Starting Points: Speculating About Causes

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A Well-Presented Subject

How do I come up with a subject to write about?

  • Consider possible topics. (pp. 421, 426, 432)
  • Choose a subject to analyze. (pp. 436–37)
  • Test Your Choice (p. 437)

How can I present my subject clearly and effectively?

  • Determine the writer’s purpose and audience. (p. 405)
  • Assess the genre’s basic features: A well-presented subject. (pp. 405–6)
  • A Well-Presented Subject: Using Anecdote to Dramatize the Subject (pp. 419–20)
  • A Well-Presented Subject: Reframing the Subject for Readers (p. 424)
  • A Well-Presented Subject: Using Examples (p. 431)
  • Present the subject to your readers. (p. 438)
  • A Troubleshooting Guide: A Well-Presented Subject (p. 449)
Table 9.13: STARTING POINTS: SPECULATING ABOUT CAUSES
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A Well-Supported Causal Analysis

How do I come up with a list of possible causes to explore?

  • Present the subject to your readers. (p. 438)
  • Analyze possible causes. (p. 439)
  • Conduct research. (p. 440)

How can I convince my readers that the causes I identify are plausible?

  • Assess the genre’s basic features: A well-supported causal analysis. (pp. 406–7)
  • A Well-Supported Causal Analysis: Using a Source (p. 420)
  • A Well-Supported Causal Analysis: Using Examples and Comparisons (pp. 424–25)
  • A Well-Supported Causal Analysis: Depicting Research Graphically (p. 431)
  • Analyze possible causes. (p. 439)
  • Conduct research. (p. 440)
  • Cite a variety of sources to support your causal analysis. (p. 441)
  • Formulate a working thesis stating your preferred cause(s). (pp. 441–42)
An Effective Response to Objections and Alternative Causes

How do I deal with my readers’ likely objections or alternative causes?

  • Assess the genre’s basic features: An effective response to objections and alternative causes. (pp. 407–8)
  • An Effective Response: Using Counterexamples (pp. 420–21)
  • An Effective Response: Putting Aside Obvious Causes (p. 425)
  • An Effective Response: Answering an Objection (pp. 431–32)
  • Draft a response to objections readers are likely to raise. (pp. 442–43)
  • Draft a response to the causes your readers are likely to favor. (pp. 443–44)
  • A Troubleshooting Guide: An Effective Response (p. 449)
A Clear, Logical Organization

How can I help my readers follow my argument?

  • Assess the genre’s basic features: A clear, logical organization. (pp. 408–9)
  • A Clear, Logical Organization: Using Rhetorical Questions (p. 421)
  • A Clear, Logical Organization: Using Cause-Effect Sentence Strategies (pp. 425–26)
  • A Clear, Logical Organization: Forecasting Causes (p. 432)
  • Create an outline that will organize your causal analysis effectively for your readers. (p. 445)
  • A Troubleshooting Guide: A Clear, Logical Organization (p. 450)