Exam 10: Comparison and Contrast

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Street skateboarding and vert skateboarding differ in several ways (2) Street skateboarding takes place in outdoor public areas where there are staircases, benches, walls, and sidewalks. (3) In contrast, vert skateboarding usually takes place in skate parks with ramps or bowls. (4) Another major difference is the tricks performed in each type of skateboarding (5) Street skaters use a style called the grind, which involves scraping their boards' axles against objects such as stairway handrails (6) They also perform tricks that involve kicking the board to flip it into the air (7) Vert skaters, on the other hand, use the steep walls of the ramps or bowls to pick up speed and gain "air time" at the edges (8) While airborne, they perform different flips and spins (9) To achieve these tricks, they use boards that are wider and flatter than street boards, which have upturned noses and tails to aid kicking. Does this paragraph compare, contrast, or both?

Instructions: Below is a plan for a contrast paragraph. The points of contrast in the second column do not follow the same order as the points in the first column. In addition, one detail is missing. Watching sports live and on television   Select the letter of the answer that correctly numbers the points in the second column to match those in the first.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Mexico City is a fascinating mixture of modern and traditional ways of life (2) The city boasts sleek skyscrapers, such as the famous Latin America tower. (3) However, it also proudly displays its graceful Spanish colonial palaces and public buildings, many of which are 300 years old. (4) Glittering stores line the main shopping streets, offering the latest in international styles of clothing and house furnishings (5) Yet old fashioned street markets fill the city, from the great food market of the Merced to stalls in small plazas selling such piñatas and paper Christmas decorations (6) Huge modern factories in the northern section turn out most of Mexico's clothing, steel, cement, appliances, and electrical supplies (7) In contrast, craftspeople line the city's streets with their handmade baskets, pottery, metalwork, and textiles. Does this paragraph compare, contrast, or both?

Instructions: Below is a plan for a contrast paragraph. The points of contrast in the second column do not follow the same order as the points in the first column. In addition, one detail is missing. Living in a big city or a small town   The missing detail in the plan above is

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Both a cold and the flu can make you miserable, but they are different in several ways (2) Experts say a cold will go away by itself. (3) However, the flu can lead to pneumonia and other serious or even deadly problems. (4) A cold usually comes on gradually, accompanied by little or no fever (5) In contrast, the flu comes on suddenly, and its fever can spike as high as 104 degrees and linger for three or four days (6) Someone with a cold might experience mild body aches and fatigue, but the flu often brings severe body aches, deep fatigue, chills, and a major headache (7) In general, a cold is wet, with much congestion, a runny nose, and even runny eyes (8) The flu, on the other hand, is far drier, marked by a dry cough. Select the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Both a cold and the flu can make you miserable, but they are different in several ways (2) Experts say a cold will go away by itself. (3) However, the flu can lead to pneumonia and other serious or even deadly problems. (4) A cold usually comes on gradually, accompanied by little or no fever (5) In contrast, the flu comes on suddenly, and its fever can spike as high as 104 degrees and linger for three or four days (6) Someone with a cold might experience mild body aches and fatigue, but the flu often brings severe body aches, deep fatigue, chills, and a major headache (7) In general, a cold is wet, with much congestion, a runny nose, and even runny eyes (8) The flu, on the other hand, is far drier, marked by a dry cough. Which one of the following transitional expressions indicating contrast or comparison does not appear in the paragraph?

Instructions: Below is a plan for a contrast paragraph. The points of contrast in the second column do not follow the same order as the points in the first column. In addition, one detail is missing. Compare two teachers.   Select the missing detail for the blank in the plan above.

