1. By discussing ancient Egypt in the following passage, Goodman is using which pattern of organization?

We are finally excavating the archaeological layers of our past, digging artifacts out of corners of the house that have been untouched nearly as long as Tutankhamen’s tomb. The pharaoh’s tomb-diggers, however, didn’t uncover a macrame plant holder or a dozen plastic planters.

Work Cited

Goodman, Ellen. “Spring Cleaning Our Lives.” SF Gate. 13 Apr. 2002.

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2. What is the primary organizational pattern of the following passage?

“Why, Ms. Goodman, do you have any idea how much this 1954 cardboard stencil is worth today?”

“Why, no, my mother bought it for 39 cents at Woolworth’s.”

“Well, she got quite a bargain. Today at the right auction you could get $1,300 for this!” Tears, followed by applause.

If I was intimidated by the quantity of the stuff, I was more intimidated by the quantity of decisions: Treasure or trash? Who sez?

Work Cited

Goodman, Ellen. “Spring Cleaning Our Lives.” SF Gate. 13 Apr. 2002.

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3. What is the main organizational pattern of this excerpt from Myer’s Psychology textbook?

As with generalized anxiety and phobias, we can see aspects of our own behavior in the obsessive-compulsive disorder. We may at times be obsessed with senseless or offensive thoughts that will not go away. Or we may engage in compulsive, rigid behavior— rechecking a locked door, stepping over cracks in the sidewalk, or lining up our books and pencils “just so” before studying.

Obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors cross the fine line between normality and disorder when they become so persistent that they interfere with the way we live or when they cause distress. Checking to see that the door is locked is normal; checking the door 10 times is not. Hand washing is normal; hand washing so often that one’s skin becomes raw is not. At some time during their lives, often during their late teens or twenties, 2 or 3 percent of people cross that line from normal preoccupations and fussiness to debilitating disorder. The obsessive thoughts become so haunting, the compulsive rituals so senselessly time-consuming, that effective functioning becomes impossible.

Work Cited:

Myers, David G. Psychology. New York: Worth, 2004. Print.

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4. According to the following passage, what is an effect of the more recent trend toward buying generic products and clothes from secondhand stores?

Fights over sneakers and jackets generate significant questions at the heart of our consumer culture. Does brand-name advertising unrealistically raise hopes about attaining the consumer “dreams” that some ads promise? Who should share the ultimate responsibility for violence that takes place in the name of a coveted shoe or jacket? As a society, should we mandate noncommercial messages and public-service announcements that offer alternative visions? While we need to debate these issues vigorously as individuals and as a society, in some communities kids and adults have already acted. Although brand-name products continue to sell well, an alternative attitude rejects such labeling and opts for cheaper generic product and used rummage-sale clothing. Posing a challenge to the advertising industry, this attitude undermines the view that brand-name identification is a requirement of our times.

Work Cited:

Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. Print.

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5. The passage below demonstrates which pattern of organization?

As an example, in the early 1990s, Star Trek: The Next Generation (before it became a part of the new UPN network) was offered by its producer-distributor, Paramount, in a 7/5 barter deal. Paramount did not charge cash per episode. Instead, during each airing it retained seven minutes of ad time to sell national spots and left stations with five minutes of ad time to sell local spots. The Jenny Jones Show also started out as a barter show. As it became a proven product, its syndicator, Time Warner, repackaged the show as a cash-plus deal.

Work Cited:

Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. Print.

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6. Which of the following is a similarity between the two groups compared in the passage?

Unlike most Westerners, who now raise their children to be independent, many Asians and Africans live in communal cultures, cultures that focus on cultivating emotional closeness. Rather than being given their own bedrooms and entrusted to day care, infants and toddlers typically sleep with their mothers and spend their days close to a family member. Children of communal cultures grow up with a stronger sense of “family self”—a feeling that what shames the child shames the family. Compared with Westerners, people in Japanese and Chinese cultures, for example, exhibit greater shyness toward strangers and greater concern for social harmony and loyalty. “My parents will be disappointed in me” is a concern of 7 percent of American and Italian teenagers and 14 percent of Australian teens, but nearly 25 percent of teens in Taiwan and Japan. . . .

Because we are so mindful of how others differ from us, we often fail to notice the similarities predisposed by our shared biology. Crosscultural research can help us by leading us to appreciate both our cultural diversity and our human kinship. Compared with person-to-person differences within groups, the differences between groups are small. Regardless of our culture, we humans share the same life cycle. We all speak to our infants in similar ways and respond similarly to their coos and cries. All over the world, the children of parents who are warm and supportive feel better about themselves and are less hostile than the children of parents who are punitive and rejecting.

