Paragraph Structure, Topic Sentences and Transitions/Post-Class Activities
Post-Class Activities
Version 1
These post-class activities have been designed to give you further practice in spotting paragraphs with a good structure, that feature appropriate topic sentences, and which are bound together by effective transition words and phrases.
Question 1 (5 marks)
Imagine that you conducted a detailed experiment to see whether certain plant species were more effective than others at suppressing the spread of an invasive plant species that has negative consequences for British Columbia grasslands. Read the ‘original’ draft below. You have been provided with three ideas for stylistic ‘alterations’ that you could make to improve this paragraph. Your task is to rank these in order from the one that would make the biggest improvement to the smallest (3 marks).
Once you have done this, cut and paste the original paragraph and put your first choice alteration into practice by editing the paragraph in this way (2 marks).
The spread of Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) throughout grasslands in British Columbia (BC) has many negative effects on these habitats. For example, cheatgrass reduces biodiversity, leads to more frequent wildfires, and causes health problems for cattle that eat it. Also, negative effects on ecosystems are financially costly; it costs a lot of money to restore a habitat after fire and it is expensive to buy food for lots of cattle. One way to reduce the environmental and financial effects of cheatgrass growth is to introduce another plant species that will reduce the growth rate of cheatgrass. In order to know which plant species has the greatest negative effect on cheatgrass growth rate, I grew cheatgrass plants in different treatment groups each featuring one other plant species that was common in BC grasslands. Following this method, I tested three other species and found that crested wheatgrass significantly reduced the growth rate of cheatgrass; it reduced growth rate by approximately 65%. Bluebunch wheatgrass did not significantly affect cheatgrass growth rate, whereas Idaho fescue significantly increased the growth rate of cheatgrass by approximately 39%. Naturally, I recommend grassland managers promote the growth of crested wheatgrass and discourage the growth of Idaho fescue.
Alteration A: Improve transition words/phrases.
Alteration B: Split information into more than one paragraph.
Alteration C: Improve the topic sentence.
Questions 2, 3 and 4 (3 marks each, 9 marks total)
For each of the following topics, choose the suitable topic sentence and match the reasons that make the others unsuitable to the unsuitable topic sentences. In all cases, when choosing your suitable topic sentence, imagine that you are just beginning to write an essay on the topic.
Question 2 (3 marks)
Topic 1: Antiviral resistance in viruses.
Topic Sentence 1: Of the 1,344 influenza viruses tested during the 2012-2013 flu season, 99.9% were resistant to the antiviral drug amantadine.
Topic Sentence 2: Antiviral resistance presents many different problems for patients, healthcare professionals, and drug developers.
Topic Sentence 3: Antiviral resistance may develop in viruses spontaneously or while in the presence of an antiviral.
Option A: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option B: The focus is too broad for the information that could follow in one paragraph about this topic.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence.
Question 3 (3 marks)
Topic 2: Correlation doesn’t imply causation
Topic Sentence 1: People often wrongly imply that a correlation between two variables means there is a cause and effect relationship between them.
Topic Sentence 2: Although many people wrongly infer that a conclusion is definitive if it is based on statistical data from extraneous variables, many more assume that an association between two variables can never indicate a causal relationship.
Topic Sentence 3: In certain cities, many people assume that colder temperatures result in more traffic accidents, suggesting that correlation implies causation.
Option A: Too difficult to interpret.
Option B: Suitable topic sentence.
Option C: Too narrow in focus for the information that should follow about this topic.
Question 4 (3 marks)
Topic 3: Using giant solar powered “sails” to power spacecrafts.
Topic Sentence 1: Solar energy might one day power spacecraft and astronauts into deep space.
Topic Sentence 2: Scientists believe that building giant "sails" in space could help astronauts explore the deeper parts of the universe.
Topic Sentence 3: "Sails" that catch solar energy and transfer photons with incredible kinetic potential into forward thrust might one day allow astronauts to explore the depths of the universe.
Option A: Suitable topic sentence.
Option B: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option C: Information is too broad for a topic sentence.
Question 5 (5 marks)
Read the paragraph about cleaning up oil spills below, and try to fill in the blanks by choosing the most suitable transitional word/phrase for each question.
