Chapter 14 - Classification Exercise

Chapter 14 - Classification - Exercise

Three Family Cancers - Reading for Better Writing - Exercise Page 207:

1. The writer opens and closes the essay with a personal anecdote. Explain why this story does or does not strengthen the essay.
I think the author adding in her personal anecdote in the beginning and end of this essay does strengthen this essay. It adds a personal touch and another angle to the essay. She talks about her own personal experiences dealing with three types of cancer, informs the reader of facts on these three cancers, and gives some statistics as well. I think this was a well-rounded essay.

2. For each subgroup (type of cancer), the writer uses a grandparent as an example. Explain how her use of examples does or does not help clarify the subject.
I think the writer using a grandparent as an example for each type of cancer does help to clarify the subject. She states facts for each type as well as showing the reader how in her life these facts have played out. I think the examples of her grandparents make the reader more apart of the story. Reading these examples helps the reader to relate more and understand more the results of cancer.

3. Where in the essay does the writer compare and contrast different forms of cancer? Is the comparison and contrast effective? Why or why not?
In paragraph five the author gives a comparison and contrast of different types of cancer and how they can be exposed. Other than that, throughout her whole essay is an indirect comparison and contrast of different cancers. I don’t think her comparison and contrast was effective. I think this essay was more of describing three types of cancers. I did not feel a strong comparison and contrast while reading the essay.

4. Writing about a scientific topic like cancer nearly always requires technical terminology. Cite two such terms used in this essay, and explain how the writer clarifies each term’s meaning.
1. Carcinogens: The author says this is cancer-causing agents and classifies them into three groups: chemicals, radiation, and viruses.
2. Multiple Myeloma: The author says this is a type of cancer that is a malignant growth of cells in the bone marrow that makes holes in the skeleton.