Developing Critical Reading Skills, 6th Edition
Chapter 3 Exercises
Methods of Paragraph Development, p. 97-109
Facts and Statistics, p. 97-100
1. “By the middle of the war more than five thousand soldiers were deserting every
month—some merely dropping behind during the interminable rout marches,
others fleeing in the face of gunfire. In May 1864—the month when General Grant
began his southern progress, and the month of the Wilderness—no fewer than
5,371 Federal soldiers cut and ran. More than 170 left the field every day—they
were both draftees and volunteers, unpaid, or just plain scared. William Minor had
not merely stumbled from the calm of Connecticut into a scene of carnage and
horror: He had also come across a demonstration of man at his least impressive—
fearful, depleted in spirit, and cowardly.” p. 99
In the passage, identify in the margin the sentence that states the main idea. Then
underline the topic once and the controlling idea twice. Why are the numbers of
men who deserted both armies “somewhat distorted”?
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2. “Although the bloodiest chapters of the U.S. wars…” p. 99-100
What is the main point Chaffin wants to convey in this paragraph?
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Identify the piece of evidence that best supports this point.
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Examples and Illustration, p. 100-103
3. “At a time when “universal” ideas…” p. 100-101
Write a sentence stating the main idea of the passage.
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Process, p. 101-13
4. “The very first trick ever…” p. 102-103
What phrase serves as the controlling idea for the paragraph?
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Comparison and Contrast, p. 103-108
5. “We are drawn to wolves…” p. 103-104
Steinhart’s writing is easy to follow because the key phrase “like wolves” is repeated
at the beginning of two sentences. Write two other phrases that suggest a
comparison.
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6. “Cats split off the line…” p. 104-105
List the four main differences between dogs and cats.
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7. “One of the most beautiful views…” p. 105
Why does Urrea focus more on the Tijuana side of the border than on the American
side?
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Practice Exercise, p. 105-109
Read the following passages. First, decide which of the following methods of
development predominates:




Facts and statistics
Examples and illustration
Process (directive or informative)
Comparison and contrast
Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in your own words.
8. “The difference between spinning…” p. 106
Method of
development__________________________________________________________________________________
Main
idea:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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9. “…pasta is far easier to cook…” p. 106
Method of
development__________________________________________________________________________________
Main
idea:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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10. “Some animals have senses…” p. 106-107
Method of
development__________________________________________________________________________________
Main
idea:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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11. “No technology has ever become…” p. 107
Method of
development__________________________________________________________________________________
Main
idea:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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12. “In a sense, tabloids—that is…” p. 108
Method of
development__________________________________________________________________________________
Main
idea:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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Combination of Methods, p. 108-109
13. “Twenty-four satellites, along with…” p. 108-109
List the methods of development (I counted three.)
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CONCLUSION: METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT AND PATTERNS OF THOUGHT, p. 109110
The methods of development you have just studied parallel the ways we impose
order on our thought processes. Consider these real-life situations, and decide
which method of development underlies the mental process involved.
1. You want to build a new cabinet for your CD player, TV, and DVD player.
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2. Are flat-panel computer screens really better than the conventional kind?
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3. How are the other students in my section of Physics 1 performing in the
class?
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4. A friend from Arkansas decided she wants to move to Chicago, where you
live. She writes, asking you about apartment rents in various parts of the city.
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5. Your 10-year-old niece asks you how babies are born.
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CHAPTER EXERCISES, p. 110-117
Selection 1, p. 110-112
“Jeremy Iggers writes on ethics…” p. 110
A. Vocabulary, p. 110-111
For each italicized word from the selection, choose the best definition according
to the context in which it appears.
1. gruesome pictures [sentence 3]:
(a) realistic, vivid.
(b) exhaustive, thorough.
(c) arousing sympathy.
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(d) repugnant, horrible.
2. the profligate use of pesticides [5]:
(a) recklessly extravagant.
(b) damaging to the environment.
(c) morally depraved.
(d) liberally generous.
3. a prudent concern [7]:
(a) obsessive.
