Ready to Write More Ch-9

C

HAPTE

1I

Problem/Solution

when

you' purpose, is to,describe a _{problem and evaluate possibre solutions,}

you

will

write a problem/solution _essay.

For

-,pr",lir"',rL.

dirc,.rrsirrg

solutions to _{the problem of employee}

_iissati

or the problems of adjusting to a _{foreign cuhure, you}

wo

f essay.

You should organize your solutio.r,

"..ordirrg

,o o

The problem/solution pattem is very useful

_in

academic writing. For example, you w

about solutions

type of essay

in

this

solve the unemployment problem in your

city.

to

Brainstormlng

_Solutions

For _{each of the probrems described berow,}

think of at reast three possible solutions. Work in small groups, _{and then comparc your} solutions with those of your classmates.

1'

Living

in

a _{foreign country can be fun and exciting, but}

it

can arso

be _{problematic. One of the most serious}

problems "tir"t

_p.opl.

living in

a _{foreign,counrry face is culture'sho.k.}

_\yil

ways can

you

think

of to _{help people deal}

_with

_{tt i,}

_pr"ff.rni'-'

Problem: Culture shock Solutions:

a,

b.

L.

2.

Many people have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep for an adequate

amount of time. This problem is known as insomnia.

What

suggestions would

you give to people who cannot seem to get a good night's sleep?

3. a. b. L. a. b. c. Problem: Insomnia Solutions:

Stress at work or school can be a serious problem.

A

person suffering from too

much stress usually finds

it

difficult

to be productive or h"ppy. 'What are some ways to reduce the amount of stress

in

someone's life?

Problem: Stress at work or school Solutions:

The population of the world keeps growing. Every fifteen seconds,

approximately 100 babies are bom. Experts predict that by the year 2015, there

will

be 7

billion

people on our planet. By the end of the century, the

population could reach 10

billion

people. The problem is that there probably

will

not be enough food to feed everyone. What solutions can you come up

with

to help solve this problem? Problem: Overpopulation Solutions; 4. a. b. c.

5. Crime is a serious problem

in

_{many large cities. Look back at rhe introduction}

to an essay on crime on page 65. Is crime a serious problem

in

the large cities

in

your native countryl

what

solutions can you

think

of to reduce the amount

of

crime?

Problem:

crime

in

large cities

in

the

United

states (or _{another country)}

Solutions:

a.

b. c.

6. Illiteracy is a serious problem

a[

_{over the world. For example, one-third}

_of

adults

in

the

United

States are functionally

_{illiterat.. p""pf" *no}

_{cannor read}

and write have many-disadvantages _functioning

_in

_society.

_what

_{solutions can} you come up

with

to _{help overcome this problem ?}

Problem: Illiteracy

Solutions;

a.

b.

c.

7. _{Many of the Earth's resources are nonrenewable and}

will

eventually run out.

In

order to _{make our valuable natural resources last longer,}

_*.

_...d

to

conserve

materials and recycle

F.T

?r much as possible. Urrfort,rn"teiy,

it

is not always

easy to _{convince people of}

_th:

_{necessity of recycring.}

_what

ijeas do yo.,

t

"rrf

about getting people to recycle?

Problem: Getting people to recycle Solutions:

a.

b. c.

Offering

Solutions

You are the advice consultant for a newspaper. How would you respond to the

following letters? Be sure to offer several solutions to each problem in your

response. Share your responses by exchanging papers with your classmates or by

reading them out loud.

Dear Confused,

Dut

Adttisor,

Whp)t

I

_frtt

a u,u' to du'

uni*l'

Staa'r tu

thd/

Wubtru

ti*tatur

q

r nate:

fu

u^attd, r wo

ol/,

_fi/'L

h'

ln w

-

upuhlly

uiHt'

an

At't'cuicaa'.

