1. D - Has to be first because it's the only sentence that describes the topic of the paragraph.Originally Posted by Mod
A/C/E describe Canadian cities and their traffic orientations, but don't tell the reader the topic if they go first.
And B starts with "In fact...", which means it must support or follow something, and doesn't indicate the country of "vast land" itself - thus a bad first sentence.
(Though D is a little poor itself in that it refers to "country" before "Canada", the reader only knows it's Canada after reading East and West)
2. B - Elaborates and follows D (the topic sentence), completing the thesis. "In fact" is also a bad way to end a paragraph, because it needs explanation or examples in sentences that follow, ruling it out as the final sentence.
Do you argue with someone, finish with "In fact", then stop dead in your tracks? They'll call you out, if you imagine it.
3. E - The first example, most neutral in time.
4. C - "In startling contrast", you can't contrast if there's no example before it.
5. A - Key word, "Finally". You don't say that, only to bring up more points to the same topic.
Actually the sentence has 'finally' in it because the speaker is saying that finally traffic lights don't apply to those vehicles.
I was born in Edison, NJ, right next to New Brunswick-- traffic lights used to apply to those vehicles.
Cath (03-28-2013)
Oh well, that was my interpretation
No no it's fine, I was just informing you. Don't take it the wrong way hun.Oh well, that was my interpretation
But considering the form of this paragraph is formal, using "finally" in your sense would be informal, and impossible to distinguish with emphasis in tonal, as written in the original sentence.
I also believe the paragraph topic is not traffic lights, but the disparity in traffic orientation among regions of Canada - which would make sense to be first as the topic.
Lastly, in sentence D, the words "close observation" suggests of examples to follow. If the examples were already given beforehand, then it would be written in a more directed form, like "these close observations..."
I definitely see what you're saying.
But I still feel confident in my argument because if you follow a few key words from each sentence, you'll get:
In my home town...
^Opens the paragraph with a more personal fact
In startling contrast... warns drivers to scream to a halt..
^Contrasts the personal fact with one from another country
a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more wildly...
^Speaks more about reactions to lights, and the 'even more' relates back to the 'screaming to a halt' of the last statement
he or she could almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns...
^This sentence would ideally be 2nd to last because of it's discussion on the traffic patterns previously mentioned
And to me D just wraps it all up by summarizing what was just written.
Last edited by Toasted; 03-28-2013 at 10:43 PM.
The "even more" is a comparison to what was said earlier in the sentence, due to common knowledge the reader should know about traffic, wherein red lights mean stop; not try to swerve like a nut.
If the reader doesn't know that, then he/she also doesn't know what traffic is and this whole paragraph is pointless to the reader.
The "traffic patterns" is the completion of the topic (hence why I picked it as #2), it is the lead-in to the 3 traffic examples to follow. Again based on common knowledge that the reader already knows what traffic is.
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I gotta run out for a bit. I'm eager for your counter-argument, so don't think I ran away from this just yet,
Actually the way I see it, the "even more" refers to the previous sentence about screaming to a halt, and then following it with careening even more wildly.The "even more" is a comparison to what was said earlier in the sentence, due to common knowledge the reader should know about traffic, wherein red lights mean stop; not try to swerve like a nut.
If the reader doesn't know that, then he/she also doesn't know what traffic is and this whole paragraph is pointless to the reader.
The "traffic patterns" is the completion of the topic (hence why I picked it as #2), it is the lead-in to the 3 traffic examples to follow. Again based on common knowledge that the reader already knows what traffic is.
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I gotta run out for a bit. I'm eager for your counter-argument, so don't think I ran away from this just yet,
I dunno. Maybe it's just me.
B can't be #2, as it wouldn't make sense to talk about dropping a Canadian off in Canada after they just got through talking about New Brunswick...right? o.0
I want to hear @(you need an account to see links)'s opinion so far. xD
I meant B as #2 for my own ordering, not yours,
It looks like we're both adamant in our opinions already;
this isn't going anywhere until the real answer gets back to us,
D, B, E, C, A.
Because I said so. Mod has it explained well enough already and I concur.
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