Chapter 7, Additional Exercise 5: Revising the Organization of a Complex Description

The Primer on Molecular Genetics, from the U.S. Department of Energy, is a description intended to help general readers understand the basic science behind the Human Genome Project. Start by studying the primer's table of contents, thinking about how the information is organized. What pattern (or patterns) is used to organize the description on the highest level—that is, the level that includes "Introduction," "Glossary," and "Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome"? Can you think of ways to make the organization clearer by revising some of the headings? Look, too, at the lower levels of the description, noting the different patterns of organization used at each level. Next, read the primer itself. If it is intended for general readers, many of whom are probably unfamiliar with the Human Genome Project, what would be the best place to explain the overall goals and objectives for the project? Present your findings in a 1,000-word memo to your instructor. (See Chapter 14 for a discussion of memos.)