. You must bemore careful with those because some may contain seriouslyslanted information. If you access them, read the content care-fully and critically to determine their worth to your topic.

Countries have exten-sions, such as .uk forthe United Kingdomand .jp for Japan. Forsome purposes, thewebsite’s country oforigin may be a factorin how useful it is.

Lesson 2 37

Be sure to note the list of search engines on page 604, along withhandy tips on how to use keywords. Keep in mind that differentsearch engines often provide different responses to key wordswritten into a search window. For that reason, it may make senseto check out keyword responses on more than one search engine.

Locating useful Internet sources demands care and good judg-ment. Because some of the material on the Web is inaccurate,biased, invented, or merely entertaining, you must make an effortto identify authoritative websites. When you find good sites, youcan bookmark them, but remember to keep a separate list of thesites from which you copied or printed information for your in-textcitations and works-cited page. Review Table 22.2 on page 605 for alist of web sources for academic research. The material on contact-ing authors is also especially valuable.

Page 606. Listservs and newsgroups connect groups of peoplethrough particular servers. College listservs, for example, mayinform faculty members of the Biochemistry Department aboutupcoming events, grade deadlines, and so on. Newsgroups mayserve as discussion forums among people, such as the editorialstaff of a daily newspaper or the sales representatives of a com-pany or industry. Meanwhile, authors, other researchers, andorganizations may respond directly to email queries.

Self-Check 7

Questions 1–7: Indicate whether the questions are true or false.

______ 1. An article in Reader’s Digest on carpal tunnel syndrome, written by a chef who has the

ailment, is an accurate source for a paper on carpal tunnel.

______ 2. Information found on a .gov website is likely to be accurate.

______ 3. Any information published on the Web undergoes a stringent review process.

______ 4. A website called http://members.aol.com/~sstevens/mywebsite.html is probably not a

reliable source for factual information.

(Continued)


Self-Check 7______ 5. All information found on the Web has an author listed.

______ 6. An article by the National Rifle Association on the importance of gun ownership will

probably present all sides of the issue.

______ 7. A book written in 1988 discussing demographics in China is likely to be the most

appropriate source for a paper on the 2003 SARS disease outbreak.

Imagine that you’ve been assigned an art history paper on female artists in history, and you chose Artemisia Gentileschi, born in Rome in 1593. To learn more about Artemisia, choose a search engine and type in her name. Explore at least three websites that are, in your judgment, reliable for this assignment. Look for both biographical information andexamples of her work, and then answer the following questions.

8. Who was Artemisia’s first art teacher?

__________________________________________________________

9. What was the name of her first dated and signed painting?

__________________________________________________________

10. What event scarred her life when she was 19 years old?

__________________________________________________________

11. Which of her paintings is considered a reaction to that event?

__________________________________________________________

12. Other than Orazio, which baroque artist’s influence is seen in Artemisia’s work?

__________________________________________________________

13. What criteria did you use to choose reliable websites?

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________


Lesson 2 39

ASSIGNMENT 8: GATHERINGINFORMATION FROM SOURCESAND USING IT RESPONSIBLY Read the following assignment. Then read pages 606–615 inChapter 22 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

In this section, you’ll study techniques for gathering citationinformation from sources, taking notes, paraphrasing,recording direct quotations, and writing an annotated bibliog-raphy. You’ll also learn what constitutes plagiarism and howto use sources ethically and responsibly. Learning the art ofcorrect paraphrasing and the procedures for using a directquotation are crucial to writing a research report or athoughtful essay, so make careful notes on these procedures.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 606–608. Extracting information from sources mustbe systematic. Figure 22.4 on page 607 offers you a work-sheet that simplifies the task of keeping track of your sourcesfor further research or proper citation. Another approach toorganizing extracted information is the annotated bibliogra-phy, which is described and illustrated in detail. Even if yourassignment calls for a works-cited page, you might find theannotated bibliography a useful tool as you begin yourresearch, since it includes a description of each article.

Pages 608–610. This section offers three different systemsfor taking notes. Some people prefer 4 � 6 or 5 � 8 note cards.Others create computer files organized for taking notes, writingout quotations, and making comments. A third possibility isprinting or photocopying material and then underlining andwriting margin notes directly on the copies. Keep in mindthat the advantage of note cards is that you can arrangethem according to the points you wish to make and they canbe easily rearranged if you find something new and worth-while toward the end of your search for information. Butwhichever method you choose, be sure to mark each pagewith its source, both for citation purposes and in case youhave to revisit the material for additional information.


When you take information from sources, you’ll note it in oneof the following ways, each of which must include correct doc-umentation of the source:

n Direct quote

n Summary

n Paraphrase

n Combination of quote with summary or paraphrase

Pages 610–613. In business and professional research projects,it’s often the job of the researcher to read through a source, or anumber of sources, and summarize the findings for a CEO orother individual. That person will be depending on the researcherto accurately convey the essence of the information—but notwaste time by presenting more than what’s necessary. The sameprinciple applies to the research papers you’ll write.

Although a summary conveys the same information as thesource you’re working with, it shortens or condenses the word-ing, sometimes drastically. It restates, in just a few sentences,the ideas that are contained in a paragraph, a few paragraphs,or even several pages. For instance, you might need to summa-rize background information so your reader has an understandingof the context of an issue you’re reporting on or give some his-tory in order to clarify a problem you’ve uncovered. Thefollowing are the basic steps to take as you read through sev-eral pages of a source you want to summarize:

n Underline the main ideas or key facts related to your purpose.

n Cross out details and facts that aren’t important to your purpose.

n Scan through what you’ve underlined from beginning toend and then set the source aside.

n Write down the main ideas in your own words withoutlooking at the source.

n Scan the underlined material again to verify the factsyou’ve included in your summary.

n Condense the main ideas into one sentence or a few sentences, depending on how much of the information you need for your research project.

Lesson 2 41

Carefully study the five guidelines offered in your textbookand bookmark the page for future reference. Also rememberthat even though your summary notes are written in yourwords, you must cite the source if you use all or part of asummary from your notes when writing your paper. In thenext lesson, you’ll learn different ways to integrate each ofthe note-taking methods into your actual paper. For now,include careful, detailed source information for any note that you make when researching.

As with summaries, paraphrasing restates an author’s ideas inyour own words. Whereas a summary greatly condenses thefacts and ideas, a paraphrase keeps the same basic order ofinformation. Paraphrases are useful for many reasons. As astudent, if you can read a passage and put it into your ownwords, then you can be sure you understand that passage.Being able to write a good paraphrase also shows that yougrasp the material well enough to translate the ideas intoyour own words. As a writer, paraphrasing helps you avoidusing too many direct quotes and encourages you to phrasethe information in your own individual writing style. Finally,since most sources use language that’s not distinctiveenough to quote directly, paraphrases simply convey theinformation you need to cover.

Incorrect paraphrasing, when your own phrasing and sen-tence structure are too close to the author’s, is consideredplagiarism. To avoid plagiarizing, set the source aside andwork completely from what you remember of the passage,writing as if you were explaining the main idea to someone.Plagiarism often occurs when you haven’t taken enough time to understand the material. If you find yourself doingany of the following, you’re in danger of plagiarizing while trying to paraphrase:

n Going back and forth between a source and your writing

n Using a thesaurus to insert a different word here or therewithin a sentence

n Changing the form of the words, such as a verb to anoun (“clarify” to “clarification”)

n Putting the same words in different order


For further practice on writing paraphrases, visit the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) athttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/02/.

A direct quote is simply a unique phrase or sentence that youcopy directly from the source, word for word. You indicate adirect quote by using quotation marks around the phrase,sentence, or sentences that you’ve taken from the source,along with the source citation. Use this punctuation not onlyin your paper, but also as you take notes, so you don’t inad-vertently plagiarize. If you didn’t use quotation marks, youcould mistake a quote for a summary you wrote yourself.Even with the citation information, you would have commit-ted plagiarism, because you didn’t indicate that you wereusing the author’s exact wording.

A quote must exactly reproduce the author’s words, includingspelling and punctuation, even if they’re outdated or incorrect.As you record a quotation in your notes, don’t delete any wordsor change any word forms, even if you don’t think you’ll usethat part of the quote or know you’ll have to change a pres-ent tense verb to a past tense. Instead, record it exactly, soyou have the complete, accurate quotation before you whenyou’re ready to include it in your paper. Only then do youmake decisions about using an ellipse or brackets.

You may find there are times when you don’t want to quotean entire passage, but part of its language is unique or inter-esting enough to quote directly. In such cases, you can use acombination of a paraphrase or summary with a direct quote.

Another essential part of note taking is that of annotatingyour notes and sources. Annotating means that you jot downyour thoughts, making personal comments as you interactwith the source and think about how you’re going to use theinformation in your paper. Personal comments are an impor-tant step toward being able to synthesize sources and drawconclusions of your own about your topic. In many ways, apersonal comment is a type of freewriting. When a bit ofinformation captures your attention, you need to write downthe connection to your narrowed topic and your thoughtswhile they’re fresh. Finally, such annotation helps you putyour ideas together as you go, thereby providing a great dealof the writing needed for your paper. Just be sure you keepcareful track of which ideas and information come fromsources and which are your own personal comments.

Lesson 2 43

Pages 613–615. Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentionaluse of other people’s ideas, words, or concepts without properattribution. Either type of plagiarism carries heavy sanctions,which may include failure of the course, expulsion from theinstitution, or, in some cases, legal action. It’s simply unaccept-able to copy someone else’s work and try to pass it off as yourown. The box at the bottom of page 614 spells out behavioryou should avoid. Notice that simply omitting quotationmarks from an attributed direct quote is a form of plagiarism.

Cyberplagiarism is common, but still wrong. You may havefound the exact same wording on several websites. Which oneshould you cite? In these cases, you might decide to findyour information through a more reliable source. If you douse a website as a source, make sure you include the URL,the specific source, and the date you accessed it.

As you begin your own writing, review Chapter 21, whichcovers narrowing your topic, writing a working thesis, andcreating research questions. Then read the section on how to find sources for your topic. As you work, make sure eachsource is both reliable and relevant to your topic. Note citationinformation while you search. Choose a note-taking methodthat works for you or combine two; for instance, you mightbegin by making copies and printouts and then transcribethe material you need onto note cards or into a computer filefor easier management. Copy direct quotes word for word,and ensure that paraphrases and summaries are citedaccording to their sources.


Self-Check 8

Questions 1–4: Read the sample source in which the underlined passages indicate quota-tions to be used in the exercises. The sentences have been numbered to identify them. Thematerial appears on page 12 of the source. Then, complete each of the sentences, insertingthe appropriate quote from the sample source. Be sure to use the proper form and punctu-ation for in-text citations.

(1) I love man as my fellow; but his scepter, real or usurped, extends not to me, unlessthe reason of an individual demands my homage; and even then the submission isto reason, and not to man. (2) In fact, the conduct of an accountable being mustbe regulated by the operations of its own reason; or on what foundation rests thethrone of God?

(3) It appears to me necessary to dwell on these obvious truths, because females havebeen insulated, as it were; and, while they have been stripped of the virtues thatshould clothe humanity, they have been decked out with artificial graces that enablethem to exercise a short-lived tyranny. (4) Love, in their bosoms, taking place ofevery nobler passion, their sole ambition to be fair, to raise emotion instead ofinspiring respect; and this ignoble desire, like the servility in absolute monarchies,destroys all strength of character. (5) Liberty is the mother of virtue, and if womenbe, by their very constitution, slaves, and not allowed to breathe the sharp invigor-ating air of freedom, they must ever languish exotics, and be reckoned beautifulflaws in nature.

—Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), excerpt from A Vindication of the Rights of Women

(Second Revised Edition, 1792)

1. (Sentence 1) Wollstonecraft asserts that while she loves her fellow man_______________________________________ has no sway over her.

2. (Sentence 3) The author argues that people’s capacity to guide their lives through reason isamong ___________________.

3. (Sentence 3) It’s in that context that she deplores the narrow restrictions of women’s pre-scribed social roles, proclaiming that women are ___________________________ designedto attract, manipulate, and _____________________________ over the men in her life.

4. (Sentence 5): Declaring that ______________________, Wollstonecraft argues that if womenare ________________, then they’re precluded from ever inhaling the __________________.

(Continued)

Lesson 2 45

Reminder: Keepreading the bookyou chose inpreparation forLesson 6. If youhaven’t yet made achoice and begunreading, do sobefore continuingon to Lesson 3.

Self-Check 8

Read the following passage carefully. Then write three research questions to begin your search for material for an essay based on some aspect of the events described in the paragraph.

In Britain, the July election of 1945 drove the Conservative party from power. Itseems the Brits had had their fill of “blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” Churchillresigned as Prime Minister and became leader of the opposition. In the spring of1946, Sir Winston traveled to Fulton, Missouri, to deliver a speech in the auditoriumat Westminster College. In his address, he warned that an “iron curtain” had fallenacross Europe. He argued that the English-speaking peoples had a common bondthat would unite them in common defense against the looming threat of the SovietUnion under Stalin. Indeed, his speech provided a narrative that would shape theviews of an entire generation. That was no mean feat. The state of the world wasby no means clear in the spring of 1946. Europe’s economy was mainly rubble andashes. Even as George Catlett Marshall prepared a plan to restore Europe’s econ-omy, Stalin’s Soviet Union was showing its colors and defining its intent. After somuch blood and horror, another kind of darkness rose across Eastern Europe. Justas, in March of 1942, it was not at all clear how the war would turn out, in thespring of 1946, it was not at all clear what direction the world would take.

5. __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________



ASSIGNMENT 9: CHOOSING ANDNARROWING IDEAS: A REVIEW Read the following assignment. Then read pages 102–115 inChapter 5 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-checkto gauge your progress.

INTRODUCTION As you may know, it helps immensely to choose a topic thatinterests you. Like a journey, the process of researching andwriting takes time, so you should have a compatible companionin your topic. Even if your instructor assigns a topic, yourthesis—your focus on the topic—will be unique to you.

Often your research sends you in a direction different fromwhat you first intended, or you become so caught up in gath-ering information that you forget your narrowed topic, yourresearch questions, and/or your working thesis. To ensureproductive use of your time, stop periodically during yourhunt for information. Reconsider your thesis to determine theneed for further research and to refocus your efforts. Returningto the starting point from time to time is necessary; therefore,we’ll now review the basics of choosing and narrowing ideas.

Remember that choosing and narrowing a topic is a process.You begin with a broad idea and then break it down intosubtopics, related categories, and supporting details. You’llfurther refine your focus as you research and find additionalinformation or, in some case, a lack of specifics that forcesyou to broaden or change your approach again.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 102–106. Sometimes knowing where to start when narrowing an assigned topic for an essay can be difficult. Free-writing or some other prewriting technique can help if youdon’t have an idea or can’t think of a personal connectionimmediately. You might start with a list of things you want toknow more about—applying different viewpoints and categories.

47

Narrowing a topic means choosing one aspect of it that you’llbe able to cover sufficiently in the number of pages you haveto work with. This makes sense when you consider that thereare probably numerous and lengthy books written on yourbasic topic, and if you have only five pages in which to presentyour idea, it will be impossible to offer any kind of insight inso short a space. Exploring your topic for an angle or insightis part of the learning experience. Although the text discussestechniques for finding ideas, use the suggestions to help youreconsider research questions and develop assertions to sup-port your thesis.

Pages 106–109. Aside from selecting a point of view onyour topic, you’ll need to determine the purpose of yourpaper and consider your audience. “To fulfill an assignment”is never the purpose of an essay. In this course, you’ll write toan audience of fellow Penn Foster College students. Your pur-pose establishes your approach to your topic, while youraudience determines its language and tone.

The concept of a point of view includes both the grammaticalperspective and the slant or position you take in your writing.Your text emphasizes selecting a voice depending on how youchoose to approach your topic. The first-person point of viewis suitable for a narrative, the second person is often used inprocess analysis, and the third person is appropriate fordescriptions and academic papers, although there are manyvariations on the three basic approaches. The key is to con-sistently maintain a single voice throughout your paper.

Pages 110–115. Review the varied techniques writers useto discover ideas, which you can apply at any stage of theresearch and writing process. As you read, think of waysyou might want to use freewriting, mapping, brainstorming,questioning, and writing assertions.


Self-Check 9


1. Exercise 5.4 on page 109

2. Exercise 5.7 on page 113. Respond to items 1, 2, and 5 only. Work on your own.

3. In each of the following sets, which represents a researchable topic that isn’t too broad andisn’t too narrow?

a. The marketing strategies the Coca-Cola Company appliesThe Coca-Cola Company’s future marketing planPast marketing strategies the Coca-Cola Company has used

b. Impact of deregulation on the airline industryPercentage of commercial airline crashes traced to negligent maintenance the ten yearsimmediately before and after deregulationImpact of deregulation on commercial airline safety

c. Children sent to day care or preschool start kindergarten with more developed skills.Children sent to day care or preschool start kindergarten with more highly developed language skills.Children sent to day care or preschool start kindergarten with larger vocabularies.

d. The 14 different disease-causing genes discovered in 1994Importance of genetic research in our livesWay(s) the discovery of a genetic basis for obesity affects treatment of obese persons,both medically and socially

e. Ways for adult children of alcoholics to interact most positively with their alcoholic parentsWays adult children of alcoholics interact with their alcoholic parentsEmotional reactions of adult children of alcoholics to their alcoholic parents

4. Which of the following are appropriate thesis statements for a college research paper—that is,topics that can be appropriately researched?

a. The economies that result from a trash-burning plant outweigh its environmental impact.b. Sexual preference is primarily physically based, not socioculturally based.c. McDonald’s makes a better burger than Burger King.d. Prozac is one of the best ways to treat clinical depression.e. Evidence shows that as the number of hours children aged 8–14 watch television

increases, so does their violent behavior.


Lesson 3 49

Writing a PaperUsing Sources

INTRODUCTION

In this section, you’ll learn how to actually write your researchpaper. After your topic is selected and narrowed, the thesisstatement is prepared, and all notes and sources are collectedand organized, it’s time to write the first draft. If the firststeps are completed properly, the writing should be fairlystraightforward. You arrange your notes according to the pattern of development you’ve chosen and begin writing. As you present your ideas, you may generate more questionsrequiring some additional research or find a gap in yourlogic, but you can easily fix these problems at this stage.Once you’re satisfied with your draft, you can edit and proof-read to correct any technical errors.

OBJECTIVES


n Explain how to select a thesis topic

n Develop an effective thesis statement

n Provide effective support for your thesis statement

n Organize the first draft of a research paper

n Integrate sources into an essay or research paper

n Use formatting, editing, and proofreading techniques torevise your work

n Describe the MLA style for in-text citations and a works-cited page

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ASSIGNMENT 10: ORGANIZINGAND WRITING YOUR FIRST DRAFTRead the following assignment. Then read pages 621–630 inChapter 23 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

You know how to select a topic and complete your research.Now you’re ready to see how everything comes together into afirst draft. The better job you do of organizing your notes andsources, the easier it is to put them together into an essay orresearch paper. In this assignment, you’ll review effectivetechniques for sorting out your research and developing yourideas as you work on your first draft.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 622–623. Writing a research paper can be stimulatingand enjoyable if you think of your work as a voyage of discovery.Your enthusiasm (or lack of it) will be reflected in your pursuitof information, your critical thinking on the subject, and yourexpression of your ideas when you’re writing. Review Figure 23.1on page 623, a chart listing the steps of the writing processcovered in this chapter.

Pages 623–628. As mentioned, researching your narrowedtopic often unearths additional relevant sources. What’s more,you may discover information that affects how you plannedto develop your narrowed topic. If you’re making personalcomments or annotations while researching, you’re betterable to determine if you’re getting sidetracked or need torevise your thesis. Modify your working thesis as you go, tosave time and avoid disappointment. Throw away ideas forwhich you aren’t finding support, or adjust your directionbased on a surprising discovery.

For example, say your working thesis is that a girl raised witholder brothers is less likely to adopt a socially acceptablefemale gender role, but you then discover credible informa-tion from more than one source that indicates the impact ofbrothers on a girl doesn’t affect her in terms of societal rolesbut only in her general approach to life. Your revised thesis

Lesson 3 51

might say that a girl raised with older brothers is more likelyto adopt a tomboy attitude while playing a socially acceptablefemale gender role. Making such decisions and changes as yougo also helps you group similar ideas and details from differentsources, thereby accomplishing the first steps in sorting andsynthesizing your information. Use the exploratory questionson page 623 to guide you in revising your working thesisboth while you’re researching and as you prepare to draftyour paper.

You can begin arranging your ideas by choosing categoriesfrom among your sources, as shown on pages 624–625. Agraphic organizer, such as the one in Figure 23.2 on page 626,is also a useful tool for grouping your sources. A list of prosand cons is a third way to organize ideas, which is especiallyuseful for arguments or a compare-and-contrast approach.

Note: It’s sometimes useful to use more than one approachto the process of synthesis.

Pages 629–630. Your textbook has made drafting yourresearch paper a step-by-step process that’s easy to follow.Many of the 13 steps, like following an introduction-body-conclusion format, keeping your audience in mind, orincorporating in-text citations, should seem both familiar andreasonable by this time. You may want to bookmark this pagefor reference when you’re actually writing your assignments.

As you draft your research paper, keep the following points in mind:

n You’re still in the process of discovery and synthesis, soif you find yourself deviating from your plan to pursue anew thought, follow your instincts to see where theylead. Such sidetracks at this stage often produce themost powerful and convincing writing.

n Begin a new paragraph each time you make a new pointor provide further examples. Don’t worry if the paragraphseems too short.

n Focus on your own thoughts and analysis, instead of thesources. The initial draft should reflect your unique planof development for the thesis, not what others say. Onceyou know what you think, you can choose the informa-tion that supports your ideas. If you string togetherquotation after quotation, readers won’t hear yourvoice—just a series of facts and opinions.


n As you interact with and integrate source information,your mind will trigger additional connections to your thesis and to other points you’ve made or will make. Jot down notes in the margin of your draft as you go, so you don’t lose the ideas.

n If you can’t explain information from a source in relationto your thesis, then set it aside rather than force it intoyour draft. You may think of an explanation later or, morelikely, realize that the information wasn’t appropriate.

n Once your draft is complete, revisit your working thesisand modify it to fit what you actually wrote, particularlyin relation to the conclusions you’ve drawn at the end.

n Set the draft aside for at least 24 hours, allowing your-self a complete break from the paper and research.

Drafting a research paper involves cycling back through varioussteps in the process. For example, when you notice that a keypoint you want to make doesn’t have enough supportingmaterial (one of those really short paragraphs), you’ll have todo further research to locate that information. Of course, thatresearch may lead you to develop other points or to reorganizeyour ideas.