Instructions: Below is a plan for a contrast paragraph. The points of contrast in the second column do not follow the same order as the points in the first column. In addition, one detail is missing in the second column. Compare a community college and a university.   Which of the following is the missing detail?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Although black bass and striped bass are two familiar fish in the world of saltwater fishing, their habits are altogether different (2) Staying in one locale and waiting intently for its victims to pass, the black bass feeds steadily on fiddler crabs, mussels, skimmer, and clams. (3) Its cousin, the striped bass, however, remains in constant motion, always searching for its prey. (4) The striped bass feeds on smaller fish, squid, tin cans, or any glittering or wiggly object (5) The black bass builds its home in the rocks that lie along the bottom of the ocean wall; it is well protected from the fisherman, whose line will often snag and break before this fish is taken (6) On the other hand, the striped bass makes its home almost anywhere; it is usually caught near the surface of the water or several feet from the bottom (7) The best way to catch the black bass is with a hook and sinker, whereas trolling is the best way to land a striped bass because this fish does not remain in one spot very long (8) Striped bass and black bass, however, do have one thing in common: both make delicious eating after being caught and then fried in an open pan. What two things are being compared and/or contrasted?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Both a cold and the flu can make you miserable, but they are different in several ways (2) Experts say a cold will go away by itself. (3) However, the flu can lead to pneumonia and other serious or even deadly problems. (4) A cold usually comes on gradually, accompanied by little or no fever (5) In contrast, the flu comes on suddenly, and its fever can spike as high as 104 degrees and linger for three or four days (6) Someone with a cold might experience mild body aches and fatigue, but the flu often brings severe body aches, deep fatigue, chills, and a major headache (7) In general, a cold is wet, with much congestion, a runny nose, and even runny eyes (8) The flu, on the other hand, is far drier, marked by a dry cough. What two things are being compared and/or contrasted?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Mexico City is a fascinating mixture of modern and traditional ways of life (2) The city boasts sleek skyscrapers, such as the famous Latin America tower. (3) However, it also proudly displays its graceful Spanish colonial palaces and public buildings, many of which are 300 years old. (4) Glittering stores line the main shopping streets, offering the latest in international styles of clothing and house furnishings (5) Yet old fashioned street markets fill the city, from the great food market of the Merced to stalls in small plazas selling such piñatas and paper Christmas decorations (6) Huge modern factories in the northern section turn out most of Mexico's clothing, steel, cement, appliances, and electrical supplies (7) In contrast, craftspeople line the city's streets with their handmade baskets, pottery, metalwork, and textiles. Which of the following sentences does NOT contain a transitional expression that indicates contrast or comparison?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) The city of Bangalore, India, is a jarring mixture of new and old (2) Bangalore has become a world center of the computer software industry, and companies like IBM, Dell, and Hewlett Packard have built dozens of gleaming new buildings. (3) In contrast, the rutted dirt roads are choked with oxcarts, and three-wheeled taxis belch black fumes. (4) Over breakfast each morning at the Taj Residency Hotel, Indian programmers chat with American engineers about the latest piece of computer code (5) Yet sandal-clad women carry baskets of tools on their heads at a nearby construction site, and workers drag a huge pipe into place using only ropes (6) Each night, teams of programmers send their work by satellite uplink to teams on the other side of the earth (7) However, they must rely on diesel generators because power outages lasting two or three hours occur almost every day. Does this paragraph compare, contrast, or both?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Although black bass and striped bass are two familiar fish in the world of saltwater fishing, their habits are altogether different (2) Staying in one locale and waiting intently for its victims to pass, the black bass feeds steadily on fiddler crabs, mussels, skimmer, and clams. (3) Its cousin, the striped bass, however, remains in constant motion, always searching for its prey. (4) The striped bass feeds on smaller fish, squid, tin cans, or any glittering or wiggly object (5) The black bass builds its home in the rocks that lie along the bottom of the ocean wall; it is well protected from the fisherman, whose line will often snag and break before this fish is taken (6) On the other hand, the striped bass makes its home almost anywhere; it is usually caught near the surface of the water or several feet from the bottom (7) The best way to catch the black bass is with a hook and sinker, whereas trolling is the best way to land a striped bass because this fish does not remain in one spot very long (8) Striped bass and black bass, however, do have one thing in common: both make delicious eating after being caught and then fried in an open pan. Does this paragraph compare, contrast, or both?

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Although black bass and striped bass are two familiar fish in the world of saltwater fishing, their habits are altogether different (2) Staying in one locale and waiting intently for its victims to pass, the black bass feeds steadily on fiddler crabs, mussels, skimmer, and clams. (3) Its cousin, the striped bass, however, remains in constant motion, always searching for its prey. (4) The striped bass feeds on smaller fish, squid, tin cans, or any glittering or wiggly object (5) The black bass builds its home in the rocks that lie along the bottom of the ocean wall; it is well protected from the fisherman, whose line will often snag and break before this fish is taken (6) On the other hand, the striped bass makes its home almost anywhere; it is usually caught near the surface of the water or several feet from the bottom (7) The best way to catch the black bass is with a hook and sinker, whereas trolling is the best way to land a striped bass because this fish does not remain in one spot very long (8) Striped bass and black bass, however, do have one thing in common: both make delicious eating after being caught and then fried in an open pan. Transitional expressions that indicate contrast or comparison include all except :

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) The city of Bangalore, India, is a jarring mixture of new and old (2) Bangalore has become a world center of the computer software industry, and companies like IBM, Dell, and Hewlett Packard have built dozens of gleaming new buildings. (3) In contrast, the rutted dirt roads are choked with oxcarts, and three-wheeled taxis belch black fumes. (4) Over breakfast each morning at the Taj Residency Hotel, Indian programmers chat with American engineers about the latest piece of computer code (5) Yet sandal-clad women carry baskets of tools on their heads at a nearby construction site, and workers drag a huge pipe into place using only ropes (6) Each night, teams of programmers send their work by satellite uplink to teams on the other side of the earth (7) However, they must rely on diesel generators because power outages lasting two or three hours occur almost every day. What two things are being compared and/or contrasted?