Researchers have developed a new way to clean up difficult oil spills using a method based on the function of cactus needles. [A], synthetic and copper spikes were designed as smaller versions of cactus needles, which draw moisture out of the air. Cactus needles cause water droplets to aggregate before they are carried to the base of the needle via surface tension. [B], tests confirmed that the synthetic and copper spikes were able to mimic this phenomenon as micrometer-sized oil droplets collected on the needle surfaces and were drawn along the length of the spike. [C], clean-up methods focus only on removing oil from the surface. [D], researchers are excited by the new possibility because the spikes could be used for cleaning up denser droplets that sink below the surface and are difficult to remove. [E] this method is said to be a cheaper alternative to traditional methods, other experts warn that the technology may not be practical in real situations. For example, the amount of needles that would be required to clean a large oil spill is huge.
Fill in the blanks by choosing from:
A: Apparently, Initially, Obviously, Naturally
B: Subsequently, Nonetheless, Secondly, Conversely
C: These days, Nevertheless, Previously, Presently
D: In addition, Despite this, Consequently, However
E: Because, Since, Although, Despite the fact that
Question 6 (6 marks)
Read the paragraph about wolves in Yellowstone National Park below, and pay special attention to the CAPITALIZED transition words/phrases linking the different sentences together. Copy and paste this paragraph and then bold the three transitions that are particularly poor (3 marks). Then, below this, copy and paste the same paragraph and change those three transitions so as to make them more suitable (3 marks). Again, bold these in the paragraph to make it easier to see what you have changed.
The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has had a surprisingly positive effect on grizzly bear populations. [OBVIOUSLY] many scientists were worried that fewer bears would be supported by the ecosystem [BECAUSE] the wolves were expected to enhance competition for food and living resources, but the opposite effect has been documented. Research has shown that the wolves are driving down excessively large populations of grazing mammals, such as elk and deer. [IN ADDITION], many shrub species that provide berries as a food resource for bears have become much more common, and the bears are supplementing their diets accordingly. [HOWEVER], scientists have warned that this could be a short-term effect; they cannot yet be sure that the presence of the wolves is responsible for increasing bear numbers, [OR] can they be certain that bear populations will remain this high in years to come. [NEVERTHELESS], the early signs are very positive that bringing wolves back to Yellowstone has helped to stabilize a delicate, complex food web.
Version 2
These post-class activities have been designed to give you further practice in spotting paragraphs with a good structure, that feature appropriate topic sentences, and which are bound together by effective transition words and phrases.
Question 1 (4 marks)
Below are four paragraphs containing similar content, but each one features one different basic error. These errors relate to paragraph structure and/or the logical development of ideas in the piece of writing. Try to match the main problem to the paragraph in which it is present.
Paragraph 1: Exploring space is challenging because the universe is cold, unpredictable, and huge. Scientists have recently suggested that to explore the deeper parts of the galaxy they will need to find alternative ways of powering spacecraft. This is because it is not possible to equip a craft with sufficient fuel to travel long distances in space. However, there is hope that innovation and improving technology will allow us to explore deeper and deeper. For example, some believe it will be possible to construct very big "sails" to catch solar energy, which will in turn push the craft forwards at increasing speeds.
Paragraph 2: Scientists believe that building giant "sails" in space could help astronauts explore the deeper parts of the universe. These sails would be used to catch solar energy, which possesses momentum that could be used to drive a spacecraft forwards to wherever its pilots wished to go. Despite this hope, it might be hundreds of years before the technology exists to build these sails. Although NASA and other space agencies have made tremendous progress in recent decades, designers are still frequently dismayed by their inability to make computer systems reliable in anti-gravity situations. For example, basic programs that perform calculations can inexplicably malfunction once operating outside our atmosphere.
Paragraph 3: "Sails" that catch solar energy and transfer photons with incredible kinetic potential into forward thrust might one day allow astronauts to explore the depths of the universe. Because photons behave like other atomic particles, in that they are reflected off mirror-like surfaces when colliding, they can transfer momentum to an object. Critically, it is this momentum that could be used to drive a spacecraft forwards toward its destination. Exploring deep space remains one of mankind's greatest challenges because navigating long distances requires a lot of fuel and/or other ways of powering flight.
