Identifying Patterns

of Organization 1

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write the letter of the pattern you recognize in each of the following readings. Your choice of answers for each question are:

a. definition

b. time order

c. comparison and contrast

d. cause and effect

e. classification

01. Borobudur is an ancient Buddhist temple located in central Java. The temple is believed to have been built in A.D. 800. But it was covered over by the lava and ash from a volcanic eruption in A.D. 930. It wasn’t until 1814 that British soldiers began to uncover the temple ruins. Then in 1900, the Dutch government in Java decided to fully restore the temple which still stands today as a monument to Buddhism.

02. The goal of nonassertive behavior is to avoid conflict and tension, and it is often accompanied by statements like, “Don’t make waves” or “I don’t want any trouble.” Unfortunately, those who are prone to nonassertive behavior frequently don’t get what they want. The goal of assertive behavior, in contrast, is to directly and honestly communicate one’s desires and wishes. A person who is assertive takes action rather than just thinking about it and usually ends up satisfied with the results.

03. A good sales interview begins by the salesperson establishing a relationship, arousing interest, and getting the consumer involved. Then the salesperson explores the customer’s needs through probing questions, careful listening, and observation. The next step is to present the product or service and illustrate how it will meet the customer’s needs. This step is followed by an acknowledgment of the potential buyer’s objections in which the salesperson explores and answers each objection. Finally, at the closing of the sale, the salesperson reiterates the reasons to decide favorably, asks for a commitment, and paves the way for future business. (From Berko et al., Communicating. Copyright 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company.)

04. Throughout their lives, human beings are bound to undergo periods of psychological crisis. However, according to Erik Erikson’s theory of psychological development, the threat of death brings about the most profound form of psychological crisis. The threat or possibility of death causes people to evaluate their lives and accomplishments. It affirms them as meaningful (leading to a feeling of integrity) or meaningless (leading to a feeling of despair). They also tend to become more philosophical and reflective, attempting to put their lives into perspective. They reminisce, resolve past conflicts, and integrate past events. They may also become more interested in the religious and spiritual side of life. This “life review” may trigger anxiety, regret, guilt, and despair, or it may allow people to face their own death. It may also help people to face the deaths of friends and relatives with a feeling of peace and acceptance. (Adapted from Douglas A. Bernstein et al., Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997, p. 425.)

05. According to Maslow’s theory of needs, human beings have five different kinds of needs that can be ranked in order of importance. First, humans have psychological needs such as the needs for food, air, and water. Next comes security needs, which reflect the desire for physical and emotional safety from harm. Third in rank are needs for belonging. These include the desire for love and affection. Next comes esteem needs, which include the need for recognition and respect. Finally, at the top of the list are self-actualization needs like the need to grow, develop, and expand one’s abilities.

06. El Nino, which is Spanish for “boy child” or baby Jesus, was named by a fisherman who noticed a warm ocean current around Christmas. This abnormal warming of a huge area of the tropic Pacific Ocean occurs every few years as part of the “Southern Oscillation,” the varying pattern of air pressure in different parts of the Pacific, and lasts about eighteen months. El Nino creates changes in rainfall patterns, ocean currents, and water temperatures, which affect weather all over the world. It produces more hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean and decreases hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Also, it’s been blamed for increased flooding in North America as well as droughts in Australia, Africa, and South America. The El Nino of 1982-1983 was responsible for weather that damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and killed 2,000 people. The 1997-1998 El Nino contributed to a shipwreck and an airplane crash.

07. Prompt treatment of a snakebite can prevent serious or long-term medical problems. First, the victim should wrap a bandage tight two to four inches above the bite, applying pressure but not cutting off the blood flow to the area. Second, he should immobilize the bitten area to avoid increasing circulation. If possible, a split should be applied by wrapping a rigid object in place with a bandage or gauze. Third, the victim should lower the bitten area so that it’s below his heart. Fourth, the victim should immediately report to a hospital or urgent care facility so that a medical professional can determine whether an injection of anti-venom is necessary.

08. World War II (1939-1945) stimulated renewed interest in propaganda research. Yale scholars studied orientation films used by the U.S. Army to indoctrinate new recruits. The research focused on measuring attitude change, which lent itself readily to “before/after” laboratory tests. These studies initiated a new phase of effects research, laying the groundwork for an attempt to set forth principles of communication effects backed by scientific evidence (Broadcasting in America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994, p. 421.)

