3/7/2016
Worksheet 5 b. Organizational Patterns
MATC Downtown Learning Center On-Line GED/HSED
Worksheet 5 b: Organizational Patterns
Discussion
Articles and chapters you read for school can have several different organizational
approaches. It’s good to figure out the author’s approach to a subject so you can follow
the argument and get the information you need to answer questions about the topic.
Below are short descriptions of organizational patterns.
Process Description
The article or chapter explains how something works or how to make something.
Comparison and Contrast
This type of reading compares and contrasts between two or more subjects.
Cause and Effect
This type of reading tells important points on a topic and then how the points are connect
to each other by cause or effect.
Definition
This type of article or chapter talks about a subject. It explains the topic.
Problem and Solution
This type of paper talks about a problem and then offers one or more solutions.
Practice 1 Pick the type of reading
1. An octagon is a polygon that has eight sides. The internal angles of a regular octagon
are 135°. The shape of a "STOP" sign is a regular octagon, as this makes it easy to
recognize even when it is covered in dirt or snow.
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3/7/2016
Worksheet 5 b. Organizational Patterns
regular
irregular
concave
complex
In architecture, an octagon house is a house built in an octagonal shape. Monticello is the
most famous example. From Wikipedia.
2. Physics is also closely related to mathematics. Physical theories are almost invariably
expressed using mathematical relations, and the mathematics involved is generally more
complicated than in the other sciences. The difference between physics and mathematics
is that physics is ultimately concerned with descriptions of the material world, whereas
mathematics is concerned with abstract patterns that need not have any bearing on it.
However, the distinction is not always clear-cut. There is a large area of research
intermediate between physics and mathematics, known as mathematical physics, devoted
to developing the mathematical structure of physical theories. From Wikipeida.
3. Without further qualifications, the term bracketing refers to exposure bracketing: the
photographer chooses to take one picture at a given exposure, one or two brighter, and
one or two darker, in order to select the most satisfactory image. Many professional and
advanced amateur cameras, including digital cameras, can automatically shoot a
bracketed series of pictures. Exposure bracketing is indicated when dealing with highcontrast subjects and/or media with limited dynamic range, such as transparency film or
CCD sensors in many digital cameras. From Wikipedia.
4. Modern famines have often occurred in nations that, as a whole, were not suffering a
shortage of food. The largest famine ever (proportional to the affected population) was
the Irish Potato Famine that began in 1845, which occurred as food was being shipped
from Ireland to England because the English could afford to pay higher prices. Similarly,
the 1973 famine in Ethiopia was concentrated in the Wollo region, although food was
being shipped out of Wollo to the capital city of Addis Ababa where it could command
higher prices. In contrast, at the same time that the citizens of the dictatorships of
Ethiopia and Sudan had massive famines in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the
democracies of Botswana and Zimbabwe avoided them despite having worse drops in
national food production. This was possible through the simple step of creating short term
employment for the worst-affected groups, thus ensuring a minimal amount of income to
buy food, for the duration of the localized food disruption and was taken under criticism
from opposition political parties and intense media coverage.
From Wikipedia.
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Worksheet 5 b. Organizational Patterns
Answers: (You may see multiple approaches in some readings)
1. Definition
2. Comparison and contrast
3. Process
4. Cause and effect
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