English Skills with Readings 7th Edition by John Langan

Exercise 28

3 Evaluating Paragraphs for Support
The five paragraphs that follow lack sufficient supporting details. In each para- ^HHIIIIIII graph, identify the spot or spots where more specific details are needed.
1. Chicken: Our Best Friend 8
1 Chicken is the best-selling meat today for a number of good reasons. 2 First of all, its reasonable cost puts it within everyone's reach. 3 Chicken is popular, too, because it can be prepared in so many different ways. 4 It can, for example, be cooked by itself, in spaghetti sauce, or with noodles andgravy. 5 It can be baked, boiled, broiled, or fried. 6 Chicken is also convenient. 7 Last and most important, chicken has a high nutritional value. 8 Four ounces of chicken contain twenty-eight grams of protein, which is almost half the recommended daily dietary allowance.
Fill in the blanks: The first spot where supporting details are needed occurs after sentence number.______ The second spot occurs after sentence number _______.
2. A Car Accident
1 I was on my way home from work when my terrible car accident took place. 2 As I drove my car around the curve of the expressway exit, I saw a number of cars ahead of me. 3 They were backed up because of a red light at the main road. 4 I slowly came to a stop behind a dozen or more cars. 5 In my rearview mirror, I then noticed a car coming up behind me that did not slow down or stop. 6 I had a horrible, helpless feeling as I realized the car would hit me. 7 I knew there was nothing I could do to signal the driver in time, nor was there any way I could get away from the car. 8 Minutes after the collision, I picked up my glasses, which were on the seat beside me. 9 My lip was bleeding, and I got out a tissue to wipe it. 10 The police arrived quickly, along with an ambulance for the driver of the car that hit me. 11 My car was so damaged that it had to be towed away. 12 Today, eight years after the accident, I still relive the details of the experience whenever a car gets too close behind me.
Fill in the blank: The point where details are needed occurs after sentence number ____.
3. Tips on Bringing Up Children
1 In some ways, children should be treated as mature people. 2 For one thing, adults should not use baby talk with children. 3 Using real words with children helps them develop language skills more quickly. 4 Baby talk makes children feel patronized, frustrated, and confused, for they want to understand and communicate with adults by learning their speech. 5 So animals should be called cows and dogs, not "moo-moos" and "bow-wows." 6 Second, parents should be consistent when disciplining children. 7 For example, if a parent tells a child, "You cannot have dessert unless you put away your toys," it is important that the parent follow through on the warning. 8 By being consistent, parents will teach children responsibility and give them a stable center around which to grow. 9 Finally, and most important, children should be allowed and encouraged to make simple decisions. 10 Parents will thus be helping their children prepare for the complex decisions that they will have to deal with in later life.
Fill in the blank: The spot where supporting details are needed occurs after sentence number _____.
4. Being on TV
1 People act a little strangely when a television camera comes their way. 2 Some people behave as if a crazy puppeteer were pulling their strings. 3 Their arms jerk wildly about, and they begin jumping up and down for no apparent reason. 4 Often they accompany their body movements with loud screams, squeals, and yelps. 5 Another group of people engage in an activity known as the cover-up. 6 They will be calmly watching a sports game or other televised event when they realize the camera is focused on them. 7 The camera operator can't resist zooming in for a close-up of these people. 8 Then there are those who practice their funny faces on the unsuspecting public. 9 They take advantage of the television time to show off their talents, hoping to get that big break that will carry them to stardom. 10 Finally, there are those who pretend they are above reacting for the camera. 11 They wipe an expression from their faces and appear to be interested in something else. 12 Yet if the camera stays on them long enough, they will slyly check to see if they are still being watched. 13 Everybody's behavior seems to be slightly strange in front of a TV camera.
Fill in the blanks: The first spot where supporting details are needed occurs after sentence number _____. The second spot occurs after sentence number ____________.
5. Culture Conflict
1 I am in a constant tug-of-war with my parents over conflicts between their Vietnamese culture and American culture. 2 To begin with, my parents do not like me to have American friends. 3 They think that I should spend all my time with other Vietnamese people and speak English only when necessary. 4 1 get into an argument whenever I want to go to a fast-food restaurant or a movie at night with my American friends. 5 The conflict with my parents is even worse when it comes to plans for a career. 6 My parents want me to get a degree in science and then go on to medical school. 7 On the other hand, I think I want to become a teacher. 8 So far I have been taking both science and education courses, but soon I will have to concentrate on one or the other. 9 The other night my father made his attitude about what I should do very clear. 10 The most difficult aspect of our cultural differences is the way our family is structured. 11 My father is the center of our family, and he expects that I will always listen to him. 12 Although I am twenty-one years old, I still have a nightly curfew at an hour which I consider insulting. 13 Also, I am expected to help my mother perform certain household chores thatI've really come to hate. 14 My father expects me to live at home until I am married to a Vietnamese man. 15 When that happens, he assumes I will obey my husband just as I obey him. 16 I do not want to be a bad daughter, but I want to live like my American female friends.
Fill in the blanks: The first spot where supporting details are needed occurs after sentence number ________. The second spot occurs after sentence number _________.
The third spot occurs after sentence number _________.