(b) wise.
(c) showing poor judgment
(d) uncontrollable.
B. Content and Structure, p. 111-112
Complete the following questions.
1. Locate the sentence that states the main idea. Underline the topic once and
the controlling idea twice.
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2. With respect to our attitudes toward food, the writer’s purpose is to
(a) examine the reasons that account for these attitudes.
(b) persuade us that these attitudes are damaging.
(c) provide solutions to the problem these attitudes give rise to.
(d) demonstrate how widespread these attitudes have become.
3. The method of paragraph development from sentences 3 to 6 is
(a) facts and statistics.
(b) informative process.
(c) comparison.
(d) examples.
4. Label these ideas from the first two paragraphs as follows: MAIN (main
idea); MA (major support); or MI (minor support):
(a) __________Consider just how guilt-ridden our relationship with food has
become.
(b) __________Today, there is hardly an element in the American diet that
doesn’t carry some moral stain.
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(c) __________Bumper stickers remind us that meat is murder, and magazine
ads confront us with gruesome pictures of anemic penned-up calves,
brood sows chained to concrete slabs, hens stuffed in wire mesh cages,
downed cattle in slaughterhouses.
(d) __________We turn away but the images remain.
(e) __________The pride we once felt in producing the cheapest food in the
world has given way to guilt over how it is produced: over the
exploitation of farmworkers; the profligate use of pesticides and synthetic
fertilizers; the destruction of family farms, rural economies, and the
natural environment.
5. The writer keeps us on track and establishes coherence by repeating the
controlling idea and by using synonyms for it. Identify these words and
phrases.
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6. We can infer from the passage that guilt feelings about what we eat are
(a) both excessive and unhealthy.
(b) fostered entirely by the media.
(c) both positive and long overdue, as too many Americans are seriously
overweight.
(d) shared by residents of other developed nations.
Selection 2, p. 112-114
“So many disturbing traits…” p. 112-113
A. Vocabulary p. 113
For each italicized word from the selection, write the dictionary definition most
appropriate for the context.
1. morbid [sentence 1]:
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2. lurk [5]:
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3. serrated [8]:
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B. Content and Structure, p. 113-114
Complete the following questions.
1. Locate the topic of the paragraph.
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Then write the controlling idea.
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2. Consider again the phrase you wrote for the question above. Which of the
following methods of development in the remainder of the paragraph is most
evident as support for that phrase?
(a) informative process.
(b) comparison.
(c) contrast.
(d) example.
(e) illustration.
3. Paraphrase Duane’s parenthetical remark from sentence 3: “If the womb is a
battleground, what then the sea?”
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4. Why must sharks constantly swim?
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5. Look again at sentence 5, in which Duane imaginatively compares the shark
to “a benthic land mine.” (Benthic is an adjective referring to benthos, or
organisms that live on ocean or lake bottoms.) What does Duane intend to
suggest in this comparison?
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6. From information given in sentences 9 and 10, we can conclude that sharks
(a) can and will eat anything, whether it is food or not.
(b) prefer humans to any other food.
(c) are basically carnivorous.
(d) are able to digest inorganic objects.
7. Consider again the list of items found in sharks’ stomachs. Now read
sentence 10 again and locate the phrase that best describes sharks’ function
in the ocean.
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Selection 3, p. 114-117
“Suketu Mehta, the writer…” p. 114-116
A. Vocabulary, p. 116
For each italicized word from the selection, write the dictionary definition most
appropriate for the context.
1. cataloguing numberless communal flare-ups [paragraph 3]:
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2. numberless communal flare-ups [3]:
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3. retain an empathy for you [5]:
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B. Content and Structure, p. 116-117
Complete the following questions.
1. What central impression do paragraphs 1 and 2 convey about Bombay’s
railway system?
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_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The behavior of the railway passengers on the trains leading to Bombay has
led Asad Bin Saif, the “scholar of the slums” mentioned in paragraph 3, to be
(a) optimistic about the human race.
(b) pessimistic about the human race.
(c) antisocial and isolated from the human race.
