BB+Unit+2.+Tasks+19.20.21+ASS.05+910804


 * Unit 2: Writing General- Specific Text **


 * // TASK 19 - Page 77 //**

Read through the following discussion of procrastination, which views the term from a variety of perspectives and answer the Questions that follow. Does it seem like a competing or a contrastive definition, or is it another kind?
 * A: ** I think it is direct definition not a competing or contrastive definition. Because in such a competing definition based on different definition expressed author make clear the definition that reader adopt, in other hand it is not contrastive definition because there are not any related term to subject to be explain.

** 1 **. Procrastination refers to deliberately putting off one’s intended actions.** 2 **. This means that Procrastinators intend to perform an action at a certain moment, but do not engage in it at the moment that it was planned. ** 3 **. __ Instead __, they postpone it, or even never do it at all. ** 4 **. This phenomenon is defined at the behavioral level (not doing what was intended) as well as the cognitive level (postponing decisions) and does not refer to the possible causes of the dilatory behavior. ** 5 **. There may be several reasons for putting off one’s intentions, some of which we are not interested in, such as illness, technical problems, and so on. ** 6 **. __ Moreover __, sometimes procrastination might even be functional (for instance postponing a decision because crucial information is lacking, Ferrari, 1994). ** 7 **. Two types of procrastinator have been described: the optimistic procrastinator and the pessimistic procrastinator. ** 8 **. Optimistic procrastinators put off their intentions but do not worry about doing so (Milgram et al., 1992). ** 9 **. They are confident that they will succeed in the end, regardless of their engagement in the intended action now or later. ** 10 **. __ Moreover __, they overestimate their progress and their chances to succeed and underestimate the time needed to achieve their goal (Lay, 1987, 1988). ** 11 **. __ In contrast __, pessimistic procrastinators do worry about their dilatory behavior (Milgram et al., 1992). ** 12 **. They are aware of the fact that they get behind schedule. ** 13 **. Nevertheless, they still procrastinate because they do not know how to deal with the task (Lay, 1987, 1988). ** 14 **. They feel incompetent and are afraid that their involvement in the task will prove incompetence. ** 15 **. __ Therefore, __ they procrastinate to avoid unpleasant experiences. (Dewitte and Lens 2000)


 * 1) What elements in the passage make the passage seem “academic”?
 * A **: the kind of vocabulary (engage in rather than do), is defined, this phenomenon,

Procrastinator
 * 1) Why do the authors include the general discussion of procrastination in sentences 1-6?
 * A **: this definition expresses a good backdrop in contrast two types of


 * 1) What is the purpose of sentence 7? Is this sentence helpful to a reader? Why?
 * A **: yes, I think sentence 7 make the subject clear for the reader, the reader will know that how many types of procrastinator are there, and will know about them.


 * 1) Underline the sentence connectors in the text. What kinds of connector did the author use (see p.27)? How do these affect the flow of ideas?
 * A :** blue line


 * 1) In sentence 4 there is a summary phrase. What does //this phenomenon// refer to?
 * A: ** it refers to procrastination.


 * 1) Why do you suppose the authors used //sometimes// and //might// in sentence 6?
 * A: **there are times when it takes place.


 * If, during the revision process, you thought that the passage would be improved by breaking it into two paragraphs, where would you put the paragraph break?
 * A: **I think sentence 7, because author talk about types of procrastinator.


 * 1) The authors have chosen to place the references to previous work in parentheses. What would be the effect of clearly making the reference part of the sentences, as in the following example?

They are aware of the fact that they get behind schedule. Nevertheless, Lay (1987, 1988) States that they still procrastinate because they do not know how to deal with the task.

They do writers refer to previous work in your field? Do they use numbers, Parentheses, something else? If you do not know, check a journal in your field.
 * A: ** using the reference in the text show the emphasis, and documentary.


 * 1) What might the authors of this text discuss next?
 * A: **the differences between two types of procrastinator.


 * 1) What question (or questions) might this passage be a part of an answer to?


 * A: ** Are these two kind of procrastinator change behavior?


 * 1) What field do you think the passage is from?


 * A: ** psychology


 * // TASK 20 - Page 79 //**


 * A star and a planet **

In a Webster Dictionary star defined as a self-luminous celestial body consisting of a mass of gas held together by its own gravity in which the energy generated by nuclear reactions in the interior is balanced by the outflow of energy to the surface, and the inward-directed gravitational forces are balanced by the outward-directed gas and radiation pressures. And planet defined as a large celestial body, smaller than a star but larger than an asteroid, that does not produce its own light but is illuminated by light from the star around which it revolves. In our solar system there are nine known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. In fact, As these definition shows there are obvious differences between star and a planet. First different is about their mass, star contains much more mass than a planet, enough that gravitational forces have compressed the matter enough to start a fusion reaction at the nuclear level, radiating the resultant energy out.

