Expository writing

WEEK 4
 Expository Writing
Definition
 The term expository writing refers to any writing that’s
designed to explain something. We use the word expository to
describe any passage of writing that’s supposed to present
information and help you understand it in an objective way.

 Some common examples of expository writing include:

academic essays, textbooks, instructional guides, and news

reports. Good expository writing should be factual, objective, and
clear.
To better understand what this term means, think about the difference
between a scientific article, a short story, and an advertisement.

 The scientific article is considered expository writing because its primary purpose
is to explain a particular topic in more detail. It presents data, analyzes what that
data means, and focuses on the facts.

 On the other hand, the short story isn’t considered expository writing, because its
core purpose isn’t to explain or inform—instead, it’s probably trying to entertain
you or to take you on a journey. Short stories are narrative writing.

 Similarly, an advertisement isn’t expository writing because its core purpose isn’t
to explain or inform—instead, it’s trying to persuade you to buy what it’s selling.
Advertisements are persuasive writing.
Here’s a quick rundown of what expository essays should
and shouldn’t do.
 An expository essay should:

• Teach the reader about a particular topic

• Focus on the facts

• Follow a clearly organized structure

• Present information and details from credible sources

 An expository essay should not:

• Try to change the reader’s mind about something

• Present the author’s personal opinions

• Include made-up narratives or stories

• Follow experimental or nonlinear structures

What Is an Expository Paragraph?

A well-written expository paragraph should follow a specific format

to make it as clear and easy to read as possible. Most expository
paragraphs do the following things:
 Start with a topic sentence, which explains what the paragraph
will be about

 Then, include 3–5 body sentences that provide supporting details

for the topic sentence

 Finally, wrap things up with a closing sentence that summarizes

what the paragraph has said
Most expository essays should follow this format:
Start with an introductory paragraph that includes the thesis
statement, which tells the reader the core statement of the essay

Then, include 3–5 body paragraphs that provide factual

evidence to support the thesis statement

Finally, wrap things up with a concluding paragraph that

summarizes what the body paragraphs and thesis statement
said

You can see the similarities between the two formats. If you can
write a fantastic expository paragraph, you’ll be well-prepared to
move on to writing a full expository essay.
Example of Expository Paragraph

Here’s an example of an expository paragraph that follows the

structure.

The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease,

which can be fatal if it leads to heart attack or cardiac arrest. Heart
attacks occur when a blockage in the coronary artery prevents
oxygenated blood from reaching the heart. Cardiac arrests occur
when the heart stops pumping entirely, which prevents the patient
from breathing normally. Both of these problems can be deadly,
even in seemingly healthy people who don’t have noticeable risk
factors. As a result, heart disease is an important problem that many
doctors and scientists are researching.
Problem and Solution Essay
A problem and solution essay presents the reader with a problem
and then considers possible solutions to that problem.

Here’s an example passage you might find in a problem and

solution essay:

Among the many proposed solutions to rising carbon emissions,

one promising possibility is carbon trapping. Scientists are figuring
out how to pull carbon emissions out of the atmosphere and trap it
in less harmful forms, such as by injecting carbon dioxide
underground so it will turn to stone.
Compare and Contrast Essay
This type of essay takes two subjects and compares and contrasts
them. It focuses on highlighting the differences and similarities
between those two things.

Here’s an example passage of this type of expository writing:

Though country music and R&B music have very different sounds,
they also share many similarities. For one thing, both types of music
embody a specific cultural identity. For another, both genres trace
their roots back to the 1920s, when the Victor Talking Machine
Company signed singers from the American South.
Classification Essay
In a classification essay, you describe the categories within a certain
group of things.

Here’s an example passage you might find in a classification essay:

There are three ways in which artificial intelligence might become

stronger than humans in the future: high speed, high collective
intelligence, and high quality. A speed AI would be able to perform
calculations and experience the world much faster than humans. A
collective intelligence, like a hive mind, would be able to break
down a complex task into several parts and pursue them
simultaneously. Finally, a quality AI would simply be able to solve
more complex problems than humans could.
Process Essay
In a process essay, you give the reader the steps for completing a
specific process. This is similar to a how-to guide or an instruction
manual.

Here’s an example passage you might find in this type of expository

writing:

Caramelize the chopped onions in a frying pan. When the onions

have caramelized, mix in the bell peppers, mushrooms, and
tomatoes and stir for 4–6 minutes or until all the ingredients have
softened. If you want to add meat, you can add ground beef and
cook for another 4–6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 Good expository writing should be easy to
read.

 After all, the purpose of exposition is to

explain things to your readers, and you
won’t be able to accomplish that if they have
trouble understanding your writing.
An Example of Expository Writing
Here’s an example of expository writing:

The Water Cycle – How Rain is Made

The water cycle is a fascinating natural process that helps create the rain we see
falling from the sky. Imagine a big recycling system for water in nature! Let’s
learn how this amazing cycle works.

Step 1 – Evaporation
First, the sun shines its warm rays on lakes, rivers, and even the ocean. When
the water gets heated by the sun, it starts to change into water vapor, which is
like invisible steam. This process is called “evaporation.”
Step 2 – Condensation
Next, the water vapor rises up into the sky. As it goes higher, it gets colder, and
that makes the water vapor change back into tiny water droplets. These
droplets come together to form clouds. This step is called “condensation.”
Step 3 – Precipitation
Now, the clouds become heavy with all those water droplets. When they get
too heavy, the water droplets fall from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. This
falling of water is called “precipitation.”

