Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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S I M I L A R I T I E S A N D D I F F E R E N C E S : C O M PA R E A N D C O N T R A S T
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As you go through your day, compare and contrast things around you. Compare and contrast, for exam-
ple, your current job to your previous one. How are they alike? How are they different? Make sure the
two things you analyze have comparable aspects. For example, you might want to compare and con-
trast the salaries, responsibilities, and benefits at both jobs.
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As you make these comparisons, or if you notice compare and contrast passages in what you read,
practice arranging them in both point-by-point order (ABABAB) and in block order (AAABBB).
Skill Building until Next Time

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F
or every action,” famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton said, “there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Every
action results in another action (a reaction); or, for every action, there is an effect caused by that action.
Likewise, each action is caused by a previous action. In other words, each action has a cause—
something that made it happen—and each action has an effect—something it makes happen.
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Cause: a person or thing that makes something happen or produces an effect
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Effect: a change produced by an action or cause
Much of what you read is an attempt to explain either the cause of some action or its effect. For exam-
ple, an author might try to explain the causes of World War I or the effect of underwater nuclear testing; the
reason behind a change in policy at work; or the effect a new computer system will have on office procedure.
Let’s take a look at how writers explaining cause or effect might organize their ideas.
L E S S O N
Why Do Things
Happen?
A Look at Cause 
and Effect