Work Cited:

Myers, David G. Psychology. New York: Worth, 2004. Print.

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7. What is compared and contrasted in this passage?

Animals have two types of glands. Some, such as sweat glands and salivary glands, release secretions that are not hormones through ducts that lead outside the body. Sweat gland ducts open onto the surface of the skin, salivary gland ducts open into the mouth, and the duct from the pancreas carries digestive enzymes into the digestive tract. Such glands are called exocrine glands because they secrete their products to the outside of the body (the Greek exo- means “outside of”).

Glands that secrete hormones do not have ducts; they are called endocrine glands because they secrete their products into extracellular fluid, from which the hormones enter the blood, which is inside the body. Cells of most endocrine glands synthesize hormones and store them until they are stimulated to secrete their signals. Collectively, endocrine glands make up the endocrine system.

Work Cited:

Purves, William K. Life: The Science of Biology. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2001. Print.

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8. Which of the following is not a distinguishing characteristics of attachment as described by the passage from The Development of Children below?

Many developmental psychologists believe that these new forms of emotional expression signal a new, emotionally charged bond, which they call attachment. Eleanor Maccoby lists four signs of attachment in babies and young children:

1. They seek to be near their primary caregivers. Before the age of 7 to 8 months, few babies plan and make organized attempts to achieve contact with their caregivers; after this age, babies often follow their caregiver closely, for example.

2. They show distress if separated from their caregivers. Before attachment begins, infants show little disturbance when their caregivers walk out of the room.

3. They are happy when they are reunited with the person they are attached to.

4. They orient their actions to the caregiver, even when he or she is absent. Babies listen for the caregiver’s voice and watch the caregiver while they play.

Work Cited:

Cole, Michael, Sheila R. Cole, and Cynthia Lightfoot. The Development of Children. New York: Worth, 2005. Print.

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9. Which pattern of organization is Myer’s using when writing about seals?

By definition, experience is key to learning. More than 200 years ago, philosophers such as John Locke and David Hume echoed Aristotle’s conclusion from 2000 years earlier: We learn by association. Our minds naturally connect events that occur in sequence: We associate them. If, after seeing and smelling freshly baked bread, you eat some and find it satisfying, then the next time you see and smell fresh bread, your experience will lead you to expect that eating some will be satisfying again. And if you associate a sound with a frightening consequence, then your fear may be aroused by the sound itself. As one 4-year-old exclaimed after watching a TV character get mugged, “If I had heard that music, I wouldn’t have gone around the corner!”

Simpler animals can learn simple associations. When disturbed by a squirt of water, the sea snail Aplysia will protectively withdraw its gill. If the squirts continue, as happens naturally in choppy water, the withdrawal response diminishes. (The snail’s response “habituates.”) But if the sea snail repeatedly receives an electric shock just after being squirted, its withdrawal response to the squirt alone becomes stronger. The animal associates the squirt with the impending shock. More complex animals can learn more complex associations, especially those that bring favorable consequences. Seals in an aquarium will repeat behaviors, such as slapping and barking, that prompt people to toss them a herring.

Work Cited:

Myers, David G. Psychology. New York: Worth, 2004. Print.

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10. The passage below includes a sequence of steps to follow. Which of the following patterns of organization would NOT be an effective alternative pattern of organization to use when rewriting this passage?

If you go to work at a quality-conscious company like Xerox, you will become expert in using the problem-solving process. You will also find it invaluable in many other situations. In fact, formal problem solving can even help you study better. Here is the process.

STEP 1. Identify the problem. The individual or group considers various ways of looking at the problem and chooses the one that is most helpful in solving it. This requires opening your mind (and your team’s agenda) to lots of ideas, then focusing in on the most useful problem definition.

STEP 2. Analyze the problem. Look for causes, issues, and questions. Gather the information you need to understand the problem. Again, start by opening up to lots of potential causes. Then close in on one or a few key causes for action.

STEP 3. List possible solutions. Be creative. Think of lots of ideas. At Xerox, employees ask, “How could we make a change?” Then think about each option to make it as clear as possible.

STEP 4. Select and plan one solution. Which is the best way? Compare the options in as many ways as possible. Then focus on how to implement the one you chose.

STEP 5. Implement the solution. Follow through on your plan to solve the problem or make the change.

STEP 6. Check the solution. How well does it work? Identify any continuing problems and start the process again.

Work Cited:

Blanchard, Kenneth H. Exploring the World of Business. New York: Worth, 1996. Print.

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