CHAPTER 3
General and Specific Sentences Work Together
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
3.1 Four Levels of Reading Diagram
3.2 General and Specific Sentences
3.3 General and Specific Sentences
3.4 General and Specific Sentences
3.5 General and Specific Sentences
3.6 Spotting General Sentences in Paragraphs
3.1 FOUR LEVELS OF READING
1. TEXT: The words printed on the page
Example: "If a child focuses on a computer screen for too long, their eye muscles can fatigue and they
develop temporary double vision. "
2. TEXT BASE: The version or mental representation the reader creates
Example: When kids stare at a screen playing games for hours, their eye muscles get tired and that
causes double vision for a time.
What goes on at this stage of reading:
1. Resolving Reference—figuring out what things stand for other things.
2. Determining Relationships--what caused what, what came before and after, etc.
3. Inferring omitted nouns and connectives.
4. Posing questions for short term resolution, e.g., What’s “too long”?
5. Identifying ambiguities for later resolution, e.g., “The next sentence will explain what to do if
it happens.“
6. Making connections to previous sentences e.g. “The author wants to show that….”
3. INTEGRATION OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE INTO THE TEXT REPRESENTATION
Example: Children’s eye muscles probably get fatigued because their muscles are still weak. But double vision in
this case is probably not serious.
4. SITUATION MODEL: WHAT GETS STORED IN LONG-TERM MEMORY
Example: Like other muscles of the body, children’s eye muscles are not as strong as adult’s. Watching a screen
for a long time can cause double vision that resolves itself with time once children stop looking at a computer
screen for hours.
3.2 GENERAL AND SPECIFIC SENTENCES
Directions: Circle the letter of the more specific sentence.
1. a. That house looks very shabby and rundown.
b. The paint on that house is peeling all over.
2. a.
b.
3. a.
b.
Accidentally falling down in a public place is the kind of embarrassing moment that you never
forget, no matter how much time goes by.
The things you most want to forget are precisely the things that return to haunt you.
Many states have instituted mandatory jail sentences for any driver convicted of driving while
under the influence of alcohol.
Many states have begun to stiffen their penalties for drunk driving, and they no longer treat it
as a trivial offense.
4. a.
b.
Elizabeth P. Peabody was a pioneer in U.S. education.
Elizabeth P. Peabody (1804–1894) founded the first kindergarten in the U.S.
5. a.
Most users of computers complain about eyestrain and headaches after hours of staring at a
computer screen.
Computers have brought progress, but they have also brought problems.
b.
6. a.
b.
7. a.
b.
Although in the late fifties, it had been advertised as a tranquilizer without side effects,
Thalidomide actually caused birth defects in thousand of babies.
When the tranquilizer Thalidomide was put on the market in the late fifties, it was advertised as
completely safe, but as it turned out, Thalidomide was anything but safe.
Individual and institutional investors are the two types of investors who own stock in United
States corporations.
Two types of stockholders own shares of stock in United States corporations.
8. a.
b.
More than one-third of all Americans are obese.
Obesity is a major health problem in the United States.
9. a.
In 1990 Phil Sokolof, founder of the nonprofit National Heart Savers Association, publicly
challenged one of America’s biggest fast-food chains.
In 1990 Phil Sokolof paid for a full-page ad in several major U.S. newspapers; the ad claimed
that McDonald’s hamburgers were swimming in fat.
b.
10. a.
In 1997 two drops of the poisonous metal that Karen Wetterhahn was studying found their way
onto her hands; two months later, Wetterhahn died of blood poisoning.
b. In 1997 chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn died trying to discover the effects of poisonous
metals on the human body.
3.3 GENERAL AND SPECIFIC SENTENCES
Directions: Arrange the sentences on the rung so that the most general sentence is on the top and the most
specific on the bottom.
1. a.
b.
c.
2. a.
b.
c.
3. a.
b.
c.
4. a.
b.
c.
5. a.
b.
c.
*
The early American colonists borrowed words from
the Native Americans.
The early American colonists borrowed the names of plants
and animals from the Native Americans they met.
Americans have always borrowed from other languages.

In the nineteenth century, anti-vivisectionists* demonstrated
against the use of animals in research.
The animal-rights movement has a long history.
As early as the nineteenth century, people demonstrated in
support of animal rights.





The desert landscapes of Utah are unbelievably beautiful.

The desert landscapes of Canyonlands National Park in
Utah are breathtakingly beautiful
Utah contains some of the loveliest scenery in the United States.
Our attitudes toward childhood have changed over time.
In Puritan America, children were expected to behave
like small adults and do their share of the household work.
In Puritan America, childhood was not considered a time
to be lighthearted and carefree as it is today.