Self-Check 10


1. From the following, choose the best working thesis for a proposed research paper on the topicof anorexia nervosa. Briefly explain what’s strong or weak about each one.

Thesis A: There are many causes of anorexia nervosa. Thesis B: Anorexia nervosa has both emotional and social causes that work hand in hand.Thesis C: Anorexia nervosa occurs most often in young women aged 13–22.

(Continued)

Lesson 3 53

Self-Check 10

2. From the following, choose the best working thesis for a proposed research paper on the current state of the former Soviet Union. Briefly explain what’s strong or weak about each one.

Thesis A: Business practices in former Soviet Union countries Thesis B: Business practices in the countries of the former Soviet Union have changedsince the breakup. Thesis C: Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, business practices in former member countries have changed most in the fields of marketing and customer service, reflectingthe changes in government and political philosophy.

3. Choose the best working thesis for a proposed research paper on the importance of Hamlet’s father’s ghost in the play by Shakespeare. Briefly explain what’s strong or weakabout each one.

Thesis A: Shakespeare intended the audience to question the existence of Hamlet’s father’s ghost. Thesis B: The appearance of Hamlet’s father’s ghost raises an important psychological aswell as dramatic dilemma in the play.Thesis C: Critics through the ages have debated the significance of Hamlet’s father’s ghost.

4. Read the following passage.

The Chihuahua is a challenging dog to have as a pet. The Chihuahua is not only devoted,sweet-tempered, and exceedingly cute, but also stubborn, feisty, and prone to destructivebehaviors like digging and chewing. Because of the Chihuahua’s diminutive size (two to sevenpounds), many owners don’t understand at first how much trouble this type of dog can be.Too many Chihuahuas start out as darling puppies who are lavished with attention and end upas untrained adults, unceremoniously dropped off at the dog pound.

a. Write a paraphrase of the passage.b. Write a one-sentence summary of it.c. Write a personal comment about the paragraph.

(Continued)


ASSIGNMENT 11: INTEGRATINGINFORMATION FROM SOURCES Read the following assignment. Then read pages 630–636 inyour textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gaugeyour progress.

Writing a research paper is an opportunity to learn about asubject you’re interested in. By reading what others have dis-covered about your topic (researching), you find out not onlyfacts, but also opinions on how what the ideas mean and whatcan be deduced from them. Because part of your supportingevidence depends on what others have observed, said, andconcluded, you need to know how to integrate the ideasyou’ve decided to use into a cohesive, readable paper. Youalso have to give credit to the sources in a way that’smethodical and understandable.

Self-Check 10

5. Read this passage taken from the study guide to Readings in World Civilizations, by ElizabethSignorotti Miklus, page 53.

As Britain’s empire spread, so too did its sports. Prior to the Civil War, cricket was the mostpopular team sport in the United States, but cricket had a competitor, another stick and ballgame, known variously as “base,” “goal ball,” or “base ball.” In 1845 Alexander Cartwrightsuggested that the group of men with whom he played baseball—on a vacant lot in New YorkCity—organize a club, charging dues, creating rules of conduct and play, and levying fines forthose who violated the rules. After the end of the Civil War, cricket no longer held its popularplace, but baseball did. Conditions, then, were highly favorable for the emergence of a teamsport, an American team sport, to replace the British sport of cricket.

a. Write a paraphrase of the passage.b. Write a one-sentence summary of it.c. Write a personal comment about the paragraph.


Lesson 3 55

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 630–633. As you know, there are three ways ofextracting information from sources—paraphrasing, sum-marizing, and direct quotation. All three methods must bedocumented through appropriate citations.

A direct quotation can make your research paper stronger, but consider two cautions: First, use direct quotes sparingly—do so only when the author’s phrasing is vital to the pointyou’re making or is so distinctive that it can’t be effectivelyparaphrased. It’s pointless to quote common knowledge or an ordinary statement. Second, avoid using quotations to doyour job of analyzing and explaining your ideas. Too manyquotations suggest that you haven’t formed enough of yourown reasons—at least not enough to use your own words withease. A good rule of thumb is that your analysis showing howthat quote relates to your thesis and other source materialmust be at least twice as long as each quote you use.

Page 631. Study the information in the box on page 631 toreview the kinds of material requiring documentation.

Pages 633–636. Several different approaches may be usedfor in-text citations. By reading the textbook’s examples, you’llsee how to introduce sources into your paper and apply MLAstyle. As a rule, when you first mention a source, it’s best toprovide some background information to the reader. For example,“Frost, whose research into victim-blaming is well known, isconsidered an authority on this issue . . .” Introductions areimportant for direct quotes, summaries, and paraphrases toindicate not only that the information isn’t your own, but also that your source is an authority on the subject. You’reattributing that information to the owner of it.

Paraphrases, summaries, or direct quotations must also beintegrated into the flow of your paper. A lead-in or transitionalphrase that puts each borrowed idea into the context of yourthesis will help your reader make the connection between thetwo. Study the set of verbs on page 632, which can help youintroduce source material. Be sure to use the right verb to fitthe context. Also note the examples of properly integrated ornot integrated quotations on page 632.


Remember, however, that a research paper isn’t a patchworkof other people’s ideas, where you use introductions or tran-sitional phrases to pin it all together. Instead, it’s a uniformwhole in which the parts are woven together to create a newpiece of cloth (your report). The strong thread that holdseverything together is your own thinking.

The section on using quotations appropriately is organizedaround answers to four questions:

1. When should I use quotations?

2. How should I format quotations?

3. How do I punctuate quotations?

4. How can I change quotations?

You’ll need to refer to pages 633–636 when you write yourpapers.

A reminder that bears repeating: Always make sure yourown words set up and guide the reader into understanding theconnection between the quote, summary, or paraphrase andthe logical flow of your argument or discussion. If you drop adirect quote into a research paper without placing it in thecontext of your own words, it may lose its impact or, worse, bemisunderstood. When you explain how the quote relates to thetopic, you show how that opinion or line of thinking supportsor develops your purpose. That way, you make sure readersuse the information to support your conclusions, not drawtheir own, which may be far different than what you intended.

Lesson 3 57

Self-Check 11In your self-check file or notebook, complete the following exercises.

1. Which of the following sentences correctly attributes a quote?

a. Branscomb argues, “It’s a good idea to lurk (i.e., read all the messages without contributing anything) for a few weeks, to ensure that you don’t break any of the rules of netiquette” when joining a listserv (7).

b. Branscomb argues that “it’s a good idea to lurk (i.e., read all the messages without contributing anything) for a few weeks, to ensure that you don’t break any of the rules of netiquette” when joining a listserv. (7)

c. Branscomb argues that it’s a good idea to lurk (i.e., read all the messages without contributing anything) for a few weeks, to ensure that you don’t break any of the rules of netiquette when joining a listserv (7).

d. Branscomb argues that it’s a good idea to lurk (i.e., read all the messages without contributing anything) for a few weeks, to ensure that you don’t break any of the rules of netiquette when joining a listserv.

2. Which of the following sentences is properly punctuated as a quote integrated into text?

a. The modern world requires both the ability to concentrate on one thing and the ability to attend to more than one thing at a time, Ideally, each individual would cultivate arepertoire of styles of attention, appropriate to different situations, and would learn how to embed activities and types of attention one within another (Bateson 97).

b. The modern world requires both the ability to concentrate on one thing and the ability to attend to more than one thing at a time: “Ideally, each individual would cultivate arepertoire of styles of attention, appropriate to different situations, and would learn how to embed activities and types of attention one within another.” (Bateson)

c. The modern world requires both the ability to concentrate on one thing and the ability to attend to more than one thing at a time: “Ideally, each individual would cultivate arepertoire of styles of attention, appropriate to different situations, and would learn howto embed activities and types of attention one within another” (Bateson 97).

d. The modern world requires both the ability to concentrate on one thing and the ability to attend to more than one thing at a time: “Ideally, each individual would cultivate arepertoire of styles of attention, appropriate to different situations, and would learn how to embed activities and types of attention one within another.” (97)

(Continued)


Self-Check 11Read the following text from a source. Then evaluate the paraphrases according to thematerial you’ve studied.

A key factor in explaining the sad state of American education can be found in overbureau-cratization, which is seen in the compulsion to consolidate our public schools into massivefactories and to increase to mammoth size our universities even in underpopulatedstates. The problem with bureaucracies is that they have to work hard and long to keepfrom substituting self-serving survival and growth for their original primary objective. Fewsucceed. Bureaucracies have no soul, no memory, and no conscience. If there is a singlestumbling block on the road to the future, it is the bureaucracy as we know it.

—Edward T. Hall, Beyond Culture, Anchor Publishing, 1977, p. 219

3. Which example most effectively paraphrases the source?

a. According to Edward T. Hall, American education is overly bureaucratic. This is manifest inthe increasing size of educational institutions, even in small states. Bureaucracies are badbecause they tend to work to promote their own survival and growth rather than that of theinstitution, as was their initial objective. Most bureaucracies fail because they have a con-science or a soul. I believe that bureaucracies are the biggest stumbling block on the roadto the educational future (219).

b. Bureaucratization has proved to be a major stumbling block on the road to our educationalfuture. American institutions have become factories that are more conducive to the growth ofbureaucratic procedures than to the growth of the students who attend them. Bureaucracieshave to work long and hard to keep from promoting their own survival rather than theeducational goals that were their primary objective (219).

c. Bureaucratization has proved to be a major stumbling block on the road to our educationalfuture. American institutions have become factories that are more conducive to the growthof bureaucratic procedures than to the growth of the students who attend them. Thismeans that, as Edward T. Hall says in his book, Beyond Culture, today’s educational institutions “have no soul, no memory, and no conscience.”

d. In his book, Beyond Culture, Edward T. Hall discusses the problems posed by the increasingbureaucratization of American educational institutions. Hall maintains that overbureaucrati-zation is one of the key factors governing the state of education in America today. Hepoints to the tendency of bureaucracies to promote their own need both to remain stableand expand to the exclusion of all else. That tendency, he believes, is responsible for thefact that many public schools more closely resemble factories than educational institutions.In Hall’s words, “Bureaucracies have no soul, no memory, and no conscience” (219).

(Continued)

Lesson 3 59

Self-Check 11Choose the best answer for the following questions.

4. True or False? Citing sources within the context of your presentation requires the use of parenthetical citations.

5. True or False? Using an introduction before a quote helps establish the credibility of your source.

6. Which of the following represents the correct in-text citation for using the following directquote in a primary source by Henry David Thoreau? “The progress from an absolute to a limited monarchy, from a limited monarchy to a democracy, is a progress toward a truerespect for the individual.”

a. Nothing else is needed. It’s correct as it stands since the quote is in quotation marks.b. You must indicate all source information in a parenthetical citation.c. You need to introduce the quote as having been written by Thoreau or use his name in

parentheses after the quotation.d. You should list the information about Thoreau only on the works-cited page.

7. Which of the following is the correct MLA in-text citation of a Viktor Yushchenko quote foundwithin an article written by Olena Horodetska without page numbers?

a. According to Viktor Yushchenko, as he faced near-certain victory to become Ukraine’s newpresident, “For 14 years we have been independent. Now we have become free.”

b. According to Viktor Yushchenko, as he faced near-certain victory to become Ukraine’s new president, “For 14 years we have been independent. Now we have become free” (qtd in Horodetska).

c. According to Viktor Yushchenko, as he faced near-certain victory to become Ukraine’s new president, “For 14 years we have been independent. Now we have become free.” (Qtd by O. Horodetska).

d. According to Viktor Yushchenko, as he faced near-certain victory to become Ukraine’s new president, “For 14 years we have been independent. Now we have become free” (qtd by Horodetska).



ASSIGNMENT 12: REVISINGYOUR FIRST DRAFT Read the following assignment. Then read pages 636–640 inyour textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gaugeyour progress.

The first draft of a paper is something like a first coat of paint.Up to this point, how you wrote your questions, personalcomments, and ideas wasn’t very important, as long as youunderstood them. But once you begin to revise your roughdraft, writing style becomes very important. When applied towritten reports, style means the way you use words, sentences,ideas, and structure in your writing. It covers different tech-niques you need to consider when revising your presentationbefore giving it to your audience. Characteristics of styleinclude clarity, conciseness, coherence, usage, voice, tone,and unbiased language.

For further assistance with these concepts, you may want topurchase the book The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.and E.B. White. You can also go to Penn Foster’s LibraryResources for more links to writing resources. You can visitthe academic support and online resources listed on pages 7and 8 of this study guide as well.

As your text suggests, give the first draft of your paper some“breathing time” before you return to it for assessment andrevision. Let the paint dry; then go back and do it over. Checkeach detail to be sure you’ve done the best job you can.Sometimes that will mean reorganizing sentences or paragraphsto clarify your ideas. After you’ve revised it to your satisfaction,let it rest again before the final revision and proofreading.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 636–639. Revision should proceed in two steps. First,assess the paper overall, marking the deficiencies, revising yourthesis, and conducting any additional research. Second, rewritesentences and paragraphs to improve your wording, select moreeffective examples, and make the paper easier to read. Everysentence of your final draft should support your thesis and leaddirectly to your conclusion. Use Figure 23.3 on pages 638–639

Lesson 3 61

as a guide to revising your paper. We guarantee a qualityproduct if you take the time to work through each step of theflowchart. Bookmark the page for future reference.

The text provides seven guidelines for formatting an academicpaper (page 637). You must apply these guidelines within thecontext of the submission requirements on page 4 of thisguide. You may not use headings in any of your researchpapers for this course. Instead, be sure that you use appro-priate connective phrasing and transitional devices to guideyour readers through the ideas you’re presenting.

Pages 639–640. When you’re ready for the final editing andproofing, refer to this section of the text before you begin. It’stoo easy to read what you think you wrote, rather than what’sactually on the page, so, again, let your brain rest for a dayor more before you approach it for the final review. Use theguidelines in the text for editing and proofreading your paper.

In Lesson 4, you’ll revisit the drafting and revising parts of the process.

Self-Check 12

In your self-check file or notebook, revise the following sentences as instructed.

1. Make the sentence clearer: The sincere belief of all of those who are members of the boardwas that the company should move to take action on the issues about which they had talked.

2. Make the sentence more precise: The city of San Francisco has many opportunities for leisureactivities.

3. Rewrite the sentence using active rather than passive voice: A decision was reached by members of the board.

(Continued)


Self-Check 12

4. Make the tone better suited to a formal presentation: The employees are pretty together andknow their stuff.

5. Correct language that shows a stereotype: An employee usually feels more confident abouthis new job after he’s completed his training.

6. Correct the informal, nonspecific language: Lots of times in many years, different professionalpeople who were interested in making education better have asked me what we know abouthow people learn so we can use it to make education better.

7. Make the sentence clearer: With the lid off the reactor core was exposed, allowing radioactiveisotopes to escape.

8. Make the sentence clearer: We propose to provide the above engineering services hourlybased on the following estimates.

For the following sentences, replace the idioms with appropriate academic phrasing andcorrect any other problem in style.

9. Janice put her finger on the source of the problem.

10. Tom was of two minds whether to take on another part-time job so close to the final examinations.

11. There were doubts as to whether the company’s dealings were above board.

12. As usual, the shortage of money proved to be the main stumbling block.


Lesson 3 63

ASSIGNMENT 13: DOCUMENTINGYOUR SOURCES: MLA STYLERead the following assignment. Then read pages 640–662 inyour textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gaugeyour progress.

This assignment is unique. It covers the 22 pages of your text’sguide to using the Modern Language Association (MLA) stylein documenting sources, giving you a good sense of the MLAapproach to in-text citations and listing works cited in aresearch paper. This section isn’t meant to be read andremembered—you’ll use it as a reference when you completeyour writing assignments. The MLA style is standard for Englishcourses at every level, from secondary to postgraduate, andalso for other humanities disciplines, such as art history,philosophy, and women’s studies.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 640–641. There are two acceptable forms for writingMLA in-text citations: attribution and parenthetical citation.The attribution method mentions the author’s name early ina sentence or paragraph, placing page numbers in parenthe-ses at the end of the sentence or paragraph. A parentheticalcitation includes the author’s last name and page number(s)at the end of a sentence; use this method only after a previ-ous attribution to that author.

Pages 641–644. Read the examples for specific cases ofauthorship and volumes. Note the instructions for Internetand nonprint sources given on pages 643–644. When you citean Internet source, be sure to give the reader enough infor-mation in your list of works cited to locate the source. Ifthere’s no author, use a shortened version of the title.

Pages 644–662. Study these guidelines for your works-citedlist. List only the sources cited in your paper. Alphabetize thelist using authors’ last names and put the list on a separatepage at the end of your paper. When you prepare your list,carefully follow the instructions given on these pages andlook closely at the examples in the book. Every space andpunctuation mark gives information, so the format has to be followed exactly.


Pages 647–649. Book attributions can vary quite a bit, andthat variety is illustrated for you on these pages. Pay specialattention to the following:

n Books with two or more authors

n Government publications

n Edited books or anthologies

n Citations from an introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword

n Translated books

n An article or chapter within a compilation

n Two or more works by the same author(s)

The diagram at the top of page 647 clarifies the format, espe-cially for visual learners. Study Figure 23.4, “Where to FindDocumentation Information for a Book,” on page 646. As anexercise, look at several different books to see where youwould find documentation data for each one.

Pages 649–655. Each article in periodicals, Internetsources, and other sources requires specific citations. Thecolor-coded formatting guides will be very helpful in settingup your works-cited pages.

RECOMMENDED EXERCISES

Check your work against the examples in the text.

1. Using the guide to listing articles and periodicals on pages 649–651, pick up several magazines and write out correct citations for several of the articles.

2. Referencing page 651, do the same exercise using scholarly journal articles.

3. Read the coded guides and examples on pages 651–655.Practice writing proper citations for two or three sourcesfrom different types of publications.

Lesson 3 65

Pages 655–662. Read the “Students Write” essay by NicholasDestino. Study each of the margin comments to reinforce yourunderstanding of the material in this assignment. If you findyourself engrossed in the paper’s content, read it throughand then go back and examine the margin boxes.

Self-Check 13

Choose the properly formatted citation.

1. Book citation

a. Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York Knopf, 1993. b. Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York. Knopf, 1993.c. Brinkley, Alan, The Unfinished Nation. New York: Knopf. 1993.d. Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York: Knopf, 1993.

2. Internet citation

a. Sherman, Chris. “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About URL.” SearchEngineWatch.Ed. Danny Sullivan. 24 Aug. 2004. 4 Sept. 2004 watch.com/searchday/article.php/3398511.

b. Sherman, Chris. “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About URL.” SearchEngineWatch. Ed. Danny Sullivan. 24 Aug. 2004. 4 Sept. 2004 <http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3398511>.

c. Sherman, Chris. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About URL. SearchEngineWatch. Ed. Danny Sullivan. 24 Aug. 2004. 4 Sept. 2004 <http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3398511>.

d. Sherman, Chris. “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About URL.” SearchEngineWatch. Ed. Danny Sullivan. 24 Aug. 2004. 4 Sept. 2004 http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3398511.

(Continued)


Self-Check 13

3. A works-cited page for your research presentation includes

a. only those sources you referenced by in-text citation.b. only those sources you quoted directly.c. all the sources you read while researching.d. all the sources you obtained as “hits” through an Internet search.

4. For the research papers you’ll submit in this course, which type of documentation style is required for you to use?

a. Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) c. American Psychological Association (APA)b. Modern Language Association (MLA) d. Columbia Style Guide (CSG)

5. Which of the following illustrates the correct MLA works-cited format for a book with two authors?

a. John Jones and Mary Smith, 23 Days to a Promotion, Jackson: Last-Month Publishing House, 1969.

b. Jones, John, and Mary Smith, 23 Days to a Promotion, 1969, Jackson: Last-MonthPublishing House.

c. Jones, John, and Smith, Mary. 23 Days to a Promotion. Jackson: Last-Month PublishingHouse, 1969.

d. Jones, John, and Mary Smith. 23 Days to a Promotion. Jackson: Last-Month PublishingHouse, 1969.

6. True or False? As long as you use the documentation methods correctly for a particular entry, you can combine different methods like APA with MLA on a works-cited page.

7. True or False? By correctly citing your sources of information and documenting them on the works-cited page, you meet academic standards and avoid charges of plagiarism.

8. Which of the following is a correct MLA entry for an Internet article?

a. Olena Horodetska, “Yushchenko Certain Victor in Ukraine Election,” Reuters. Dec 27, 2004.<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7185173>.

b. Horodetska, Olena, “Yushchenko Certain Victor in Ukraine Election,” Reuters. Dec 27, 2004. Dec 30, 2004.

<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7185173>.c. Horodetska, Olena. “Yushchenko Certain Victor in Ukraine Election.” Reuters.27 Dec. 2004.

5 June 2005.<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7185173>.

d. Olena Horodetska. “Yushchenko Certain Victor in Ukraine Election.” Reuters.27 Dec. 2004. 5 June 2005. <http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7185173>.


Lesson 3 67

ASSIGNMENT 14: REVIEW:PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENTAND WORKING WITH A THESIS STATEMENT Read the following assignment. Then read pages 115–118 inChapter 5 and pages 125–133 in Chapter 6 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

The patterns of development you’ll review in the lesson willhelp you develop your essay from an effective thesis statement.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 115–118. The nine patterns of development—narration, description, illustration, process, comparison and contrast, classification and division, definition, causeand effect, and argument—are outlined for you in Table 5.2on page 116. Use the questions to stimulate your thinking as you consider what kind of paper each approach wouldproduce. Bookmark the page for future reference. Remember,you’ll use one pattern as your primary development for yourthesis, but you can, and should, incorporate other patternsas needed to provide your analysis and evidence.

Pages 126–127. Carefully consider each of the six guide-lines to writing a thesis statement. Study all of the examples,taking special note of important points, such as these:

n Begin with a working thesis, modifying it as you go.

n An assertion isn’t a fact; it takes a position on a fact orissue. To state a thesis is to offer an assertion.

n Limit your essay to one major idea.

n Offer a novel point of view on your topic.

n Don’t begin your essay with an announcement.


Page 128. Your thesis statement may not be the very firstsentence of your paper. It often begins later in the first para-graph or appears in a later paragraph. Sometimes you buildup to your thesis statement using a series of examples. Forinstance, if the thesis is “Organic farming is our best hopefor feeding the planet and preventing permanent damage tothe water supply,” the first paragraphs might begin with topicsentences like these:

Paragraph 1: Scientific evidence is mounting thatindustrial and factory farming is yielding vegetableswith steadily declining levels of vital nutrients.

Paragraph 2: Topsoil loss from industrial farming isa now a global problem.

Paragraph 3: Year by year, the runoff from commer-cial fertilizers is steadily contaminating undergroundaquifers across the American Midwest.