Paragraph 4: Solar energy might one day power spacecraft and astronauts into deep space. Scientists believe that constructing huge "sails" would catch solar rays. Solar particles can transfer momentum to objects when they collide, which would theoretically be enough to power a craft into deep space. This would be a major factor in allowing astronauts to go further than ever before because modern explorations are limited by fuel reserves. Most space explorations use the majority of their fuel loads just in getting out of Earth's atmosphere.
Problem A: The order of information is poorly developed (in terms of specificity).
Problem B: The topic sentence is poorly chosen.
Problem C: The transitions are poor.
Problem D: The information should be split into more than one paragraph.
Question 2 (5 marks)
Read the paragraph about temperatures and traffic accidents below. You have been provided with three ideas for stylistic ‘alterations’ that you could make to improve this paragraph. Your task is to rank these in order from the one that would make the biggest improvement to the smallest (3 marks).
Once you have done this, cut and paste the original paragraph and put your first choice alteration into practice by editing the paragraph in this way (2 marks).
People often wrongly imply that a correlation between two variables means there is a cause and effect relationship between them. For example, last summer, when temperatures were hotter, a higher number of traffic accidents occurred in certain cities around the world. Soon after, reports appeared that said the extra heat must have been causing motorists to be more impatient and make poor decisions when they were behind the wheel. Although many people made the common mistake of jumping to that conclusion based on data from unrelated variables, even more hold the misconception that a correlation can never imply a cause and effect relationship. When all other variables are held constant in an experiment, it is possible to suggest one factor is directly responsible for causing a change in the other one, if the results back this up. For example, if 100 fish are kept in identical conditions but their weight gain is measured in different temperatures, a correlation between the two factors would suggest that temperature is directly responsible for influencing weight gain.
Alteration A: Improve transition words/phrases.
Alteration B: Split information into more than one paragraph.
Alteration C: Improve the topic sentence.
Questions 3, 4 and 5 (3 marks each, 9 marks total)
For each of the following topics, choose the suitable topic sentence and match the reasons that make the others unsuitable to the unsuitable topic sentences. In all cases, when choosing your suitable topic sentence, imagine that you are just beginning to write an essay on the topic.
Question 3 (3 marks)
Topic 1: Antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Topic Sentence 1: One of the main causes of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics is the over-prescription of drugs.
Topic Sentence 2: Bacteria can develop resistance to specific antibiotics for a variety of reasons.
Topic Sentence 3: In less than 20 years the percentage of S. pneumoniae strains that developed resistance to Penicillin-based drugs rose from 4% to 33%.
Option A: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option B: The focus is too narrow for the information that will follow about this topic.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence.
Question 4 (3 marks)
Topic 2: Plagiarism in science
Topic Sentence 1: Many people believe that plagiarism in science is a simple case of quoting someone else’s published work and passing it off as their own.
Topic Sentence 2: What does – and does not – constitute plagiarism in science is a multi-faceted issue that many scholars will debate and debate and still disagree about.
Topic Sentence 3: Plagiarism in science is a complex topic and includes many different types of academic fraud.
Option A: Too difficult to interpret.
Option B: Suitable topic sentence.
Option C: Too narrow in focus for the information that should follow about this topic.
Question 5 (3 marks)
Topic 3: Catchy headlines in science articles.
Topic Sentence 1: A recent study suggested members of the general public would be 36% more likely to read a science article if the headline was catchy and non-specific.
Topic Sentence 2: Do you think that scientists should write in a more engaging style if it would result in more people reading their articles?
Topic Sentence 3: When polling a total of 1135 New York citizens, it was discovered that these people would be 36% more likely to read a science article if the headline was written in a more catchy, accessible style than is typical for such articles.
Option A: Suitable topic sentence.
Option B: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence, but there is a catchier, more attention-grabbing option.
Questions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (1 mark each, 5 marks total)
Read the paragraph about wolves in Yellowstone National Park below, and try to fill in the blanks by choosing the most suitable transitional word/phrase for each question.
