Deck 15: The Introduction, the Conclusion, and the Title

Question 1

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a For all the predictions that ebooks will transform education, the evidence is clear: students, at least for now, prefer paper textbooks. They want to flip back and forth, scribble in the margins, and, in short, learn and study the old-fashioned way.

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Select the letter of the method the writer used in each introduction. The essay below begins with a(n) Almost all of us have heard of the Amish, the religious sect that separates itself from the world and rejects modern conveniences and advanced technology. We imagine people wearing hand-sewn clothing and living in homes without refrigerators, dishwashers, televisions, and telephones. However, the Amish have been buying and using cell phones for years. They also use in-line skates, power-operated grass cutters, and gas grills for barbecuing. The Amish employ such conveniences when they do not interfere with family life. Cell phones, for example, are kept outside the home and are used for business purposes only. The Amish people look at every modern-day convenience and accept it only if it works to bring together, not drive apart, members of the family and community. ¾ Wired, January 1999, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/amish.html

A) single-sentence thesis statement.
B) illustration.
C) contradiction.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Select the letter of the method the writer used in each introduction. The essay below begins with a(n) If the entire human species were a single individual, that person would long ago have been declared mad. The insanity would not lie in the anger and darkness of the human mind ¾ though it can be a black and raging place indeed. And it certainly wouldn't lie in the transcendent goodness of that mind ¾ one so sublime, we fold it into a larger "soul." The madness would lie instead in the fact that both of those qualities, the savage and the splendid, can exist in one creature, one person, often in one instant. ¾ Adapted from Jeffrey Kluger, "What Makes Us Moral," Time, 12.3.07, p 55.

A) surprising fact or idea.
B) illustration.
C) contradiction.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Instructions: Read each one of the following essay introductions. Select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a(n) Joe Ward, a recent graduate of his local community college, has been searching for a job. During his job search, he has had numerous interviews with a variety of companies. There are two companies from which Joe would particularly like to receive an offer. If he gets offers from both, Joe is unsure about how he will decide which job to take, because both jobs offer different but excellent opportunities. The fortunate job seeker who is faced with this dilemma should consider several important factors in making this important decision. ¾ Adapted from Amy Solomon et al., 100% Job Search Success , 2^nd edition. Wadsworth, 2012, p. 160

A) illustration.
B) direct quotation.
C) contradiction.

Question 5

Instructions: Read each of the essay conclusions below. Select the letter of the method the writer used for each conclusion. The essay below concludes with a When I received my paper back from my instructor, I stuffed it in the back of my notebook. I could not bear to look at the evidence of my crime. The grade of A and the few lines of praise the teacher had written were not for me. They were for the person who had actually put in the time and the effort to write that paper. I simply stole it and pretended it was mine. I have never felt lower or more disappointed in myself, and I vowed then and there that I would stay up all night writing or earn an honest F before I would stoop to cheat again. ¾ Beth Brown, Student, "The Cheater"

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 6

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a Our society esteems extroverts, people who are outgoing, social, and expressive. Television reality shows, advertisements, and online social media sites, in particular, celebrate excessive self-promotion and lots of group interaction. They encourage people to turn themselves into the life of the party. However, new research is now indicating that the underappreciated introvert ¾ the quieter, more reserved person who enjoys time in solitude ¾ might actually make a superior employee, leader, and innovator.

A) general idea that is narrowed to a specific thesis statement.
B) contradiction.
C) direct quotation.

Question 7

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Select the letter of the method the writer used in each introduction. The essay below begins with a "Music is the speech of angels," wrote Thomas Carlyle over a hundred years ago. Today, growing numbers of scientists might agree. Soothing music has been shown to lower the blood pressure of heart patients, reduce pain after surgery, and help premature babies gain weight. In fact, research studies show that music has the power to heal and to work medical miracles.

A) general idea that is narrowed to a specific thesis statement.
B) contradiction.
C) direct quotation.

Question 8

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Then choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a Clearly, the American government is not doing enough to provide adequate pensions, disability payments, and medical care for disabled military veterans. These people fought for us, and they now deserve our financial support. We should be ashamed that so many of them are now homeless and in need. We must all urge our elected officials to make sure that we repay these men and women for their sacrifice, their pain, and their suffering.