The thesis statement beginning the fourth paragraph mightthen be, “In light of the evidence, agronomists and manyfarmers argue that the only viable future for human food pro-duction lies in the techniques of organic farming.” Then you’llgo on to explain the advantages of organic farming and how it will produce nutritious food without contaminating the water.

An implied thesis offers the reader evidence-supported asser-tions and observations that lead the reader to a conclusion,even thought the writer never explicitly states the thesis.However, in academic and college writing, you must provide a direct, coherent thesis statement. For this course, your thesis should be included in the first paragraph.

Pages 128–133. The types of evidence you choose must notonly appropriately support your thesis, but also suit youraudience and your pattern of development. This section willhelp you select the best type of evidence for your purpose.

Reminder: Are youreading or have youread the book youchose in preparationfor Lesson 6?

69

Self-Check 14


1. Turn to exercise 5.10 on page 117. Using classification and division, definition, cause andeffect, and argument, generate ideas for topics 1 and 3.

2. You've been researching adult illiteracy in the United States and have a 14-page draft thatincludes two pages about how widespread the problem is, six pages analyzing the causes ofthe problem, and six pages evaluating possible solutions and proposing one you feel would beeffective. Write a brief evaluation of the appropriateness of each of the following thesis state-ments in terms of what you’ve already written.

a. Adult illiteracy poses the greatest threat to America today. b. Adult illiteracy in America has many causes, but it can be eliminated. c. How can the problem of adult illiteracy in America be effectively addressed? d. Subsuming a myriad of causal factors, adult illiteracy manifests itself throughout

contemporary American society.

3. From the following, choose the best working thesis for a research paper about the impact ofgovernmental policies on the way hospitals provide health care.

a. U.S. government policies on health care have changed during the past 20 years resultingin hospitals that currently function as oligopolies.

b. U.S. government policies on health care differ greatly from those of Asian nations due tothe different social and economic structures underlying the government.

c. U.S. government policies on health care should be changed to reflect citizens' current concerns.

4. Read the following thesis statements and decide whether they’re effective. Mark each one as either effective or not effective. If the statement isn’t effective, revise it to make it so.

a. The American economy should provide jobs, fair wages, and police instances of discrimination in hiring.

b. The point I want to emphasize is that sex education in public schools can reduce the rate of teenage pregnancies.

c. A healthy exercise program must be based on a person’s level of fitness.d. I learned a lot about nature from hiking.



NOTES

Lesson 4 71

Literary Analysis: FigurativeLanguage in Music and Song

INTRODUCTIONIn this section, you’ll practice some of the basic writing skillsyou’ve learned in other courses—English Composition or anotherEnglish course. Because you’re expected to know how to puttogether balanced sentences and cohesive paragraphs, thisreview won’t be teaching you how to use the tools of writing.Instead it reminds you to use the skills you have and give yousome practice before asking you to put them to use in yourlesson exam.

OBJECTIVESWhen you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to

n Develop unified paragraphs using supportive details

n Use transitions to express coherent ideas

n Repeat key ideas to reinforce your main point

n Read your own and others’ work critically

n Revise the content and organization of an essay orresearch report

n Write a thoughtful analysis of a song

ASSIGNMENT 15: WRITINGEFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHSRead the following assignment. Then study pages 166–179 inChapter 8 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-checkto gauge your progress.

You’ve no doubt studied paragraph writing before. However, to prepare for your writing assignments, it won’t hurt to reviewthe process. In some ways, the same skills used for writingparagraphs also apply to research writing. Your textbook

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effectively presents the steps you need to take to write astrong paragraph. Remember, a paragraph is likely to be well crafted if it

n Addresses only one topic. The topic sentence shouldclearly relate to and support the thesis statement.

n Develops the idea set for the topic sentence by providingappropriate details including definitions, analysis, andevidence from sources.

n Employs transitions and repetitions to help readers fol-low the logical flow of ideas through the paper.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 166–167. To review paragraph structure, studyFigure 8.1 on page 166. Keep in mind that the topic sentenceof a paragraph is equivalent to a thesis in an essay. Just aseach topic sentence should support the thesis of an essay,the supporting details and the concluding or transitional sen-tence closing a paragraph should support the topic sentence.

Pages 167–170. On these pages, you’ll focus on the art ofwriting a topic sentence. Make sure you fully understandthese principles:

n A topic sentence should be focused. That is, it should tellthe reader what the paragraph is about while expressingthe author’s point of view and, possibly as well, make apoint about the topic. Avail yourself of the materialoffered in your text, and especially the comparisonsbetween focused and unfocused topic sentences.

n A topic sentence may be used to preview the organizationof the paragraph. Again, your text samples will help yougrasp that idea.

n The topic sentence of a paragraph should support thethesis of your essay. If it doesn’t, you’ve gone off on atangent; you’ve jumped the track that should lead fromyour introduction to your conclusion.

Lesson 4 73

n A topic sentence should be strategically placed. As youmay know at this point, that means that a topic sentenceis sometimes best placed early in the paragraph or evenat the end of the paragraph.

Pages 170–175. To write a unified, well-developed para-graph, you must have supporting details. You can use theprocess of crafting your supporting details to detect relatedtopics that don’t support your topic sentence. If a detail doesn’t support your topic, it will lead your reader astray. By the same token, practice in writing supporting details will help you avoid generalizations in lieu of concrete specificdetails. Keep in mind that you want to focus on the who,what, when, where, how, and why of your topic. Also keep inmind that concrete examples and illustrations are more likelyto keep your reader engaged—as opposed to bored. Be sureto study the five tips for writing concrete specific details onpage 174 of your text.

Pages 175–179. Good writing should flow. One paragraphshould lead comfortably and logically to the next paragraph.A good example is a well-written and well-directed screen-play. In a well-edited movie, transitions allow the viewer tofollow the plot. The next time you watch a movie, study theway one scene is crafted to lead into the next. Are you able tofollow the action smoothly or does it leave you confused?Effective transitions will keep your reader engaged with yourtopic. Study the list of commonly used transitions on page176 in your textbook to match types of prose connectionswith useful and appropriate transitions.

This section includes a draft of “The Value of Volunteering,”an essay by Robin Ferguson, on pages 177–178. Study it tosee how effectively Ferguson uses transitions and repetitions.


Self-Check 15

In your self-check file or notebook, revise each of the following sentences using the specified guideline.

1. Use who, what, when, where, and how questions: Bats hunt at night because they have built-in sonar.

2. Name people, places, or objects: Waiting for the bus, my brother stood at the corner holding a furled umbrella.

3. Use active verbs: Seeing the taxi pull up outside, Miranda went to the door to greet her husband.

4. Use descriptive language that appeals to the senses: I enjoy the view from Walker Point.

Read the following paragraph; then answer questions 5–8 using the sentence numbersgiven in the instructions.

(1) The two primary schools of behavioral psychology are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. (2) There are three keys to understanding these perspectives. (3) First, both perspectives focus on behavior, not consciousness, thoughts, or subjective feelings. (4) Second, both perspectives aim at ways to change or modify a subject’s behavior. (5) Third, both perspectives attempt to predict future behaviors based on providing specifictechniques for modifying present behavior. (6) A key to understanding and differentiating the two schools of behaviorism is recognizing that both classical conditioning and operant conditioning are based on a few basic concepts. (7) These concepts, such as “conditionedresponse,” “operant,” or “partial reinforcement,” must be carefully learned. (8) Once they are,you’ll be fairly well informed about how behaviorists view human behavior and how they conduct their research.

5. List the transitional expressions used in sentences 3, 4, and 5.

6. Describe the type of connection these terms provide in the sentences.

7. Write a summary that condenses these three sentences into a single sentence. Remove or addwords as necessary.

8. Expand sentence 8 to summarize the content of the paragraph.


Lesson 4 75

ASSIGNMENT 16: REVIEWINGTHE ART OF REVISION Read the following assignment. Then read pages 182–194 inChapter 9 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-checkto gauge your progress.

Mark Twain once said, “The time to begin writing an article iswhen you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that timeyou begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you reallywant to say.” He wasn’t kidding. Researching and writing anessay is a process of discovery that begins when you chooseyour topic and doesn’t end until you’ve revealed to yourreader what you’ve learned. It’s only after you read your “finished” paper that you know whether you’ve succeeded.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 182–183. While researching and drafting your paperseem to be the most time-consuming tasks, make sure youdon’t rush through the revision process. If you look atFigure 9.1 on page 182, “An Overview of the Writing Process,”you’ll see that much analysis and reworking is in order. Ifyou let your paper “rest” for a day or two, you may discoveron the first reading that your conclusion doesn’t match yourthesis. You may also find that your organization or transi-tions need work or that you need more detail to support anarea. Fixing these flaws takes time, and sometimes evenadditional research, so allow at least a week to thoroughlyanalyze and revise your paper.

Pages 183–184. The techniques of revision are listed onthese pages. While they may be familiar to you, you may nothave tried all of them. Give particular attention to these points:

n Allow your draft to rest before you read it for revision, so you’ll see it with fresh eyes.

n Read your draft aloud to get the sense of its flow andcoherence. If you stumble or can’t follow the logic, itneeds rewriting.

n Print or type your draft. Working with a “hard copy”makes it easier to appraise the writing objectively.


Pages 185–188. Using key questions and a graphic organ-izer will give you a clear picture of whether your essay needsminor or major revision. Use a flowchart like the one inFigure 9.4 on page 189 to analyze your paper and list revi-sions you need to make. Here are some further suggestionsfor reviewing points of analysis:

n Write a sentence or two describing your audience andmake sure all the elements of your paper address thatgroup.

n State the purpose of your paper in a single sentence; a carefully crafted thesis statement should have summed up that purpose.

n Make sure your title, introduction, and conclusion effec-tively address your thesis.

n Use the flowchart to evaluate your entire essay.

Pages 188–191. If you’re studying at home, you won’t haveclassmates with whom to get together and read assignments,but if you have email contact with fellow students, you maywant to network with them that way. Otherwise, ask a familymember or friend to read and review your essay using thequestions and suggestions on pages 190–191 as a guide.Once again, evaluate each of your paragraphs using the flow-chart on page 189.

Pages 192–194. The section on using your instructor’scomments includes the rough draft of an essay about“Guerilla Street Art.” It’s marked up by highlights linked toeditorial comments. Then study the six tips on page 194 tothink about how to use an instructor’s comments to improveyour essays.

Page 195. This section begins with some helpful commentson considering your learning style. To assess your learningstyle, read pages 35–41 of Chapter 2.

Pages 195–201. Under the Students Write section, you’llconsider the revisions Christine Lee adopted to improve heressay, “A Trend Taken Too Far: The Reality of Real TV.” Sheused a graphic organizer for that purpose, so you’ll want tostudy Figure 9.6 on pages 196–197 to see just what sherevised and why. You’ll then take a guided tour through Ms.Lee’s final draft. Be sure to take some time to study the high-lights to understand how her essay was improved.

Please note PennFoster’s Code ofConduct, AcademicDishonesty, andPlagiarism policies.Review your studenthandbook before youshare your work withanother student.

Lesson 4 77

EDITING AND PROOFREADINGFOR CONVENTIONS

All areas of life operate according to certain codes or rules.Readers expect academic essays to reflect the rules, or conventions, governing such writing. When a writer fails topolish a paper so it follows these customs, readers will notonly be disappointed but also will lose confidence in thewriter and may not understand what the writer is trying tocommunicate. The conventions of writing include correct andappropriate grammar, diction, punctuation, capitalization,sentence structure, and spelling. For this course, your papersmust follow the conventions of standard American English. If you have a British background, you must be sure to useAmerican (not British) spelling and word choices.

If you need to refresh your understanding of these conventions,make use of the various resources available to you. Referback to the academic support and online resources on pages7 and 8 of this study guide. Links to other applicable web-sites are available at the Library Services link on yourstudent page.

Self-Check 16

In your self-check file or notebook, complete the following exercise.

In “Analyzing the Revision” on page 201, respond to items 1–4. Before you begin, review theearlier draft of the paper on pages 158–159.



ASSIGNMENT 17: READING ANDANALYZING LITERATURE: POETRYRead the following assignment. Then read pages 684–689 and 698–704 in Chapter 24 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

Sometimes students dread reading literature for a class, onlyto be surprised to find that a novel by Steinbeck or a poemby Jimmy Santiago Baca reaches them on a level they neverimagined possible. Much of this assignment is devoted tothinking about literature and analyzing poetry, which, forsome, may present a challenge, if only in overcoming a faultyperception of what poetry is. Although written poetry is lessfamiliar to many of us than, say, song lyrics, they’re closelyrelated. If you think of poetry as lyrics, then you mightaccept that sometimes you have to hear—or read—them sev-eral times before you connect all the ideas and understandwhat the writer is saying. Study the information on analyzinga poem, because later you’ll be called on to write an analysis.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 684–685. Read the “Chapter Quick Start” introduc-tion about the poet Gwendolyn Brooks; then read “The BeanEaters” on page 684. Read it at least twice before going on tothe analysis of the poem on page 686.

Pages 687. On this page, you’re offered nine guidelines forreading literature. They point out that reading literaturerequires a different approach from everyday reading, but it’sworth the effort. “Anticipate a gradual understanding” is theidea we talked about earlier regarding song lyrics or poetry. Itoften takes multiple readings, as well as some extra time andeffort, to digest the meanings imbedded in a poem or a story.

Pages 688–689. You’ve studied the language of literaturebefore, probably starting in grade school. But as you grow as a reader and a student, the ideas you encounter throughsimile and metaphor become more mature and complex. The explanations and examples in the text review the termsand demonstrate the use of each. Literary works also use personification, in which human characteristics are attributed

Lesson 4 79

to objects or animals, and symbols that stand for ideas orthemes. Irony plays tricks with words to expose the oppositeof what you may expect.

Pages 698–699. Even if you don’t read poetry for pleasure,try to appreciate the many elements a poet puts together todeliver his or her message. Poetry gains its power from com-municating feeling and intuition through creative use oflanguage. Ordinary, literal, “left-brained” language works forlogical or practical purposes, and sometimes even for narra-tives. Insights into values, emotions, or questions of existenceare better expressed indirectly through concise images, tone,and levels of meaning. Use the 10 questions on page 699 tohelp you analyze the poems by Robert Frost and ElizabethBishop.

Pages 703–704. Here, you’ll find basic information on literaryanalysis. Literary analysis doesn’t mean summarizing a work.Analysis must provide a critique of the work, considering itselements (such as tone, language, and the effect of rhyme, ifany) and interpreting the work to reveal its context and message.

Analyzing PoetryAs mentioned earlier, analyzing a poem is much like under-standing thoughtful song lyrics. The more you listen to asong, the more you “catch,” and after hearing it several timesyou realize what the entire message or story is. Many popularsongs use symbols or allusions that resonate with their audi-ence. For instance, just a place name, like Woodstock or theTwin Towers, can provide the time and mood the writer wantsto invoke. Poets try to express ideas concisely, using clearideas that evoke not only an image, but also a feeling. Notethat images appeal to all of the five senses, not just sight.

When you read a poem, start by reading it through twice. Infact, don’t expect to understand it until you’ve read it severaltimes. In the first reading, you’ll just begin to see where thepoet is going by the time you reach the end. On the secondreading, you’ll see how the earlier ideas develop and arerelated to the later ones. With each subsequent reading, more of the poet’s message will become evident.


The Poet’s Tools

To convey meaning, poets use certain mechanical elements inaddition to themes, emotion, and figures of speech. Rhyme,meter, and even spelling and punctuation add substance,depth, and sometimes ambiguity to a poem.

When you first read the two poems given later in this section,you may not realize that each has a rhyme scheme, because ifyou follow the punctuation, as you should, you probably won’thear it. Read the poems through twice, and then read each onealoud.

Next, begin looking for the rhyme scheme. Remember thatrhymes aren’t necessarily perfect and some lines may not have arhyming partner. For instance, in Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach”on page 82, lines 21 and 26 end in “Faith” and “breath” respec-tively. He may have intended them as a half rhyme. InDickinson’s poem on page 83, “soul” and “all” offer a half (orslant ) rhyme, but the first line, which ends with “feathers,”doesn’t rhyme with any other line. While poets sometimes userhyme to emphasize words, in this case it may be the lack ofrhyme that makes “feathers” stand out.

Next, look for other mechanical points of interest. While youwon’t necessarily refer to them in your literary analysis, poetsuse these tools to add interest, emphasis, and mood to a poem.Whenever you come across such elements, remember that thepoet deliberately employed the sounds, as well as the words.Also remember that not all poems are deadly serious— if a seriesof words or rhymes seem playful or funny, chances are theywere meant to be just that.

Alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the initial soundin a series of words. (See line 8 of “Dover Beach.”)

Assonance. In assonance, the vowel sound repeats. (In “DoverBeach,” see the rhymes of the lines with the ite sound: tonight,light, flight.)

Consonance. Consonance uses repeating consonant sounds,usually at the beginning and ends of words, but sometimes incombination with sounds within a word. (See lines 4 and 12 of“Dover Beach.”)

Internal rhyme. When words within a line or sentence rhyme,it’s called internal rhyme. Like end rhymes, internal rhyme maybe imperfect.

Lesson 4 81

Another element of poetry is its rhythm or meter. Rhythmrefers to how the words sound as they’re read. Meter is thepattern used to create the rhythm. Meter is measured in feetper line; each foot represents a stressed syllable and one ortwo unstressed syllables. Some of these patterns are standardand have names, the most familiar being iambic pentameter,which uses one unstressed and one stressed syllable for eachfoot, with five feet to the line. Shakespeare often wrote iniambic pentameter, such as in this couplet:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Reading the lines aloud gives you a very clear idea of themeter that was written into the poem. When you read theEmily Dickinson poem, pay close attention to the meter ineach line. Note how the first line’s meter—like its lack ofrhyme—doesn’t match the rest of the poem.

Why should you examine the mechanics of a poem? For onething, the words the poet stresses through rhyme or meterwill help you pick out what’s important. Also, by paying atten-tion to the details, you’ll discover relationships between linesand words that you might not notice otherwise. For instance,rhyming words that appear in the first lines and are repeatedat the end of the poem may have particular significance; or,like the odd lines in the Dickinson poem, a different sound ormeter may signal importance. Finally, the closer you look andthe more ways and the more times you read the poem, themore likely you are to grasp its full meaning. Although songlyrics add the dimension of rhythm and meter through amusical score, the songwriter considers these same mechanics.

Analyzing a Poem

Now that you have a good idea of what you’re looking for,study the following poems by Matthew Arnold and EmilyDickinson. Later you’ll have a chance to write your own analytical or critical ideas about the poems.

Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) was aprominent poet of the Victorian era. He traveled and lived in upper-class social circles, maintaining relationships withEnglish and French literary figures of the time. He wasclosely involved with issues of education and, for much of


his life, was the Inspector of Schools for England. He wasconsidered unpretentious and outgoing, even though much ofhis poetry reflected an aura of romantic melancholy characteris-tic of many intellectuals of his age. As his poem “Dover Beach”suggests, he had some doubts about the future of civilization.

Dover Beach

The sea is calm tonight,The tide is full, the moon lies fairUpon the straits; on the French coast the lightGleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. 5Come to the window, sweet is the night air!Only, from the long line of sprayWhere the moon meets the moon-blanched land,Listen! You hear the grating roarOf pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling, 10At their return, up the high strand,Begin, and cease, and then again begin,With tremulous cadence slow, and bringThe eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago 15Heard it in the Aegean, and it broughtInto his mind the turbid ebb and flowOf human misery; weFind also in the sound a thought,Hearing it by this distant northern sea. 20

The Sea of FaithWas once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shoreLay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.But now I only hearIts melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, 25Retreating, to the breath Of the night wind, down the vast edges drearAnd naked shingles of the world.Ah, love, let us be trueTo one another! for the world, which seems 30To lie before us like a land of dreams,So various, so beautiful, so new,Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;And we are here as on a darkling plain 35Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Lesson 4 83

Here’s some background on the poem: The beach to whichArnold refers in the title is, as you might guess, the famous“white cliffs of Dover,” where the speaker describes its beautyto his love. Sophocles, a Greek poet and playwright, was theauthor of Antigone (441 BCE) and Oedipus the King (425 BCE),tragedies based on deep flaws in the characters and, byimplication, in human nature. The “Sea of Faith” (thirdstanza) refers to Christendom before the ProtestantReformation of the sixteenth century.

Using the mechanical tools discussed earlier, highlight thelines you think are most significant. Think about the mean-ing of the words, and make sure you look up anything youdon’t understand. Then put into words the message youbelieve the poet was trying to convey.

Emily Dickinson. Born in 1830, Emily Dickinson was welleducated as a young woman, but after that lived her entirelife in the family home in Amherst, Massachusetts. She wrotehundreds of poems, but only a few of them were publishedduring her lifetime and most weren’t discovered until afterher death. Her style of punctuation and use of slant rhymeswas unconventional in her day, but she put great thoughtinto the mechanics of each poem and each idiosyncraticdevice had a purpose. Most of her poems didn’t have titles.Often referred to as the Belle of Amherst, Dickinson is nowrecognized as one of America’s most outstanding poets.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers—That perches in my soul—And sings the tune without the words—And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—And sore must be the storm—That could abash the little birdThat kept so many warm—

I’ve heard it in the chillest land—And on the strangest Sea—Yet, never, in Extremity,It asked a crumb—of Me.


This poem was part of a larger piece titled “Life.” It can beconsidered an extended metaphor, with the bird representinghope and all the images relating to that idea. The little bird isa resident of the human soul and always offers comfort nomatter how strong the storm.

Incorporating Research into a Literary AnalysisWhen you write a research paper, you look up informationand opinions that will support your thesis. You should applythe same process to writing a literary analysis. Once you’vetaken a position on the meaning or importance of an element ina poem or song and developed your thesis, you can begin theresearch process. If you need to refresh your understanding ofthe research process, make use of the various resources avail-able to you. Refer back to the academic support and onlineresources on pages 7 and 8 of this study guide. Links to otherapplicable websites are available at the Library Services linkon your student page.

Once you’ve thoroughly analyzed a poem (or song) and decidedon a thesis, you can search for authoritative sources to backyou up. Your reference librarian can help you find appropriatesources. Then you’ll integrate the information into your paperas support for your ideas, just as you would any sources for aresearch paper. Be sure to use proper citation.

Self-Check 17

In your self-check file or notebook, complete items 1–7 in your own words.

1. What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor? Provide your own invented examples for each. Identify the central metaphor in Dickinson’s poem.