In ancient times, France was ruled by the Romans, who had
a strong influence on the French language.
Most cultures are the product of many different influences.
Like most European cultures, France was invaded by many
different groups that influenced the country’s language and
culture.







anti-vivisectionists: people opposed to the cutting up of live animals for scientific research.
3.4 GENERAL AND SPECIFIC SENTENCES
Directions: Read each pair of sentences. Then mark the general sentence with a G and the more specific
one with an S.
1. a.
b.
2. a.
b.
In wintertime, the body temperature of a woodchuck undergoes a steep drop of many
degrees. _____
In wintertime, the body temperature of a woodchuck drops from 90°F to around 40°F.
_____
The fats found in fish, nuts, and vegetables may actually help protect you from heart
disease. _____
Not all fats are bad; in fact, some may be good for you. _____
3. a.
b.
The temperature of Antarctica is changing; it is not as cold as it used to be. _____
Current Antarctic temperatures are nine degrees higher than they were fifty years ago.
_____
4. a.
b.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. _____
Heart disease is a killer. _____
5. a.
Many records claim that baseball was first played in 1846, but there is evidence suggesting
that the game is older than that. _____
In her 1818 novel Northanger Abbey, author Jane Austen refers to a game called baseball,
suggesting that the game was played before 1846. _____
b.
3.5 GENERAL AND SPECIFIC SENTENCES
Directions: Read each general sentence. Then circle the letters of the specific sentences that help explain
the general one.
General
Sentence
1. Followers of the Hindu religion divide almost everything in life into numbered
categories, or groups.
Specific
Sentences
a. More than 80 percent of India’s approximately 1 billion residents practice the
Hindu faith.
b. Hindus classify sacred writings as belonging to one of four Vedas, or collections of
hymns, prayers, beliefs, and tales.
c. Hindus believe people have three basic qualities, or gunas, that should be kept in
balance: goodness, passion, and darkness.
d. According to Hindu lore, energy flows through the body in a pattern that looks like
a lotus blossom or spinning wheel.
e. In the Hindu belief system, society is divided into four classes, or castes; they are
philosopher-scholars, ruler-politicians, merchant-farmers, and servant-workers.
f. The geography of India is considered holy by Hindus, especially a sacred river, the
Ganges, that is said to wash away the sins of anyone who bathes in it.
General
Sentence
2. In the last decade, Americans have displayed a growing interest in haiku, a type of
Japanese poetry that must be composed using only three lines and seventeen syllables.
Specific
Sentences
a. The Haiku Society of America grew from a small club into a huge national group
with regional leaders across the country.
b. In Japan, haikus are printed on tea cans that are sold in public vending machines.
c. Ancient haikus often celebrated the beauties of nature, but today’s haikus might
focus on movies, cartoon characters, junk food, or rock bands.
d. Twaiku is haiku posted on Twitter.
e. The Internet hosts hundreds of haiku sites designed by residents of all
fifty states, and the number of haikus on Internet bulletin boards increases every
year.
f. Haiku fans in Europe throw parties where guests read their poems aloud and
compete to write the best haiku in five or ten minutes.
General 3. Several famous cities in ancient Greece were reserved for specific purposes.
Sentence
Specific
a. The city of Delphi held an important temple where priestesses were said to receive
Sentences
messages from the gods.
b. History records that many rival battles took place near Greek islands.
c. Enthusiastic crowds flocked to Olympia, which was set aside for athletic games and
physical contests.
d. Rulers organized Greece into city-states, large areas that were dominated and run
by towns at their centers.
e. The teachings of the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle influenced Greek
citizens no matter where they lived.
f. The ancient city of Corinth earned fame as a busy trading center that linked Greece
with the eastern and western worlds.
General
Sentence
Specific
Sentences
4. Because many Americans are fascinated by the idea of life on other planets, Roswell,
New Mexico, has become a popular tourist town.
a. Visitors spend $5 million in Roswell each year, hoping to find proof that a flying
saucer landed in the desert in 1947 and was hidden by the U.S. Air Force.
Every fourth of July thousands of people travel to Roswell for a glimpse of its
UFO* Museum & Research Center.
c. Roswell’s annual UFO Festival now draws about 150,000 people; the six-day event
includes lectures, concerts, bus tours, banquets, a “spaceship derby,” and a costume
ball.
d. A book by Kal Korff, The Roswell UFO Crash, contends that the damaged spacecraft
was actually a classified military balloon intended to track Soviet nuclear tests.
e. When Walker Air Force Base closed in 1967, many of Roswell’s 48,000 residents lost
their jobs and the town was deprived of its main source of income.
f. Most people who claim to have seen beings from outer space describe the creatures
as small, with large heads, gray-green skin, and almond-shaped eyes.
General
Sentence
Specific
Sentences