I

hal'

_flafinel,

a

spenl, hoo

yws

lwo

_i

eniry

wy r'ttt:bt's

dE

ro

an^d'

t*m

reh'trw b _J

apn

An'd, tuaLb. No

a

o nly ninp n'u nrt's

tabr,

u*yt*iry

hat d&'gef'.1t44ztlh'tuit(,onoof

ny

clatses,

atr/'un

starai,

sat"ly

iry

ag

etil*t

o no

&n1

l.pi'

a

&'e

wxt,

anl, b efo ro

I

kntlrit, t

*

*!ojel,.

tt

wamt ox'ad/

bwatfuft

tAhi

but

aloort.litu,r pant'ts aro

mn/^e:f'cl

z7u7 say

tl*

14

*M

lowto

hnte oJ aptoso

dmj

l4h/- itt' lat'u unfo

ra'uu*lV,

wV p'ateuts aro a'

lifuent

stor/. 71u/ cant

aaeptfufufut

t moildwury

tot4tantto

ufii

i'r n;t

_I

ayru,s o.

zlzy

are uuy up: et

oil'

umnt ruo to

fo r9 et ab o

o*

J it t'o an^d, AtL o ou plan'r

fo r o

unll,iry

wlun

wo

i

ra^fuu'b.

t

w

fat,

duy

a.rs ury

tttt

tup

b

co tup lw mp at t/tp

ad,

of

t/o

sur,u,rfur aa^d, span/,

tfio

t u*r*ilzr inJ

apn

712/

fut(k

tut

I l'l, g e* o

u*

_J

i** if

r d^o wt reo

fun

fortfuu'wnHa.

I'twso confwrd'.

ft'u,ru/'\t

c,lnsob wy

parutt

ad'd,on't

nr"ntto

/.l/,ut tur4o. o n' til.e otil*t ha'td',

I

h ue

_I

in

ail,

toat

to sp+*-d'

t/o

ru

t

t^y

h/tMhi*w.

r&inloI

mu'|l,bohzppy

b^t

btdrz'

ut4/bl'

stahs) but

t'w

afrai^d' m/

_Puens

uou'|/'

uttu

jt

ou*

it.

Wl4tt

Dear Concemed,

Work

with

a

Partner

On a separate piece of _{paper; write your own letter to the advice consultant. you}

can _{write about a real problem that you have or make one up. Then exchange} letters with a classmate and write a response.

READY TO WRITE

Analyzing a

Problem/Solution

Essay

Read the essay below

Energy Sources:

A

Dilemma

for

the Twenty-First

Century

All

of us have come to expect that reliable sources of energy

will

be

available forever. \ilUe drive our cars wherever and whenever we want. When

the gas tank gets low, we simply

pull into

the nearest gas station.

At

home, whenever we need to change the temperature, prepare food, listen to music, or watch TV, we simply turn on the nearest appliance.

What

is the source

of

all this energy that we use so carelessly?

In

most of the world, energy is

created by burning fossil fuels---coal, natural gas, and oil. The problem is that

these resources are

finite.

At

our current rate of use, by the year 2080, the world's supply of

oil will

be almost gone. That means that if you are under the

age of forty, the day

will

probably come when you

will

not have enough

gasoline for your car or electricity for your appliances. The three most commonly proposed solutions to this worldwide problem are increasing the efficiency of appliances and vehicles, improving conservation efforts, and findrng altemative energy sources.

The first solution, increasing the efficiency of appliances and vehicles, is

something that manufacturers have been working on for three decades. For instance, televisions now use 65 to 75 percent less electricity than they did

in

the 1970s, refrigerators use 20 to 30 percent less electricity, and cars need less

gas to travel more miles. Unfortunately, there are so many more televisions, refrigerators, and cars

in

the world now that overall consumption continues to

nse.

Another solution to the dangerous energy situation is to improve our conservation efforts. For example, all of us must get

in

the habit of recycling whatever we can.

\7e

have

to

install high-efficiency light bulbs

in

our homes and offices and

tum

off the lights in rooms that we are not using.

It

would

also help if we biked, walked, carpooled, or used public transportation more

and used our cars less. Unfortunately, improvements

in

both conservation and

efficiency are only temporary solutions. They extend the useful life of our

cunent fuels, but they do

not

explain what we

will

do when these fuels run

out.

The best solution, then, is to

find

altemative sources of energy to meet our future needs. The current leading altematives to fossil fuels are fusion and solar energy. Fusion is a nuclear reaction that results

in

an enormous release

of

energy.

It

is practically pollution-free and is probably our best long-range

option. Unfortunately,

it will

not be available for at least twenfy years. The

other possible energy source, solar power, is the source of all energy, except nuclear, on Earth. 'When people

think

of solar energy, they generally

think

of

the many ways

that

individual homeowners can utilize the power of the sun

for heating water and buildings. But solar energy can also be utilized to

generate electricity and to purifu fuels for automobiles.

It

is clear that for us to have sufficient energy resources for the twenty-first

century

it will

be necessary to pursue the development and encourage the use

of altemative energy sources worldwide.