The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has had a surprisingly positive effect on grizzly bear populations. [Q6] many scientists were worried that fewer bears would be supported by the ecosystem, [Q7] the wolves were expected to enhance competition for food and living resources, the opposite effect has been documented. Research has shown that the wolves are driving down excessively large populations of grazing mammals, such as elk and deer. [Q8], many shrub species that provide berries as a food resource for bears have become much more common, and the bears are supplementing their diets accordingly. However, scientists have warned that this could be a short-term effect; they cannot yet be sure that the presence of the wolves is responsible for increasing bear numbers, [Q9] can they be certain that bear populations will remain this high in years to come. [Q10], the early signs are very positive that bringing wolves back to Yellowstone has helped to stabilize a delicate, complex food web.
Fill in the blanks by choosing from:
Q6: Unsurprisingly, Although, Though, Contrastingly, Hitherto
Q7: because, despite, since, while, nonetheless
Q8: In addition, Thus, Of Course, As a result, Naturally
Q9: neither, nor, not either, or, instead
Q10: Finally, Nevertheless, In contrast, Yet, Thus
Question 11 (4 marks)
Read the paragraph about species names below, and pay special attention to the CAPITALIZED transition words/phrases linking the different sentences together. Copy and paste this paragraph and then bold the two transitions that are particularly poor (2 marks). Then, below this, copy and paste the same paragraph and change those two transitions so as to make them more suitable (2 marks). Again, bold these in the paragraph to make it easier to see what you have changed.
When new species are first discovered, the person responsible for initially documenting them in scientific literature is allowed to come up with an official name, and this can be more or less what they want it to be. It does not have to be made up of words that appear in a specific language, and it does not have to be science-related. OBVIOUSLY, a species name must be non-confusing and easy to pronounce, though. CONSEQUENTLY, many plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and viruses have names that can be read aloud without the reader necessarily knowing what they refer to. FREQUENTLY, these names closely link to the interests of their discoverers. FOR EXAMPLE, an ant was named after Indiana Jones actor, Harrison Ford, a marine fossil discovered by a Johnny Depp fan was named in honor of his famous character, “Edward Scissorhands”, BUT a lemur found in Madagascar was named after John Cleese, who had been working to conserve similar animals. IN ADDITION to the rule permitting a discoverer to name a new species, it is also acceptable for conservation charities to refrain from naming organisms and instead reserve this honor for individuals that donate significant money to the cause they represent.
Question 12 (6 marks)
Combine all the skills you have learned to write a very well structured paragraph. To get you in the habit of editing your work to improve it, revisit the paragraph you wrote for the pre-class activities (Question 13) to complete this task. You should have made a copy of this paragraph when you completed the pre-class activities.
You can add more detail and should change some of the wording to improve your paragraph, but you must ensure the final piece still has five different sentences that are separated into two paragraphs.
Your aim is to improve your work by (1) writing more effective topic sentences, (2) using more effective transitions to make it flow more smoothly from sentence to sentence, and (3) improving the cohesion/ordering of information. To show improvement, you will need to copy and paste your original paragraph (make sure you note which one this is) before writing a new, improved version.
Note: If you did not make a copy of your original paragraph, you should write a new one (about a science subject that interests you) to attempt this question. It should be 100-200 words in length and feature five sentences separated into two paragraphs. Please note, however, that to obtain maximum possible credit, you must copy and paste your original paragraph before editing it so that you can show how your skills have improved.
Version 3
These post-class activities have been designed to give you further practice in spotting paragraphs with a good structure, that feature appropriate topic sentences, and which are bound together by effective transition words and phrases.
Question 1 (4 marks)
Below are four paragraphs that all feature one different basic error. These errors relate to paragraph structure and/or the logical development of ideas in the piece of writing. Try to match the main problem to the paragraph in which it is present.
Paragraph 1: An adult red squirrel weighs approximately 300 g, whereas the much heavier eastern grey squirrel weighs nearer 600 g when mature. Red squirrels are also much smaller in terms of length, measuring approximately 20 cm as opposed to the 30 cm that is typical of a grey squirrel. Grey squirrels tend to be more competitive and bully red squirrels away from suitable habitats when the two species co-exist because of their greater size.