Step 4 – Collection
When the rain hits the ground, it doesn’t just disappear. It soaks into the soil
and becomes part of rivers, lakes, and underground water sources. Animals
and plants use this water too. This part is called “collection.”

And the cycle starts all over again! It’s like a never-ending journey for water in
nature.
Why is the Water Cycle Important?
The water cycle is essential for life on Earth. It helps keep our
planet’s water clean and fresh. Without this cycle, we wouldn’t have
the rain we need for crops, or the water in our rivers and lakes. It’s
also the reason we have beautiful rainbows when the sun shines
through raindrops!

In conclusion, the water cycle is a natural process that keeps our

planet’s water clean and provides us with the rain we need for many
things. It’s like a big, amazing water adventure happening all
around us every day.
4 week task:
th

Must be attempted in
journal
STUDENT OPINION
Should Colleges Consider Standardized Tests in Admissions?
Many colleges have stopped requiring the SAT and ACT. Is that a mistake?
By Natalie Proulx
Jan. 23, 2024
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/learning/should-colleges-consider-standardized-tests-in-
admissions.html

Many colleges have stopped requiring standardized tests like the SAT and ACT for admissions. Are you
planning on going to college? If so, are you planning to take the SAT and ACT? Or do the schools you
want to attend no longer require them?

What is your opinion on standardized tests when it comes to college admissions? Do you believe they are
a useful measure of a student’s academic capabilities? Do you think they make college admissions more
or less equitable and fair? Why?
In “The Misguided War on the SAT,” David Leonhardt writes that, while colleges have fled standardized
tests on the theory that they hurt diversity, that’s not what the research shows:

After the Covid pandemic made it difficult for high school students to take the SAT and ACT, dozens of
selective colleges dropped their requirement that applicants do so. Colleges described the move as
temporary, but nearly all have since stuck to a test-optional policy. It reflects a backlash against
standardized tests that began long before the pandemic, and many people have hailed the change as a
victory for equity in higher education.

Now, though, a growing number of experts and university administrators wonder whether the switch has
been a mistake. Research has increasingly shown that standardized test scores contain real information,
helping to predict college grades, chances of graduation and post-college success. Test scores are more
reliable than high school grades, partly because of grade inflation in recent years.
Without test scores, admissions officers sometimes have a hard time distinguishing between applicants
who are likely to do well at elite colleges and those who are likely to struggle. Researchers who have
studied the issue say that test scores can be particularly helpful in identifying lower-income students and
underrepresented minorities who will thrive. These students do not score as high on average as students
from affluent communities or white and Asian students. But a solid score for a student from a less
privileged background is often a sign of enormous potential.
He writes further about the debate around standardized testing:

Given the data, why haven’t colleges reinstated their test requirements?

For one thing, standardized tests are easy to dislike. They create stress for millions of teenagers. The tests
seem to reduce the talent and potential of a human being to a single number. The SAT’s original name, the
Scholastic Aptitude Test, implied a rigor that even its current defenders would not claim. Covid, in short,
created an opportunity for American society to cast off a tradition that few people enjoyed.

But another part of the explanation involves politics. Standardized tests have become especially
unpopular among political progressives, and university campuses are dominated by progressives.

Many consider the tests to be unfair because there are score gaps by race and class. Average scores for
modest-income, Black and Hispanic students are lower than those for white, Asian and upper-income
students. The tests’ critics worry that reinstating test requirements will reduce diversity. The Supreme
Court’s affirmative action decision has heightened these concerns.
If selective colleges made admissions decisions based solely on test scores, racial and economic diversity
would indeed plummet. Yet almost nobody in higher education favors using tests as the main factor for
admissions. The question instead is whether the scores should be one of the criteria used to identify
qualified students from every demographic group.

The SAT’s history offers some complex perspective. As the test’s critics sometimes point out, one designer
of the original standardized tests in the early 20th century, Carl Brigham, also wrote a book promoting
racist theories of intelligence (which he later disavowed). But a larger rationale for tests was connected to
an expansion of opportunity. Administrators at Harvard, who pushed for the creation of the tests, saw
them as a way to identify talented students from any background. The administrators believed that these
students would go on to strengthen the country’s elite institutions, which were dominated by a narrow
group of white Protestants, as Nicholas Lemann explained in “The Big Test,” his history of the SAT.

Today, perhaps the strongest argument in favor of the tests is that other parts of the admissions process
have even larger racial and economic biases. Affluent students can participate in expensive activities, like
music lessons and travel sports teams, that strengthen their applications. These same students often
receive extensive editing on their essays from their well-educated parents. Many affluent students attend
private schools where counselors polish each student’s application.

The tests are not entirely objective, of course. Well-off students can pay for test prep classes and can pay to
take the tests multiple times. Yet the evidence suggests that these advantages cause a very small part of
the gaps.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

What is your reaction to the article? What information challenges or confirms

your view of standardized tests? Which parts of the article do you find the most
compelling or surprising? Which parts do you take issue with — or have
additional questions about?

Do you think colleges should again require tests like the SAT and ACT in
admissions decisions? If so, how much of a role should they play? If not, why
not?