Midterm Study Cards Flashcards

Question

***MODULE 3:*** Define Description.

Answer 1

* Offers precise “word pictures” of objects, persons, scenes, events, situations * Not just for fiction or creative nonfiction; is common in workplaces, used to describe: --> a patient’s condition on a chart --> a product in an advertisement --> site conditions in a report * Can --> create a mood --> stimulate understanding --> lead to action

Answer 2

* **Denotative Description** (a.k.a. objective description): --> used in lab reports and other formal reports --> “just the facts,” aiming to explain --> seeks to approach objectivity --> uses a logical order of ideas (often chronological) * **Connotative Description** (a.k.a. subjective description): --> aims to convey ideas, moods, impressions --> common in everyday life and personal writing --> Impressionistic and subjective --> uses a highly variable order of ideas --> different perspectives possible

Answer 3

1. Sensory Impression 2. Dominant Impression 3. Selection of Details 4. Arrangement of Details

Answer 4

* Based on close physical or mental observation * Uses precise, specific words or comparisons * Evokes sense impressions of sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch ## Footnote * Can blend several sense impressions: --> Note in this paragraph evoking of sound, sight, touch, taste; smell isn’t included but is suggested: “The . . . hot dogs sizzling on a grease-spattered grill gave way to the whirling buzz of a cotton-candy machine [producing] a pink, fluffy cloud. . . . the sticky puffs dissolved on my tongue into a sugar-like sweetness. Soon our faces and hands were gummed with the sticky mess”

Answer 5

* Overall mood, atmosphere, or feeling of a description; e.g., joy, anger, terror * May be identified or left unnamed * Can change throughout the description --> Example: When Thien describes the father and daughter’s actions together, the dominant impression is calm and loving, in contrast to the description used for the father and son’s interactions. * May be achieved through several descriptive techniques: --> Vivid adjectives, lively verbs, and specific and concrete details.

Answer 6

* Select details to create a suitable mood or feeling and support your purpose. --> Exclusion as important as inclusion. --> When describing pipeline infrastructure, which details would one focus on … ---> to create a dominant impression of safety ? ---> to convey a dominant impression of danger? * May raise some issues of ethics and fairness: --> What are the implications of leaving out certain details? --> What’s a writer’s ethical responsibility when using description and narration?

Answer 7

* In description, most writers seek to use a clear arrangement pattern, such as … --> **Spatial** Examples: 1)Thien, “Simple Recipes,” p. 542 (combined with chronological sequence) 2) Site condition reports --> **Chronological** Examples: 1)Thien, “Simple Recipes,” p. 540 2) Describing Covid-19 symptoms in the order in which they typically appear --> **Contrast** Examples: 1) Forché, contrasting dinner items to dismembered ears, p. 329 2) A police report describing a location before and after a break-and-enter

Answer 8

* Relates series of real or imagined events; can --> tell what happened (that is, unfolds in time) --> delve into motives --> offer lessons and insights - but doesn’t have to --> do all of the above. * Used at work, at home, at school Examples: 1) details in a lab or inspection report 2) development of a research project 3) recounting the events of your afternoon 4) history of an employee’s work problems

Answer 9

1. Purpose 2. Action 3. Conflict 4. Point of view 5. Key events 6. Dialogue

Answer 10

* Stated or unstated, purpose always shapes writing * A narration may have different purposes: --> Provide a “hook” to engage a reader, in an article or other text --> Tell what happened --> Express feelings about what happened --> Establish useful facts --> Establish author credibility (by recounting relevant experience) --> Delve into motives --> Offer lessons or insights: Not all narratives have a moral or teach a lesson.

