“Hooks” Activity
You wrote part of an introduction in the “background mapping” activity. Now you will practice
writing a “hook” to lead into your introduction using several different techniques.
Topic: Obesity
Prompt: Recent studies show that more than 60 percent of Americans are
overweight. Of these adults, 27 percent are severely overweight. In
addition, obesity among adolescents has doubled to 13 percent within
these past 20 years. While some feel that maintaining weight is an
individual’s responsibility, others blame the “supersize” lifestyle of
our nation. They demand that fast food chains, such as MacDonald’s,
should offer some healthy menu options and that schools should place
more emphasis on physical education.


What do you think is the cause of American obesity?
What should be done to prevent it?
Technique #1: Examine a quote
Using a quote is commonly done, and can be a very effective technique. However, for it to work, you
cannot simply dump the quote in your paper; you must take a moment to introduce and explain it,
too!
PRACTICE 1: “This might be the first generation where kids are dying at a younger age than their
parents and it's related primarily to the obesity problem.” --Judy Davis
1. Introduce your quote by including a phrase such as the following
a. ___________ says that
b. A well-known quote states _______________
2. Include your quote in quotation marks.
3. Take 1-3 sentences to explain
a. How this quote connects to the subject of your paper.
b. What’s important about this quote.
Technique #2: Use a definition (wisely)
Some teachers hate when students start their papers with a definition, and for good reason. Most of
your readers more than likely already know the definition of the word you’re looking up, so it’s not
interesting for them to read a dry, boring dictionary definition. However, if you expand on your
definition, your readers might take interest.
PRACTICE 2: Look up the word “obesity” and write a possible hook for each of the three following
definition techniques:
1. Point out the definition’s shortcomings.
To do this, modify one of these phrases, or create a similar phrase:
 “However, this definition is missing _______”
 “This definition fails to acknowledge ___________”
 “What this definition is missing is ___________”
2. Add to that definition.
To do this, modify one of these phrases, or create a similar phrase:
 “In addition, (the word) also means __________________”
 “On top of this, (the word) is synonymous with _____________”
 “Many people also use words like ____________ to define (the word).”
 “Most people are unaware that (the word) is sometimes also defined as __________________”
3. Deconstruct or analyze that definition.
To do this, modify one of these phrases, or create a similar phrase:
 “The most interesting part of this definition is _____________ because…”
 “Note that the definition does not include ___________, which is interesting because…”
 “This definition is surprising/not surprising because__________________”
Technique #3: Include an important or shocking fact
This technique can be very useful, but only if your fact is, indeed, interesting or shocking. Boring or
unimportant facts don’t serve an introduction well; they get in the way. If the prompt or your
readings have offered you any important facts, use them—but if you get the facts from anywhere
but the prompt, be sure to clearly cite where you got the fact, or you can be reported for
plagiarism!
PRACTICE 3: Find an important fact from the prompt and use it to write a 1-3 sentence “hook” that
leads into your introduction.
Technique #4: Dispel a common misconception about the topic
If many people have the wrong idea about your topic, it might be helpful to introduce (and dispel) a
widely-held misconception about your topic before giving the background on what your topic
actually is!
PRACTICE 4: Modify one of these phrases, or create a similar phrase:
 “Many people believe that _________. However…”
 “When most people think about (the topic), they think that _________________. The truth is…”
 “A common misconception about (the topic) is that ______________. This could not be further
from the truth.”
 “It is often said that _________________. What many people don’t understand about (the topic) is
that it is…”
Technique #5: Pose (and answer) a question
This is the most commonly abused (and often poorly-used) technique. While it can be done
effectively, it shouldn’t be used for every paper, and it should only be done when it is truly the best
technique for a particular topic.
You should never use a question unless:
 It is open-ended (which means that it is not a yes or no question)
 It is likely to get your readers engaged in provocative, interesting thinking
 It directly connects to your subject and claim.
Bad questions:
 Do you go to the farmer’s market? (This is a yes/no question—and a boring one!)
 Have you ever thought about what happens when we die? (Of course—everyone has. Avoid
asking “Have you ever” questions because the answer is almost always going to be “yes.”)
Good questions:
 What would happen to our relations with other countries if everyone on earth decided to
travel to a country they’ve never been to before? (This is open-ended, thought-provoking,
and interesting.)
 How would your life change if you were no longer allowed to get or be married? (This is
also open-ended, and it forces people to consider how a topic—marriage—specifically
relates to them.)
PRACTICE 5: Write a list of five open-ended questions you could use as possible “hooks” for this
topic. When you are finished, choose the one you like best and put a star by it.
Now that you have practiced five different techniques, choose the “hook” you liked best and add it
to the introduction you have created for the obesity prompt.