Identifying Methods of Development

1. Identifying Methods of Development In this tutorial you will learn to recognize common strategies for organizing and presenting information in college writing assignments. Chapter 13

2. Chapter 13 discusses various "methods of development"—strategies for organizing ideas in argumentative essays or other forms of writing. The methods of development discussed include: • narration • description • cause and effect • classification and division • contrast and comparison • illustration • definition

3. All of geological time is divided into two Eons: the Precambrian Eon, followed by the Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian Eon is the time from the formation of the earth until evolution had progressed sufficiently to produce animals with hard parts that could commonly be preserved as fossils. This time makes up 88% of the entire history of earth. The Phanerozoic Eon begins about 600 million years ago and continues to the present day. Because the Precambrian Eon contains little evidence of life, it cannot readily be divided up using fossils. However, the Phanerozoic is divided into three Eras: the Paleozoic (which means the time of early life forms), the Mesozoic (the time of middle life forms), and Cenozoic (times of later life forms). (Brian Knapp, Fossils (Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2000), p. 50) Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate?

4. All of geological time is divided into two Eons: the Precambrian Eon, followed by the Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian Eon is the time from the formation of the earth until evolution had progressed sufficiently to produce animals with hard parts that could commonly be preserved as fossils. This time makes up 88% of the entire history of earth. The Phanerozoic Eon begins about 600 million years ago and continues to the present day. Because the Precambrian Eon contains little evidence of life, it cannot readily be divided up using fossils. However, the Phanerozoic is divided into three Eras: the Paleozoic (which means the time of early life forms), the Mesozoic (the time of middle life forms), and Cenozoic (times of later life forms). (Brian Knapp, Fossils (Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2000), p. 50) This is the method of classification and division. The main purpose of this passage is to divide a single item (geological time) into its parts (Eons and Eras), and then to classify those time periods by grouping them into various categories.

5. The word problem means different things to different people. In the business environment problems are in the mind of the beholder. They are not necessarily perceived in the same way by all observers. For the purposes of this discussion and to prevent ambiguity, problems are defined as incidents, events, or failures, however small, that have a negative impact on the ability of the production operations department to deliver service as committed in the service-level agreements. Problems include actual failures that result in service degradation or potential failure mechanisms that could lead to degraded service. (Carroll W. Frenzel, Management of InformationTechnology (Boston: Boyd & Fraser, 1992), p. 342) Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate?

6. The word problem means different things to different people. In the business environment problems are in the mind of the beholder. They are not necessarily perceived in the same way by all observers. For the purposes of this discussion and to prevent ambiguity, problems are defined as incidents, events, or failures, however small, that have a negative impact on the ability of the production operations department to deliver service as committed in the service-level agreements. Problems include actual failures that result in service degradation or potential failure mechanisms that could lead to degraded service. (Carroll W. Frenzel, Management of InformationTechnology (Boston: Boyd & Fraser, 1992), p. 342) This is the method of definition. The main purpose of this passage is to define the term "problem" as it applies to information technology management.

7. I awoke at 4:30 and there was a glorious sight in the sky, one of the grand spectacles of the Universe. There was not a cloud in the deep wonderful blue of the heavens. Along the Eastern horizon there was a clear deep intense glow neither scarlet nor crimson but a mixture of both. This red glow was very narrow, almost like a riband and it suddenly shaded off into the deep blue. Opposite in the west the full moon shining in all its brilliance was setting upon the hill beyond the church steeple. Thus the glow in the east bathed the church in a warm rich tinted light, while the moon from the west was casting strong shadows. The moon dropped quickly down behind the hill bright to the last, till only her rim could be seen sparkling among the tops of the orchards on the hill. (William Plover, ed., Kilvert's Diary (New York: Macmillan, 1947), p. 22) Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate?

8. I awoke at 4:30 and there was a glorious sight in the sky, one of the grand spectacles of the Universe. There was not a cloud in the deep wonderful blue of the heavens. Along the Eastern horizon there was a clear deep intense glow neither scarlet nor crimson but a mixture of both. This red glow was very narrow, almost like a riband and it suddenly shaded off into the deep blue. Opposite in the west the full moon shining in all its brilliance was setting upon the hill beyond the church steeple. Thus the glow in the east bathed the church in a warm rich tinted light, while the moon from the west was casting strong shadows. The moon dropped quickly down behind the hill bright to the last, till only her rim could be seen sparkling among the tops of the orchards on the hill. (William Plover, ed., Kilvert's Diary (New York: Macmillan, 1947), p. 22) This is the method of description. The main purpose of this passage is to paint a verbal picture of a scene of unusual beauty.

9. Two strong earthquakes rocked Mt. St. Helens at 8:27 and 8:31 on Sunday morning, May 18. The bulge had grown so steep that the second earthquake caused it to break away from the mountain, forming an immense landslide of rock, soil, and glacial ice. The landslide roared down the mountain and, in so doing, relieved the pressure on the gas-charged magma that had been causing the bulge. The magma then exploded through the side of the mountain where the bulge had been. This horizontal blast flattened trees in a 400-square-kilometer area on the north side of the mountain. Large trees as far as 25 kilometers away were knocked over. The landslides, combined with large volumes of new volcanic ash from the eruption, poured down the Toutle River and into the Columbia River, filling their channels. (Graham R. Thompson and Jonathan Turk, Earth Science and the Environment (Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1993), pp. 176-177) Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate?

