Chapter 2Lay a
Solid Foundation in Your Introduction
Lesson 1Find the
Focus for Your Analysis 68
Lesson 2Organize
Your Introduction 74
Chapter 3Build
Strong Body Paragraphs
Lesson 1Make Topic
Sentences 79
Lesson 2Select
Supporting Details: Evidence in the Text 85
Lesson 3Organize a
Supporting Paragraph 90
Chapter 4Impress
Your Readers with an Unforgettable Conclusion
Lesson 1What Makes
a Good Conclusion 96
Chapter 5Use the
Strategies You Learned
Lesson 1Read the
Passage for the Purpose of Analyzing 102
Lesson 2Make a
Topic Sentence Outline 115
Lesson 3Make a
Draft Essay from a Topic Sentence Outline 119
Chapter 6Raise
Your Scores Through Final Touches
Lesson 1Polish
Your Topic Sentences 125
Lesson 2Ensure
that Your Introduction Follows the Format 130
Lesson 3Relate
Evidence to Topic Sentences 133
Lesson 4Check
Sentence Structure and Conventions 138
Extra Essay Prompts
for Practice 146
Answer Keys 171
Model Essays in Response to
Extra Essay Prompts for Practice 19
內容試閱:
Chapter 1
Read for Analyzing
Just as all writers write for a purpose, the same
concept holds true for readers. Why do people read? Generally speaking, people
read to get information, to entertain themselves, to analyze the author’s viewpoint within a
text andor to determine whether or not the means the author used to deliver
his argument were effectively conveyed. When you take the New SAT Writing Test,
you will be asked to read an argumentativepersuasive essay first. The sole
purpose of reading the assigned essay is to make a rhetorical analysis. In
other words, your job is not to agree or disagree with the argument, but to
analyze the author’s methods. In order to become an analytical reader you must
first learn to identify the parts of an argumentative essay. When you have
fully mastered the structure and the purpose of the argumentative essay, you
will then begin to be able to assess how successfully it was written.
Lesson 1Identify the
Author’s Argument
The author’s argument, also known as the central idea of the
essay, is a one or two-sentence declaration of what the author believes. The
prompt itself can be a valuable resource: many times it reveals clues regarding
the author’s argument. Once it is established, the rest of the text is the
author’s attempt to convince the reader that the argument is sound and true.
Through a set of claims supported with evidence,
the author will use certain rhetorical strategies and persuasive elements to sway the
reader’s opinion to his side. We will talk about these terms in greater detail
in later chapters.
Why do we need to
identify the author’s argument? There are two reasons. One, when you write your
analysis, you need to demonstrate that you understand what the assigned passage
is all about. Two, when you start to write your response, you need to give a
lead, or a little background knowledge about the passage being discussed, and a
link to your own thesis statement, which is about how the author effectively
uses rhetorical strategies and persuasive elements to make that argument
convincing.
Usually the author’s argument can be found in the
introductory paragraph of the essay. However, the introduction is not always
the first paragraph. Many times an author will include a paragraph or two,
known as a “good beginning” and preceding the introductory paragraph, to give
the reader some background information about the topic or to hook the reader’s
attention to it.
While the author’s
argument must be located in the introduction, its position within the paragraph
is relatively fluid. Usually, but not always, the author will put his or her
argument in the most eye-catching position, the first sentence or the last
sentence of the paragraph. Sometimes, the author will pose the argument in the
middle. However, a skilled analytical reader, especially helped by clues in the
writing prompt or in the title, should be able to identify the author’s
argument, regardless of its location.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
Example 1
Directions: As you read the passage below, consider how Mike Benedykciuk uses:
evidence, such as facts or examples, to
support his claims
reasoning to develop ideas and to
connect claims and evidence
stylistic or persuasive elements, such
as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed
Adapted from “The Blue Line: College Athletes
Should be Paid” by Mike Benedykciuk, published on The Daily Free Press, 22 July
2015
A
poll conducted by ESPN’s SportsNation in September 2013 indicated a majority of
voters are against college athletes being paid. For a long while, I agreed with
that way of thinking. However, my opinion has since been swayed. The argument that
the NCAA continues to maintain is that these men and women are not employees,
but rather they are “student-athletes.” I am a student, not a student-athlete.
I believe I speak for almost every college student by saying that our days are
long and filled with many challenges. Consider the life of a student-athlete,
though. The average Division I football player dedicates over 43 hours per week
to his sport, meaning that he spends more than a typical American work-week
training and playing football, in addition to his classwork.
While
college athletes may not exactly be employees, they are more than just
students. Their work, which generates exorbitant amounts of money year in and
year out, deserves compensation. In the 2013-14 season, the NBA grossed $4.79
billion in revenues. The average professional basketball player earns about
$24.7 million over his 4.8-year career. The 2013 NCAA men’s basketball
tournament accumulated $1.15 billion in ad revenue, $200 million more than the
NBA Playoffs that same year. Despite the staggering profit numbers they
generated, tournament participants did not receive one cent for their efforts.
The University of Alabama reported income of over $143 billion in 2014.
Although that profit margin was greater than all 30 NHL teams and 25 of the 30
NBA teams, not one of Alabama’s players received a dollar.
According
to the NCAA website, there are over 460,000 male and female student-athletes
who participate in 23 different sports across the United States. Implying that
all 460,000 of them should receive some sort of weekly paycheck is ludicrous.
But the NCAA must adapt to its ever-changing environment if it wants to stay at
the head of the collegiate sports table. Let high-profile athletes such as
Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota or Jahlil Okafor make a quick buck signing some
jerseys. Partition the billion dollars in ad money received during March
Madness so that players can get something in return for their work.
The
NCAA currently resides in a state of pure hypocrisy. It preaches that its main
goal is to educate student-athletes, yet it continues to generate
record-breaking revenues from players that must miss their classes in order to
play basketball on national television. It amazes me that the NCAA, a nonprofit
organization, can accumulate over $11 billion in annual revenues — more than
both the NHL and NBA — and not give any of it to its “student athletes.” With
such insane amounts of money being tossed around, it seems wrong that college
athletes are strictly prohibited from generating a profit.
The
counterargument always raised by opponents of paying compensation is that they
receive scholarships and an education. A college education from a top-notch
university such as Duke is an immeasurable resource. However, participating in
sports at these universities considerably diminishes the value of any given
athlete’s education. Deep playoff runs in both March Madness and the College
Football Playoff take students out of classes, thus limiting the time they
spend in class. Recall the scandal that recently came out of the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Students filed a lawsuit against the University
and the NCAA because they did not receive an adequate education and