2. In “Dover Beach,” what does the metaphor “. . . naked shingles of the world” represent?

3. What is personification? Give one example from Arnold’s poem.

(Continued)

Lesson 4 85

ASSIGNMENT 18: BEGINNING,ENDING, AND ILLUSTRATINGESSAYSRead the following assignment. Then read pages 152–157 inChapter 7 and pages 309–312 in Chapter 13 of your textbook.Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

To make a point with your essay, you obviously must getpeople to read it. A strong introduction will grab your readers’attention and let them know what to expect. As you makeyour points, effective illustrations can help readers followyour argument and influence their thinking toward yourpoint of view. Your ending should tie it all up in a conclusionthat completes your argument, reflects your thesis, andleaves your audience thinking.

Self-Check 17

4. In what way could an empty and abandoned house be a symbol? Use your imagination andwrite out three possible examples.

5. Use comparison and contrast to summarize the themes of “Dover Beach” and the Dickinsonpoem. Write two or more paragraphs in the style of a short essay.

6. If you were writing a critical essay comparing the two poems, what might your thesis be?Draft a thesis statement for your essay and write two possible titles for it.

7. What is the meaning of the last two lines of Dickinson’s poem? Offer additional critical comments on the poem’s ending.



READING HIGHLIGHTS

Page 152. Your introduction is your readers’ first impres-sion of your work. It should indicate the focus of yournarrowed topic, set the tone, and establish expectations forthe essay. In the text, study the two examples of introductionsfrom student essays and read the analysis on page 153. Agood introduction should also

n Present your thesis statement

n Engage the readers’ interest

n Provide any necessary background information

Study the tips on pages 154–156 for writing a strong intro-duction. It’s a good idea to begin with an anecdote, adescription, a startling statistic, or a comparison to “hook”your readers. For instance,

“The first time I saw Jim Handy, he was standing atop awater tower, reciting the Gettysburg Address.”

“Imagine a world without automobiles.”

“Today, two out of every five American children are born into poverty.”

“The art and science of archeology are similar to that of crime investigation.”

Keep the introduction short—one paragraph is best—andavoid announcements, slang, and other gimmicks.

Pages 156–157. An effective conclusion wraps up the essaywith a succinct summary and/or a logical conclusion derivedfrom your supporting evidence. While your ending must reflectyour thesis, it shouldn’t simply reiterate it. Your conclusionalso may point beyond your essay. For instance, “Railroadswere once the heart of American transportation and, givencurrent trends, a new age of railroading may be in our imme-diate future.” Your conclusion shouldn’t soften or contradictyour stand on a topic and should never apologize for yourwork or your ideas. Study the five mistakes to avoid onpages 156–157.

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Page 157. A good title can make your essay stronger. Inmost academic papers, the best titles tend to be descriptive andstraightforward. To make it more engaging or intriguing, youmight frame the title as a question or use word play or alliter-ation, if it’s smartly done. Here are some examples:

Mountain Top Removal: A Crime against Nature

Is Mountain Top Removal a Crime against Nature?

Poverty from Profits: The Tragedy of Mountain Top Removal

Avoid generic titles that merely indicate your topic withouttelling your readers anything about your thesis, such as“Trash Removal,” “Free Trade,” or “Sexual Harassment.”

Pages 309–312. In writing, illustrations are the examplesyou offer to support your general statements. Select examplesthat are appropriate, relevant, accurate, striking, or dramatic,so they impress upon the reader the point you’re trying tomake. Illustrations should

n Engage the readers’ interest

n Support generalizations

n Explain or clarify through examples

n Support the overall purpose of your paper

Make sure your organization is effective and that your exam-ples fit into the design of your paper, contributing to its flowand readability.

Examination, Lesson 488

Self-Check 18

Study the following paragraph and then complete items 1–4.

How did a handful of Spanish conquistadors overcome a Mexican empire comprising a populationin the millions? The mighty, literate, and culturally sophisticated Aztec society of Mexico mayhave appeared invincible. But two factors seem paramount in their conquest. First, the Europeanshad superior weaponry. Second, and perhaps of much greater interest, subtle cultural factorswere involved. Ancient prophecies recorded by Aztec priests foretold the arrival of a beardedgod, an incarnation of the mighty Quetzalcoatl, arriving in the Aztec year Reed I (1516)—exactly when Hernando Cortez arrived. Had Cortez been viewed as a demonic, rather than a divine apparition, superior weaponry wouldn’t have saved the Spaniards from Aztec fury.Cortez took practical advantage of his temporary “godliness” to gather indigenous alliesagainst the hated Aztecs. Meanwhile, to hasten the success of the Spanish conquest, bothAztecs and their oppressed populations began to succumb to European diseases like typhoid,measles, and cholera.

1. Does the first sentence of this paragraph engage the reader? Explain your view in a few sentences.

2. Create a thesis statement for an essay based on the paragraph.

3. Read this concluding paragraph; then answer the question.

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire of Mexico was aided by one of the great ironies ofhistory, the myth of the return of the bearded god Quetzalcoatl. Yet, as we revisit this terribledrama, we are reminded of a broader fact and a wider context: Similar tragedies still occurtoday when Western civilization encroaches on ancient indigenous cultures.

What two tips for writing a conclusion were used?

4. Which of the following titles would be best? Why did you reject the others?

a. They Expected a God and Got a Grandeeb. Cortez and the Prophecy that Betrayed the Aztecsc. An Empire Falls for a Fable


Examination, Lesson 4 89

Objectives

For this exam, the student will

n Use the writing process to draft and revise an essay

n Write an effective thesis statement





Topic

When you think of a song you love, chances are you think ofmore than just its beat or melody. Because of your particularexperiences, your reasons for loving the song may be differentfrom the reasons of someone else who also loves the samesong. Perhaps you have a particular memory associated withthat song or it speaks to you personally. The lyrics of a songespecially take on a different meaning from person to person.Think of a song you love. What words or phrases stand out toyou? Why? For this exam, you’ll choose a song and analyzethe lyrics of the song. Your analysis should focus primarilyon the various literary devices the songwriter uses to conveythe song’s meaning, such as simile, metaphor, irony, personi-fication, and symbolism. Use your analysis to determine whatthe appeal of the song is to its audience.

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Lesson 4Prewriting Examination

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50046800


This essay requires you to use secondary sources to supportyour claims about the song’s cultural impact, so you’ll beginyour research and create a bibliography of relevant articlesand reviews that you might include in your essay. Your anno-tated bibliography should include a minimum of five sources.Please note that if you use any secondary source material inyour graphic organizer, you should follow MLA format andprovide the appropriate parenthetical citations. To prepare anoutline for a 1200–1500 word essay that analyzes the impactand influence a song has in a contemporary context based onits literary devices and cultural references. Distance-educa-tion students enrolled at Penn Foster College

Purpose

To prepare an outline for a 1,200–1,500 word essay that ana-lyzes the impact and influence a song has in a contemporarycontext based on its literary devices and cultural references.

Audience

Distance-education students enrolled at Penn Foster College

Process

Brainstorm

1. Watch the Song Analysis Webinar for Lesson 4. Thisshould be viewed before you begin work on the exam.There are three webinars for this course. Each webinar isconnected to a specific lesson(s) or a specific essay exam.

2. Choose a song that you like because the words arememorable or meaningful to you. Copy the lyrics in aword-processed document, and provide the citation forthe song in MLA format.

3. Free write about the cultural influence the song has onits audience. Try to answer questions such as, Why isthe song popular? Why is the song important? Whatdoes this song mean to you?


4. Work through the “Generating Ideas” exercise from pages705–707 in your textbook, using the knowledge you’vegained about poetic literary devices to analyze how yoursong uses simile, metaphor, irony, personification, andsymbolism. Map out specific examples from the song.Since the song is your primary source, you don’t haveto provide parenthetical citations each time you quote,paraphrase, or summarize the song, but make sure toprovide line or stanza indicators as needed to guideyour readers.

Research

1. Research critical reviews of the artist, CD, and/or song.Choose a minimum of five sources that provide the mostinsight into both the meaning of the song and the use ofliterary elements you’ve identified.

2. Prepare an annotated bibliography of your five sources(see pages 607–608 in your textbook). Each annotationmust contain two to four sentences explaining not onlyhow the information was relevant to your discussion, butalso what you found most interesting or unusual aboutthe information provided. Remember that an annotatedbibliography lists the potential sources you may use foryour paper. In your full-length essay, you’ll use at leasttwo of your five sources

Organize

1. You’re now ready to create your outline/graphic organ-izer (see page 148–152 in your textbook). Write anorganizational plan for your essay incorporating some ofyour sources. Remember that all sources must be appro-priately incorporated into the outline with MLA in-textcitation.

2. Review your textbook as needed to apply the appropriatewriting skills such as brainstorming, researching, andwriting your outline/graphic organizer. In addition,ensure that your work displays good writing traits andrepresents the characteristics described on the courserubric (see Appendix).


Place all required work in the same document in the followingorder, beginning a new page for each part.

n The lyrics of the song and its MLA citation

n The actual outline/graphic organizer

n Annotated MLA bibliography of five research sources

Submit this examination as instructed to Penn Foster College.

Written examinations must be typed, double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font and left jus-tification. Use 1-inch margins at the top and bottom and 1.25-inch margins for the left and rightsides of the document. Each page must have a properly formatted header containing your name,student number, exam number, page number, mailing address, and email address (see page 4for an example). Name each document using your student number first, then the six-digit lessonnumber, and finally your last name (for example, 23456789_500680 Doe). Save each as “FileType: Rich Text Format,” regardless of your word-processing program.

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ObjectivesFor this exam, the student will

n Use the writing process to draft and revise an essay


n Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequatedetail, supporting evidence, and transitions.






Topic

You’ll develop your essay based on the prewriting from theprevious assignment. Do not switch topics; use your instruc-tor’s feedback from your prewriting to refine your ideas andwrite your essay.

Purpose

In a 1,200–1,500 word essay, analyze the impact and influ-ence a song has in a contemporary context based on itsliterary devices and cultural references.

Lesson 4Essay Examination

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50044200E

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Audience


Process

Draft your essay using your prewriting and the feedback youreceived from your instructor to develop your thesis statement.Provide evidence from the song itself to prove your claimsabout the meaning, significance, and popularity of your song.Incorporate elements of your research to support your assertions.

Revising

Revise in two stages. First, on a global level, read throughyour paper to make sure that your main points support yourthesis and that you’re satisfied with the order in which you’vepresented them. Have you made an effective argument aboutyour song’s influence? Have you used your secondarysources effectively? Finally, ensure that all your borrowedinformation is cited accurately.

Second, edit and proofread your essay carefully. Run a spellcheck and a grammar check, and then read your paper tocheck for errors in usage and punctuation.

Finally, revise your annotated bibliography according to theinstructor’s feedback.

Prepare the final draft of this research paper according to the exam submission format assigned in the introductoryinstructions of this guide. Be sure the paper itself meets theword-count requirements. Place all required work in the samedocument, beginning a new page for each part:

n The lyrics for the song, your reasons for choosing it, andthe source information

n The actual research paper

n MLA works-cited page (three sources used in the paper—the song and two research sources)

n Annotated MLA bibliography of five research sources

For this examination, submit the required work as instructedto Penn Foster College.

Written examinations mustbe typed, double-spaced,using a standard 12-pointfont and left justification.Use 1-inch margins at thetop and bottom and 1.25-inch margins for the leftand right sides of the docu-ment. Each page must havea properly formatted headercontaining your name, stu-dent number, exam number,page number, mailingaddress, and email address(see page 4 for an exam-ple). Name each documentusing your student numberfirst, then the six-digit les-son number, and finallyyour last name (for exam-ple, 23456789_500680Doe). Save each as “FileType: Rich Text Format,”regardless of your word-processing program.

Lesson 5 95

Using Definition withClassification

INTRODUCTIONIn your everyday life, you probably find it helpful and evencomforting to keep things organized. By classifying objects,chores, and even the food we eat into recognizable groups ordividing large entities into manageable segments, we makesense of and keep track of the various parts of our lives.

Classifying or dividing a topic for an essay can help you as awriter organize your thoughts and ideas before you begin adraft, or it can be the pattern of development you use toinform your readers about your topic. If you include defini-tion, you have not only the foundation for a good expositoryessay, but also a great basic organizational structure thatwill be useful to you in a variety of writing situations.

OBJECTIVESWhen you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to

n Differentiate between classification and division

n Effectively use division and classification with definition

n Explain the characteristics of an extended definition

n Integrate definitions into essays

n Use an extended definition as a pattern of development

n Analyze similarities and differences in subject matter

ASSIGNMENT 19:CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION Read the following assignment. Then study pages 410–416 and420–426 in Chapter 16 of your textbook. Be sure to completethe self-check to gauge your progress.

In this assignment you’ll reconsider the nature of classificationand division in combination with other patterns of development,such as definition. While each method of organization can beeffective on its own, combining two or three will give youressay more depth and allow more sophisticated approachesto your subject matter.

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READING HIGHLIGHTS

Page 410. It seems people are compelled to sort things—clothing, office supplies, and library books are generallygrouped together in ways that help us find and use them more efficiently. Even people are sorted into groupsby family, job title, or personality type. That’s classification.If we divide a large group, such as a business, into smallercategories, like departments, we call that division.

Pages 411–413. Read the essay “My Secret Life on theMcJob” by Jerry Newman. In his essay, Newman uses illustration to both engage his readers and differentiate the management styles of different store managers. As youenjoy reading this essay, consider the following questions:What was the most common managerial style the authorencountered? What was the most common work attitude ofmechanical managers? Why do you suppose relationshipmanagers were so rare? Which of these managerial types is characterized by quickly letting employees know what isexpected of them?

Pages 413–415. Your text discusses the characteristics ofthe classification or division essay on these pages. First,remember your readers and be sure that your categoriesmake sense to them. Use a single principle for classificationor division. For example, if your topic were stars, you couldclassify them by brightness, color, and mass, but if youdivided them, it would be by types of stars. Each elementclassified or sorted into parts should be fully explained. Anessay that employs classification or division frames the partsand pieces with a thesis, which identifies the topic. Example:“Selecting the Right Vacation for Your Family.”

Pages 415–419. A classification or division essay is a natu-ral for a graphic organizer. Study Figure 16.1 on page 416 for an example. Then read “A Brush with Reality: Surprisesin the Tube,” on pages 417–418 and study Figure 16.2 onpage 419 to see how the article is illustrated in a graphicorganizer.

Page 420. You can integrate a division or classification intoan essay with other patterns of development.Three tips tothat end are found on page 420.

Lesson 5 97

Pages 420–428. Use the “Guided Writing Assignment” topractice classification. Movies are already classified by typeor genre; when you make plans to see a movie, you choosebetween comedy, horror, science fiction, romance, or a vari-ety of other types. When you write an essay, however, youneed to do more than identify and define. Keep in mind thata thesis statement is a claim that requires proof or an asser-tion that you must defend, so your classification essay aboutdifferent types of movies has to go a step farther. Considerthe different audiences each genre of movie attracts or thebest ways to watch certain types of movies. After you’vebrainstormed some ideas, draft a working thesis statementand consider the best method for organizing the materialyou’ve included. Remember your purpose, point of view, andyour audience.

Self-Check 19In your self-check file or notebook, complete the following exercises. Read the followingpassage carefully; then answer the questions.

How Are Rocks Different from Minerals?

Geologists know the difference between rocks and minerals. Minerals are natural chemicalcompounds, and their variety is enormous. They’re sometimes classified according to theirchemical properties. The Dana classification system includes the silicate, carbonate, sulfate,oxide, and element classes, among others. For instance, a very common mineral in the silicateclass, quartz, is mainly composed of silicon dioxide. The element class comprises metals andintermetallic elements, such as silver and gold.

In contrast, the three basic kinds of rocks are classified in terms of how they were formed.Igneous rocks are hardened magma—the molten rock found beneath Earth’s crust. Sedimentaryrocks are formed from layers of sand, clay, or the remains of marine creatures. Compressedby the weight and pressure of ocean depths, sand can become sandstone, clay can becomeshale, and the skeletons of marine animals may be transformed into limestone. Finally,metamorphic rocks can originate from either igneous or sedimentary rocks. Over billions ofyears, convulsions of the Earth’s crust have pushed igneous or sedimentary rocks deep intoour planet’s subsurface to be transformed (metamorphosed) by unimaginable heat and pres-sure. Over millions of years, granite may be transformed into some form of gneiss orschist—rocks that are often found in the Alps or the Rocky Mountains. Limestone may betransformed into marble, shale into slate, and sandstone into glittering quartzite.

(Continued)


ASSIGNMENT 20: DEFINITIONRead the following assignment. Then, read pages 442–453 inChapter 17 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

As you move from classification and division to definition,you can probably see the links between these two patterns ofdevelopment. In your essay for this lesson, you’ll develop anextended definition of the term family or friend. You’ll exploreyour own definition of the word you choose, and then useclassification and/or division to incorporate formal definitionsto show how our understanding of such terms evolves overtime and in response to our respective cultures.

Self-Check 19

1. Which of the following patterns of development does not stand out in the paragraph?

a. Comparison and contrastb. Classification and divisionc. Argument d. Illustration

2. If the paragraphs are part of a short essay, what is a possible working thesis for the essay?

3. Outline the classifications and divisions in the essay.


Lesson 5 99

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 442–446. A definition, which explains the meaning of a term or concept, should be given directly and then may beexplored through illustrations and examples. For example,“Voice over: In a film or video, dialog spoken off camera, generally in the context of a series of visual images” is a directdefinition, while the essay by Jan Goodwin offers an extendeddefinition through explanations of who “freegans” are andhow they live.

Pages 446–449. In an extended definition you may expectto find one or more characteristics, including

n A brief explanation of the term: “Arachnid: A family ofcreatures within the Arthropod phylum, which includesspiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs.”

n Specificity and focus: In the Goodwin essay, the focus ison urban foragers and their place in society.

n A point: An extended definition makes its point by elabo-rating on the definition. “With their compound eyes,treacherous webs, and grasping mandibles, spiders are seen by some as prototypes of some alien menace.”

n Varying or mixed patterns of development: You mightcompare and contrast spiders and horseshoe crabs ordiscuss the evolution of spiders from ancestors of thehorseshoe crab. Other approaches would be to usedetails and distinguishing characteristics, such as com-pound eyes, treacherous webs, and grasping mandibles,or repudiate misconceptions—“Spiders play a vital role incurtailing the populations of insect pests.”

Pages 450–452. Figure 17.1 on page 450 offers a graphicorganizer for an extended-definition essay. It’s followed by theessay “Dude, Do You Know What You Just Said?” by MikeCrissey on pages 451–452. As you read, imagine creating agraphic organizer for the essay. Then study Figure 17.2 tosee if your thoughts and ideas on that objective match upwith the organizer offered in your text.


Another element to writing an extended definition for an academic paper is to study its etymology, which refers to theorigin and history of the word. For example, as detailed inMerriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, the term etymologycomes from the Greek words etumos, meaning “true,” andlogia, meaning “word” and “reason,” to indicate a word’s literal meaning and source. This fourteenth-century termworked its way from Greek into the English language bypassing through Latin, Anglo-French, and Middle English.

Unabridged dictionaries will provide the most information,usually including the time period the word came into com-mon use, the language(s) in which some form of it was used,and the root word(s) for each of its parts. With some, youmay have to identify the root word for a term and then lookup that root word in the dictionary for the origin’s definition.Be sure to read the section or appendix in the dictionary thatexplains how to read the etymological information to gain fulluse of this resource tool.

Why would anyone want to incorporate this type of informa-tion into a definition paper? Sometimes a term’s etymology isso basic, such as when the root word means exactly thesame as the term, no purpose is served by discussing it. Onthe other hand, the word’s original meaning can often shednew light on its current use and deepen your understanding.Consider the term plagiarize, which involves using someoneelse’s work and ideas as your own. Originally, the word camefrom the Latin and Greek where it meant “kidnapping,” aswell as netting or trapping game ( Merriam-Webster ).Supplying this etymological information in your definition canhelp you portray the angry shock an author feels when his orher work is kidnapped or taken hostage by another person.In addition, it can be used to underscore the criminal conno-tations associated with plagiarism, thereby supporting thesevere punishments imposed for such an act.

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Self-Check 20

In your self-check file or notebook, complete the following exercises. Refer to the para-graphs on rocks and minerals in Self-Check 19 and answer the following questions.

1. Look up the term metamorphosis in a standard college dictionary and write out several different definitions. Which one would apply to rocks?

2. Using Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/, investigate the etymology of metamorphosis. (Be sure to look up the term meta- as well.)How does the information you find help you better understand the definition?

3. What words or concepts are defined in the paragraphs?

4. How does the discussion of rocks and minerals combine definition with classification?



NOTES


Objectives


n Use the writing process to write an essay using classifi-cation and division








Topic

Our language is constantly changing and adapting to ourneed to define or redefine terms. Words themselves arechangeable, always evolving to meet our need to describe ourworld and the people who inhabit it. In this essay, you’lldefine and classify one such word. Choose one of the terms,family or friend, as the topic of your essay.

What is your definition of family? Some people focus on the“nuclear family” concept involving a married man and womanwith children. Others may include grandparents, aunts, uncles,

Lesson 5Using Definition with Classification

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50044300E

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and cousins in their definition. How do you define the termfriend? You may consider only those you know well asfriends, while the word itself has evolved to include anyoneyou may connect with through a social network.

For this essay, you’ll need to include both traditional diction-ary definitions as well as your own personal definitions of theword you choose in order to explore not only the evolution ofthe term itself but your own ideas and beliefs about itsmeaning.

Purpose

To write a 1,500–1,700 word essay connecting the writer’spersonal definition of the word family or friend with the originand formal definitions of the word in order to analyze theconcept and draw conclusions about its larger meaning incontemporary society.

Audience


Process

Because this essay requires a combination of patterns of devel-opment, be sure to review the chapters on definition andclassification in your textbook before you begin.

Planning and Organizing

Choose the word you want to write about. Begin by brain-storming or freewriting your thoughts and ideas about itsmeaning. Use the “Generating Ideas” exercise on pages421–423 in your textbook to help you develop and organizeyour material with either Method 1 or Method 2.

Next, build on your classification ideas by using the “GeneratingIdeas” exercise on page 454. Add distinguishing characteris-tics and supporting details with suggestions 2, 3, 5, and 6from the exercise on page 455.

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ResearchingOnce you finish your planning and organizing stage, then youcan move on to your research. For this essay, you’ll use tra-ditional dictionaries (in print, online, or app versions),etymological dictionaries that provide the origin and historyof words. You may also incorporate contemporary slang dic-tionaries as well. You’ll use Penn Foster’s library database,Expanded Academic ASAP, to look for articles that could helpsupport your point of view. You’ll need to incorporate at leastone etymological dictionary, one traditional dictionary, andone article among your four sources for this essay.

Throughout your research process, keep careful notes and besure to indicate where you found your information.