(d) indifferent, callous toward the human race.
3. What method of development is represented in paragraph 5?
(a) process.
(b) comparison.
(c) contrast.
(d) illustration.
(e) facts.
4. In paragraph 5, locate the verb phrase “retain an empathy for.” Then, in the
same sentence, locate the subject that goes with this verb phrase.
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5. What emotion or motivation governs those already on the trains to pull
latecomers on board?
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6. What is the point, the larger lesson, of the story related in paragraph 5?
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PRACTICE ESSAY
“Book of Dreams: The Sears Roebuck Catalog” Rose Del Castillo Guilbault, p. 117120
A. Comprehension, p. 120
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1. For Guilbault, the Sears Roebuck catalog primarily represented
(a) an unobtainable vision of America for her and her family
(b) the possibility of obtaining a piece of the American pie.
(c) a simpler, less stressful life.
(d) a convenient way to shop for necessities at home.
2. For the author and her family, the most important American virtue was
(a) a competitive spirit.
(b) generosity.
(c) hard work.
(d) the desire for an education.
3. Guilbault’s mother looked at the catalog both to enjoy the pictures of clothing
and household items and to
(a) get ideas for gifts.
(b) practice English.
(c) covet the possessions of the wealthier families depicted.
(d) help choose farm equipment with her husband.
4. The catalog’s description of the model families—the Browns and the
Yeamans—suggested that
(a) her family was just like them.
(b) American was not really the land of opportunity.
(c) it was important to buy one’s belongings from Sears.
(d) everything in America was reachable.
5. Guibault remembers one especially memorable acquisition, a clarinet. Aside
from marking her family’s economic prosperity, this purchase also
(a) meant that she could reach her dreams of becoming a great musician.
(b) improved her social status at school.
(c) allowed her to be integrated into American life.
(d) contributed to the family’s love of music.
B. Vocabulary, p. 120-121
For each italicized word from the selection, choose the best definition
according to the context in which it appears. You may refer to the selection to
answer the questions in this section and in all the remaining sections.
1. an affinity for the 1940s [paragaph 2]:
(a) natural attraction.
(b) obsession.
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(c) slight interest in.
(d) reaction.
2. an emporium inside a book [3]:
(a) playground.
(b) educational center.
(c) imaginary toyland.
(d) large retai store.
3. a metaphor for America’s bounty [4]:
(a) high reputation.
(b) amalgamation of goods and services.
(c) generosity, liberality in giving.
(d) treasure chest.
4. nothing frivolous was ever ordered [7]:
(a) insignificant, trivial.
(b) attractive, esthetically pleasing.
(c) expensive, costly.
(d) of good quality.
5. they remained mysteriously impassive [15]:
(a) silent, withdrawn.
(b) showing no emotion.
(c) excited, jubilant.
(d) embarrassed, uncomfortable.
6. [t]imes have changed, and so have demographics [17]: The study of
(a) social values.
(b) populations and their characteristics.
(c) ethnic and minority groups.
(d) social classes.
C. Structure, p. 121-122
Complete the following questions.
1. This article has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Locate the major
divisions in the essay and indicate the appropriate paragraph numbers.
Introduction:
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Body:
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_________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion:
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2. With respect to her childhood and the role the Sears Roebuck catalog
played in her family, what is the author’s point of view?
(a) nostalgic.
(b) objective.
(c) envious.
(d) philosophical.
(e) self-pitying.
3. What method of development is used in paragraph 4?
(a) example.
(b) process.
(c) comparison.
(d) contrast.
4. What primary method of development is used in paragraphs 5 to 9?
(a) example.
(b) comparison.
(c) contrast.
(d) process.
5. What is the relationship between paragraph 14 and paragraphs 15 and
16?
(a) They all represent steps in an informative process.
(b) Paragraph 14 includes a term to be defined, and the other two define
it.
(c) Paragraphs 15 and 16 offer a contrast to paragraph 14.
(d) Paragraph 14 makes a general statement, and paragraphs 15 and 16
serve as a supporting illustration.
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