Answer 11

* Central role in narrative is played by action (the occurrence of one or more events) * Action is stronger when shown (represented directly) rather than told or summarized (reported): **Summarized (a.k.a. reported)**: “A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb” (SSW, p. 129) **Shown (a.k.a. dramatized):** “When he shot the arrow. . . he heard the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd.” (George Orwell; adapted from SSW, p. 129) * A reader’s challenge: distinguishing the event reported from the emotion or bias of the witness who is reporting. * Visual (cinematic) presentation of events can be compelling in a narrative, using precise description. --> Is there any action narrated that you can visualize in the Bush speech (pp. 280-283) or in the Flusty essay (pp. 322-329)? * Many non-physical experiences are also important actions: thinking, feeling, deciding

Answer 12

* Conflict is an opposition – a clash between two opposing forces or interests * Real, imagined, anticipated conflicts shape much of our lives * In narrative (storytelling), conflict is an impediment or obstacle one or more characters must overcome to achieve what they desire * There may be multiple conflicts in a single narrative (as characters may struggle against more than one opposing force) * Some varieties of conflict: --> between an individual and outside circumstances Example: Between Tan’s mother and stereotypes about non-standard/native language users (“Mother Tongue”) --> between 2 members of the same group Example: Between Malaysian-Canadian family members over food traditions (“Simple Recipes”) --> between groups Example: Between first- and second-generation immigrants over assimilation (“Simple Recipes”) --> internal Example: Between two competing impulses/feelings (love and shame for an abusive father in “Simple Recipes”)

Answer 13

**Point of View**: is the way a narrative is told and the storyteller’s position in relation to the narrative

Answer 14

**1. First-person:** one of the participants tells what happened. * *uses I, me, mine, we, ours* Example: most personal essays use *“I”* * limited to what that person knows: narrator can be unreliable because of incomplete knowledge or self-deception **2. Second-person:** less often used * *you* is used or implied * imperative (commanding) and directive; can be more conversational * second-person is often used in instructions, including recipes **3. Third-person:** distanced “narrator” (storyteller) relays the story, but is not a player/character in the story. * uses he, she, it, one, they * Narrator can be limited or omniscient in knowledge; can be objective (a fly on the wall perspective)

Answer 15

* Strong narratives are built around key events (the most important action) that directly support the purpose. ## Footnote Question: In Tan’s “Mother Tongue,” which key event(s) best illustrate Tan’s message that sometimes non-standard English is confused with limited knowledge, understanding, or respectability?

Answer 16

**Dialogue** :is a conversation between two or more people 2 Types: *** Indirect/Reported Dialogue** --> The conversation or specific statements are summarized or paragraphed --> The narrator strongly controls presentation and mood; the reader is distanced from the scene: Examples: 1) G.W. Bush’s Address: “Americans are asking: Who attacked our country?” (280). 2) Carolyn Forché’s “The Colonel”: “There was some talk then of how difficult it had become to govern” (p. 329) **Direct dialogue** * generally more vivid * leaves more scope for the reader’s interpretation * direct dialogue enlivens action and engages the reader in the story ## Footnote Questions to consider: Where do Thien, Tan, and Forché use dialogue? Where in their texts does dialogue illustrate (provide an example)? How does the use of dialogue help enforce (or not) the author's message?

Answer 17

* Is a common feature of daily life * Helps people … 1) make choices 2) deal with large and complex topics * Breaks down broad topics into categories... 1) according to a specific *principle of classification* 2) keeping in mind audience and purpose * Presents distinctive features of each category * Shows how features vary among categories * Divides one or more categories into subcategories -- but shouldn’t include too many * Avoids overlapping categories * Develops each category with useful detail * Uses a principle of classification suited to purpose and audience

Answer 18

**1. Model / Item Name** (A-Z or Z-A) **2. Price** (ascending or descending) **3. Brand Name** (A-Z or Z-A) **4. Relevance** (e.g., “Canon” supplies for printers are less relevant in a search on “Canon” than Canon cameras and accessories)

Answer 19

* Certain classifications can tend towards the argumentative fallacy of stereotyping, a form of overgeneralization For example (e.g.): stereotyping people who play video games by age, gender, income level * A principle of classification might be unfairly applied in a specific circumstance: For example, if a person interviewing candidates for a job where physical appearance plays no role, classifies candidates by weight or physical attractiveness * As with definition, some classifications can be arbitrary, or categories can be wrongly applied.