Here are some dictionary websites:

Etymological Dictionaries

n The Oxford English Dictionary, http://www.oed.com

n Online Etymology Dictionary, http://www.etymonline.com/

Online Dictionaries

n Merriam Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/(also available as an app)

n Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/

Expanded Academic ASAP is a subscription-only databaseavailable in Penn Foster’s online library. You can access thedatabase by clicking on the Library Services link in yourstudent portal. See also the academic support and onlineresources on pages 7 and 8 of this study guide.

DraftingRevisit page 456 in your textbook to review “Developing YourThesis” and work through the “Guided Writing Assignment”to the top of page 461. Narrow your focus properly for theassigned length of the essay. As you draft your paper, useclassification to distinguish each definition and use strategiesfrom other patterns of development as appropriate. To sup-port your definition and classification, you’re required to useat least four secondary sources for this essay; incorporateappropriate MLA in-text citations from your sources. Be sureto include your list of works cited at the end of your essay.


Revising

Once you have a finished draft, revision is absolutely neces-sary. Read through your paper from beginning to end once,focusing on your thesis statement and main points. Yourorganization should be clearly defined by topic sentences thatrelate to and support your thesis. Each paragraph shouldbuild your argument by providing a definition or offering fur-ther development with examples, supporting details, andsecondary sources. Finally ensure that you’ve organized yourmain points as effectively as possible to meet the purpose ofthe essay.

When you’ve completed your global revisions, edit and proof-read as necessary to produce a final draft that displays goodwriting and represents the characteristics described on thecourse rubric.

Prepare a final draft of the paper according to the requiredexam submission format below. Submit your final work to theschool as instructed.

Written examinations must be typed, double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font and left justi-fication. Use 1-inch margins at the top and bottom and 1.25-inch margins for the left and rightsides of the document. Each page must have a properly formatted header containing your name,student number, exam number, page number, mailing address, and email address (see page 4 foran example). Name each document using your student number first, then the six-digit lessonnumber, and finally your last name (for example, 23456789_500680 Doe). Save each as “FileType: Rich Text Format,” regardless of your word-processing program.

Lesson 6 107

Using Comparison and Contrast

INTRODUCTION

Regardless of type, the purposes of academic writing are toinform, to communicate feelings and ideas, or to persuade.Analyzing the purpose of another writer’s work or writing toachieve your purpose requires effective critical thinking skills.After all, if you’re going to praise or criticize another’s opinionsor try to persuade readers to agree with yours, you mustunderstand the topic and have something worthwhile to sayabout it. In this lesson you’ll practice analyzing ideas andlook at additional ways to integrate pertinent ideas into anessay.

OBJECTIVES


n Explain point-by-point organization for comparison and contrast

n Characterize subject-by-subject organization for comparison and contrast

n Analyze short stories using comparison and contrast

Note: At the end of this lesson, you’ll use the novel andmovie you chose when you started the course for the comparison and contrast essay.

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ASSIGNMENT 21: REVIEWINGCOMPARISON AND CONTRASTRead the following assignment. Then read pages 374–384 in Chapter 15 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

Stanley is evil; Livingston is good. That’s sharp contrast. Whileboth Stanley and Livingston enjoy fishing, Stanley ties his ownflies and fishes in sparkling mountain streams, while Livingstonuses a bamboo pole and earthworms at the local fishing hole.That’s comparison and contrast. To compare is to show similarities; to contrast is to show differences. You makethese judgments in your daily life without thinking about it,comparing two sisters’ personalities or your present partnerwith a former one. We compare the advantages and disadvan-tages of renting or buying and the nutritional value and costof one food compared to another. As you study the use ofcontrast and comparison in a paper, think about how thispattern might be used with other patterns, such as definition.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 374–379. College-level writing has two basicapproaches to comparison and contrast. The point-by-pointapproach is illustrated by “Amusing Ourselves to Depth: Isthe Onion Our Most Intelligent Newspaper?” on pages375–377. As you read it, try to locate the points of comparisonor contrast. The piece by Ian Frazier, on pages 377–379,demonstrates the subject-by-subject approach, in which theauthor compares the romantic days of pay phones withtoday’s hectic cell-phone lifestyle.

Pages 379–381. Carefully review the characteristics of com-parison or contrast essays. Key points for this pattern ofdevelopment are

n A clear purpose

n A specific basis of comparison

n A fair appraisal

Lesson 6 109

Comparison or contrast makes a point. Why would I comparewhite pine trees to Douglas fir trees? Perhaps I’m comparingand contrasting their relative virtues as Christmas trees. Whywould I compare and contrast jogging and walking as aerobicexercise? Perhaps I want to compare the two with respect tothe age and physical condition of people who jog or walk. IfI’m a long-distance runner, I might wish to praise the endor-phin highs of the three-mile jog as opposed to the milder joysof walking. Details and sensory impressions provide the flavor of any effective comparison or contrast.

Pages 381–387. The graphic organizers on pages 382–383offer examples of point-by-point and subject-by-subjectapproaches. Compare and contrast the two samples to seehow they’re different. The essay “Dearly Disconnected” by Ian Frazier on pages 377–379 illustrates a subject-by-subjectorganization. After revisiting the essay, turn to Figure 15.3 on page 384 and study it to see how subjects are framed andpresented by the author.

Self-Check 21


1. Analyze the essay “Dearly Disconnected” (pages 377–379) for its subject-by-subject organiza-tion. State the topic of the essay, noting what’s being compared and contrasted. Summarizethe subjects of paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 7, and 8, identifying a thematic idea that stands out. Forinstance, the “seediness and sadness” of pay phones is characterized in paragraph 5.

2. Identify two bases of comparison for this topic: Advantages and Disadvantages of IntegratingPublic School Classrooms by Gender. Write a working thesis statement for each of them, onepro and the other one con.



ASSIGNMENT 22: INTEGRATINGCOMPARISON AND CONTRASTINTO AN ESSAY Read the following assignment. Then read pages 384–396 in Chapter 15 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

Comparison and contrast may be used along with other patterns of development, such as narration, argument, ordefinition. First, you must decide the purpose of your essay,and then choose the best approach. By reading the examplesand studying the flow charts, you’ll be preparing to write aneffective essay of your own.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Page 385. Study the five tips for integrating comparison andcontrast into a paper. Reviewing these key ideas several timesis a good way to reinforce them so they become second nature.Are you informing or persuading your audience? Do you needto take a stand on an issue? Be sure that your thesis reflectsyour purpose and choose the method of development that wouldbest present your ideas to your audience. Finally, particularlywhen comparison and contrast isn’t the primary developmen-tal pattern of your essay, provide transitions that ease yourreader back to your primary pattern of development.

Pages 391–392. Figure 15.4 is a flowchart for revising acomparison or contrast essay. For now read through it andsee what you’ll be looking for when you revise. It may save youtime if you’re aware of the necessary elements as you write.

Pages 393–394. Even if you’ve already read this studentessay, “Border Bites,” by Heather Gianakos, read it again,this time with a sharper eye for analyzing it.

Pages 395–396. Review this section to become more skilledat reading comparison and contrast essays—your own, aswell as those written by someone else.

Lesson 6 111

ASSIGNMENT 23: THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUTCOMPARISON AND CONTRASTRead the following assignment. Then study pages 396–407 inChapter 15 and pages 615–619 in Chapter 22 of your textbook.Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

In working with any kind of text, analysis means readingclosely, beyond the meaning of the words—looking for effec-tive and ineffective wording, questioning the assumptions andopinions of the author, and inspecting the organization andhow it affects the presentation of ideas. In this assignment,you’ll focus on analyzing comparison-and-contrast essays. Ifyou’ve read these essays before, apply your sharpened skillsto reading more critically this time.

Self-Check 22

Review the essay “Border Bites,” by Heather Gianakos; then complete items 1–3 in yourself-check file or notebook.

1. From Gianakos’s concluding paragraph, summarize the contrast she makes betweenSouthwestern and Mexican food.

2. What are the author’s points in paragraphs 1, 3, and 4?

3. What nutrition-oriented information in this comparison could be used for another comparison/contrast approach to this topic?



READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 397–401. Read the essay by Daniel Goleman, “HisMarriage and Hers: Childhood Roots.” Goleman is a pioneer in developing concepts about emotional intelligence. In thisessay, he’s exploring and explaining the different “emotionalclimates” that meet in subtle or stormy ways within a mar-riage. The comparison and contrast in the essay is based onviews by wives and husbands.

Pages 403–405. In the essay by Abigail Zuger, “Defining aDoctor, with a Tear, a Shrug, and a Schedule,” you’ll considerand the use of comparison and contrast combined with otherpatterns of development. You’ll be further analyzing theseessays for your self-check for this assignment.

Pages 406–407. Study the topics on these two pages andchoose an approach for each—to express your ideas, informyour readers, or persuade your readers.

Pages 615–619. Field research involves you, the researcher,generating your own primary source material in conjunctionwith other research methods. Cautiously use the threeapproaches covered in the textbook, allowing the purpose andaudience of your research to dictate whether to conduct fieldresearch and, if so, which approach to use. For your paperanalyzing the lyrics of the song, interviewing the lyricist couldhave been a useful approach—depending on your ability togain access to that person. For the definition paper, youmight find it helpful to survey your neighbors about theirfamily traditions to classify your traditions within the neigh-borhood. Many professionals conduct observations on aregular basis. For instance, a supervisor observes a productionline to determine problem areas or a principal observes ateacher to evaluate interactions with students. Regardless of the approach, you begin field research only after you’venarrowed your topic, developed your working thesis, andusually after you’ve researched other sources to educateyourself about your angle on the topic. The goal is to enterfield research to achieve a specified purpose so the informa-tion you gather is relevant to your thesis.

Lesson 6 113

ASSIGNMENT 24: ANALYZINGSHORT STORIES USINGCOMPARISON AND CONTRAST Read the following assignment. Then read pages 688–698 inChapter 24 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

The critical reading and thinking skills you developed whileanalyzing figurative language in poetry and song lyrics can beapplied to narrative fiction as well. To write about literature,you need to develop an original point of view on a text. In aresearch paper, you’ll use secondary sources to support yourideas about the work. One common approach to writingabout literature is comparison and contrast.

Self-Check 23

Review the essay by Abigail Zuger on pages 403–405; then complete items 1 and 2 in yourself-check file or notebook.

1. Zuger uses three patterns of development other than comparison and contrast. Identify themby paragraph and summarize how each is used.

2. Does the author use a point-by-point approach or a subject-by-subject approach? Is it effective? Why or why not?



READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 685–689. Like poetry, a short story requires more thanone reading to comprehend because the story isn’t only aboutwhat happens; it’s also about the ideas presented by the author.The reading strategies offered here will help you understandand interpret the author’s meaning through his or her use of setting, characters, point of view, figures of speech, andother literary devices. These strategies apply to novels andmovies, as well.

Pages 689–693. Use the reading strategies you learned onpage 687 in your textbook as you read “The Secret Lion” byAlberto Ríos. First, establish the literal meaning of the story:ensure that you know what’s happening and where, and whothe characters are as well as their relationships to eachother. Then read the story a second time to see if any pat-terns develop that could help you achieve a better understandingof the title.

Pages 693–696. Study the elements of narrative fiction onthese pages, focusing on short stories. The setting of a narra-tive includes the time, the place, and the situation. Imaginescript instructions from a screenplay to get the idea. “It’s 1864.The place is a Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg. Overthree hot days in July, we observe the Battle of Gettysburgfrom the perspective of many of the major players on bothsides.” Or, “It’s October, 1934. Two hobos, Cal and Big Bill,ride the rails in search of a meal or a warm, dry barn.”Character is revealed by action (and reaction) and dialogue;often the narrator is one of the characters. The point of viewis simply the perspective from which a story is told. A storymay be told in the first person (“I was late arriving for myappointment with Johnny Black”) or the narrator can be anomniscient third-person observer who describes the unfoldingof the drama and knows the thoughts of the characters. Agood plot involves a sequence of events that engage the readerin some way; usually plot depends on some kind of conflict.

All these elements work together to express the theme of thestory, which is the point the writer is trying to make. Themesoften involve a message about human experience or thehuman condition. The questions on page 696 on guiding ananalysis of theme will also help you compare and contrastyour book and movie.

Lesson 6 115

Page 696. For your comparison and contrast essay, you’llanalyze the similarities and differences between a novel and thefilm adaption of the novel to draw conclusions about the signifi-cance of those differences. Review the questions in the figure onpage 696 in your textbook to get started on your analysis. Asyou narrow your focus, choose an approach to the text that youfind interesting.

The purpose of the essay is to explain the significance of thedifferences you find between the novel and the movie, so yourthesis should address that goal. For example, a novel mightoffer a more nuanced view of the villain in the story, making hera somewhat sympathetic character, whereas the movie portraysher as completely bad and undeserving of the audience’s pity.As the author, your role is to explain the impact this changehas on the story as a whole. You most likely won’t be able toaddress every difference, and not every difference is significantenough to warrant analysis, so you’ll need to choose the mainelements that you believe make the biggest impact on the story.Once you’ve gathered your main points, you can decide whichmethod of organization, point-by-point or subject-by-subject,will work best for your essay.

To support your assertions about the novel and movie, you’llneed to incorporate research. Reviews of movies and books fre-quently provide some type of comparison and contrast, thoughthey often cover more than one area. Look for longer reviewsthat address the issues of adaptation and the expert opinionsof movie critics that will lend credibility to your analysis.

Remember that analysis isn’t summary. When you analyzedyour song, you thought carefully about how the writer used fig-urative language and how the song impacted its audience. Foryour comparison and contrast essay, you’ll provide plot points,but they should serve to support your argument.

Pages 696–698. “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, is a richly descriptive narrative that ends with an ironic twist.Pay attention to the structure of the story and the interactionof the characters.


Self-Check 24

Reread “The Story of an Hour” beginning on page 696; then complete items 1–4 in yourself-check file or notebook.

1. In what general time period does the story take place? How much time elapses from its beginning to its end?

2. Who is the main character? What physical characteristics does he or she have? Do his or herphysical traits have any impact on the plot?

3. Does the main character change in the course of the story? In what way?

4. What is the theme of the story? How do you know?


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Objectives


n Use the writing process to plan and organize a compari-son and contrast essay





n Use Modern Language Association (MLA) citation anddocumentation style to reference secondary source mate-rial correctly and appropriately

Topic

Have you ever read a book and then been excited to see themovie—only to find the movie a huge disappointment? Orperhaps you found the movie version enlightened the book?For this exam, you’ll write your literary analysis concentrat-ing on the differences between a novel and the movie basedon that novel. You’ll write your essay using comparison andcontrast patterns of development. Your analysis should focusprimarily on the significance these changes have on the plotdevelopment, characters, and themes of the story.

This essay requires you to use secondary sources to supportyour claims, so you’ll begin your research and create a bibli-ography of relevant articles and reviews that you mightinclude in your essay. Your bibliography should include a

Lesson 6Prewriting Examination

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50046900E

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minimum of six sources. Please note that if you use any sec-ondary source material in your graphic organizer, you shouldfollow MLA format and provide the appropriate parentheticalcitations.

Purpose

To prepare an outline/graphic organizer and bibliography foran 1,800–2,000 word comparison and contrast essay

The essay will analyze the differences in the plot and charac-ter development between a novel and a movie based on thenovel to draw conclusions about the significance of thesechanges on the plot and characters.

Audience


Process

Brainstorm

1. Watch the “Using Compare and Contrast: Analyzing aNovel” video.

2. Choose a novel and a movie based on that novel. Scanthrough the novel and watch the movie. Take notesfocusing on the similarities and differences you noticeboth in the story, character development, and themes.

3. Work through the “Generating Ideas” exercises on page386–387 to help you brainstorm. Pay close attention tohow the changes you’re discussing alter the story and itscharacters.

Research

1. Begin the research process by searching for criticalreviews of both the novel and movie to help enhanceyour understanding of the differences between them.Consider what critics have to say about the adaptations.You’ll need at least six sources for your bibliography.

2. Prepare a bibliography of the potential sources you’ll usefor your paper (see page 600 in your textbook).


Organize

1. You’re now ready to create your outline/graphic organ-izer (see pages 148–152 and 416 in your textbook). Writean organizational plan for your essay incorporating someof your sources. Remember that all sources must beappropriately incorporated into the outline with MLA in-text citation.

2. Review your textbook as needed to apply the appropriatewriting skills as you brainstorm, research, and writeyour outline/graphic organizer. In addition, ensure thatyour work displays good writing traits and represents thecharacteristics described on the course rubric (seeAppendix)

3. Include all your required work in the same document,beginning a new page for each part the graphic organizerand your bibliography.

For this examination, submit the require work as instructedto Penn Foster College.



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Objectives


n Use the writing process to draft and revise a comparisonand contrast essay





n Use Modern Language Association (MLA) citation anddocumentation style to reference secondary source mate-rial correctly and appropriately


n Use the conventions of standard written AmericanEnglish to produce correct, well-written essays.

Topic

You’ll develop your essay based on your prewriting from theprevious assignment. Do not switch topics. Use your instruc-tor’s feedback to refine your ideas and write your essay.

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Lesson 6Essay Examination

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50044400


Purpose

In a 1,800–2,000 word essay, compare and contrast the differ-ences in the plot and character development between a bookand a movie based on the book. Draw conclusions about thesignificance of the changes in the plot and the characters.

Audience

Distance-education students enrolled at Penn Foster College.

Process

Drafting

Draft your essay using your prewriting and the feedback youreceived from your instructor to develop your thesis statement.Provide evidence from the book and movie to illustrate thesimilarities and differences of the plot and characters, explainthe significance of the changes in the story, and incorporateelements of your research to support your assertions. You’rerequired to use a minimum of six secondary sources for thisexam

Revising

Conduct a global revision of your essay to ensure that yourmain points support your thesis and that you’ve used yoursecondary source material effectively.

Edit and proofread carefully. Run a spell check and a gram-mar check, and then read your essay to check for errors inusage and punctuation

Prepare a final draft of the paper according to the exam sub-mission format. Be sure the paper itself meets the word countrequirements. Place all required work in the same document,beginning a new page for the actual research paper and theMLA works-cited page.


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Writing an Argument

INTRODUCTION

Arguments are part of daily life. Whether a person is passion-ate about his or her point of view or simply wants to make apoint, the proper approach to persuasion or argument makes all the difference in whether a point of view is accepted byothers. Some arguments, such as who is the all-time bestquarterback or whether German cars are superior to Americancars, are merely opinion. But when it comes to public-policyissues, like capital punishment or civil rights, and personal-fulfillment issues, like where to live or how to spend leisuretime, differences in viewpoint can be examined throughsound and reasoned arguments. As an educated citizen,you’ll benefit from learning the art of persuading others to your point of view.

OBJECTIVES


n List the basic parts of an argument

n Describe effective strategies for reading an argument

n Explain the analytical skills used in critically evaluatingan argument

n Identify strategies for writing effective argument essays

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ASSIGNMENT 25: THE ELEMENTSOF ARGUMENT Read the following assignment. Then read pages 514–520 inChapter 19 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

You might win a personal argument by sheer force of person-ality or persistence, but a written argument takes planningand organization to ensure your points are made and yourstrategy is effective. Your written argument requires you tomake a claim and then prove it by providing reliable second-ary sources that support your point of view. You’ll need toemploy reliable methods of persuasion to convince your read-ers, including evidence and reasons, but you might alsoappeal to their emotions, needs, and values to win themover to your way of thinking on your topic.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 514–516. The basic parts of an argument include (1) an issue, (2) a claim, and (3) support. Here’s an example:

I think the town council should insist that the hedge at thecorner of Grove Street and Second Avenue be trimmed (1).That hedge obstructs drivers’ vision and constitutes a hazard(2). And that’s not just my opinion; the police have recordedseven accidents at that corner over the last two months (3).

The issue is framed, a claim is made, and support is offeredfor the claim.

Review the essay by Lynn Steirer on pages 515–516. As you read, identify the issue, the claim, and the support(s) for the claim.

Pages 516–517. Make sure you understand the three typesof claims and the various types of support presented. Whenyou write an argument, your thesis statement will generallyframe your claim. In some cases, your claim may be implied,though you must state the thesis in the paper you’ll write forthis exam.

Lesson 7 125

Pages 517–519. Without solid support, an argument is justan unsubstantiated opinion. Support for a claim can be basedon reasons, evidence, or appeals to emotion, needs, or values.By using the proper approach for your audience and backingyour claim with solid information and ideas, you can build astrong argument. You can practice recognizing the elements ofargument by seeing if you can find claims and support inadvertisements as you read and watch television. Be especiallyalert for appeals, which are the basis of most advertising.

Pages 519–520. Every argument, by its nature, has oppos-ing points of view. By anticipating other points of view as youwrite your argument, you can refute them as part of youressay. You can acknowledge an opposing view by admittingthe part that has some merit or showing how the oppositionis weak or insufficient. The keystone of an effective argumentis its conclusion. A strong finish will leave your reader with afinal impression of your argument and its strength. In yourassigned reading, note the strong conclusion offered by LynnSteirer at the end of her essay.

Self-Check 25


Read and critically evaluate two essays. First, read “Right Place, Wrong Face” by Alton FitzgeraldWhite on pages 229–230. Then, read “The Lady in Red” on pages 235–237. Next, turn to page 237and examine the “Making Connections” box at the bottom of the page. Under “Analyzing theReadings,” respond to both items.



ASSIGNMENT 26: STRATEGIESFOR READING AND CRITICALLYANALYZING AN ARGUMENT Read the following assignment. Then read pages 520–533 inChapter 19 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

Although it’s easy to react emotionally when you read anargument you don’t agree with, remember that in analyzing it you’re looking for a valid claim supported by acceptable reasons and evidence. Even if you disagree with the claim,you might recognize that the argument is sound. If theauthor has strong credentials and is published in a reliableperiodical, such as a professional journal or a respectednewspaper, the argument also has more credibility. Beforeyou reject an argument, make sure you have sufficientknowledge on the subject to judge it fairly.

READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 520–522. Be prepared to read an argument at leasttwice and pay attention to the title, the author, and the pub-lication. If you’re not familiar with the topic or the author, doa little research. More than once a humorist like Dave Barry,who’s mentioned in your text, has received letters rebukinghim for his foolish notions, when in fact he was using exag-geration and sarcasm to make his point.

Pages 522–524. Read the essay “Organ Donation: A Life-Saving Gift,” which is marked up to show you how the pieceis structured. For example, notice that the thesis statementappears as the first sentence of the second paragraph. Notethe use of transitions, source quotations, and author’s refutations of an opposing view.

Pages 524–529. Review the sample graphic organizer for anargument essay on page 525 in your textbook to familiarizeyourself with the structure of an argument. Then think aboutwhat’s involved in writing the summary of an essay. Takenote of the four steps in that process on pages 526–527.

Lesson 7 127

Next, review what it means to think critically about anessay—in this case, the organ donation article. Figure 19.2, agraphic organizer for that essay, on pages 528–529 will help.

