10 Examining Cause and Effect
What caused Pat to drop out of school? Why are soap operas so popular? Why does our football team do so poorly each year? How has retirement affected Dad? What effects does divorce have on children? Every day we ask such questions and look for answers. We realize that situations have causes and also effects—good or bad. By examining causes and effects, we seek to understand and explain things.
In this section, you will be asked to do some detective work by examining the causes of something or the effects of something. First read the three paragraphs that follow and answer the questions about them. All three paragraphs support their opening points by explaining a series of causes or a series of effects.
Paragraphs to Consider
New Puppy in the House
1Buying a new puppy can have significant effects on a household. 2For one thing, the puppy keeps the entire family awake for at least two solid weeks. 3Every night when the puppy is placed in its box, it begins to howl, yip, and whine. 4Even after the lights go out and the house quiets down, the puppy continues to moan. 5A second effect is that the puppy tortures the family by destroying material possessions. 6Every day something different is damaged. 7Family members find chewed belts and shoes, gnawed table legs, and ripped sofa cushions leaking stuffing. 8In addition, the puppy often misses the paper during the paper-training stage of life, thus making the house smell like the public restroom at a city bus station. 9Maybe the most serious problem, though, is that the puppy causes family arguments. 10Parents argue with children about who is supposed to feed and walk the dog. 11Children argue about who gets to play with the puppy first. 12Everyone argues about who left socks and shoes around for the puppy to find. 13These continual arguments, along with the effects of sleeplessness and the loss of valued possessions, can really disrupt a household. 14Only when the puppy gets a bit older does the household settle back to normal.
My Car Accident
1Several factors caused my recent car accident. 2First of all, because a heavy snow and freezing rain had fallen the day before, the road that I was driving on was hazardous. 3The road had been plowed but was dangerously icy in spots where dense clusters of trees kept the early-morning sun from hitting the road and melting the ice. 4Second, despite the slick patches, I was stupidly going along at about fifty miles an hour instead of driving more cautiously. 5I have a daredevil streak in my nature and sometimes feel I want to become a stock-car racer after I finish school, rather than an accountant as my parents want me to be. 6A third factor contributing to my accident was a dirty green Chevy van that suddenly pulled onto the road from a small intersecting street about fifty yards ahead of me. 7The road was a sheet of ice at that point, but I was forced to apply my brake and also swing my car into the next lane. 8Unfortunately, the fourth and final cause of my accident now came into play. 9The rear of my Honda Civic was heavy because I had a set of barbells in the backseat. 10I was selling this fairly new weight-lifting set to someone at school, since the weights had failed to build up my muscles immediately and I had gotten tired of practicing with them. 11The result of all the weight in the rear was that after I passed the van, my car spun completely around on the slick road. 12For a few horrifying, helpless moments, I was sliding down the highway backward at fifty miles an hour, with no control whatsoever over the car. 13Then, abruptly, I slid off the road, thumping into a huge snowbank. 14I felt stunned for a moment but then also relieved. 15I saw a telephone pole about six feet to the right of me and realized that my accident could have been disastrous.
Why I Stopped Smoking
1For one thing, I realized that my cigarette smoke bothered others, irritating people's eyes and causing them to cough and sneeze. 2They also had to put up with my stinking smoker's breath. 3Also, cigarettes are a messy habit. 4Our house was littered with ashtrays piled high with butts, matchsticks, and ashes, and the children were always knocking them over. 5Cigarettes are expensive, and I estimated that the carton a week that I was smoking cost me about $1,060 a year. 6Another reason I stopped was that the message about cigarettes being harmful to health finally got through to me. 7I'd known they could hurt the smoker—in fact, a heavy smoker I know from work is in Eagleville Hospital now with lung cancer. 8But when I realized what secondhand smoke could do to my wife and children, causing them bronchial problems and even increasing their risk of cancer, it really bothered me. 9Cigarettes were also inconvenient. 10Whenever I smoked, I would have to drink something to wet my dry throat, and that meant I had to keep going to the bathroom all the time. 11I sometimes seemed to spend whole weekends doing nothing but smoking, drinking, and going to the bathroom. 12Most of all, I resolved to stop smoking because I felt exploited. 13I hated the thought of wealthy, greedy corporations making money off my sweat and blood. 14The rich may keep getting richer, but—at least as regards cigarettes—with no thanks to me.
Questions
About Unity
1. Which two sentences in “My Car Accident” do not support the opening idea and so should be omitted? (Write the sentence numbers here.)
_____________ _____________
2. Which of the above paragraphs lacks a topic sentence?
About Support
3. How many separate causes are given in “Why I Stopped Smoking”?
______ four ______ six ______ seven ______ eight
4. How many effects of bringing a new puppy into the house are given in “New Puppy in the House”?
______ one ______ two ______ three ______ four
About Coherence
5. What transition words or phrases are used to introduce the four reasons listed in “My Car Accident”?
_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________
6. In “New Puppy in the House,” what words signal the effect that the author feels may be the most important?
Developing a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
Development through Prewriting
In order to write a good cause-and-effect paragraph, you must clearly define an effect (what happened) and the contributing causes (why it happened). In addition, you will need to provide details that support the causes and effects you're writing about.
