A Clear, Logical Organization: Using Comparison and Contrast

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 Analyze 
Use the basic features.

Lengthy evaluations can be difficult to follow, but writers have a number of strategies at their disposal to help guide readers. They may use transitional words and phrases or numbered lists, as Gladwell does. But they may also use more subtle strategies to help create cohesion. Gladwell, for example, uses comparison and contrast and strategic repetition to help readers follow his analysis.

ANALYZE & WRITE

Write a brief analysis of how Gladwell uses these two strategies:

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  1. Skim paragraphs 1–3, 5, and 10, noting every place that Gladwell mentions Car and Driver or compares Car and Driver’s ranking system with the ranking system used by U.S. News, and highlight every time Gladwell uses the word heterogeneous to describe these ranking systems. Consider the comparison Gladwell is making between Car and Driver’s and U.S. News’s ranking systems. How does this comparison help him structure his article logically?
  2. Skim paragraphs 3, 8, and 11–14, underlining the words selectivity and efficacy. How does Gladwell use the contrast between selectivity and efficacy? How does this contrast help him guide readers and make his point?
  3. Finally, evaluate Gladwell’s use of these strategies. How effective were they in helping you follow Gladwell’s logic? What, if anything, would you suggest Gladwell do to make his analysis easier to follow?

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