Pages 530–531. To do a proper job of analyzing an argu-ment, you have to identify the writer’s purpose, the audience,the claim, and the support for the claim. Support mayinclude factual evidence, appeals, or a mixture of the two.You also must assess the writer’s credibility based on his or her credentials, as well as the essay itself. An authorstrengthens his or her credibility by adequately addressingopposing views—that is, by including a refutation in his orher argument.

Pages 531–532. Rhetorical fallacies—errors in reasoning—are common in argument essays. Make sure you study thetypes of faulty reasoning on these pages because one of thesemistakes in an essay can destroy any credibility the writer mayhave. Unless you’re aware of these tactics, however, they mayseem to make sense when presented skillfully. Emotionalappeals are another tactic that can be either glaringly obvi-ous if poorly presented or effectively manipulative if donewell. Much political and commercial rhetoric is characterizedby deceptive claims and appeals based on emotional appeals.Study Table 19.1 on page 531 for examples of unfair emo-tional appeals.

Page 533. Study Table 19.2 on page 533 and flag it forfuture reference. It offers you a checklist for analyzing anargument essay.

Pages 532–534. To think critically about an argument, youmay be required to compare two or more sources on a partic-ular issue. This process is called synthesis. It’s important tothink critically about the arguments that are presented toyou. You’ll want to weigh opposing views and consider thewriter’s purpose carefully. The Checklist for Analyzing anArgument Essay on page 533 in your textbook can help youmake careful decisions about issues you need to considerand assist you in developing your own arguments in a con-vincing yet responsible manner.


Pages 534–539. To apply your skills, you’ll read and analyze two essays. The first essay, by Peter Bregman onpages 534–536, opposes the values of multitasking and offers six bulleted points to support his thesis. The secondessay, by David Silverman on pages 537–539, defends multitasking and offers four counter arguments that opposeBregman’s thesis. For now, simply read the essays. You’llanalyze the essays in your self-check.

Self-Check 26

Having read and thought about the essays for and against multitasking, complete the following exercises in your self-check file or notebook.

1. Turn to page 536 of your text, after the Bregman essay. Respond to all four items under“Examining the Reading.”

2. Next, turn to page 539 of your text, after the Silverman essay. Respond to all four itemsunder “Examining the Reading.”

3. Using Table 19.1 as a reference, identify the unfair appeal to emotion in each of the following statements.

a. Folks, you all know me. I’ve stood up for your best interests ever since eighth grade, whenI was student council president.

b. These single mothers—and I bet you’ve known a few—often work two or three jobs andcan hardly feed their kids, much less spend time reading to their kids when they comehome exhausted at the end of the day.

c. Why would Jake Cleaver give a fig about your low wages and long hours? He was bornwith a silver spoon in his mouth. He pays his gardeners less than minimum wage!

d. Oprah Winfrey is against the war, which proves my brother is right.


Lesson 7 129

ASSIGNMENT 27: WRITINGARGUMENTSRead the following assignment. Then read pages 544–557 inChapter 20 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

You’ve learned to identify the elements of an argument; now turn your attention to the art of writing arguments. The heading that begins this reading assignment is “What Is anArgument?” We’ll approach this question from the perspectiveof preparing, organizing, and writing an argument essay.

READING HIGHLIGHTSPages 544–546. What is an argument? You can begin toassess that question by reading William Safire’s essay “Abolishthe Penny” on pages 545–546. Safire is a master of the art ofeditorial writing, but don’t be sidetracked by his wit. Look forthe elements of an argument with which you’re now familiar.

Pages 546–548. The key to preparing a good argument ismaking sure you have an issue that’s controversial enough.Once you have your topic and have narrowed and defined yourfocus, you can work on your claim. Study the material aboutnarrowing a general idea to a specific claim on page 547 inyour textbook.

Pages 548–549. Audience analysis is a major part ofpreparing an argument. Are you approaching an agreeing,neutral, or disagreeing audience? It can be challenging tosway an audience that’s neutral or on the fence. For the dis-agreeing audience, your text suggests finding some kind ofcommon ground between your position and the opposingposition of your audience. For example, “I know we seempoles apart on the immigration issue, but I think we canagree that we want to live in a fair and just nation.” Humorand wit can also help soften a cool or unreceptive audience.

Pages 550–552. A good argument requires sound evidencethat’s not only relevant, but also well integrated into theorganization of your argument. Convincing evidence requiresrigorous logic. Be sure you understand the differencebetween inductive and deductive reasoning.


Inductive reasoning gathers evidence that points to a conclusion.

For example,

n Evidence: The polar icecaps are melting.

n Evidence: Glaciers around the world are melting.

n Evidence: The hottest years on record have occurred overthe last decade.

n Conclusion: Global warming is a real and pressing issue.

Deductive reasoning begins with a major premise, proceeds toa minor premise, and then to a conclusion. Here’s an example:

n Major premise: All birds have functional or vestigial feathered wings.

n Minor premise: Song sparrows have wings.

n Conclusion: Song sparrows are birds.

This is a rather simple example of a syllogism, which is thebasic form of a deductive argument. Study the examples inyour text.

Page 552. If your argument doesn’t stir a bit of passion inyou, it’s unlikely to move the emotions of your audience. Your objective in a compelling argument is to move hearts andminds in favor of your argument by appealing to your audience’sneeds and values. On the other hand, a sound argument canbe made better by recognizing opposing points of view, whetheryou acknowledge, accommodate, or refute them.

Pages 553–557. A graphic organizer can be very helpful insorting out the parts of your argument. In this section, you’llsee the basic form and a completed organizer for the essay,“Eating Meat for the Environment.” Before reading this pieceby Lisa M. Hamilton, study Figure 20.1.

Lesson 7 131

ASSIGNMENT 28: ANALYZINGAND RESPONDING TOARGUMENTS Read the following assignment. Then read pages 568–571 inChapter 20 of your textbook. Be sure to complete the self-check to gauge your progress.

In this assignment, you’ll begin by reading a fascinating stu-dent essay by James Sturm called “Pull the Plug on ExplicitLyrics.” Your objective, made evident in the self-check, will be pursuing an extensive analysis of the piece that will helpyou better understand how to analyze and respond to anargument.

Self-Check 27


1. Exercise 20.1 on page 547: Choose two of the five issues for your response.

2. Exercise 20.2 on page 548: Choose two of the five issues for your response.

3. Exercise 20.3 on page 549: For one of the three claims, discuss arguing it before three kindsof audiences, as specified in the instructions.

4. Exercise 20.4 on page 553: Reviewing the three claims given in Exercise 20.3, identify oppos-ing viewpoints and discus your approach to acknowledging, accommodating, or refuting them.Respond to all three claims.



READING HIGHLIGHTS

Pages 568–570. As you read and reread the essay, look forthe author’s thesis statement. Notice how the author accom-modates opposing viewpoints. Also notice the author’s effectiveuse of transitions. As you read, make notations as you thinkabout your feelings and reactions to the essay. For example,allow yourself to form a tentative sense of just how effectivelythe author establishes contact with his audience. Finally, feelfree to think about your personal experience and attitudesabout present-day popular music. How do you think vulgar orsuggestive lyrics have either attracted or repulsed you?

Self-Check 28

In your self-check file or notebook, complete the specified exercises. All of the exercisesare found on page 570.

1. Analyze the Writer’s Technique: Respond to items 1 and 3.

2. Thinking Critically about Argument: Respond to all five items.

3. Reacting to the Reading: Respond to all three items.


Final Examination: Worth 30 percent of your course grade,this examination is weighted as a proctored exam; therefore,you won’t take an additional proctored exam for AdvancedComposition at the end of the semester.

ObjectivesFor this exam, the student will

n Use the writing process to write an argumentative essay





n Use Modern Language Association (MLS) citation anddocumentation style to reference secondary source mate-rial correctly and appropriately


n Use the conventions of standard written AmericanEnglish to produce correct, well-written essays.

Topic

The widespread accessibility of modern technology has givenus many new possibilities. We’re now able to obtain informa-tion quicker, keep in touch with family, make friends, andfind endless ways to entertain ourselves. However, there arethose who believe that this constant accessibility to differentkinds of technology makes us more distracted and less ableto successfully communicate with one another.

133

Lesson 7Writing an Argument

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50044500E

xa

min

atio

nE

xa

min

atio

n

For this paper, you’ll argue whether or not there should be alimitation on how much technology we’re exposed to on adaily basis. Choose one side of the issue and take a definitestand. Use research to support your claim. You must use atleast six outside sources for this assignment.

Purpose

To persuade the reader that there should or shouldn’t be alimitation on how much technology we consume on a dailybasis, using at least six sources to help support your thesis

Audience


Process

Because this essay requires you to successfully incorporateresearch into your work, be sure to review the chapters onwriting a paper with sources in your textbook before youbegin.

Planning and Organizing

Use the “Generating Ideas” exercise in your textbook onpages 558–560 to explore your thoughts and then chooseyour position on the issue. Next, brainstorm, list, or freewriteany ideas or questions you’ll want to explore in your paper.Finally, draft a working thesis statement that you can use toguide your research.

Researching

Once you finish your planning and organizing stage, you canmove on to your research. For this essay, you need to use aminimum of six outside sources as evidence to help supportyour thesis. Throughout your research process, keep carefulnotes and indicate where you’ve found your information.



Drafting

Begin drafting with the exercises on pages 563–564 in yourtextbook and work through the “Organizing and Drafting”exercise. If necessary, revise your thesis to reflect your posi-tion based on what you learned from your research. As youdraft your paper, make sure to remain focused on your argu-ment and cite the sources you mention throughout thepaper. Each paragraph should demonstrate an authoritativeand knowledgeable understanding of the material. To supportyour argument, incorporate appropriate MLA in-text citationsfrom your sources. Be sure to include your list of works citedat the end of your essay.

Revision

Once you have a finished draft, revision is absolutely neces-sary. Complete the exercises “Analyzing and Revising” and“Editing and Proofreading” on pages 565–567 to help revisethe first draft of your essay.

Read through your paper from beginning to end once, focus-ing on your thesis statement and main points. Your organizationshould be clearly defined by topic sentences that relate toand support your thesis. Each paragraph should build yourargument by offering development through your examples,supporting details, and secondary sources. Finally, ensurethat you’ve organized your main points as effectively as possi-ble to meet the purpose of the essay.

Once you’ve completed your global revisions, edit and proof-read as necessary to produce a final draft that displays goodwriting traits and represents the characteristics described onthe course rubric. Prepare a final draft of the paper accordingto the exam format below.

135


NOTES


137

Self-Check 11. Primary sources are original works. They include poems,

novels, academic works, letters, diaries, films, and soforth. Secondary sources draw on, summarize, criticize,and/or interpret primary sources. For example, lettersexchanged by James and Dolley Madison might be usedas primary sources for a paper on James Madison. Asecondary source for the same paper could be a biographyof Madison.

Secondary sources may save time, since the interpreta-tions and summaries of original sources can give you an overview of a topic or of primary sources that may bedifficult to comprehend. But the limitation of secondarysources is that they’re interpretations from a particularpoint of view. When time permits and they’re available,it’s best to consult primary sources and come to yourown conclusion.

2. The MLA system requires parenthetical, in-text citationswithin the body of an essay or research paper for anydirect quote, paraphrase, or summary of someone else’sideas and words. For example,

According to Gentry, there’s only one feasible approachto the summit of Mont Blanc (34).

If an author’s name has been in use earlier: Some feelthere’s only one feasible approach to the summit of MontBlanc (Gentry 34).

Also required is a works-cited page, where sources citedin the paper are listed by the last names of authors,arranged in alphabetical order.

3. The thesis statement

Self-Check 21. Biology: What is the biological process of species extinc-

tion? How often do species go extinct? What is the theoryof natural selection?

Geology: How has Earth’s natural environment changedover billions of years? What events or changes in theenvironment may have brought about massive extinctionof species?

An

sw

er

sA

ns

we

rs

Self-Check Answers

History: What human historical trends have affectedspecies habitats?

Economy: What economic trends or forces may haveencouraged the destruction of animal species?

2. Working thesis: Although many factors have contributedto the extinction of species over the millions of years ofEarth’s history, in our era human activities are a majorcontributor to species extinction.

Research questions:

n What are the most common natural causes of species extinction?

n What impacts have humans had on natural habitats?

n Which are most harmful?

n In what ways might these impacts have led to species extinction?

n How deliberate or accidental were these impacts andcan they be reversed?

n How are humans impacted by species extinction?

n What measures may be taken to protect endangeredanimal species?

Self-Check 31. A source is relevant if it can answer a research question

while supporting the thesis. However, a relevant sourcemay or may not be reliable. A source is reliable (or ismore likely to be reliable) if it has a good reputation.Major daily newspapers, such as The Washington Post,or periodicals like Newsweek, may fall into this category.Scholarly works may be considered reliable if they’refrom a peer-reviewed journal. An author with expertisein his or her field may be considered reliable. However,regardless of the source, you must be cautious if anauthor’s statements seem biased, incomplete, or inadequately supported by fact-based information.

138

Self-Check Answers 139

2. 1. a. Textbook: Preliminary reading, not a researchsource

b. Magazine article: Possible source of anecdotes andgeneral background information

c. Journal: Credible scholarly source

2. a. Newspaper article: Useful source of examples offirst-hand experience, but not adequate for grasp-ing the whole picture

b. Journal article: Excellent scholarly source but maybe too technical for audience

c. Pamphlet: Useful government article

3. a. Article: Credible newspaper, but scan article to determine its relevance

b. Website: Possible example, but credibility may bequestionable

c. Training manual: Possible example of one company’s policy

3. Does the site offer a bibliography or list of works assources for the Internet article? Can the accuracy of theinformation be verified elsewhere? Am I accessing thecomplete document? (If not, establish that you canaccess the full text of the original.)

4. a

5. c

Self-Check 41. F

2. EO

3. O

4. O

5. F

Self-Check Answers140

6. F

7. O

8. FO (He did offer to buy Cuba, but whether he was greedyfor influence is opinion.)

9. O

10. G—The statement doesn’t define “most people.” Youcould evaluate credible poll data on political attitudes to determine the validity of this assertion.

11. F—This is likely to be a fact, depending on its source.Standard references in astronomy could be consulted to verify the statement.

12. G—The term “many nations” is vague, as is “people.”National and international news sources would be neededto verify the truth and/or significance of this statement.

13. G—Africa’s natural resources don’t guarantee the continent a bright future. Many other issues affect the future development of each country in Africa.

14. F—This could be easily verified through the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Agency or local meteorologists.

15. Possible response: There are four identifiable assumptionsin the first sentence: First, loving one’s fellow man isn’tthe same thing as offering him homage simply due to hissex. Second, it isn’t clear that male dominance is inherent;it may be imposed and unjust. Third, homage is dueanother person (male or female) only to the extent thathe or she is capable of reason. Implicit in the thirdassumption is the fourth assumption: the faculty of reason is a virtue deserving of recognition and credit.

In the second sentence it’s assumed that a person isaccountable for any virtues gained through the exerciseof reason. We’re responsible for our choices, reasoned orunreasoned. Further, it’s assumed that man’s capacityfor reason is the foundation of our relationship to God.


Self-Check 51. Will this article be descriptive or opinionated? How can a

soldier get a “combat high”? What does Junger want usto think or feel about the “combat high” of the title?

2. Shoguns weren’t warlords; they replaced earlier warlords.The political role of the shogun may have been like that of a medieval European duke or perhaps a regional governor.

3. The title and role of shogun was inherited within a family line.

4. The shoguns used muskets from Portuguese traders toarm their soldiers.

5. Since travel beyond Japan was banned, contact withoutsiders was greatly restricted. At the same time, sinceinternational trade was essentially cut off, the Japanesehad to develop a self-sufficient society.

Self-Check 6 1. a. Virginia, Dominican Republic, Switzerland,

Egypt, India

b. Newman second floor; BF173.F682 1961; JamesStrachey; New York: W. W. Norton, c1961

c. Psychoanalysis, Social Psychology, Civilization

Self-Check 7 1. False

2. True

3. False

4. True

5. False

6. False


7. False

8. Her father, Orazio Gentileschi

9. Susanna and the Elders

10. She was raped by her art teacher.

11. Judith Slaying Holofernes

12. Caravaggio

13. You checked the domain name for clues to its origin,including its extension (.edu, .org, etc.); you read care-fully and critically to be sure the information waspresented professionally and could be verified with othersources; you saw no indications that the information wasmerely opinion or unchecked facts; at least one of yoursources was affiliated with a university, museum, orother reliable, academic resource.

Self-Check 8 1. Wollstonecraft asserts that while she loves her fellow

man, “his scepter, real or usurped” has no sway over her(12).

2. The author argues that people’s capacity to guide theirlives through reason is among “obvious truths” (12).

3. It’s in that context that she deplores the narrow restric-tions of women’s prescribed social roles, proclaiming thatwomen are “decked out with artificial graces” designed toattract, manipulate, and “exercise a short-lived tyranny”over the men in her life (12).

4. Declaring that “Liberty is the mother of virtue,”Wollstonecraft argues that if “women [are], by their . . . constitution, slaves,” then they’re precluded from ever inhaling “the sharp invigorating air of freedom” (12).

5. Possible research questions:


n What important events surrounded the period duringwhich Winston Churchill was prime minister of Great Britain?

n What was the content and context of the speechChurchill gave at Fulton, Missouri?

n Why did Churchill’s “iron curtain” metaphor attract somuch attention?

n How did the American public describe or view theuncertainties of 1946?

n What was the intent and nature of the Marshall Plan?

Self-Check 9 1. 1. Second or third person would work if you incorporate

personal observation or experience.

2. First person would allow you to convey your viewof the accident.

3. Third person is the best choice for an academicpaper.

2. Answers will vary depending on the chosen topic.Following is a sample answer.

• Music sets a mood for social activities (it’s essential to dancing and sets the mood for parties and celebrations.)

•Music is therapeutic (it can “bring out” autistic chil-dren, can calm colicky newborns, and is used inhospitals and nursing homes to create a calm atmos-phere for healing, resting, and childbirth.)

•Music stimulates intelligence (it involves both sides ofthe brain—intelligence and creativity—enhances chil-dren’s attitudes in math and science and, in the case ofMozart’s music, has been used to improve students’ abil-ity to remember facts before tests.)

Self-Check Answers

3 a. The first one is the best choice. Your research mayinclude observation of print, television, and radio adver-tisements, as well as research into various currentmarketing theories and strategies. Both types of researchare “doable,” and the question is focused enough to yielda fully developed research paper. The second is verybroad and not researchable—it’s unlikely that Coca-Colapersonnel will reveal their future marketing plan. Thethird is researchable but too broad, as given. “The past”covers a lot of time, especially since the Coca-ColaCompany was incorporated in 1919.

b. The third is the best choice because it’s focusedenough to allow you to research the question in somedepth, yet broad enough to allow you to consider the var-ious effects of deregulation on airline safety. You wouldprobably use statistics such as those given in the secondtopic. The first is far too broad.

c. The second is the best choice because the topic isbroad enough to find more than just one or two sources,but it’s limited to one focus—the development of pre-school language skills. The first is too broad, since itincludes all skills (for example, language, social, smallmotor skills, large motor skills, and so on). You wouldhave to gather too much diverse information. There mayor may not be enough information for the third one. Youwould need to find more than just one or two studies ifyou chose it. If you find that there are enough sourcesdealing with vocabulary only, then you could choose topursue it, though you would have to define “larger” and “vocabulary.”

d. The first is far too narrow to develop into a researchpaper. You could answer this question in one sentence,and the question doesn’t allow you to develop your ownthoughts about the topic. The second is too broad—youcould write a book to discuss the importance of geneticresearch in our lives. The third one is the best choice.You might be asking, “How can I research somethingwhose effect hasn’t yet been felt?” You can logically positwhat “might happen” in the future based on what “hashappened” in the past. For example, your research may

144


bring you to the major causes of obesity in the recent past(last 20 to 30 years) to establish a direct relationshipbetween cause and treatment. Once you establish thatdirect cause-and-effect relationship, you can project simi-lar types of relationships based on the new geneticresearch.

e. The third is probably too narrow—it asks the researcherto identify just one major emotional reaction. At firstglance, there’s not a lot of difference between the first two,but there is one major difference. The second asks for thevariety of ways in which adult children of alcoholics inter-act with their alcoholic parents. Substantial research hasidentified many patterns of interaction, so this questionmay be too broad to deal with in the scope of one researchpaper. The first is the best choice. It narrows the scope byfocusing on only the most positive ways of interaction. Italso asks you to use the research to support your owninformed judgment, which you provide eventually in thefinal research paper, thus creating interest as well asfocus.

4. a. Researchable. There’s enough information available.You would have to sift through a lot of ideas, both proand con, valid and invalid, to choose the best material foranswering the research question and supporting yourpoint of view.

b. Somewhat researchable. There have been some recentexperiments dealing with the physical (genetic) basis ofsexual preference, but not enough research to support acredible view one way or the other.

c. Not researchable as it’s worded, since it has no concretemeaning. What does “better” mean? Better in terms ofnutrition? Better tasting? Better value? Fewer calories?Better for making your kids happy? This question couldbecome researchable only if you define its terms. In addi-tion, the topic isn’t one college professors would generallyappreciate you choosing.

d. Researchable—see letter a.

e. Researchable—see letter a.


Self-Check 10 1. Thesis B is the best working thesis. It identifies specific

causes of anorexia nervosa as well as the grouping andorder in which the causes will be discussed in the researchpaper. Thesis A is weak because it’s too general. ThesisC is too narrow and factual. It could be proven with oneor two statistics and doesn’t invite the writer’s own per-spective on the topic.

2. Thesis C is the best of the three. It provides more focusthan thesis B by identifying the particular areas of busi-ness practice to be researched. Thesis A isn’t a completesentence and it offers no perspective on the topic. Even if used as a title, it’s poor because it doesn’t suggest astand on an issue. Thesis B is researchable, but it willyield too much information to be manageable. Businesspractices can cover many things from marketing andcustomer service to management philosophies, styles of business correspondence, or the speed at which business is conducted.

3. Thesis B is the best choice because it focuses on two typesof dilemmas raised by the appearance of Hamlet’s father’sghost. Evidence from the play or from various critics’interpretations of the play could be used to support thisstance. Thesis A may not be researchable, since it wouldbe difficult to find primary sources that prove Shakespeare’sintent (letters or diaries or notes for plays that Shakespearewrote). If evidence from the play can be interpreted asShakespeare’s intention for the audience to question theexistence of the ghost, there’s other evidence in the playthat contradicts that stance. Therefore, more irrefutableevidence (that a primary source would provide) would benecessary. In addition, the statement doesn’t seem relatedto the topic of the ghost’s importance. Thesis C is muchtoo broad. It also indicates that the writer hasn’t botheredto make a decision regarding the ghost’s importance. Theresulting paper will reflect that lack of interest, as well aslack of depth. A writer must be decisive and choose aclear focus appropriate for the purpose and audience.