Paragraph 2: Competition tends to be more intense between individuals of the same species than between members of different species. The main reason for this is that members of the same species have more similar resource requirements, whereas different species typically evolve to exploit slightly different resources. For example, finches on the Galapagos Islands have evolved different beak sizes so as to make use of a variety of different seed sizes as food resources. Although different bird species will eat more than one type of seed, and thus compete with each other, each one has evolved to specialize in eating one seed type. Thus, when that particular size of seed is very scarce, competition will be higher between members of the same species. Evolution of beak sizes takes a considerable amount of time and occurs constantly over thousands of generations. Natural variation in the beak sizes of individuals leads to certain birds being more competitive than others. Over time, these birds are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation, which in turn means it is more likely that birds with similar beak sizes will populate each species.
Paragraph 3: Children born from the same parents can have very different physical characteristics, such as eye and hair colour, height, and muscle definition. Similarly, fish that hatch from eggs produced and fertilized by the same breeding pair will differ in the shape of their fins and the patterns on their scales. Dogs, too, despite being part of the same litter, will have different body shapes and sizes.
Paragraph 4: Complex statistical tests of data are being used increasingly frequently even though people who design the experiments they evaluate rarely understand them. Tests that compare differences in averages seen in different treatment groups are straightforward enough but others, such as Principal Components Analyses, are very complex. Many published journal articles rely on very complicated statistical tests to garner support for the conclusions drawn by the author(s).
Problem A: This paragraph is lacking a topic sentence (and transition).
Problem B: This paragraph begins with overly specific information before becoming more general.
Problem C: This paragraph addresses more than one main point (and has two topic sentences), so the information in it should be split into separate paragraphs.
Problem D: No evidence is given to support the claim made in the topic sentence.
Question 2 (4 marks)
Read the paragraph about the price of halibut below. You have been provided with three ideas for stylistic ‘alterations’ that you could make to improve the paragraph. Your task is to rank these in order from the one that would make the biggest improvement to the smallest (3 marks).
Once you have done this, cut and paste the original paragraph and put your first choice alteration into practice by editing the paragraph in this way (1 mark). Bold any changes you make so that these can easily be seen in your altered version.
Reporters have been known to make some major errors when writing science articles. For example, a journalist once reported that it was becoming more expensive to eat halibut because toothpaste was also going up in price in North America. He came to this conclusion after noticing a correlation between these two variables. What he had not taken into account was that halibut was becoming more expensive due to sudden shortages that always occurred at that time of year, and that toothpaste just happened to be in temporary short supply due to import delays from China. Unsurprisingly, a few weeks later he realized his error after paying top price for a halibut steak within moments of buying two tubes of toothpaste for next to nothing; supermarkets were selling it cheaply again due to a sudden influx of the product from abroad.
Alteration A: Divide the text into separate paragraphs.
Alteration B: Improve the choice of transitional words/phrases.
Alteration C: Write a more effective topic sentence.
Questions 3, 4 and 5 (3 marks each, 9 marks total)
For each of the following topics, choose the suitable topic sentence and match the reasons that make the others unsuitable to the unsuitable topic sentences. In all cases, when choosing your suitable topic sentence, imagine that you are just beginning to write an essay on the topic.
Question 3 (3 marks)
Topic 1: Antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Topic Sentence 1: One of the main causes of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics is the over-prescription of drugs.
Topic Sentence 2: Bacteria can develop resistance to specific antibiotics for a variety of reasons.
Topic Sentence 3: In less than 20 years the percentage of S. pneumoniae strains that developed resistance to Penicillin-based drugs rose from 4% to 33%.
Option A: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option B: The focus is too narrow for the information that will follow about this topic.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence.
Question 4 (3 marks)
Topic 2: Plagiarism in science
Topic Sentence 1: Many people believe that plagiarism in science is a simple case of quoting someone else’s published work and passing it off as their own.
Topic Sentence 2: What does – and does not – constitute plagiarism in science is a multi-faceted issue that many scholars will debate and debate and still disagree about.
Topic Sentence 3: Plagiarism in science is a complex topic and includes many different types of academic fraud.
Option A: Too difficult to interpret.
Option B: Suitable topic sentence.
Option C: Too narrow in focus for the information that should follow about this topic.
Question 5 (3 marks)
Topic 3: Catchy headlines in science articles.
Topic Sentence 1: A recent study suggested members of the general public would be 36% more likely to read a science article if the headline was catchy and non-specific.
Topic Sentence 2: Do you think that scientists should write in a more engaging style if it would result in more people reading their articles?