Jerome is the student author of “Why I Stopped Smoking.” As soon as the topic occurred to him, he knew he had his effect (he had stopped smoking). His next task was to come up with a list of causes (reasons he had stopped). He decided to make a list of all the reasons for his quitting smoking that he could think of. This is what he came up with:
Annoyed others
Messy
Bad for health
Expensive
Taking his list, Jerome then jotted down details that supported each of those reasons:
Annoyed others
Bad breath
Irritates eyes
Makes other people cough
People hate the smell
Messy
Ashtrays, ashes, butts everywhere
Messes up my car interior
Bad for health
Marco in hospital with lung cancer
Secondhand smoke dangerous to family
My morning cough
Expensive
Carton a week costs more than $1,000 a year
Tobacco companies getting rich off me
Jerome then had an effect and four causes with details to support them. On the basis of this list, he wrote a first draft:
My smoking annoyed other people, making them cough and burning their eyes. I bothered them with my smoker's breath. Nonsmokers usually hate the smell of cigarettes and I got embarrassed when nonsmokers visited my house. I saw them wrinkle their noses in disgust at the smell. It is a messy habit. My house was full of loaded ashtrays that the kids were always knocking over. My car was messy too. A guy from work, Marco, who has smoked for years, is in the hospital now with lung cancer. It doesn't look like he's going to make it. Secondhand smoke is bad for people too and I worried it would hurt my wife and kids. Also I realized I was coughing once in a while. The price of cigarettes keeps going up and I was spending too much on smokes. When I see things in the paper about tobacco companies and their huge profits it made me mad.
Development through Revising
The next day, Jerome traded first drafts with his classmate Roger. This is what Roger had to say about Jerome's work:
The biggest criticism I have is that you haven't used many transitions to tie your sentences together. Without them, the paragraph sounds like a list, not a unified piece of writing.
Is one of your reasons more important than the others? If so, it would be good if you indicated that.
You could add a little more detail in several places. For instance, how could secondhand smoke hurt your family? And how much were you spending on cigarettes?
As Jerome read his own paper, he realized he wanted to add one more reason to his paragraph: the inconvenience to himself. “Maybe it sounds silly to write about always getting drinks and going to the bathroom, but that's one of the ways that smoking takes over your life that you never think about when you start,” he said. Using Roger's comments and his own new idea, he produced the paragraph that appears on page 196.
Writing a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
Writing Assignment 1
Choose one of the three topic sentences and brief outlines below. Each is made up of three supporting points (causes or effects). Your task is to turn the topic sentence and outline into a cause or effect paragraph.
Option 1
Topic sentence: There are several reasons why some high school graduates are unable to read.
(1) Failure of parents (cause)
(2) Failure of schools (cause)
(3) Failure of students themselves (cause)
Option 2
Topic sentence: Attending college has changed my personality in positive ways.
(1) More confident (effect)
(2) More knowledgeable (effect)
(3) More adventurous (effect)
Option 3
Topic sentence: Living with roommates (or family) makes attending college difficult.
(1) Late-night hours (cause)
(2) More temptations to cut class (cause)
(3) More distractions from studying (cause)
Prewriting
a After you've chosen the option that appeals to you most, jot down all the details you can think of that might go under each of the supporting points. Use separate paper for your lists. Don't worry yet about whether you can use all the items—your goal is to generate more material than you need. Here, for example, are some of the details generated by the author of “New Puppy in the House” to back up her supporting points:
Topic sentence: Having a new puppy disrupts a household.
1. Keeps family awake
a. Whines at night
b. Howls
c. Loss of sleep
2. Destroys possessions
a. Chews belts and shoes
b. Chews furniture
c. Tears up toys it's supposed to fetch
3. Has accidents in house
a. Misses paper
b. Disgusting clean-up
c. Makes house smell bad
4. Causes arguments
a. Arguments about walking dog
b. Arguments about feeding dog
c. Arguments about who gets to play with dog
d. Arguments about vet bills
b Now go through the details you have generated and decide which are most effective. Strike out the ones you decide are not worth using. Do other details occur to you? If so, jot them down as well.
c Now you are ready to write your paragraph. Begin the paragraph with the topic sentence you chose. Make sure to develop each of the supporting points from the outline into a complete sentence, and then back it up with the best of the details you have generated.
Revising
Review your paragraph with these questions in mind:
• Have I begun the paragraph with the topic sentence provided?
• Is each supporting point stated in a complete sentence?
• Have I provided effective details to back up each supporting point?
• Have I used transitions such as in addition, another thing, and also to make the relationships between the sentences clear?
• Have I proofread the paragraph for sentence skills errors, including spelling?
Revise your paragraph until you are sure the answer to each question is “yes.”