5. When it comes to public celebrations, the people of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro have no
match, and the Carnival that explodes in Rio just before the nation settles down to
Lent* has all the music, color, and excitement anyone could ask for.
a. In Cologne, Germany, everyone dresses up for Carnival and heads for the street,
anxious to meet friends and neighbors, most of whom will be wearing masks.
b. Ash Wednesday officially brings an end to the Carnival season.
c. In Rio de Janeiro, Carnival officially begins when the mayor hands the keys to the
city over to the King of Carnival, who demands only that his subjects eat, drink,
and be merry.
d. During Carnival, samba* dancers dressed in fabulous costumes compete for prizes
in Rio’s Sambadrome, a 700-yard avenue that is blocked off so the dancers will not
be interrupted by traffic.
e. Although Carnival parades throughout Rio draw people out of their local
neighborhoods, when residents return they can count on finding numerous street
parties still underway.
f. The official King of Carnival in New Orleans is often so heavy he can
barely move.
*
UFO: unidentified flying object.
Lent: the forty days from Ash Wednesday until Easter, observed by Christians as a time to fast and
repent.
* samba: a Brazilian ballroom dance of African origin.
*
3.6 SPOTTING GENERAL SENTENCES IN PARAGRAPHS
Directions: Each of the following paragraphs includes a topic sentence in one of the three locations you have
worked with in Chapter 3. In the blank at the end, indicate if the topic sentence comes first, second, or at the end.
*
1.
1The
Great Train Robbery is the name of a famous film. 2However, what many people don’t know is
that the film was firmly based on fact. 3On August 8, 1963, the Royal Mail Train left Glasgow,
Scotland, carrying 7.3 million pounds. 4It was bound for London, England. 5Suddenly, at three
o’clock in the morning, the train came to an abrupt halt, and fifteen masked men boarded and
robbed it. 6At first it looked as if the thieves would get away scot-free. 7But their abandoned hiding
place was ferreted out by the police, who found fingerprints everywhere. 8Over the next few
months, twelve of the gang members were hunted down and caught. 9All twelve went to prison,
although two eventually escaped. 10The whereabouts of the remaining three robbers, however,
remains unknown to this day. ______
2.
1On
3.
1To
August 23, 1927, two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were put to
death for the crimes of robbery and murder. 2In the years since their death, it has become clear that
Sacco and Vanzetti were executed because of their political beliefs, not because of the evidence
against them. 3Sacco and Vanzetti were anarchists,* and, along with socialists and communists, they
were considered a threat to the U.S. government. 4When they were arrested, both Sacco and
Vanzetti had what seemed to be airtight alibis. 5Witnesses testified that the two men had been
nowhere near the scene of the crime. 6Yet the prosecutor, Frederick Katzenbach, insisted those
witnesses were mistaken. 7He also claimed that a wool cap found at the scene of the crime belonged
to Sacco. 8Later on, it was discovered that the cap had been found the night before the murders.
9Although Sacco and Vanzetti’s supporters had obtained a stay of execution, a special committee
appointed by the governor of Massachusetts upheld the execution order, and the two men were put
to death. ______
some degree, the discovery of penicillin was a lucky break. 2In 1928, Dr. Alexander Fleming, the
discoverer of penicillin, was a medical bacteriologist* at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in
London. 3While on duty, he noticed that a staphylococcus* culture he was cultivating had been
contaminated* by mold. 4He noticed, too, that in the area around the mold, bacteria were dissolving.
5Fleming isolated the mold and discovered that substances within it—substances he called
penicillin—were inhibiting the bacteria’s growth. 6A cautious medical detective, Fleming reported
in 1928 that penicillin “appears to have some advantages over the well-known chemical
antiseptics.”* 7It wasn’t until 1940 that additional research proved just how effective penicillin could
be in the war against bacteria. 8In 1945, Fleming was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine. ______
anarchists: people who believe that all forms of government are unlawful.
bacteriologist: one who studies bacteria, microorganisms that sometimes cause disease.
* staphylococcus: a type of bacteria.
* contaminated: infected; made impure.
* antiseptics: substances that get rid of germs by washing them away.
*
4.
1On
March 1, 1932, the twenty-month-old son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh was
kidnapped from the couple’s brand-new home in New Jersey. 2The kidnapper entered the
Lindbergh house by means of a homemade ladder and left behind a ransom note written in broken
English. 3Following the kidnapping, a man with a German accent called and demanded a $50,000
ransom. 4Although the ransom was paid, the baby was not found where it was supposed to be.
5Eventually, a truck driver discovered the child’s corpse buried near the Lindbergh home. 6Because
Lindbergh was famous for his solo trip across the Atlantic, his personal tragedy took on enormous
public significance, and the abduction of his child became one of the most famous crimes of the
twentieth century. ______