Second difference is the orbit of a planet; a planet orbits a star in a regular manner. The sum of a star and it's orbiting planets is called a Solar System. While stars are fixed, don’t orbit. And the third difference is that Stars are always much bigger than planets. Also, fourth different is in their content. Stars are made of mostly hydrogen, which they push together to form helium. This is then pushed together to form other elements which are blown into space. (Although one star nicknamed Lucy has got a lot of carbon in its core, which because of the pressure has formed a diamond which is a billion carats.), but Planets are different. Although they may be made of gas, like Jupiter, they are different gases to the ones in stars. Also, it is actually very unlikely that it is made from gases. It is usually molten iron and rock.

A star is a burning mass of (mainly) hydrogen and helium. The outer planets are also made out of hydrogen and helium. Neptune and Uranus theirs also have methane, hydrogen, and helium in it that's why both planets are blue. A planet is a body which moves in an orbit around a star. A planet (of any sort, dwarf or other) is defined as "any celestial body which orbits a star." The earth is a planet. A star is typically a big, burning, ball of gas around which planets tend to orbit. (Except when it goes out, then it is a black hole or a neutron star.) The sun is a star.


 * // TASK 21 - Pages 80 & 81 //**

Read the following comparative definition and answer the questions that follow. This passage is more complex than any we have presented so far. Use dictionary to check the meaning of words you do not know. Competing in Defining Humor ** 1 **. Generally Speaking, humor is quality in an event or expression of ideas which often evokes a physical response of laughter in a person.** 2 **. It is an evasive quality that over the centuries has been the subject of numerous theories attempting to describe its origins. ** 3 **. There are essentially three main theories of humor, each of which has a number of variants: the superiority theory, the incongruity theory, and the relief theory. ** 4 ** . The superiority theory, which dates back to Aristotle, through Thomas Hobbes (1651) and Albert Rapp (1951), describes all humor as derisive. ** 5 **. __ In other words __, people laugh at the misfortunes of others or themselves. ** 6 **. Humor is, __ therefore __, a form of ridicule that involves the process of judging or degrading something or someone thought to be inferior. ** 7 **. The incongruity theory, __ on the other hand __, maintains that humor originates from disharmony or inappropriateness. ** 8 **. Koestler (1964), __ for example __ argues that humor involves coexisting incompatible events. ** 9 ** . __ In other words __, when two opposite or opposing ideas or events exist at the same time, humor may emerge. ** 10 **. Finally, the relief theory rejects the notion that either superiority or incongruity are the base for humor. ** 11 **. Rather, Proponents of this theory believe that humor is a form of release from psychological tension. ** 12 **. Humor provides relief from anxiety, hostility, aggression, and sexual tension. ** 13 **. Humor gratifies repressed feelings that operate on an unconscious level. ** 14 **. Early, psychologists, such as Freud, Dewey, and Kine, were strong proponents of this theory. ** 15 **. More modern theories of humor are essentially variations of one of these three traditional ones. ** 16 **. __ For instance __, Duncan (1985), in his superiority theory, states that humor is linked to the social status.** 17 **. Deckers and Buttram (1990) expand incongruity theory to include elements of schema theory. ** 18 **. In their view, distinctions between and within schema are necessary for an understanding of humor. ** 19 **. While each of these theories can explain some aspect of humor, none can successfully be applied to all instances of humor. ** A: **in sentence 4 (the superiority theory), sentence 7 (the incongruity theory), and sentence 10 (the relief theory). Why do you suppose this is? ** A: ** present tense. 3. Underline the sentence connectors in the passage. Why were they used? ** A: ** blue line ** A: ** a discussion of the writer’s own theory of humor ** A: **the whole passage is a GS text, but I think the explanations of these theories are not very specific in details. ** A: **No, in this passage on sentence 15 mention those more modern theories of humor are essentially variations of one of these three traditional ones. ** A: ** she has a preference.
 * 1) In which sentences are the different theories introduced?
 * 1) What verb tense is used to introduce the definitions of the various researchers?
 * 1) What do you think might follow this discussion of humor theories- a presentation of the author’s own definition of humor, an analysis of one event sing the different theories, something else?
 * 1) Do you think that the whole passage is a GS text, that part of it is, or that none of it is?
 * 1) Does the passage mention a modern version of relief theory?
 * 1) Do you think that the author of this passage (Chris) has positioned herself as neutral, or do you think she has a preference? If you think she has a preference, what do you think it is? Why do you think so?