If

we ignore this problem, what

will

Work

with

a

partner

Answer the following questions with a partner.

1.

I7hat

is _{the thesis statement of the essay?} z.

3-

ose?

4. 5.

Writing problem/Solution

_Essays

Reread _{the case below about rom}

Higgins's restaurant, The undergrad Grill. In the chapter 7 activity, you focused on the causes of the restaurant,s problems. _{In this} activity, you willfocus on solutions.

On

April

15, _{Tom Higgins opened a}

new resraurant at Benson University.

P::1.,1._

t:

y"d.,g,"d

c,i

I l.

ril

iJ;;;;

;;;;1#;_1";;

"u.:"Xll"._:::lil-";+rb",t*.""*."i*,srol.i';*r,r"C*,ii'il'#."H.

f;

l1l"li.'::.*1".::lr^'y,-r9T:9*h:lh;;i:3tr.';.'.##;il#::;

l.:,lsl_1.*f;,r1gurea

that this would be a great

ro.".ioi'L,51ilili,*,n

Lr zuru well wort

*::':i:T

:::jl[11r-e_novarions

h. .,."d"J

io_

a"

."

,r,.

luilding.

since

1;

::*.i

::

::::,

:*

::,jTlT:

"

soon as _n9* iu,re,

_ru

ffi

".il

_fll?

r.ilt

li'":::$i::* i:'*:::..l1':"' ;t';;"ii;;.

Fi:

il:d

;#$:ffi;

the workers because _{he wanted}

_r.

_{go it}

_i

_{job do'ne}

_;r

;;i"kly":r";#illJ

Essay

Plan:

problem/Solution

The guidelines below

will

_{herp you remember what you need to do in each part}

of

a problem/solution essav.

Introductlon

-1. Describe the problem and state why

it

is serious.

2.

ri7rite _{a thesis statement that}

identifies possible solurions.

Suppofting

Paragraphs

1.

Discuss one solution

in

_{each supporting paragraph.}

Z.

Provide details to _{explain each solution.}

3.

Organize the paragraphs _{according to order of importance.}

Concluslon

1.

Summarize the solutions.

2'

Draw a _{conclusion or make a prediction based}

on your suggestions.

{fl#$

W

UNDEDGNAD

GRILL

Open ll A.M. to II P.M.

Uegetables & Side Dishes

Baked _Poraro $ 3.00 Frcnch frics $ 3.00 Ricc $ 3.00 Cmmthecob(inwn)$ 3.00 Pcr $ 3.00 Grccn beas $ 3.00 Soups

Hot and sou

Black bean Frcnch mion Wonton Vcgcuble Ent16es Flamburgcr ChescbuEer Fricd chickcn Filct of frsh Chicken fajite Eaf fajiu Skimp tcmpum Pork fricd rie

Stcak au poiwc

Spagbctti and meatballs Chickcn and humus

lmb curry $ 400 $4m $ 400 3 400 s 400 Houss salad Desserts

Homemadc apple pie

Chcolale mo|s Flan Icc crram Mixod frcsh fruir Drinks Irmonade Coffe Tea Soda $ 4.50 $ 8.95 $r0.95 $ 9.95 $ 6.95 s 895 $10.95 s10,95 s 6.95 st2.95 s 7.95 $ 8.95 $r4.95 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 s 5.00 s 4.00 $ 3.50 $ 4.00 $ 3.00 $ 3.00 $ 2.00 Crcdit csds gcccDtrd. No cheks.

When the time came to open, he didn't have enough money to do much advertising. However, since his restaurant was surrounded by many other

restaurants and since _{over 25,000 undergraduate and $aduate students} were

looking for a place to eat, Higgins was certain his restaurant would do well

even without advertising.

After

placing several help-wanted ads

in

the local

newspaper, Higgins hired two waitresses to work for him. He couldn't afford

professional cooks, so he hired several students to do the cooking.

Unfortunately for Higgins, the competition was more intense than he had anticipated.

After

two months, his restaurant was doing poorly. One of his

Prewriting

Work with a padner and Solutions

brainstorm a list of solutions to Tom Higgins,s problem.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5, 6. Writing

use the rist to pran _{and write an essay about sorutions}

to Tom Higgins,s probrem.

choose severar of the sorutions on your rist to _{deverop into topics for the}

supporting paragraphs. _{write an}

introduction that staies the problem in a few

;ilT:"".?"Tr_

that states the sotutions you are soins to

paragraph.