Answer 20

* A basic philosophical technique, not simple consultation of a dictionary. * Considers connotation and denotation * Considers context and “discourse community” (see K. Lewis, “Definition”), including … 1) what a definition is designed to achieve 2) who gains by a specific definition 3) what authority is evoked (Lewis, pp. 161-162

Answer 21

**Denotation:** the strict dictionary definition of a word Example: “Home” denotes a structure in which people dwell and/or one’s native land

Answer 22

**Connotation:** all ideas, associations, and value suggested by a term Example: “Home” connotes comfort, intimacy, security

Answer 23

True ## Footnote Example: “cheap” versus “inexpensive” Exercise: Rank the following based on positive to negative connotations, with (1) being positive: --> Aggressive, assertive, domineering, forceful

Answer 24

* Synonyms are words with very nearly the same meanings Examples: to object, to complain, to protest * Synonyms are not identical – shades of meaning differ Examples: refugee, immigrant, person in exile * Convenient and helpful, but limited - just as a thesaurus cannot replace a dictionary

Answer 25

* Form goes back to ancient Greeks, who structured much of Western thinking * Do three things, in sequence: **1) names the item being defined** Example: a vacuum cleaner … **2) places it in a broad category** Example:...is a household appliance … **3) distinguishes it from other items in that category** Example: ...that uses suction to clean floors, carpets, and upholstery.

Answer 26

* Cannot adequately give meaning of --> Abstract terms Examples: “hatred,” “democracy,” “success” --> Words with several meanings Example: “jam” --> Words with contested meanings Example: “essential service” * Are prone to 4 errors in thinking: 1. circular --> but distinguish this error from dictionary definitions, which assume cross-referencing; Example: “swing (n) = process of swinging” 2. overly broad 3. overly narrow 4. omitting main category

Answer 27

* Can be a paragraph in a longer paper or report, or can be an entire text. * Are useful when defining --> abstract terms (e.g., “multiculturalism”) --> unfamiliar concrete terms (e.g., “macular degeneration”) --> new social, technical, or economic terms (e.g., “data integrity”) * Always relate to the “context” / “rhetorical situation” * Can use many different methods of development, such as comparison, illustration, cause and effect, in order to define.

Answer 28

* Word formed from first letters of multiword terms * Can include slang, technical or professional terms Examples: **SWOT, TBH, EI, LOL** * Identify members of discourse communities * Flaunt insider knowledge and authority * Exclude, disconcert, or “one-up” the audience ## Footnote TIP: When incorporating acronyms into your writing, spell the words in full first followed by the acronym in parentheses. Use just the acronym for later uses. Example: The Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) … . The CCS guidelines … **Exercise (handout):** Using 2 or more acronyms, craft a sentence aimed at other members of a “discourse community” to which you belong, making the sentence understandable ONLY to those within that discourse community

Answer 29

* “[A] new word or expression or a new meaning of a word” not yet part of everyday language (Merriam Webster) * Often arise from specific discourse communities that have used the term for years Examples: “textative” , “truthiness”, “freemium"

Answer 30

* Definitions exist within a system of social and power relations * Definitions often serve the values of a specific community, even while appearing “objective” * Can be arbitrary, subjective, excluding, and/or evolving Examples (Lewis): “SUV” - neologism created to avoid anti-pollution laws “homosexual” – the APA definition “native” – the govt. of Canada’s definition “terrorist” - various definitions; pre-post 9/11

