Passage Organization flashcards

The topic is what a passage is about; the pattern is how its ideas are arranged and connected. Two wildfire passages can share a topic yet one traces a single fire hour by hour while another lists general causes.

Time order (chronological), process steps, cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast, and definition or classification. Real passages often mix them.

Cause-effect explains why something happened. Problem-solution centers on a response to a difficulty, and sometimes its result. Why a bridge rusted is cause-effect; hiring a crew to stop the rust is problem-solution.

Block: everything about item A, then everything about item B. Point-by-point: compare A and B feature by feature (cost, then size, then speed).

The claim states what the writer believes; evidence supplies facts, data or observations (often numbers); reasoning explains why the evidence supports the claim (e.g. 'this shows').

It is a single case that does not fit a general rule, so it limits or disproves the claim rather than supporting it (e.g. liquid mercury against 'all metals are solid at room temperature').

No. 'First' can introduce the first reason, example or most important point. If the listed items are reasons or features, the passage is not chronological.

$\frac{40-30}{40}=25\%$ fewer complaints. It shows only that fewer people complained, not that customers are happier. A number supports only what it measured.