Final

graphs using one solution for each

solutions.

rar

that leaves your reader thinking about the

Revising and Editing

Exchange drafts with a crassmate. Discuss any suggestions _{that your partner has} for revision and editing. use the Revising

_{ctrecHist-li o"n"}

₇₅

and the Editing checkrist on page 56. write _{or type a revised version oi you.}

essay.

WRITING MORE PROBLEM/SOLUTION

_ESSAYS

Follow these steps to write another problem/solution _essay. Prewriting

a

_{choose one of the following topics and freewrite about it for}

10 _{minutes. use a}

separate piece of paper if you do not have

"nough

;or-n"r".

o

_{Overcrowding in your school}

.

_{The generation gap}

.

_An

argument

_with

a friend

o

Smog

o

Access to _{the workplace for the disabled}

B.

Using your freewriting as a basis for planning your essay, identify several of the solutions that you think you can develop into an essay. lf you have not generated enough ideas, do another, more focused freewriting. Then prepare an outline of your essay.

write the first draft of your essay. Use the essay plan your draft. Be sure to provide some background

the introduction and include a clear thesis statement. raphs according to order of importance, beginning or

nt solution. End with a conclusion that summarizes the solutions, draws a conclusion, or makes a prediction.

Revising and Editing

A.

Perconal revising. Wait at least one day, and then revise your essay using the checklist on page 75. Be sure that each paragraph describes one possible solution. Also, check to make sure you have provided enough suppoft to explain each solution fully. Write or type a revised vercion of your essay.

B.

Peer Revising. Exchange drafts with a classmate. Use the following worksheet as a

guide for suggesting improvements in your partner's essay.

Peer

Editor:

1.

What are some interesting things you leamed from reading this essay?

z. Did the introduction provide enough

background

_{_yes _no}

information to explain the problem?

How many solutions did the author offer

in

the essay?

3.

Is each solution adequately developed

in

a

separate

_yes

supporting paragraph?

4.

Are

the paragraphs arranged

in

a logical order?

W'hat type of order did the author use?

5. Did the author use transitions to guide you from one idea to the next?

'Were

there any irrelevant sentences that should be eliminated?

Did the author include a conclusion

that

summarizes the solutions or makes a prediction?

_yes

_no

6.

yes

_{_no}

7.

Editing' use the checktist on page 56 to ed* your essay.

co'ect

_a,

_{the g'mmaG}

punctuation, capitarization, and speiling

_erors

_{before you copy it over or type}

it.

Explore the

Web

Think of a problem

carpet, you need

d

everyday life: You spilled coffee on your book, you have a

fl

spital' you want _{to find a solution} to buy an out-of-print

to _{your problem. Write}

a paragraph that describes the probrem and exprains the sorution.

You Be

the Editor

The following paragraph contains seven mistakes. Find the _{mistakes and}

_corect

them' Then copy the corrected paragraph onto a separate sheet of paper.

If

you are like mosr people, you average one

to

three colds per year.

Even

if

you do not _{have a cold right}

now

The chances _{are three}

_in

_four

that within _{the next} year, at least one

cold virus

will

find

you. then you,ll

spend a week or so suffering _{from the}

miseries _{of the common cold: fatigue,}

sore throat, laryngitis, _{sneezing, stuffii}

or

runny

nose, and coughing.

Ac-cording

to

researchers, _{colds are the}

most

_{common medical reason for}

missing school and work. Once vou

catch a cold, what can _{you do. There}

is

no

known

cure

yet

for a

cold. There are, _{however, several thing you}

can do to suppress _{the symptom's so}

that

_{you feel better}

_{while the}

_virus

runs

its

course. For example, make sure that you get plenty of sleep and

drink

lots

of

liquids.

you

_{may find}

commercially available cold remedies

such as _{decongestants, cough}

suppres-sants, and expectorants _{helpful, but}

keep in _{mind that these products can}

ages,

_"if

_{you treat}

_a

_cold,

_it

_will

be

gone

_in

_{a week;}

_if

_{you don't fteat it.}

will

be gone _{in seven davs.',}

Source: Jane Brody ,s

Cold and Ftu Figlter

On

Your

_Own

write _{a probrem/sotution essay based on one of the probtems you}

anaryzed in the Brainstorming sorutions on pages 12$191. _{Be sure you,.}

""""y

has an introduction

that describes the probrem, severarsupporting

paragraphs that expfain the solutions, and a concrusion that summarizes the sorutions _{or makes a prediction.}