Answer 31

* Ask K. Lewis’s questions (pp. 161-162), especially … Whose interests are served by this definition? Is the definition: **Descriptive** (capturing essence and features of an action or quantity) or **Prescriptive** (seeking to influence action)? What authority is evoked? Who “backs up” this definition? * Analyze the definition using criteria of content, intent, and effect (pp. 162-163) ## Footnote Definition exercises (Lewis p. 164-165) Define “child abuse.” Would it include spankings? Emotional neglect? Circumcision? Define “essential service,” remembering that such professions can’t strike.Does your definition cover sanitation workers? Ferry workers? Teachers? Define “family.” Then discuss the authority, interests, and bias that may lie behind the definition

Answer 32

“powerful images” that can … **1)** “encapsulate arguments of fact, value, and policy” (p. 227) --> arguments of fact: state whether something is true or untrue --> arguments of value: involve judgments, appraisals, and evaluations; may attempt to prove that some action, belief, or condition is right or wrong --> arguments of policy: argue that a particular solution, action, and/or procedure should be followed; may ask for a new course of action **2)** “function everywhere as instruments of persuasion” (p. 232) **3)** may, as in advertising, “promise to fulfill our dreams of pleasure” (p. 232)

Answer 33

**Photographs** **Illustrations** **Signs and symbols** Examples: flag, shamrock, cross, swastika, golden arches

Answer 34

* “may be defined as abbreviated claims of value” * can “summarize the moral, religious, and political principles by which groups of people live and often die”

Answer 35

Ads are 1) “short arguments, 2) often lacking fully developed support, 3) whose claims of policy urge us to take action” (p. 233) “action” includes buying, thinking or voting or physically behaving in a particular way ## Footnote Examples of visual argument: *in political ads*: image of candidate surrounded by smiling family suggests love, security, importance of home (p. 233), as well as stability and conventionality *in commercial ads:* image of a celebrity or famous person moves emphasis from the product to a person associated with it (can be a fallacy)

Answer 36

* colours * light * shadow * foreground * background * relatives sizes of pictures and text * placement of objects on the page or screen ## Footnote **Exercise:** identify some of these elements in the Newman’s Own banner ad and the photos of the former and current Prime Minister of Canada.

Answer 37

* Visual images are less subject to analysis and interpretation than linear (verbal / written) ones * Pictures appear to need less translation; audience expects easy understanding * Graphs and charts, if included, can be misleading or oversimplified * Therefore, visual images need to be read with the same attention and critical analysis we give to verbal messages. --> Consider asking the questions posed on pp. 235-236 --> Evaluate visual arguments by testing their claims, weighing the evidence offered in support of those claims, and by exploring the assumptions they make about who audiences are and what they believe.

Answer 38

**Comparison** shows similarities between and among people, things, ideas. The term “comparison” includes both kinds of analysis. Can be simple comparisons (2 things compared) or complex comparison (many things or qualities of things) compared. **Contrast** shows the differences.

Answer 39

They help us: * understand better the things, people, ideas being compared or contrasted, by seeing fine distinctions between/among them * facilitate a choice between/among alternatives * evaluate why one thing, person, or course of action is better than another * help explain unfamiliar things by comparing them to something known by the audience

Answer 40

* The general, common element in terms of which you will compare entities * A focusing, narrowing tool, like “principle of classification” * Often articulated as “in terms of” Example: Compare Asia and America in terms of how much it costs to make a hooded sweatshirt

Answer 41

* Sub-topics under the “basis of comparison.” * Each point of comparison should be developed in detail * Keep comparisons balanced: each entity should be assessed using the same points of comparison

Answer 42

* **Block Pattern** : Says everything about one subject before discussing the other. Useful when developing only a few main points (of comparison) about a few subjects (in short texts), without extensive quotes or evidence. --->organized by items compared, “vertically” * **Alternating Pattern**: Compares subjects one aspect (point of comparison) at a time, point by point. Better for essays over 500 words and for detailed comparisons -->organized by points of comparison, “horizontally” * **Combination of Block and Alternating Patterns**: May use a block pattern to introduce and provide an overview of two items, one at a time, then an alternating pattern to establish points of comparison (or vice versa) Always be guided by the qualifying elements of the **basis of comparison** Example: “compare BCIT and Kwantlen **in terms** of computer science degree programs” Points of Comparison for Example: 1. Program cost 2. Program length 3. Industry experience (practicums) 4. Class size 5. Entrance requirements

