Writing+Exercise+1

listen [|here] WRITING EXERCISE 1: Read each of the passages, and note the topic and the main points that are used to support each topic.

1. Read the passage. Take notes on the main points of the reading passage. Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular in the United States. Parents who decide to homeschool their children keep their children out of traditional classrooms with one teacher and twenty to thirty or more children in each room. These parents educate their children by themselves in the home. This move toward homeschooling does not seem to be best for the children who are homeschooled. For one thing, children in homeschools will not learn as much as children in traditional schools. This is because traditional schools demand that students learn a huge amount of material to pass from grade to grade. Homeschools are not set up in such a way that they can demand, as traditional schools do, that students master a certain amount of material before they pass on to a new level. For another, children in homeschools do not have much social interaction with other children. Children in homeschools do not have a classroom full of students to interact with, as children in traditional schools most certainly do. Children in homeschools generally have only a parent and perhaps a few siblings to interact with on a regular basis. Finally, children in homeschools will not have the broad curriculum that is available in traditional schools. Traditional schools offer a wide variety of subjects, more subjects than it is possible to offer in a homeschool. Traditional schools have an established and wide-ranging curriculum that cannot possibly be matched in a homeschooling environment. TOPIC OF READING PASSAGE:

main points about the topic;

• • 2. Read the passage. Take notes on the main points of the reading passage.


 * It is very common in English for one word to have many different meanings.** This condition, where one word has different meanings, is known as polysemy. (This term comes from "poly-" meaning "many" and "sern-" meaning "meaning.")


 * "Sound" is one such polysemic word.** As a noun, it refers to a noise (as in "a loud sound") or a body of water (as in "Puget Sound"). As an adjective, it can refer to a state of health (as in "sound mind and body"). It can **also** be an intransitive verb (as in "sound angry"), a transitive verb (as in "sound the alarm"), or part of a verb phrase as an outburst (as in "sound off") and an inquiry (as in "sound out").


 * You may think that the word "sound" is a truly wondrous polysemlc word**. After all, its definitions cover **seven pages in one major dictionary** and include 19 meanings as a noun, 12 meanings as an adjective, 12 meanings as a verb (some transitive and some intransitive), 4 meanings in verb phrases, and 2 meanings as an adverb.


 * But what about the extraordinary word "set"?** It looks like such a short, simple word, only three little letters in all. However, if you look it up in an unabridged dictionary, you will find at least **57 meanings for "set" when it is used as a noun and over 120 meanings when it is used as a verb.**

WRITING SKILLS 251

TOPIC OF READING PASSAGE:

main points about the topic:

• •

3. Read the passage. Take notes on the main points of the reading passage. Anthropologist Margaret Mead is known for her groundbreaking research on the effects of culture on gender roles. Her working hypothesis was that **if gender behavior was the effect purely of biology, then what was considered masculine and feminine would be the same In all cultures**. **If gender behavior differed in different cultures, this would demonstrate that gender behavior resulted from culture rather than biology.**

To **test this hypothesis**, Mead studied **three different societies in New Guinea.** **The first** society that she studied was the **Arapesh**. In this society, she observed that **behavior by men and behavior by women were remarkably similar**. She found that both men and women exhibited characteristics that are traditionally considered **feminine**: they were sensitive to each others' feelings and expressed emotions.

The **second society** that she studied in New Guinea were the Mundugumor, which was a society of headhunters and cannibals. The society was the opposite of the gentle and feminine Arapesh. In this second society, both men and woman exhibited characteristics that are traditionally considered male: they were harsh and aggressive.

In the third society that she studied. the Tchambuli, Mead found that males and

females exhibited very different types of behavior. What was unusual was that the roles were the opposite of what we have come to expect. Mead found that in this society, the men were emotional and submissive to the women, and the women were dominant and aggressive.

Based on these findings, Margaret Mead came to the conclusion that culture, more than biology, determines gender behavior. TOPIC OF READING PASSAGE:

main points about the topic:

• •

252 WRITING