10. Two strong earthquakes rocked Mt. St. Helens at 8:27 and 8:31 on Sunday morning, May 18. The bulge had grown so steep that the second earthquake caused it to break away from the mountain, forming an immense landslide of rock, soil, and glacial ice. The landslide roared down the mountain and, in so doing, relieved the pressure on the gas-charged magma that had been causing the bulge. The magma then exploded through the side of the mountain where the bulge had been. This horizontal blast flattened trees in a 400-square-kilometer area on the north side of the mountain. Large trees as far as 25 kilometers away were knocked over. The landslides, combined with large volumes of new volcanic ash from the eruption, poured down the Toutle River and into the Columbia River, filling their channels. (Graham R. Thompson and Jonathan Turk, Earth Science and the Environment (Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1993), pp. 176-177) This is the method of narration. The main purpose of this passage is to tell the story of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in chronological order.

11. Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate? A fundamental source of Christianity lay in its appeal as a religion. No matter how far in other directions we push the search for an explanation of its expansion, it is always evident that Christianity won converts primarily because its teachings answered their deepest religious needs. Such ideas as the existence of God; his sacrifice of his son to redeem men and women; eternal salvation based on individual worth; damnation for sinners; and universal brotherhood supplied a powerful answer to those seeking to know about God's ways toward men and women. The humanity of Jesus, who had lived on earth not long before, gave intimacy and historical concreteness to Christianity that other religions lacked. (John B. Harrison, Richard E. Sullivan, Dennis Sherman, A Short History of WesternCivilization, 7th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990), pp. 162-163)

12. This is the method of cause and effect. The main purpose of this passage is to identify the primary cause of the early spread of Christianity. A fundamental source of Christianity lay in its appeal as a religion. No matter how far in other directions we push the search for an explanation of its expansion, it is always evident that Christianity won converts primarily because its teachings answered their deepest religious needs. Such ideas as the existence of God; his sacrifice of his son to redeem men and women; eternal salvation based on individual worth; damnation for sinners; and universal brotherhood supplied a powerful answer to those seeking to know about God's ways toward men and women. The humanity of Jesus, who had lived on earth not long before, gave intimacy and historical concreteness to Christianity that other religions lacked. (John B. Harrison, Richard E. Sullivan, Dennis Sherman, A Short History of WesternCivilization, 7th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990), pp. 162-163)

13. Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate You probably do not conduct rigorously controlled scientific experiments every day, but you often do manipulate independent variables to observe their effects on dependent variables. For example, in trying to find out why your car will not start, you manipulate various independent variables (e.g., the battery, the fuel supply, the ignition) and observe the effects of your manipulations on the dependent variable (whether the car starts). In trying to find the best recipe for your favorite dish, you manipulate various independent variables (e.g., the ingredients, the sequence of steps, the cooking time or temperature), and you observe their effects on the dependent variable (i.e., how delicious the resulting dish tastes). (Robert J. Sternberg, Pathways toPsychology (Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1997), p. 13)

14. This is the method of illustration. The purpose of the passage is not to provide convincing evidence for the claim that readers of the text often manipulate independent variables to observe their effects on dependent variables. Rather, it is give two illustrations of this claim You probably do not conduct rigorously controlled scientific experiments every day, but you often do manipulate independent variables to observe their effects on dependent variables. For example, in trying to find out why your car will not start, you manipulate various independent variables (e.g., the battery, the fuel supply, the ignition) and observe the effects of your manipulations on the dependent variable (whether the car starts). In trying to find the best recipe for your favorite dish, you manipulate various independent variables (e.g., the ingredients, the sequence of steps, the cooking time or temperature), and you observe their effects on the dependent variable (i.e., how delicious the resulting dish tastes). (Robert J. Sternberg, Pathways toPsychology (Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1997), p. 13)

15. Based on your study of this chapter, which method of development does this passage illustrate? Brachiopods are sea animals with two shells, or valves. Brachiopods can be confused with bivalves, but the way to distinguish them is to look at the line that goes through the valves. Brachiopods are symmetrical around this line, bivalves are generally not. Most brachipods open and close the valves with two sets of muscles. When they die, the withered muscles hold the valves shut, so that it is usual to find brachiopods as a complete shell of two connected valves. Bivalves, on the other hand, open up when the animal dies, and the valves become detached. It is therefore common to find clam valves separately and uncommon to find them together. (Brian Knapp, Fossils (Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2000), p. 23)

16. [This is the end of the tutorial] Brachiopods are sea animals with two shells, or valves. Brachiopods can be confused with bivalves, but the way to distinguish them is to look at the line that goes through the valves. Brachiopods are symmetrical around this line, bivalves are generally not. Most brachipods open and close the valves with two sets of muscles. When they die, the withered muscles hold the valves shut, so that it is usual to find brachiopods as a complete shell of two connected valves. Bivalves, on the other hand, open up when the animal dies, and the valves become detached. It is therefore common to find clam valves separately and uncommon to find them together. (Brian Knapp, Fossils (Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2000), p. 23) This is the method of contrast and comparison. The primary purpose of this passage is to compare and contrast two kinds of two-shelled sea animals. X