Answer 43

**1. Logical / Objective / Denotative Comparison** * Often used for explaining, including to acquaint the audience with something new Example: The Internet is an information highway…. **2. Rhetorical / Subjective / Connotative Comparison** * Often used for persuading (fairly or unfairly). May show why one person, thing, or course of action is better than another. Example: "You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. You can wrap up an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change. It's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough." (B. Obama, 9/08; campaigning against Republicans, who held the U.S. presidency for 8 yrs.) Other types of extended comparison are **parody**, **analogy**, and **parable**.

Answer 44

* From the Greek: “a song alongside of” * Imitates or mimics the style or content of an author or text, often for comic effect or ridicule * Always requires understanding of the original * Can have a serious, critical purpose, transcending comparison to create new insights ## Footnote EXAMPLES: * Movie parodies, such as Hungover Games (2014), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), or Deadpool (2016) --> In the first example, humorous imitation and appreciation of Hangover and The Hunger Games * The Daily Show; The Colbert Report --> began as parodies of TV news shows and became a source of news for many * The Onion --> satirical news articles, sometimes humorously mistaken for news --> See http://www.theonion.com/ * Weird Al Yankovic and various YouTube parodies * Visual parodies of ads / artworks --> See www.adbusters.org

Answer 45

True ## Footnote Self-parody as defence and marketing: www.newmansown.ca / .com

Answer 46

**Analogy** (from Gr. analogos, a due ratio): an (often) extended comparison emphasizing “similarities underlying two different kinds of things” (SSW, 2010, p. 260). * Often used to explain a new, complex idea, unfamiliar concept, or abstract idea using a situation or idea familiar to the audience. * Common in science, technology, business and political discourse, to explain difficult concepts to non-technical and/or non-specialized audiences. * When effective, the items have similarities, and the analogy illuminates the unfamiliar through the familiar or creates new insights on the familiar by comparing it to the unfamiliar ## Footnote EXAMPLES: “The atmosphere of Earth acts like any window in serving two very important functions. It lets light in, and it permits us to look out. It also serves as a shield to keep out dangerous or uncomfortable things. A normal glazed window lets us keep our houses warm by keeping out cold air, and it prevents rain, dirt, and unwelcome insects and animals from coming in. … Earth’s atmospheric window also helps to keep our planet at a comfortable temperature by holding back radiated heart and protecting us from dangerous levels of ultraviolet light” (Lester Del Ray, The Mysterious Sky, qtd. in Strategies for Successful Writing, 2010, p. 223) Ray’s complex analogy sheds light upon the unfamiliar (how earth’s atmosphere functions) by comparing it to what is understood (how a window functions)

Answer 47

**Parable** (from Gr. parabole, a comparing, or throwing alongside): a short, didactic, and fictitious narrative from which a lesson or principle can be drawn. ## Footnote EXAMPLES: “What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?” asked Jesus. “What parable shall we use to explain it? It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground. After a while it grows up and becomes the biggest of all the plants. It puts out such large branches that the birds come and make their nests in its shade” (New Testament, Mark, 4, 30-34). “A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!” (P. Reps, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones)

Answer 48

* Make happen * Bring about * Produce * Set off * Instigate * Trigger * Begin * Initiate * Create * Prompt * Result of * Result from * Encourage * Provoke

Answer 49

* As a result * For this reason * As a consequence * Consequently * Hence * So * Thus * Therefore * Accordingly * In that case

Answer 50

* According to the cause’s **1. power** to produce an effect or event **2. temporal (time) relationship** to the effect or event. * Causal analysis can use both classifications simultaneously: Example: Smoking is both a contributory and a remote cause of death for the smoker with lung cancer. --> the “contributory” cause relates to power --> the “remote” cause shows a temporal relationship