Topic Sentence 3: When polling a total of 1135 New York citizens, it was discovered that these people would be 36% more likely to read a science article if the headline was written in a more catchy, accessible style than is typical for such articles.
Option A: Suitable topic sentence.
Option B: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence, but there is a catchier, more attention-grabbing option.
Question 6 (5 marks)
Read the paragraph below and try to fill in the blanks by using the transitional words/phrases that appear at the end (each transition can only be used once). Cut and paste the paragraph and replace the numbers with your choice of transitional word/phrase.
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. 1 , renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. 2 , schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. 3, it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, 4 instead they will instinctively know to switch them off. 5 , educational efforts can only go so far in the fight to conserve energy, especially if technological advances are not made to boost output.
Fill in the blanks by choosing from:
Option A: In addition/also
Option B: And
Option C: However
Option D: As a result
Option E: For example
Question 7 (5 marks)
Copy and paste the paragraph below and replace the numbered gaps with suitable transitional words/phrases that make each sentence flow into the next one and aid smooth development of the writing.
Popular since the 1970s, mood rings are made up of liquid crystals in a glass shell. [1] the mood of the person wearing the ring changes, the colour of the ring will also change (or at least that is what consumers are told). [2], the explanation for the change in colour is a deceptively simple one: [3] temperature changes, the molecular structure of the crystals also changes due to the movement of particles in them. [4] different wavelengths of light are absorbed and reflected, which in turn means we see a change in colour. [5] colour changes regularly in mood rings, there is no evidence to suggest it is closely related to a person's mood.
Question 8 (6 marks)
Combine all the skills you have learned to write a very well structured paragraph. To get you in the habit of editing your work to improve it, revisit the paragraph you wrote for the pre-class activities to complete this task. You should have made a copy of this paragraph when you completed the pre-class activities.
You can add more detail and should change some of the wording to improve your paragraph, but you must ensure the final piece still has five different sentences that are separated into two paragraphs.
Your aim is to improve your work by (1) writing more effective topic sentences, (2) using more effective transitions to make it flow more smoothly from sentence to sentence, and (3) improving the cohesion/ordering of information. To show improvement, you will need to copy and paste your original paragraph (make sure you note which one this is) before writing a new, improved version.
Note: If you did not make a copy of your original paragraph, you should write a new one (about a science subject that interests you) to attempt this question. It should be 100-200 words in length and feature five sentences separated into two paragraphs. Please note, however, that to obtain maximum possible credit, you must copy and paste your original paragraph before editing it so that you can show how your skills have improved.
Version 4
These post-class activities have been designed to give you further practice in spotting paragraphs with a good structure, that feature appropriate topic sentences, and which are bound together by effective transition words and phrases.
Question 1 (5 marks)
Below are five paragraphs that all feature one different basic error. These errors relate to paragraph structure and/or the logical development of ideas in a piece of writing. You must match the main problem to the paragraph in which it is present.
Paragraph 1: An adult red squirrel weighs approximately 300 g, whereas the much heavier eastern grey squirrel weighs nearer 600 g when mature. Red squirrels are also much smaller in terms of length, measuring approximately 20 cm as opposed to the 30 cm that is typical of a grey squirrel. Grey squirrels tend to be more competitive and bully red squirrels away from suitable habitats when the two species co-exist because of their greater size.
Paragraph 2: Competition tends to be more intense between individuals of the same species than between members of different species. The main reason for this is that members of the same species have more similar resource requirements, whereas different species typically evolve to exploit slightly different resources. For example, finches on the Galapagos Islands have evolved different beak sizes so as to make use of a variety of different seed sizes as food resources. Although different bird species will eat more than one type of seed, and thus compete with each other, each one has evolved to specialize in eating one seed type. Thus, when that particular size of seed is very scarce, competition will be higher between members of the same species. Evolution of beak sizes takes a considerable amount of time and occurs constantly over thousands of generations. Natural variation in the beak sizes of individuals leads to certain birds being more competitive than others. Over time, these birds are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation, which in turn means it is more likely that birds with similar beak sizes will populate each species.
