Argument Essay
Online Learning Materials
Grade:10
Unit 3
Reporting Questions
Day 11
Writing Task: A
Lesson: 11 Time: 50 Minutes
Full Marks: 25 Pass Mark: 10
Please note that all the tasks and items prepared below are authentic materials and will be used as they are in your terminal, Pre SEE and SEE Preparation Examinations. You are therefore required to sincerely complete these tasks on a daily basis. Parents are kindly advised to be observant and with their children monitoring and supervising their studies and most of these contents contain a number of materials on the internet, especially YouTube. Just make sure that they do not get digitally distracted.
1. Scene Setting
Please keep reading these texts carefully before you start practicing and completing the tasks below.
Mostly the objective of any argument is to present one’s convictions in such a way that the points presented intently influence the readers or audience to see it the way the writer/speaker sees. Undoubtedly, the best roadmap to present a persuasive argument is to build your thoughts in a logical and coherent manner. We should present two or more premises each backed up by facts/examples, and this would be followed up by a conclusion that reviews the points that were presented.
Thesis statement
• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself.
• is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. the rest of the writing, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
Topic sentence
• the main idea of each paragraph.
• contains the focus of the paragraph and tells readers what the paragraph is going to be about.
• usually located at the beginning of each paragraph.
Concluding remarks
• restate the main argument.
• remind the reader of the strengths of the argument.
• reiterate the most important evidence supporting the argument.
• provide a forum for you to persuasively and succinctly restate your thesis given the reader
has now been presented with all the information about the topic.
Task1. Study the following example of an argument essay and underline the thesis statements, topic sentences, examples/evidence in each of the paragraphs of the essay. [15]
School Graduates in Community Services
Socialization of the teenager is believed to be a difficult part of modern society. On the one hand, modern technology like the Internet has virtually linked the whole world. On the other hand, it has created a physical gap among people. Having considered the issue, in some countries school students are provided with an opportunity to serve their community. In my opinion, sending school graduates to work in community services is a good idea to minimize the physical gap between people as it equips them with valuable life skills.
As we know, life skills are very important to a person as they develop social, interpersonal, intellectual, and emotional skills. A person learns the way people communicate, negotiate, and cooperate to solve a common problem in their community. Therefore, if a person is sent to a community for services, he/she learns practical ways of dealing with social problems and their consequences. In addition, critical thinking and self-evaluation skills can also be developed. Furthermore, working in the community helps people to develop good social skills.
Nowadays, school graduates are spending their afterschool time watching television, playing video games, browsing the Internet, chatting on Facebook, etc. The lack of productive activities might create social problems. Providing young people with compulsory voluntary works as their afterschool program, on the one hand, engages teenagers and, on the other hand, minimizes the possibility of suffering from drug abuse. It also strengthens their social relationships.
The ability to establish strong social relationships also increases their employability as they learn soft skills that are compulsory for any person to work in a team. Working in a community voluntarily not only strengthens their CV but also teaches them that it is not easy to make money. This leads them to think twice before spending their money. Thus, they learn to save money from such works.
In conclusion, I think compulsory voluntary community works after school education not only helps the individual student for his/her all-round development but also supports every community by producing employable and charitable human resources. Therefore, I would like to suggest the concerned authority to put such programs into action as soon as possible.
Task II. Some people believe that students should be given a large amount of homework so that they can learn independently. Others disagree and think that they should be engaged in social activities rather than schoolwork at home. Brainstorm for your ideas and write to what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own experiences. [2+8]
Some Useful Links
Note: Please use a separate Notebook for all your tasks or A4 size paper well-maintained in a portfolio/file in the same order for submission and evaluation later.
The End
Compiled, Edited and Prepared by Jaya Narayan Bhusal
Department of English