Writing Assignment 2
Most of us find it easy to criticize other people, but we may find it harder to give compliments. In this assignment, you will be asked to write a one-paragraph letter praising someone. The letter may be to a person you know (for instance, a parent, relative, or friend); to a public figure (an actor, politician, religious leader, sports star, and so on); or to a company or organization (for example, the people who manufactured a product you own, a newspaper, a government agency, or a store where you shop).
Prewriting
a The fact that you are writing this letter indicates that its recipient has had an effect on you: you like, admire, or appreciate the person or organization. Your job will be to put into words the causes, or reasons, for this good feeling. Begin by making a list of reasons for your admiration. Here, for example, are a few reasons a person might praise an automobile manufacturer:
My car is dependable.
The price was reasonable.
I received prompt action on a complaint.
The car is well-designed.
The car dealer was honest and friendly.
The car has needed little maintenance.
Reasons for admiring a parent might include these:
You are patient with me.
You are fair.
You have a great sense of humor.
You encourage me in several ways.
I know you have made sacrifices for me.
Develop your own list of reasons for admiring the person or organization you've chosen.
b Now that you have a list of reasons, you need details to back up each reason. Jot down as many supporting details as you can for each reason. Here is what the writer of a letter to the car manufacturer might do:
My car is dependable.
Started during last winter's coldest days when neighbors' cars wouldn't start
Has never stranded me anywhere
The price was reasonable.
Compared with other cars in its class, it cost less
Came standard with more options than other cars of the same price
I received prompt action on a complaint.
When I complained about rattle in door, manufacturer arranged for a part to be replaced at no charge
The car is well-designed.
Controls are easy to reach
Dashboard gauges are easy to read
The car dealer was honest and friendly.
No pressure, no fake “special deal only today” prices
The car has needed little maintenance.
Haven't done anything but regular tune-ups and oil changes
c Next, select from your list the three or four reasons that you can best support with effective details. These will make up the body of your letter.
d For your topic sentence, make the positive statement you wish to support. For example, the writer of the letter to the car manufacturer might begin like this: “I am a very satisfied owner of a 1998 Meteor.”
e Now combine your topic sentence, reasons, and supporting details, and write a draft of your letter.
Revising
If possible, put your letter aside for a day. Then read it aloud to a friend. As you and he or she listen to your words, you should both keep these questions in mind:
• Is my topic sentence a positive statement that is supported by the details?
• Do I clearly state several different reasons why I like or admire the person or organization I'm writing to?
• Do I support each of those reasons with specific evidence?
• Have I linked my sentences together with transitional words and phrases?
• Is my letter free of sentence-skills mistakes, including spelling errors?
Continue revising your work until you and your reader can answer “yes” to all these questions.
Writing Assignment 3
What do you do to keep yourself well and fit? Do you eat or avoid certain foods? Do you exercise? Write a paragraph explaining in detail one or more healthy habits you've adopted and the results each has had. For instance, if you jog several times a week, tell where and when you jog and for how long, and then explain what you think are the effects. Give specific examples and descriptive details from your experience to illustrate each effect. Below are a couple of sample topic sentences for this assignment.
Adding a few hours of jogging to my weekly schedule has had several very positive effects.
The discipline I have used over the past year to stick to a healthy diet has had some good results.
Feel free to use a tongue-in-cheek approach. For example, you might want to use a topic sentence like the following:
I have managed to avoid becoming overly thin and muscular by giving up all exercise and including plenty of chocolate in my diet.
Even with humor, however, you must support your topic sentence with specific details. For instance, one supporting detail for the above topic sentence might be the point that giving up exercise leaves you plenty of time for homework in your health sciences class.
Writing Assignment 4
Investigate the reasons behind a current news event. For example, you may want to discover the causes of one of the following:
A labor strike or some other protest
A military action by our or some other government
A murder or some other act of violence
A tax increase
A traffic accident, a fire, a plane crash, or some other disastrous event
Research the reasons for the event by reading current newspapers (especially big-city dailies that are covering the story in detail), reading weekly newsmagazines (such as Time and Newsweek), watching television shows and specials, or consulting an Internet news source.
Decide on the major cause or causes of the event and their specific effects. Then write a paragraph explaining in detail the causes and effects. Below is a sample topic sentence for this assignment.
The rape and murder that occurred recently on X Street have caused much fear and caution throughout the neighborhood.
Note how this topic sentence uses general words (fear, caution) that can summarize specific supporting details. Support for the word caution, for example, might include specific ways in which people in the neighborhood are doing a better job of protecting themselves.
Writing Assignment 5
Option 1: Assume that there has been an alarming increase in drug abuse among the students at the high school you attended. What might be the causes of this increase? Spend some time thinking and freewriting about several possible causes. Then, as a concerned member of the community, write a letter to the high school guidance counselor explaining the reasons for the increased drug abuse. Your purpose is to provide information the counselor may be able to use in dealing with the problem.
Option 2: Your roommate has been complaining that it's impossible to succeed in Mr. X's class because the class is too stressful. You volunteer to attend the class and see for yourself. Afterward, you decide to write a letter to the instructor calling attention to the stressful conditions and suggesting concrete ways to deal with them. Write this letter, explaining in detail the causes and effects of stress in the class.