Paragraph 3: Children born from the same parents can have very different physical characteristics, such as eye and hair colour, height, and muscle definition. Similarly, fish that hatch from eggs produced and fertilized by the same breeding pair will differ in the shape of their fins and the patterns on their scales. Dogs, too, despite being part of the same litter, will have different body shapes and sizes.
Paragraph 4: It can be argued that statistical tests of data should only be used to provide support for certain hypotheses if they are simple enough to be understood by the person that designed the initial experiment. Tests that compare differences in averages seen in different treatment groups are straightforward enough but others, such as Principal Components Analyses, are very complex. Many published journal articles rely on very complicated statistical tests to garner support for the conclusions drawn by the author(s).
Paragraph 5: If you ask someone which animals they like least, this person will probably provide a list of non-pet species that they come into contact with on a regular basis. For example, rats are one of the most disliked animals on the planet, but I argue this is just because they are successful and so numerous that their habits bring them into material conflict with people, and not because there is anything inherently dislikeable about them. For example, rats have conquered a wide range of habitats and regularly damage buildings where people live as they make their own homes in limited space. They can also carry agents of disease that affect people, and they have an unwarranted reputation for being dirty animals as a result. Yet they are actually very clean, intelligent and friendly; these attributes are usually present in other animals that people describe as being among their favourites (such as monkeys). Also, cats are very popular animals but they are typically known as pets. In comparison to rats, monkeys are considerably more dangerous to be around, also carry agents of disease, and can be destructive due to their size. However, because they do not co-exist with people in many societies, these potential conflicts are overlooked when people assess how well liked they are.
Problem A: This paragraph is lacking a topic sentence (and transition).
Problem B: This paragraph includes information that is unrelated to the topic.
Problem C: Paragraph begins with very specific information before turning more general.
Problem D: This paragraph addresses more than one main point (and has two topic sentences).
Problem E: No evidence is given to support the claim made in the topic sentence.
Question 2 (5 marks)
Study the five paragraphs from Question 1 again. You have just matched the problems with the paragraphs. Now you must alter the paragraphs to remove the different problem affecting each one. To save time, simply cut and paste the original paragraphs into your answer before making the alterations to each one.
As a hint, you will need to make one of the following five 'Alterations' to each paragraph (and make sure you say which of these you have done to each paragraph, e.g. Paragraph 1 = Alteration B):
Alteration A: Divide the text into separate paragraphs.
Alteration B: Add some evidence (you can make it up for this activity, rather than having to research the topic).
Alteration C: Swap the order of the sentences around.
Alteration D: Add a topic sentence and a transition word/phrase.
Alteration E: Remove unnecessary and unrelated information.
Questions 3, 4 and 5 (3 marks each, 9 marks total)
For each of the following topics, choose the suitable topic sentence and match the reasons that make the others unsuitable to the unsuitable topic sentences. In all cases, when choosing your suitable topic sentence, imagine that you are just beginning to write an essay on the topic.
Question 3 (3 marks)
Topic 1: Antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Topic Sentence 1: One of the main causes of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics is the over-prescription of drugs.
Topic Sentence 2: Bacteria can develop resistance to specific antibiotics for a variety of reasons.
Topic Sentence 3: In less than 20 years the percentage of S. pneumoniae strains that developed resistance to Penicillin-based drugs rose from 4% to 33%.
Option A: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option B: The focus is too narrow for the information that will follow about this topic.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence.
Question 4 (3 marks)
Topic 2: Plagiarism in science
Topic Sentence 1: Many people believe that plagiarism in science is a simple case of quoting someone else’s published work and passing it off as their own.
Topic Sentence 2: What does – and does not – constitute plagiarism in science is a multi-faceted issue that many scholars will debate and debate and still disagree about.
Topic Sentence 3: Plagiarism in science is a complex topic and includes many different types of academic fraud.
Option A: Too difficult to interpret.
Option B: Suitable topic sentence.
Option C: Too narrow in focus for the information that should follow about this topic.
Question 5 (3 marks)
Topic 3: Catchy headlines in science articles.
Topic Sentence 1: A recent study suggested members of the general public would be 36% more likely to read a science article if the headline was catchy and non-specific.
Topic Sentence 2: Do you think that scientists should write in a more engaging style if it would result in more people reading their articles?
