TIPS FOR APPROACHING WRITING TOPICS
The words that follow are frequently used in essay assignments and
examinations:
SUMMARIZE:
Sum up; give the main points briefly. Summarize the ways in which
man preserves food.
EVALUATE:
Give the good points and the bad ones; appraise; give an opinion
regarding the value of; talk over the advantages and limitations.
Evaluate the contributions of teaching machines.
CONTRAST:
Bring out the points of difference. Contrast the novels of Jane
Austen and William Makepeace Thackeray.
EXPLAIN:
Make clear; interpret; make plain; tell "how" to do; tell the meaning
of. Explain how man can, at times, trigger a full-scale rainstorm.
DESCRIBE:
Give an account of; tell about; give a word picture of. Describe
the pyramids of Gaza.
DEFINE:
Give the meaning of a word or concept; place it in the class to which
it belongs and set it off from other items in the same class.
Define the term "archetype".
COMPARE:
Bring out points of similarity and points of difference. Compare
the legislative branches of the state government and the national
government.
DISCUSS:
Talk over; consider from various points of view; present the different
side of. Discuss the use of pesticides in controlling mosquitoes.
CRITICIZE:
State your opinion of the correctness or merits of an item or issue;
criticism may approve or disapprove. Criticize the increasing use of
alcohol.
JUSTIFY:
Show good reasons for; give your evidence; present fact to support your
position. Justify the American entry into World War II.
TRACE:
Follow the course of; follow the trail of; give a description of
progress. Trace the development of television in school
instruction.
INTERPRET:
Make plain; give the meaning of; give your thinking about;
translate. Interpret the poetic line: "The sound of a cobweb
snapping is the noise of my life.
PROVE:
Establish the truth of something by giving factual evidence or logical
reasons. Prove that in a full-employment economy, a society can
get more of one product only by giving up another product.
ILLUSTRATE:
Use a word picture, a diagram, a chart, or a concrete example to
clarify a point. Illustrate the use of catapults in the
amphibious warfare of Alexander.