Answer 51

**1. Necessary Cause:** pre-condition essential for effect to occur; but the presence of this cause alone doesn’t assure the effect. --> One must be exposed to the flu virus to get the flu, but not everyone who’s exposed to the virus comes down with the flu. **2. Sufficient Cause:** cause or condition could on its own produce the effect, but so could another cause or condition --> Being human is a sufficient condition for being a mammal. So is being a whale. **3. Contributory Cause:** helps produce but can’t by itself produce an effect or event: a particular combination of causes might be needed.  Icy roads contribute to car accidents. *Most occurrences have several sufficient causes, and might have many contributory causes, not just a single necessary cause.*

Answer 52

**1. Immediate Cause:** cause that directly or immediately produced the outcome or effect. --> An accident she had while driving a car caused her death. **2. Remote Cause(s):** more distant factor or combination of factors that eventually produce an effect. --> Decades of alcohol abuse caused her death in a car accident. **3. Causal Chain:**each event is the effect of the preceding one and the cause of the following one; is also a pattern used in explanations --> Drinking too much impaired her judgment, prompting her to drive while very drunk, resulting in loss of control of the car, which led to a fatal automobile accident.

Answer 53

**(1) Ignoring multiple causes** * Covid-19 cases are overwhelming northern BC’s healthcare system because of lax public health measures *Analysis:* other causes exist – namely lower vaccination rates – but also the transmissibility of the Delta variant **(2) Confusing causes with effects** * Depression caused someone to eat too much. * Overeating caused depression. *Analysis:* more details on this specific case are needed, to unravel causes from effects **(3) Mistaking chronology (sequence) and/or correlation (things happening close together or at the same time) for causation** * It rained because I washed my car. *Analysis*: this is illogical; correlation does not equal causation * Smoking is correlated with alcoholism *Analysis:* this is accurate, and is not a claim about cause and effect * Smoking causes lung cancer *Analysis:* smoking might be one sufficient cause of lung cancer, but others exist, like exposure to certain chemicals *Remedy:* Smoking can cause lung cancer Examine all evidence carefully to avoid fallacies of causation. ## Footnote EXAMPLE: A reductive causal chain example (**ignoring multiple causes**): the traditional proverb, “For Want of a Nail”” For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Answer 54

**1. starts with emphasizing a known cause; moves to known or probable effect** * Untreated stress can eventually lead to elevated blood pressure. * Foreign investing helped create the Metro Vancouver housing crisis **2. starts with emphasizing known effect; moves to its cause(s)** * The crisis of high debt load among post-secondary students results from … * (Medical diagnosis) - from symptoms shown by the patient, to a suggested cause **3. Variation (a) stresses early on a single cause producing multiple effects:** * If you have a sore throat caused by a virus, you may also develop a fever, coughing, and … * In the 2012 NHL lockout, disagreement over how to divide revenues caused cancellation of the pre-season and cost many people other than hockey players to lose income **4. Variation (b) emphasizes multiple causes for a single effect** * A 1998 provincial commission of inquiry establishes multiple causes that led to the leaky condo crisis in BC: --> “numerous factors, including design features inappropriate for our climate; a reliance on facesealed wall systems; … meaningful inspection at critical stages of construction; and a regulatory system which was unable to understand that failures were occurring and to redress them” caused the leaky condo crisis in the early 2000s. * Focusing on just 1-2 of many causes may be useful or fair, depending on audience and purpose. -->If multiple causes exist, it’s often best to acknowledge this early on, to avoid overt bias **5. Uses a causal chain** * After studying until late, a student gets a poor night’s rest, which leads her to sleep through her alarm, so she arrives late to an exam, on which she does badly. *Always be aware of the potentially reductive nature of causal chains (they require ignoring multiple causes).*

Midterm Study Cards Flashcards

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