4. a. Paraphrase: The Chihuahua can make a loyal andcharming pet, but it has several qualities that make it a difficult dog to own. Even though the Chihuahua is a small dog, it can be willful and can cause damage


because it likes to dig and chew. Chihuahua owners mayfind their puppies cute, but those who can’t handle thebehavior of the grown dogs often abandon them at animalshelters.

b. Summary: Because of its appearance, the Chihuahua’sdifficulty as a pet is often underestimated.

c. Personal Comment: Your answer should include some opin-ion about this type of dog and whether you learnedsomething you didn’t know before, as well as questionslike, How many Chihuahuas are left at animal shelters?Are they adopted quickly? Are adopted dogs likely to staywith their new owners?

5. a. Paraphrase: The British Empire brought its popular sportsto much of the world. In the United States just before theCivil War, cricket was enjoyed more than any other teamsport until, known by a number of names, baseball gainedpopularity. Alexander Cartwright formed the first base-ball club in 1845. The club charged dues, developed rules,and inflicted penalties. By the time the Civil War ended,baseball replaced cricket as the most popular team sport.

b. Summary: By the end of the Civil War, the American sportof baseball had replaced the British sport of cricket asAmerica’s most popular team sport.

c. Personal Comment: Your answer should include a comment about what surprised you in this information and a question you have about it.

Self-Check 11 1. a

2. c

3. d

4. False

5. True

6. c

7. b


Self-Check 12 1. The board members believed that the company should

take action on current issues.

2. The city of San Francisco offers hiking, swimming, sailing, and fishing.

3. The members of the board reached a decision.

4. The employees are organized and knowledgeable.

5. Most employees feel more confident about their new jobsafter completing their training.

6. Over the last 75 years, psychologists and educatorsinterested in educational improvement have sought touse what is known about the process of learning todesign better educational programs.

7. Removing the lid exposed the reactor core, allowingradioactive isotopes to escape.

8. The following hourly wage scales provide our estimatedcosts for the requested engineering services.

9. Janice identified the source of the faulty electrical connection.

10. Tom was uncertain about the wisdom of taking anotherpart-time job so close to the final examinations.

11. The mayor and financiers doubted the legality and honesty of ACE Company’s dealings.

12. As expected, the shortage of campaign money proved tobe the primary obstacle to Jane Doe’s bid for the statesenate seat.

Self-Check 13 1. d

2. b

3. a

4. b

5. d


6. False

7. True

8. c

Self-Check 14 1 1. Classification and division: Categorize goods that are

made in America, such as automobiles, clothing, foods,and so on.

Definition: What makes a product “American,” the materials, the labor, or both?

Cause and effect: People may buy goods because of theirquality or because doing so helps keep jobs in Americaand stimulates the economy.

Argument: Is buying only American-made goods patriotic, or is it an outdated nationalistic approach to consumerism?

3. Classification and division: Classify and describe vari-ous approaches to community policing efforts inAmerican cities, such as neighborhood-watch programs,Guardian Angels or similar groups, or connecting withpolice officers walking a neighborhood beat.

Definition: What’s meant by “community policing”? Doesit mean the community should participate or that a community should be well policed—or both?

Cause and effect: High crime rates in some urban neigh-borhoods may generate intense community pressure toprovide some form of community policing.

Argument: Given inadequate funding for law enforcementin many metropolitan areas, is community policing inurban neighborhoods effective, or are “community policing” proposals mostly political rhetoric?


2 a. Although it’s a direct, active opinion statement refer-ring to the topic of adult illiteracy in America, there are acouple of problems with this as a thesis. First, callingadult illiteracy the “greatest threat” to America today is a very large claim. What about all the other serious prob-lems confronting us? There’s no need to make such alarge claim, which may only distract your reader withthoughts of other problems. Second, the focus of yourdraft isn’t the threat that illiteracy poses—you’ve got only about one page out of 14 about how widespread theproblem is (maybe for your introduction), and nothingabout its consequences (economic, social, political, andso on). Clearly, that’s not what your paper is about. (If itis what you want your paper to be about—or what yourreader expects your paper to be about, you’ve got somemajor revising to do.) Instead, what your draft does dis-cuss at length are causes and possible solutions, butyour thesis doesn’t let your reader know that.

b This sentence identifies the topic of the paper as adultilliteracy and indicates that there are many causes,which the reader will naturally expect you to explain(and you do, for about half of your draft). Then comesthe “but,” a logical link to the opposite of “causes,” whichwould be “solutions” or something of the sort. Instead,the sentence continues “but it can be eliminated.” Thiswording seems to do the same job as “solutions”—in fact,asserting that adult illiteracy can actually be eliminatedis a strong positive statement indeed. What’s more, justas your draft addresses the causes of illiteracy, it goes onto discuss its elimination by evaluating solutions andproposing one you feel would be effective. Since this sen-tence prepares your reader for exactly the paper you aredelivering, it works as a thesis sentence for your paper.

c. The topic is certainly clear here: adult illiteracy inAmerica. Also, this sentence goes on to focus on how this problem may “be effectively addressed,” which is one good way to prepare the reader for your evaluation of possible solutions and proposal of one you feel wouldbe effective. However, you devote almost equal space toanalyzing the causes of the problem and need to let yourreader know that.


There’s another problem with using this sentence asyour thesis statement. It’s not a statement but a ques-tion, and that’s not what your reader ordinarily expectsof a thesis. A question can be a very good way to “get the ball rolling” in an introduction, inviting your readerto get involved and think about the topic before you state your opinion in the thesis statement. On the otherhand, questions merely hint at an opinion and might be misinterpreted.

d. This sentence does speak about the topic of adultilliteracy in America. There are problems, however, withwhat it says about the topic and how it says it.“Subsuming a myriad of causal factors” is trying toimpress the reader with its long words, unusual words,and technical-sounding words. This style makes thereader work hard to understand what the writer is say-ing (and usually indicates the writer has nothing to sayor is afraid to express an opinion directly and clearly).

“Causal factors” uses two words to say “causes.” Andthere are a “myriad” of them; “myriad” is a fine old-fashioned word that literally means “ten thousand,” butis used to mean “a very large number”—an exaggeratedway of saying “many.” Evidently these many causes are“subsuming.” “Subsume” is a rather technical termmeaning that one large category includes smaller ones.For example, “popcorn” and “potato chips” are both sub-sumed under the category of “snack foods.” The first partof the sentence therefore means that adult illiteracyincludes many causes. But does it “include” manycauses, or does it result from many causes? Saying thatadult illiteracy “subsumes” many causes is quite fuzzy.The writer probably would never have written “Adult illit-eracy includes many causes,” because in such familiarlanguage the idea doesn’t really make sense, but the“fancy” language disguised that, at least from the writer.

Now we know that the first part of the sentence talks(not very clearly) about the causes of adult illiteracy—thesix pages of your draft. The rest of the sentence, how-ever, goes on to say that adult illiteracy “manifests itselfthroughout contemporary American society.” Your drafthas only a page on how widespread adult illiteracy is


(not even that it manifests itself throughout our society);what’s more, the second major part of your draft, evaluatingsolutions to the problem and proposing the best one, isn’tmentioned at all in this sentence. If you used this sen-tence as your thesis statement, your reader would expecta paper explaining the causes of adult illiteracy anddescribing how adult illiteracy can be found throughoutAmerican society. The paper you did write, about causesand solutions, would be unexpected and unappreciated.

3. The first statement is the best thesis, since it’s the mostfocused and specific. It focuses the argument on the hos-pital as an oligopoly (a certain type of economic structure)and also implies that the writer will explain how changedpolicy has influenced hospital economics. The other twoare too broad and difficult to research. The second wouldrequire identifying particular Asian nations. In the thirdone, who are the citizens mentioned? All U.S. citizens? Ifso, is there valid evidence that represents all citizens’ con-cerns?

4. a. Not effective—there are too many points covered andthe phrasing is awkward. How can the economy policeanything? The focus should be on one point. Suggestedrevision: The American economy can be healthy onlywhen jobs provide fair wages in correlation with the cost of living.

b. Not effective—the statement makes an announcement.Suggested revision: Sex education in public schools can reduce the rate of teenage pregnancies.

c. Effective—no revision needed.

d. Not effective—the statement is general and lacks detail.Suggested revision: My years hiking the Appalachian Trailtaught me to respect the natural world.

Self-Check 151. Among nocturnal hunters, bats are unique in their

ability to sense objects and judge distances through built-in sonar.


2. Waiting for the crosstown bus at the corner of Elm and Main, my brother John stood holding his furled umbrella.

3. Seeing the taxi pull up outside, Miranda’s heart racedand tears streamed down her face as she ran to the door to embrace her husband.

4. The view from Walker Point embraces sky and rollinghills that fade like dreams as they recede into the hazy distance.

5. First, Second, and Third

6. The terms provide a logical connection for concepts in a series.

7. Both classical and operant conditioning focus on studyingbehavior, as opposed to subjective consciousness, changingbehavior, and anticipating future behaviors.

8. When people master the basic concepts of classical con-ditioning and operant conditioning, they’ll understandhow both schools of behaviorism view human behaviorand conduct research.

Self-Check 161. Lee expanded her introduction, added more specific

details about Survivor in a new paragraph, cut outunnecessary details about other reality shows, addedbetter illustrations of other reality TV shows, andexpanded her conclusion. Her revisions made her viewsabout the decline of reality TV more vivid for readers.

2. Lee added a second paragraph to add more details aboutwhy Survivor was popular. These details reinforce her thesis.

3. Lee’s revised introduction explains the effects of the firstSurvivor more vividly. The revised conclusion includesLee’s thoughts about what she sees as the decline ofthis fad.


4. One possible paragraph: The first draft of paragraph 5 didn’t include the detail about Temptation Island. This particular detail illustrates how distasteful reality TV has become for Lee.

Self-Check 171. A simile describes one thing as like another, with the

word like or as linking the two. For example, “the finelace was like a morning mist encircling her face.” By con-trast, a metaphor lets some object, place, or thing standfor another object, place, or thing: “All the world’s astage.” The metaphor compares “Hope” to “the thing with feath-ers” that stands for the human soul.

2. The shore exposed by receding surf could represent theworld as it is, laid bare of pretense or illusion.

3. Personification is giving some kind of human characteristicto objects, ideas, or qualities. In “Dover Beach,” the con-trast of hopeful (as opposed to menacing) perceptions ofthe ocean is comparing the cycle of the tides with therise and fall of human experiences.

4. A dilapidated and abandoned house could stand for futility or the impermanence of life and possessions. Itcould stand for happier days now long gone or it couldrepresent menace if terrible things are thought to haveoccurred there. If the house is associated with a personor family, it could represent the character of a personwho once lived there, an empty heart, or a sense of abandonment.

5. Dickinson’s poem doesn’t deny the troubles that arise in life, but her “thing with feathers” remains optimistic.Since the little bird “sings its song with no words,” weknow that hope isn’t a rational thing to be captured bythoughts or words. It exists beyond our understandingand control.


By contrast, “Dover Beach” suggests that human heartsand minds may have once been joined, although no suchcommon sea now exists. Instead, the world is an illusionand the prospects for meaningful and fulfilling lives are afaçade. Behind it lurks the menace of “ignorant armies”that shape the world behind our naïve perceptions.

For Dickinson, the remedy for life’s perplexities liesbeyond this life, as an unquenchable promise, and forArnold, the only remedy is the fealty and devotion oflovers. Yet, while Dickinson’s hope will abide, it seemsless certain that the devotion of lovers can withstand thetides of melancholy that underlie the human condition.

6. Title: Oil and Water: The Poetic Perceptions of EmilyDickinson and Matthew Arnold

Thesis: The social worlds of Emily Dickinson andMatthew Arnold strongly informed the divergent themesof their poems “Hope” and “Dover Beach.”

Title: Of Love and Hope: The Worldviews of EmilyDickinson and Matthew Arnold

Thesis: Contrasting poems by Emily Dickinson andMatthew Arnold reveals radically different views of whatpeople might call salvation.

7. “It” refers to the “little bird” that’s Dickinson’s metaphorfor hope. The lines may mean that hope asks nothing ofher when she suffers some extremity or that hope isn’tindifferent to our suffering. It asks nothing of us becauseit feeds itself and, thereby, asks not a “crumb” of us.

Self-Check 18 1. The sentence poses an intriguing question that might

engage readers and encourage readers to read further.

2. The Spanish conquest of Mexico succeeded in partbecause the Aztec people were convinced that HernandoCortez was an incarnate god.

3. The conclusion reiterates the thesis, but in a widenedcontext. It suggests the relevance of the thesis, since the conquest of Mexico foretold similar tragedies thatcontinue to occur.


4. b—Title “a” is vague and doesn’t capture the thesis. Also,many readers may not know what a “Grandee” is. Title“c” uses alliteration, which may be catchy and mightengage a reader’s interest, but it’s also vague and doesn’t represent the content of the essay.

Self-Check 19 1. c

2. Possible thesis: Unlike minerals, which are naturalchemical compounds, rocks are categorized by the wayin which they’re formed.

3. Classification: Minerals

Divisions: Only two given—quartz and feldspars

Classification: Rocks

Divisions: Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic

Self-Check 20 1. Your definitions will vary, but the definition that applies

to rocks should refer to a change in its constitutioncaused by pressure, heat, and water, making it morecompact and more highly crystalline.

2. Answers will vary, though should include that meta- inthis situation means “change” and that the root wordmorphë means “form.” This word combination is alsoseen in the Greek metamorphoun, to transform. Rocksare classified by the way they form (morphë). In theprocess of metamorphosis, the igneous or sedimentaryforms actually change form; they transform into a different kind of rock.

3. Minerals, element class, igneous rocks, magma, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks

4. The passage classifies minerals by their chemical proper-ties and rocks by how they were formed; each paragraphincludes scientific names and terms that needed to bedefined for the reader.

Self-Check Answers

Self-Check 211. The topic is telephones, comparing and contrasting pay

phones and cell phones. In paragraphs 1 and 2, the sub-ject could be summarized as “love and luck.” It describeshow the author and his wife-to-be managed to communi-cate using a pay phone. The theme of paragraph 4 is theauthor’s relationship to pay phones throughout his life.The narrative shifts to cell phones in paragraph 7. Hedescribes how cell phones are replacing pay phones as anew toy taking the place of an old, beat-up one. In para-graph 8, he comments on the manner in which peopleuse cell phones and the cell phone’s relationship to themodern world.

2. Bases of comparison could be as follows: Advantage:development of social skills; disadvantage: academic performance of girls.

Thesis 1: Integrating public school classrooms by genderdevelops important social skills for both boys and girls,since the sexes must interact on a daily basis.

Thesis 2: Integrating public school classrooms by gendermay be a disadvantage to girls since studies show thatboys are more assertive and are called on by teachersmore often.

Self-Check 22 1. Southwestern cuisine is heavy on fried or grilled beef,

while Mexican food is based on richly seasoned corn andtomato recipes.

2. Paragraph 1: Southwestern and Mexican cuisine overlap,but the differences are due to divergent cultural traditions.

Paragraph 3: Corn meal was and is basic to Mexican cuisine, while Anglos made tortillas with wheat flour.

Paragraph 4: Meat is included in both Southwestern andMexican cuisine, but the meats are prepared differentlyand served in different ways in the two traditions.

157

3. Given today’s concern with obesity and excess fat in our diets, you could compare and contrast the cookingmethods (fried, grilled, or slow-cooked), the amount ofmeat and fat in each style of cooking, and the use of vegetables and seasonings in each type of cooking.

Self-Check 23 1. Zuger uses narrative of personal experience in paragraph 1,

in which she describes a meeting with two interns. Inparagraph 6 she describes feeling like she was in a“medieval morality play,” and in paragraph 12 shedescribes her inability to alter the perspectives of herinterns. She uses description in paragraph 2, describingthe attire of her two interns, the man and the woman. Inparagraph 5 she describes the divergent attitudes of hertwo interns.

The third type is argument, used in paragraphs 8–12:The author argues for a new, more humane and collabo-rative approach to medicine based on shortening interns’work hours.

2. The author uses a point-by-point approach, which iseffective because it allows her to make a series of obser-vations and analyses of two interns and their twoconflicting approaches to medicine. For example, shelines up a series of points to compare and contrast thetwo interns and another series of points that forcefullyargue her reasons for shortening intern work hours. Ifshe had used a subject-by-subject approach, it wouldhave been more difficult to clearly compare and contrastthe two individuals and move on to her argument aboutthe hours interns are required to work.

Self-Check 24 1. The story takes place in the late nineteenth century,

during the time the author lived and wrote. From its titlewe can infer that the action took place in a single hour.


2. The main character is Mrs. Louise Mallard. She is youngand fair with “white slender hands”; also, she has heartdisease. Her weak heart gives out, not at the shock ofher husband’s death, but at the shock of seeing himalive.

3. Louise realizes that with her husband dead, she will befree, able to live for herself alone, a thought that fills herwith joy. She changes from a somewhat passive, conven-tional wife to a woman who suddenly has dreams of her own.

4. The theme is of a woman’s self-discovery and her feelingswhen she experiences sudden independence—radicalideas in 1894.

Self-Check 25 1. LeMieux finds himself homeless and penniless after a

successful career as a sports writer, and White isarrested at his own apartment building without cause.Both men are polite and silently accept their mistreat-ment. LeMieux receives an unexpectedly large donationfrom a stranger and reacts with gratitude. AlthoughWhite’s neighbors plead on his behalf, he spends fivehours in jail and feels disillusioned.

2. Homelessness can happen to anyone, but minorities aresubject to racism. White was reared to uphold solid standards of conduct and moral values but found those societal values weren’t practiced by the racistauthorities he encountered.

Self-Check 26 1. 1. Bregman emphasizes how, counter to popular belief,

multitasking reduces productivity and effectiveness.

2. Opponents believe that multitasking enhances pro-ductivity and saves time, thereby increasing efficiency.

3. Bregman discovered such joys as engagement in themoment, making significant progress on big projects,and stress reduction.


4. Refocused: shifting attention back to the original task(paragraph 2); competent: good at doing something (5);disengaged: uninvolved (7); persistence: staying on task(7); meandering: wandering from topic to topic (7)

2. 1. Silverman sees multitasking as facilitating informa-tion transfer, saving time for others, and making stuck time more productive; he sees it as most important tomanagers (paragraph 4).

2. His analogy shows that multitasking makes tasks pileup like batch jobs in an old computer server.

3. He shows it’s human nature to multitask when noone is looking.

4. Discredited: proven wrong (1); unitasking: working on one task at a time (2); concurrently: at the same time (4);ponderable: worthy of consideration (4); lest: unless (4).

3. 2. a. Plain folks: I’m just a simple person; I’m justlike you.

b. Appeal to pity

c. Ad hominem: This is an attack on the person,which may be unrelated to his actual stance onthe issue of low wages and long hours.

d. Appeal to false authority: Winfrey isn’t an author-ity on war, international relations, or governmentpolicy.

Self-Check 27 1. 1. Limiting topics: The lottery in your home state; analy-

sis of how the lottery is promoted in one state.Background: How many states have lotteries; how muchmoney is raised; moral objections to state lotteries.

2. Limiting topics: Privacy in the workplace or on theInternet; security of Internet transactions and accounts;corporate access or personal information with individual’sknowledge. Background: Define the networks to be dis-cussed; examples of privacy violations; relevant court cases.


3. Limiting topics: A specific speech code on a specificcampus; an incident or series of incidents that mightjustify speech codes. Background: Reasons for speechcodes; purposes of typical speech codes; number of cam-puses that have enacted speech codes.

4. Limiting topics: Controversy over displaying a crècheon public property at Christmas; attempts to displaysymbols meaningful to different religions. Background:Interpretations of what constitutes a religious symbol,relevant U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

5. Limiting topics: Mandatory drug testing for membersof particular professions (e.g., hospital workers, trainengineers, police officers); mandatory testing of athletesfor the use of steroids; mandatory testing for a specificdrug. Background: Laws and company policies mandat-ing drug testing; effects of drugs on job performance;relevant constitutional issues.

2. 1. a. While many parents approve of government con-trol of pornography on the Internet, such controlsmay violate the First Amendment right to freespeech.

b. Pornography is so readily available to children onthe Internet that the government must pass legis-lation to control it.

2. a. Limiting immigration may open up more jobs to unemployed citizens.

b. While the government needs to control immigra-tion, controls should be flexile so that people whocan make valuable contributions to our societywill be admitted.

3. a. Strict controls on campaign spending would very likely decrease the number of political advertise-ments on television.

b. Laws limiting the amount of money a politiciancan raise and spend are violations of FirstAmendment rights and shouldn’t be enacted.


4. a. Computer literacy probably will be a mandatoryrequirement for most job applicants in the twenty-first century; every college graduate should berequired to demonstrate proficiency on the com-puter.

b. College students, who will need to use computers inall fields and professions, should be required todemonstrate computer literacy in order to graduate.

5. a. Because they promote exercise and competitivespirit, sports are probably among the best activitieschildren can engage in.

b. Sports get inactive children away from the TV andinto the fresh air; therefore, parents should encour-age their children to engage in competitive sports.

3. 1. a. Urge readers to call school boards to insist on sexeducation classes.

b. Contrast statistics on teen pregnancy for schools withsex education classes versus schools without suchclasses; cite expert opinion in favor of sex ed; nar-rate testimonials from teens who have benefitedfrom sex education classes.

c. Appeal to the common desire to protect teens butargue that they should be protected from pregnancyand sexual disease, not from information; cite per-suasive facts and statistics.

2. a. Urge readers to write to companies that advertiseduring shows that portray violence unrealistically,arguing the need for action.

b. Present examples of the real toll violence takes on victims and their families; contrast with unrealisticexamples from TV shows; cite examples of “copy cat” crimes.

c. Establish a common ground (the desire to reduce violent crime); provide some examples as in b, as well as the results of studies that show an increase inviolence correlated with increased television viewing.


3. a. Provide advice on ways to reduce the hours thatsome children spend on computers and to increasetheir involvement with social activities.

b. Provide expert testimony on and examples of chil-dren who experience negative consequences fromtheir exclusive involvement with computers.

c. Concede that children need to be knowledgeableabout using computers, but argue that social skillsare needed as well.

4. 1. Possible opposing arguments:

n Sex education may expose children to information par-ents may wish to withhold until the children are older.Response: Accommodate by proposing parental waiversor refute by arguing that students need to be informedabout sex during adolescence when many begin toexperiment with it.

n Sex education sends the signal that sex is acceptablebehavior for teens. Response: Acknowledge the position or accommodate it by noting that most teensexperiment with sex and therefore should help protectthemselves against disease and pregnancy by partici-pating in the program.

