Essay Exercises

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Chapter 2

Essay Exercises

Identify the issue and conclusion in each of the following paragraphs.

This activity contains 5 questions.

Corporate managers are always interested in techniques for increasing the productivity of their workers. One interesting suggestion made by productivity consultants is to pipe music into the work area. Several recent studies have explored the extent to which different types of music affect workers' output. The primary hypothesis examined in the studies was that soft-rock music would prove the greatest aid to productivity. The research has found almost universally that country and western music is the greatest inducement to efficiency. Therefore, corporate officials should seriously consider playing country and western music as a stimulus to worker productivity.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

For a better college learning environment, all classes should begin in the afternoon. Most students try to schedule afternoon or evening classes anyway; you rarely hear of a student who is upset at being closed out of the 8 a.m. section of a class. Also, experts say that students who are alert learn more and learn more quickly. For example, at Southern State University, one group of students took an 8 a.m. psychology course from Dr. Miller while another group took the same course from Dr. Miller at 2 p.m. The students in the afternoon course had slightly higher averages than those in the morning class. Changing the starting time for classes at universities to the afternoon will help students.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

People suffering from mental illness are nearly twice as likely to smoke cigarettes as people with no mental illness, according to a new study by Harvard Medical School researchers. The researchers found that people with diagnosable mental illness comprise nearly 45 percent of the total U.S. tobacco market. The study suggests that people with mental illness often use the nicotine from cigarettes to enhance their mood, relieve anxiety, and cope with stress.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

The future of our nation depends on strong leadership. With crises all over the world and problems at home, America cannot afford to have a weak president at the helm. But even in these times of trouble, John Thomason wants to reduce the military budget by 24 percent in favor of pork-barrel spending programs. He even voted with the Democrats to cut military spending by 18 percent, and to force our commanders to obey politically correct laws that hamper battlefield effectiveness!

Mike Porthos is committed to national security. As a senator, he consistently voted to improve our national defense, and the Citizens for a Responsible Defense gave him a 100 percent approval rating in 1998. On the home front, he has helped to safeguard the American way of life by cutting waste in the Department of Transportation and exposing a major fraud scheme in the Department of Health and Human Services.

In an uncertain world, will you vote for the security of our country or for unproven social programs? If you want proven, experienced, and principled leadership, vote Mike Porthos on November 2.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

A recent court case in Hawaii involved the question of the legality of same-sex marriages. Because the majority of the United States is conservative, most people are probably against same-sex marriages. While most people consider the issue to be a clash of values, the question is really based on financial problems.

Same-sex couples face many financial problems that heterosexual couples do not face. For example, if a married person dies without a will, the property automatically transfers to the surviving spouse. However, same-sex couples must draft wills that leave their property to their partner. The cost of drafting these wills can range from $5,000 to $30,000. This cost is simply unfair to same-sex couples. Furthermore, health insurance for a heterosexual partner is usually offered through an employer. However, same-sex partners are not covered through employer insurance.

Although there are many financial biases against same-sex couples, these people face the problems because of their love for one another. In a country in which one out of every two new marriages ends in a divorce, we must not discriminate against those who practice love.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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