Identifying Patterns of Organization 2

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write the letter of the pattern you recognize in each of the following readings. Your choice of answers for each question are:

f. definition

g. time order

h. comparison and contrast

i. cause and effect

j. classification

01. Few writers of science fiction or fantasy have enjoyed the speedy rise and sustained popularity of Roger Zelazny. When he began to pubish short stores for the magazine Amazing in 1962, Zelazny was immediately considered an important voice in the sci-fi community. In 1963, his novella A Rose for Ecclesiastes won the author major critical attention. In 1966, while working for the Social Security Administration, Zelazny established himself with the publication of This Immortal, his first novel, using the blend of fantastic and scientific elements that was to become his hallmark. The author wrote steadily throughout the decade, and in 1970 published the first book in a series that was to become his most popular work. The book Nine Princes in Amber, continued to blend mysticism with magic and science. The nine novels that succeeded it also widened Zelazny’s readership. At the time of his death in 1995, Zelazny was experimenting with different techniques in the hopes of writing yet another smash hit.

02. When it is young, a star is composed mostly of hydrogen. As the star ages, gravity pulls all of the hydrogen toward the star’s center and compresses it. As it compresses, the hydrogen heats up, and the center of the star becomes very hot indeed. When the temperature passes a certain point, the hydrogen atoms smash into each other with enough force to cause fusion. In fusion, two hydrogen atoms collide and form one helium atom. As the temperature continues to rise, the helium atoms fuse into heavier elements, which in turn fuse into still heavier elements. Finally, when the star has formed iron, it can extract no further energy from fusion. Without this energy, the star begins to collapse. If it is large enough, the star will explode violently into a supernova. It is in these brief, spectacular supernovas that all elements heavier than iron (such as lead and gold) are formed. The explosion scatters these heavy elements into space, where they may gather once more to form new stars or planets.

03. While Alexander the Great is normally viewed as a hero of Greek civilization, some modern historians consider him to be in the same category with Adolf Hitler. But this comparison is somewhat extreme, given the fundamental differences between the two leaders. Alexander desired to explore the world, and while he fought to assert his dominance over other cultures, he never attempted genocide, as Hitler did. Alexander was also content to leave a city or town essentially untouched as long as residents acknowledged him to be king. Hitler was incapable of such political flexibility. Whereas Hitler’s lust for conquest and discovery matched Alexander’s, his energies were turned toward a horrifying dream of “racial purification”. Although both men sought to bring the known world under a single role, Alexander maintained a moral standard—even in pitched battled—that Adolf Hitler refused to acknowledge.

04. After a bone fracture has been x-rayed, it can be identified as one of several different types. In a transverse fracture, the break is straight across the shaft of the bone. In an oblique fracture, the break is at an angle with the shaft. A spiral fracture has the appearance of a spring and is often associated with twisting injuries. When the ends of the broken bones are pressed into each other, the fracture is said to be impacted. Comminuted fractures often occur with severe crush injuries that break the bone into several pieces. Lastly, a greenstick fracture occurs almost exclusively in children, whose bones are more flexible than an adult’s. In this fracture, the break does not completely cross the bone and is so called because the bone appears like a green stick or twig that has been bent but not fully broken.

05. Like so many true geniuses, Albert Einstein made his mark upon the world while stil quite young. In 1905, at the age of twenty-six, Einstein published a scientific paper while working as a technical expert (third class) in a Swiss patent office. The paper, which described Einstein’s special theory of relativity, radically changed the way in which people viewed the physical world, and Einstein became a world-famous figure. By 1907, Einstein had formulated a new fundamental principle—the equivalence principle—which asserted that gravity and acceleration were equivalent. Formulation of this principle paved the way for Einstein to work on a general theory of relativity, a theory that was free of problems which afflicted his special theory of relativity and that took into account the phenomenon of gravity. In 1909, Einstein resigned from the patent office to take up a faculty appointment at the University of Zurich. Although Einstein did not publish any papers concerned with gravity during this period, he was devoting considerable thought to it. Formulation of the general theory was not easy for Einstein, and it was not until 1916 that he was ready to publish it. The general theory forced physicists to further revise their concepts of time, space, and light. Unfortunately, Einstein’s contributions to physics in the latter half of his life did not approach those made in the years 1905-1916. This was partly due to Einstein’s inability to accept a new branch of physics called quantum physics, which postulates uncertainty at a fundamental level. Einstein could not believe that God, as he put it, would “play dice”.