2. Possible opposing arguments:

n Portraying violence more realistically on television will desensitize people to it, not deter them from it.Response: Refute by noting that portraying the effects ofactual violence has deterred crime and changed people’sminds, citing such examples as televised images of theVietnam War and the Civil Rights movement.

n Violent images have no effect on people who commitviolence crimes. Response: Accommodate by noting thatwhile realistic portrayals of violence won’t affect hard-ened criminals, they’ll probably keep some people frombecoming criminals; or refute by citing studies thatshow a high crime rate among heavy television viewers.


3. Possible opposing arguments:

n Children have many opportunities to interact withother people on the Internet. Response: Accommodateby pointing out that interaction with strangers on theInternet can be valuable but limited, or refute by not-ing that the uncertainty and possible dangers ofinteracting with strangers on the Internet.

n Children who take advantage of all the computer hasto offer learn more than children with a more activesocial life. Response: Acknowledge by conceding thatchildren can learn much from playing educationalcomputer games and surfing the Internet as well asfrom playing with other children.

Self-Check 281. 1. Sturm’s thesis statement clearly states his position

on the issue of explicit song lyrics. It suggests thatSturm will present negative effects as reasons to supporthis thesis. The thesis statement does not mention lack ofgovernment regulation or critiques of Sturm’s position.

3. Sturm doesn’t offer a precise definition of “explicitlyrics.” He does offer examples of content of explicit lyricsin paragraph 4. Readers may need a more precise defini-tion to agree or disagree with the author’s position.

2. 1. Sturm regards explicit lyrics as harmful and detri-mental to children. Possible words and phrases tohighlight include hateful content (paragraph 3); repulsiveideas (4); and music that fuels negative and harmfulthoughts (5).

2. Sturm uses both fact and opinion, but the essayrelies heavily on opinion. Facts: 2. Opinions: 3–5.

3. Sturm’s audience is generally public, possibly parentsof children under 16.

4. “Explicit music” is a euphemism for lyrics about sexor violence.

5. Sturm appeals to the need to protect the innocentand values of gentleness and social constraint.

3. Answers will vary.


165

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heth

esis

. Th

ew

ritin

g ra

mbl

esw

ith n

o cl

ear

patt

ern

orst

rate

gies

use

dto

ach

ieve

focu

s.

0

Una

ble

todi

scer

n pu

rpos

eful

thou

ght

orfe

elin

g co

mpl

etel

ydi

seng

aged

,th

e re

ader

stop

s pa

rt-

way

thr

ough

the

essa

y.W

hat

info

r-m

atio

n is

incl

uded

islis

ted

inun

rela

ted,

inac

cura

tefa

shio

n to

the

thes

is.

The

info

rma-

tion

fails

to

esta

blis

h a

clea

rly

defin

ed

focu

s fo

r th

e as

sign

edto

pic,

pur

-po

se,

and

audi

ence

.

(Con

tinue

d)

Appendix 167

AD

VAN

CED

CO

MPO

SIT

ION

CO

URSE

RU

BRIC

—Con

tinue

d

Ski

ll

Rea

lized

Ski

ll

Dev

elop

ing

Ski

ll

Emer

gin

g

Ski

ll N

ot

Sh

own

Inco

rpor

atio

nof

Sou

rce

Mat

eria

l

Para

phra

ses,

sum

mar

ies,

an

d di

rect

qu

otat

ions

are

appr

opriat

ely

inte

grat

ed w

ithth

e w

rite

r’sst

yle

for

the

purp

ose

and

audi

ence

.Sou

rces

are

rel

-ev

ant

and

relia

ble.

10

Rele

vant

, re

liabl

e so

urce

mat

eria

l is

inte

grat

edlo

gica

lly a

ndpe

rcep

tivel

y,pa

rtic

ular

ly in

differ

entia

ted

use

of p

ara-

phra

se,

sum

mar

y, a

ndqu

ote.

The

write

r pr

ovid

esa

com

pete

ntbl

end,

ef

fect

ivel

yin

terp

retin

gan

d ap

plyi

ngva

lid s

ourc

ein

form

atio

nac

cura

tely

and

eleg

antly

.

9

Sou

rce

use

tend

s to

war

dim

bala

nce,

with

som

eov

erus

e of

para

phra

seor

one

sou

rce

in f

avor

of

anot

her.

The

write

r te

nds

to u

se p

ara-

phra

se o

rqu

otes

to

prov

ide

rath

er b

asic

fact

ual i

nfor

-m

atio

n. T

hew

rite

r in

ter-

pret

s so

urce

sac

cura

tely

but

unev

enly

.Sou

rces

are

mos

tly r

ele-

vant

and

relia

ble.

Inte

grat

ion

with

sty

le is

clea

rly

atte

mpt

edbu

t w

ithin

cons

iste

ntre

sults

.

8

The

write

rcl

early

favo

rson

e so

urce

but

with

out

clea

rre

ason

ing

for

that

cho

ice.

The

write

rat

tem

pts

to u

sepa

raph

rase

,su

mm

ary,

or

dire

ct q

uote

appr

opriat

ely.

Mos

t co

nnec

-tio

ns s

eem

logi

cal b

ut t

hew

rite

r of

ten

does

n’t

mak

eth

e co

nnec

tions

plai

n or

doe

s so

with

som

e aw

k-w

ardn

ess.

For

the

mos

t pa

rt,

the

write

r di

f-fe

rent

iate

sam

ong

fact

,he

arsa

y, a

ndop

inio

n. S

ourc

ech

oice

s ar

ege

nera

lly r

ele-

vant

but

may

lack

rel

iabi

lity.

7.5

The

write

rco

nsis

tent

lyfa

ils t

o cl

early

differ

entia

team

ong

sour

ces,

som

etim

esap

plyi

ng o

pin-

ion

as f

act

(or

vice

ver

sa).

Muc

h so

urce

mat

eria

lse

ems

tack

edin

to p

lace

inst

ead

offlo

win

g na

tu-

rally

with

the

anal

ysis

.Som

e ch

oice

sof

info

rmat

ion

show

lack

of

unde

rsta

ndin

gab

out

mat

e-rial

. M

ost

ofth

e so

urce

sar

e re

leva

nt o

rre

liabl

e bu

tso

me

are

ques

tiona

ble

and

thei

r us

ein

terf

eres

with

mea

ning

.

7

For

mos

t of

the

essa

y,th

e re

ader

has

only

ava

gue

idea

of

wha

t so

urce

sar

e be

ing

used

with

the

info

rmat

ion

stiff

ly o

rill

ogic

ally

and

uncl

early

pres

ente

d.Th

e so

urce

sar

e ou

tdat

edor

are

too

gene

ral f

orth

e pu

rpos

e.Pa

raph

rasi

ng,

sum

mar

izin

g,an

d di

rect

quot

atio

nsar

e us

edre

gard

less

of

impo

rtan

ce o

fin

form

atio

n,w

ith o

nly

min

or d

iffer

-en

tiatio

nbe

twee

n fa

ctan

d op

inio

n.

3

The

write

rdo

es li

ttle

to

diff

eren

tiate

amon

g fa

ct,

hear

say,

and

opin

ion.

The

write

r do

eslit

tle t

o id

en-

tify

sour

cem

ater

ial a

ndre

gula

rly

appl

ies

itin

cons

is-

tent

ly,

illog

ical

ly,

orin

accu

rate

ly.

0

Para

phra

ses

and

sum

-m

arie

s ar

epr

imar

ilypl

agia

rize

dbe

caus

e of

sent

ence

stru

ctur

ean

d w

ord

choi

ce.

(Con

tinue

d)

Appendix168

AD

VAN

CED

CO

MPO

SIT

ION

CO

URSE

RU

BRIC

—Con

tinue

d

Ski

ll

Rea

lized

Ski

ll

Dev

elop

ing

Ski

ll

Emer

gin

g

Ski

ll N

ot

Sh

own

Ove

rall

Org

aniz

atio

nof

Wri

tin

g

Tran

sitio

nal

wor

ds a

nd

conn

ectiv

eph

rasi

ng g

uide

the

read

erth

roug

h th

ere

latio

nshi

psbe

twee

n id

eas.

Each

par

agra

phco

ntai

ns o

neid

ea t

hat

supp

orts

the

thes

is.

The

supp

ortin

g se

n-te

nces

con

nect

to/d

evel

op t

hepa

ragr

aph’

sfo

cus.

15

The

essa

y pr

ogre

sses

with

logi

cal,

effic

ient

par

a-gr

aph

stru

ctur

ean

d se

quen

cing

so t

hat

deta

ilsfit

nat

ural

lyw

here

pla

ced.

Tran

sitio

ns a

ndco

nnec

tive

phra

sing

wea

veth

e pa

rts

into

aco

hesi

ve,

mea

ning

ful

who

le.

14

Ove

rall

stru

c-tu

re is

logi

cal

and

stro

ng,

but

with

in a

few

par

a-gr

aphs

asu

ppor

ting

sent

ence

may

not

be

cle

arly

conn

ecte

d to

rela

ted

sent

ence

s.W

rite

r’sat

tem

ptto

war

d m

ore

com

plex

tran

sitio

ns o

rco

nnec

tive

phra

sing

m

ay n

ot b

eef

fect

ive

but

does

n’t

nega

tem

eani

ng.

13

Bod

y pa

ra-

grap

hs t

end

to b

e w

eakl

yco

nnec

ted

toth

e th

esis

, bu

tov

eral

lse

quen

cing

iscl

ear

enou

gh t

om

ove

the

read

er f

rom

poin

t to

poi

nt.

A f

ew p

ara-

grap

hs m

ay

run

toge

ther

or

cont

ain

info

r-m

atio

n in

the

wro

ng p

lace

,bu

t th

e ne

ces-

sary

ele

men

tsar

e pr

esen

t an

dth

e er

rors

min

i-m

ally

inte

rfer

ew

ith t

he

mea

ning

.

12

Para

grap

hsar

e in

cons

is-

tent

inpl

acem

ent,

deve

lopm

ent,

and

conn

ec-

tion

to t

hepu

rpos

e w

ithm

echa

nica

ltr

ansi

tions

or

conn

ectiv

eph

rasi

ng t

hat

only

min

imal

lyhe

lps

logi

cal

conn

ectio

nsbe

twee

nid

eas.

11

Mos

t pa

ra-

grap

hsco

ntai

n m

ore

than

one

mai

n id

eaw

ith

conf

usin

g or

inco

mpl

ete

logi

cal

prog

ress

ion.

The

essa

y co

ntai

nsha

rd-t

o-fo

llow

leap

sfr

om p

oint

to

poin

t. I

fus

ed,

tran

sitio

nsfr

eque

ntly

detr

act

from

or

hide

logi

cal

rela

tions

hips

.

6

Idea

s an

dde

tails

are

stru

ngto

geth

er r

an-

dom

ly w

ithin

accu

rate

tran

sitio

nsan

d lit

tle o

rno

con

nect

ive

wor

ding

.Pa

ragr

aphi

ngis

mis

sing

or

is t

oo f

re-

quen

t.Pa

ragr

aphs

are

mos

tlyun

focu

sed

and

diso

r-ga

nize

d.

0

The

pape

rsh

ows

nolo

gica

lpa

ragr

aph-

ing.

Tran

sitio

nus

e is

n’t

pres

ent

oris

illo

gica

lan

d im

ma-

terial

to

the

disc

ussi

on.

(Con

tinue

d)

Appendix 169

AD

VAN

CED

CO

MPO

SIT

ION

CO

URSE

RU

BRIC

—Con

tinue

d

Ski

ll

Rea

lized

Ski

ll

Dev

elop

ing

Ski

ll

Emer

gin

g

Ski

ll N

ot

Sh

own

Wor

d C

hoi

cean

dP

rese

nta

tion

Sty

le

The

write

r sh

ows

a co

nsis

tent

poi

ntof

vie

w,

capt

ivat

-in

g th

e re

ader

with

ski

llful

, pr

e-ci

se la

ngua

ge f

orth

e pu

rpos

e an

dau

dien

ce.

The

essa

y is

gra

cefu

lan

d ea

sy t

o re

adal

oud

with

a

natu

ral,

plea

sant

rhyt

hm t

hrou

ghva

ried

sen

tenc

ele

ngth

and

st

ruct

ures

.

15

The

write

r co

n-ve

ys m

eani

ng in

an a

ctiv

e, p

ur-

pose

ful,

and

conv

inci

ng t

one.

With

litt

le j

argo

nan

d no

sla

ng,

wor

ds a

re a

ccu-

rate

and

live

ly,

appe

alin

g to

the

audi

ence

.La

ngua

ge is

mos

tly p

ower

ful

with

wel

l-ch

osen

, cr

eativ

e w

ord

com

bina

tions

.Sen

tenc

e st

ruc-

ture

s co

ntribu

teto

logi

c an

d cl

arity

.

14

The

essa

yte

nds

to b

eov

erly

fo

rmal

but

is p

rim

arily

in t

he a

ctiv

evo

ice.

Write

rde

liber

atel

yus

es c

om-

pelli

ng,

ener

getic

wor

ds.

A f

ewch

oice

s m

ayno

t be

bes

t fo

rth

e co

ntex

t bu

tdo

n’t

dim

inis

hun

ders

tand

ing.

The

choi

ce o

fso

me

sent

ence

stru

ctur

es

crea

tes

min

orla

pses

fro

m a

natu

ral r

hyth

mbu

t w

ithou

tde

trac

ting

from

the

mea

ning

.Alth

ough

st

ruct

ures

ten

dto

war

d co

ordi

-na

tion,

the

write

r su

cces

s-fu

lly a

ttem

pts

com

plex

one

s.

13

The

write

r’s v

oice

is u

neve

n, s

ome-

times

str

ong

and

othe

r tim

es t

en-

tativ

e or

gen

eral

.Th

e po

int

of v

iew

shift

s in

spo

tsbe

twee

n ke

epin

gfo

rmal

dis

tanc

ean

d la

psin

g in

to a

conv

ersa

tiona

lto

ne t

oo in

form

alfo

r th

e au

dien

ce/

purp

ose.

Lang

uage

is f

unc-

tiona

l, pe

rhap

sre

dund

ant,

with

slip

s in

to c

liché

but

the

write

rge

ts t

he m

essa

geac

ross

acc

urat

ely.

The

sent

ence

stru

ctur

e is

mor

em

echa

nica

l tha

nre

fined

with

som

em

inor

cho

ppy

and

awkw

ard

pass

ages

cau

sed

by o

veru

se o

fco

ordi

natin

g se

nten

ces.

12

Som

e sh

ifts

inpo

int

of v

iew

don’

t in

terf

ere

with

mea

ning

but

caus

e th

ere

ader

to

paus

e.Fa

mili

ar w

ords

com

mun

icat

ebu

t do

n’t

dist

in-

guis

h th

ew

ritin

g. L

ess

com

mon

wor

dste

nd t

o be

inac

-cu

rate

ly a

pplie

d.Th

e w

rite

r m

ayus

e sy

nony

ms

to a

void

red

un-

danc

y bu

tch

oice

s do

n’t

add

prec

isio

n.Th

e se

nten

cest

ruct

ures

sho

wm

inim

al v

arie

ty,

and

over

use

ofsi

mpl

e on

esde

trac

ts f

rom

mea

ning

.

11

The

writ

er u

ses

flat,

life

less

,an

d m

echa

nica

lw

ritin

g w

ithob

viou

s sh

ifts

in p

oint

of

view

inte

rfer

ing

with

mea

ning

. W

ord

choi

ces

are

freq

uent

ly

inac

cura

te a

ndin

appr

opria

teto

pur

pose

and

audi

ence

.Ra

nge

ofvo

cabu

lary

islim

ited,

oft

enre

lyin

g on

tren

dy a

nd/o

rw

orn-

out

wor

ds.

Mos

tse

nten

ce s

truc

-tu

res

are

bulk

y,m

onot

onou

s,an

d/or

aw

k-w

ard,

m

akin

g it

diffi-

cult

but

not

impo

ssib

le t

oun

ders

tand

.

6

The

write

rla

pses

into

bias

ed,

ungr

ound

edem

otio

n w

ithno

con

sist

ent

poin

t of

vie

w.

Repe

titio

n,cl

iché

s, a

ndja

rgon

dis

trac

tth

e re

ader

and

conv

ey m

ini-

mal

mea

ning

.W

ords

are

used

inco

r-re

ctly

inse

vera

l pla

ces,

m

akin

g th

em

essa

ge

diffic

ult

toun

ders

tand

.Sen

tenc

esso

und

unna

tura

l with

inco

rrec

t,irre

gula

r, an

daw

kwar

d w

ord

patt

erns

for

c-in

g st

ops

beca

use

the

mea

ning

isob

scur

ed.

0

The

write

rha

phaz

ardl

yfil

ls t

hepa

per

with

wor

ds in

mos

tlym

eani

ngle

ssst

ruct

ures

and

voic

e.

(Con

tinue

d)

Appendix170

AD

VAN

CED

CO

MPO

SIT

ION

CO

URSE

RU

BRIC

—Con

tinue

d

Ski

ll

Rea

lized

Ski

ll

Dev

elop

ing

Ski

ll

Emer

gin

g

Ski

ll N

ot

Sh

own

MLA

Cit

atio

n

Usi

ng t

he M

LAci

tatio

n st

yle,

the

write

r ac

cura

tely

and

corr

ectly

do

cum

ents

the

requ

ired

num

-be

r of

sou

rces

.

10

The

write

r us

esth

e re

quired

num

ber

and

type

of

sour

ces.

MLA

docu

men

tatio

nsh

ows

mas

tery

of c

itatio

n st

yle

with

no

or v

ery

min

or e

rror

s in

punc

tuat

ion.

9

Ther

e ar

em

inor

inco

n-si

sten

cies

inci

ting

sour

cem

ater

ial w

ithlit

tle d

evia

-tio

n fr

omre

quired

MLA

styl

e. O

neso

urce

may

not

have

been

cle

arly

cite

d in

the

pape

r.

8

The

write

rde

viat

es in

repe

ated

but

min

or f

ashi

onfr

om M

LA s

tyle

.Ei

ther

one

too

man

y or

too

few

sou

rces

may

be

cite

d.

7.5

Diff

eren

tso

urce

m

ater

ial i

s fr

eque

ntly

clum

ped

toge

ther

w

ith m

inim

alid

entif

icat

ion.

Cita

tion

use

may

no

t m

atch

requ

ired

num

-be

r or

in-t

ext

cita

tions

and

wor

ks c

ited

don’

t fu

llym

atch

.

7

Freq

uent

min

or a

ndse

vera

l maj

orer

rors

are

mad

e in

the

MLA

doc

u-m

enta

tion.

Sou

rce

info

r-m

atio

n fo

rin

-tex

t ci

ta-

tions

doe

sn’t

mat

ch w

orks

cite

d ev

en if

the

corr

ect

num

ber

ofso

urce

s is

used

.

3

Prob

lem

sab

ound

with

the

use

ofso

urce

mat

e-rial

. W

here

pres

ent,

the

M

LA d

ocu-

men

tatio

n is

uncl

early

and

inac

cura

tely

appl

ied.

0

No

cita

tion

is p

rovi

ded

for

sour

cem

ater

ial

used

.

(Con

tinue

d)

Appendix 171

AD

VAN

CED

CO

MPO

SIT

ION

CO

URSE

RU

BRIC

—Con

tinue

d

Ski

ll

Rea

lized

Ski

ll

Dev

elop

ing

Ski

ll

Emer

gin

g

Ski

ll N

ot

Sh

own

Con

ven

tion

s

Acc

ordi

ng t

ost

anda

rd w

rit-

ten

Am

eric

anEn

glis

h, t

hew

rite

r co

rrec

tlyap

plie

s sp

ellin

g,pu

nctu

atio

n(i

nclu

ding

se

nten

ce s

truc

-tu

re),

and

gram

mar

, so

the

choi

ces

mak

e th

e w

rit-

ing

prof

essi

onal

and

easy

to

unde

rsta

nd.

The

writin

gm

eets

the

requ

ired

leng

than

d ov

eral

l su

bmis

sion

for

-m

at f

or t

heas

sign

men

t.

15

The

write

rde

mon

stra

tes

ast

rong

gra

sp o

fco

nven

tions

,us

ing

them

effe

ctiv

ely

toen

hanc

e re

ad-

abili

ty w

ith n

oor

onl

y in

fre-

quen

t, m

inor

erro

rs.

Write

ris

met

icul

ous

abou

t vi

sual

pres

enta

tion.

14

The

essa

yha

s ha

rdly

any

gram

-m

atic

aldi

stra

ctio

ns,

mai

ntai

ning

over

all c

larity

and

hand

ling

mos

t co

nven

-tio

ns w

ithfin

esse

. Th

epa

per

slig

htly

devi

ates

fro

mre

quired

fo

rmat

or

leng

th.

13

The

write

rsh

ows

reas

on-

able

con

trol

over

a li

mite

dra

nge

of c

on-

vent

ions

with

patt

erns

of

min

or g

ram

-m

atic

al a

ndm

echa

nica

ler

rors

. W

hile

mild

ly d

istr

act-

ing,

the

y do

n’t

impe

de u

nder

-st

andi

ng.

The

essa

y m

ay b

eou

tsid

e th

ere

quired

wor

dra

nge.

For

mat

may

pro

vide

basi

c in

form

a-tio

n bu

tde

trac

ts f

rom

the

text

.

12

Sev

eral

di

ffer

ent

gram

mat

ical

and

mec

hani

-ca

l err

ors

thro

ugho

utth

e es

say

som

etim

esin

terf

eres

with

the

mes

sage

.Th

e es

say

isno

ticea

bly

outs

ide

the

leng

th a

ndso

me

part

of

req

uire

din

form

atio

n is

mis

sing

. Th

efo

rmat

may

detr

act

from

mes

sage

.

11

Mul

tiple

erro

rs in

spel

ling,

punc

tuat

ion,

usag

e, g

ram

-m

ar,

and

capi

taliz

atio

ndi

stra

ct a

ndco

nfus

e re

ad-

ers.

Vis

ual

form

at is

faul

ty.

The

piec

e of

w

ritin

g is

obvi

ousl

y to

osh

ort

or t

oolo

ng.

6

Perv

asiv

eer

rors

neg

a-tiv

ely

impa

ctun

ders

tand

-in

g. T

here

ader

has

to

read

onc

e to

deco

de a

ndag

ain

tom

ake

mea

n-in

g. F

orm

at/

leng

th a

rein

corr

ect

inse

vera

l way

s.

0

The

write

rm

akes

erro

rs e

ven

in t

he m

ost

basi

c co

n-ve

ntio

ns,

leng

th,

and

form

at.

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