Example Essay

1. Exercise: Analyze an essay

   1. Yes
   2. Yes (Many new technologies influenced the spread of the European empire; however, the invention of the steam engine locomotive and the concomitant railway system had the greatest impact on many aspects of the imperial system.)
   3. Yes (The railway system had a strong military impact as its popularity spread. Railroads were also important because they strengthen the cultural connectedness of a nation. In addition, railroad construction had a significant impact on the economy of many industries within the empire because of the materials that were required to build it. The biggest way railways affected imperialism was by opening up previously unfeasible markets.)
   4. Yes
   5. Yes
   6. Yes
   7. Yes
   8. Yes
   9. Yes, (In sum, the technology that had the greatest impact on the establishment of empire in the 19th and 20th centuries was the railroad.)
   10. Opinion

Prewriting

1. Exercise: Evaluate thesis statements (Answers will vary, examples provided)

   1. This thesis statement is unclear and it is setting the writer up for a complicated essay. It would be easier to focus on either one impact of the Vietnam War or to make this an implicit thesis statement to simplify.
   2. It is unclear what the essay will actually be about. Simplify by stating a few aspects of the Renaissance (science, art, music) or narrowing the topic to what aspects of science you will discuss.
   3. This is again a very long and complex thesis statement. It needs to be clear and direct. An implicit thesis statement would again work better here.
   4. Is the topic about the people or the impact of the Great Migration on people?

2. Exercise: Restate a thesis

   1. Creativity and determination were the key factors in the creation of the lightbulb.
   2. The history of the Titanic is a clear example of a terrible and avoidable tragedy.

3. Exercise: Write a thesis

   1. Answers will vary, no example provided

4. Exercise: Peer review

   1. Answers will vary, no example provided

Writing

1. Exercise: Integrating Sources

   1. "The 14th century epidemic of the "Black Death," also called the black plague or bubonic plague, across Europe and Asia, has become one of the most infamous events in history. The plague killed 30-60 percent of the entire population of Europe, claiming a  grand total of anywhere between 75 to 200 million lives. Population growth did not resume until a full century later, and the world population did not recover until the 17th century" (Galbreath, 2016, "The Black Death," para. 1).
   2. This quote focuses on the effects of a deadly epidemic rather than supporting the topic sentence idea that it was deadly.
   3. This quote is about the Spanish Flu, which is not related to the topic sentence.

2. Exercise: Write a body paragraph

   1. Answers will vary, no examples provided

3. Exercise: Identify good paraphrases

   1. C
   2. A

Revising

1. Exercise: Check your essay

   1. Answers will vary, no examples provided

2. Exercise: Revise a paragraph

   1. Answers will vary, no examples provided