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 9

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a(n) Mario Conley joined a gang when he was just 12 years old. Drawn to the power, money, respect, and loyal friends that the gang members in his neighborhood seemed to have, Mario soon became one of them. Soon afterward, though, he learned about the dark side of gang membership. His fellow gang members pressured him to skip school, drink alcohol, do drugs, steal, lie, and fight. By the time he was sixteen, he had already been arrested ten times for drug crimes, assault, and vandalism. By age 18, he was serving a 20-year-sentence for shooting and killing a rival gang member. Mario's experience is typical of young gang members, who almost always wind up dead or in prison. Today, still behind bars, Mario advises others to avoid being seduced by the gang life. Joining a gang is one of the worst mistakes a young person can make.

A) single-sentence thesis statement.
B) illustration.
C) surprising fact or idea.

Question 10

Instructions: Read each of the essay conclusions below. Select the letter of the method the writer used for each conclusion. The essay below concludes with a Thus, if race relations in this country are to improve, something must change; we must change. E. M. Forster has written that asking all people to love one another is probably asking too much, but that asking them to tolerate each other just might be achievable. I agree that tolerance is a more realistic goal. Today, if you and I make a sincere effort to tolerate others, the world will be a slightly different, and better, place.

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 11

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Then choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a Riding with others in a carpool is much more enjoyable and sociable than driving alone every day. When I was new at Tybold Incorporated, I joined a carpool. My travel companions have since become my closest business associates, best friends, and racquetball buddies. You have a choice! Call your local carpool number tonight and start reaping the benefits of shared transportation tomorrow.

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 12

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a(n) One day in 1946, Percy Spencer stuck a chocolate bar in his pocket and went to work. Later, standing next to the radar machine he was working on, he noticed that his chocolate bar had melted. Almost immediately, Spencer saw the possibilities, sent for unpopped popcorn, and invented the first microwave oven ¾ marketed the following year as the "radar range." The microwave is just one of many important inventions created out of the interaction of two factors: a lucky accident and the presence of a trained person who understood what that accident meant.

A) single-sentence thesis statement.
B) contradiction.
C) illustration.

Question 13

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a(n) Most people believe that stress has a negative effect on their lives. Under severe stress, most cannot function effectively ¾ or at all. Pressured by tight deadlines, heavy workloads, or competitive situations, they may suffer from such problems as anxiety, sleeplessness, or ulcers. Yet stress is not necessarily bad. Contrary to popular opinion, people can learn to turn stress into a valuable asset in the classroom and the workplace.

A) illustration.
B) general idea that is narrowed to a specific thesis statement.
C) contradiction.

Question 14

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a For all of these reasons, this state should abolish the use of the death penalty. So far, DNA testing and other modern technologies have not yet proven that a person who was executed was actually innocent. But in our imperfect world, with our imperfect court systems, isn't it just a matter of time before that happens?

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 15

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a Benjamin Franklin said, "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it." This saying still applies to life in general, but it also fits today's competitive workplace. Employees in any field should be aware of and avoid several activities that can undermine their integrity and cost them their jobs.

A) direct quotation.
B) surprising fact or idea.
C) general idea that is narrowed to a specific thesis statement.

Question 16

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Then choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a What the reader would strive for, then, is a more active kind of listening. Whether you listen to Mozart or Duke Ellington, you can deepen your understanding of music only by being a more conscious and aware listener ¾ not someone who is just listening, but someone who is listening for something. ¾ Aaron Copland, What to Listen for in Music . Signet Classics, 2002, page 14

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 17

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Then choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a Illness related to chemical dumping is increasing in Larkstown, yet only a handful of citizens have joined the campaign to clean up the chemical dump on the edge of town and to stop further dumping. Many people say that they don't want to get involved, but with their lives and their children's futures at stake, can they afford not to?

A) call to action.
B) final point.
C) question.

Question 18

Instructions: Read each of the following essay introductions. Then select the letter of the method the writer used to begin the composition. The essay below begins with a Few Americans stay put for a lifetime. We move from town to city to suburb, from high school to college in a different state, from a job in one region to a better job elsewhere, from the home where we raise our children to the home where we plan to live in retirement. With each move, we are forever making new friends, who become part of our new life at that time. ¾ Margaret Mead and Rhoda Metraux, "On Friendship," in A Way of Seeing . Morrow, 1974, page 45

A) general idea that is narrowed to a specific thesis statement.
B) direct quotation.
C) contradiction.