Topic Sentence 3: When polling a total of 1135 New York citizens, it was discovered that these people would be 36% more likely to read a science article if the headline was written in a more catchy, accessible style than is typical for such articles.
Option A: Suitable topic sentence.
Option B: Information is too specific for a topic sentence.
Option C: Suitable topic sentence, but there is a catchier, more attention-grabbing option.
Questions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (1 mark each, 5 marks total)
In this complete set of questions (questions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10), you must consider the transition words/phrases in the paragraph below (the transition word to focus on for each question is underlined and bolded). For each transition, you must agree (or disagree) as to whether it is effective.
Question 6 (1 mark)
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. Moreover, renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. As a result, schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. Thus, it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, but instead they will know to instinctively switch them off. Nevertheless, purchasing energy saving light bulbs can help reduce losses even more.
Question 7 (1 mark)
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. Moreover, renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. As a result, schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. Thus, it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, but instead they will know to instinctively switch them off. Nevertheless, purchasing energy saving light bulbs can help reduce losses even more.
Question 8 (1 mark)
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. Moreover, renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. As a result, schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. Thus, it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, but instead they will know to instinctively switch them off. Nevertheless, purchasing energy saving light bulbs can help reduce losses even more.
Question 9 (1 mark)
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. Moreover, renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. As a result, schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. Thus, it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, but instead they will know to instinctively switch them off. Nevertheless, purchasing energy saving light bulbs can help reduce losses even more.
Question 10 (1 mark)
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. Moreover, renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. As a result, schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. Thus, it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, but instead they will know to instinctively switch them off. Nevertheless, purchasing energy saving light bulbs can help reduce losses even more.
Question 11 (5 marks)
In this question you must correctly match the suitable transition words/phrases to the blank spaces in the paragraph below (each transition must be matched to the specific number, in bold, that corresponds to a specific blank in the text).
The global population is estimated to have doubled in the last 50 years, which has placed an extra strain on the planet’s natural resources and led to governments adopting greener policies and investing in innovative energy technologies. 1 , renewable energy sources, such as solar and tidal power have been used to power appliances and homes in parts of Europe. 2 , schools in these regions have developed workshops to educate their pupils about the importance of saving energy from an early age. 3 , it is hoped kids will learn not to leave lights on when they are not using them, 4 instead they will know to instinctively switch them off. 5 , purchasing energy saving light bulbs can help reduce losses even more.
Match to:
Option A: In addition/also
Option B: Yet
Option C: In addition/also
Option D: As a result
Option E: For example
Question 12 (5 marks)
Fill in the gaps [numbered] in the paragraph below with transition words/phrases that make each sentence flow into the next one and aid a smooth development of the argument.
Because phobias are illogical it is hard to reason with people that are scared of spiders, heights, or needles. [1] it can help to discuss things in great detail with counsellors or hypnotherapists as this can enable patients to better understand how or why the fear first originated, while giving them the opportunity to develop a long-term plan to beat it. [2], facing the respective fear head-on has often proved to be the most efficient way of permanently curing it; [3] conquering something on your own is extremely empowering, this is often the prescribed advice of friends and family members who have beaten their own phobias in the past. Forcing someone to do something they do not want to do is often the worst option, [4] such a tactic can be successful in certain circumstances, [5] if the patient with the phobia has a real desire to conquer it with the head-on approach.
Question 13 (6 marks)
Combine all the skills you have learned to write a very well structured paragraph. To get you in the habit of editing your work to improve it, revisit the paragraph you wrote for the pre-class activities (Question 8/Activity 5) to complete this task.
You should have made a copy of this paragraph when you completed the pre-class activities, so simply copy and paste it here. Your task in this exercise is to improve this piece of writing by editing it. You should add more detail and/or change some of the wording of what you have already written to improve it, but you must ensure the final piece still has six different sentences.
Your aim is to improve your work by (1) editing the content of the writing, (2) using more effective transitions to make it flow more smoothly from sentence to sentence, and (3) improving the order in which you present pieces of information.
Note: If you did not make a copy of your original paragraph, you should write a new one (about a science subject that interests you) to attempt this question. It should be 100-150 words in length and feature 6 sentences. Please note, however, that to obtain maximum possible credit, you must copy and paste your original paragraph before editing it so that you can show how your skills have improved.