New Student Orientation Resource Book
KEY
WORDS IN ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Compare • Bring
out points of similarity and points of difference. Compare the legislative
branches of the state government and the national government.
2. Contrast • Bring
out the points of difference. Contrast the novels of Jane Austen
and William Makepeace Thackeray.
3. Criticize • State
your opinion of the correctness or merits of an item or issue; criticism
may approve or disapprove. Criticize the increasing use of executive
agreement in international negotiations.
4. Define • Give
the meaning of a word or concept, place it in the class to which it
belongs, and set it off from other items in the same class. Define
the term "archetype."
5. Describe • Give
an account of; tell about; give a word picture of. Describe the
Pyramids of Giza.
6. Discuss • Talk
over; consider from various points of view; present the different sides
of. Discuss the use of pesticides in controlling mosquitos.
7. Enumerate • Name
over; one after another; list in concise form. Enumerate the great
Dutch painters of the 17th century.
8. Evaluate • Give
the good points and the bad ones; appraise; give an opinion regarding
the value of; talk over the advantages and limitations. Evaluate
the contributions of teaching machines.
9. Explain • Make
clear; interpret; make plain; tell "how" to do; tell the meaning of. Explain
how man can, at times, trigger a full-scale rainstorm.
10. Interpret • Make
plain; give the meaning of; give your thinking about; translate. Interpret
the poetic line, "The sound of a cobweb snapping is the noise of
my life."
11. Illustrate • Use
a word picture, a diagram, a chart, or a concrete example to clarify
a point. Illustrate the use of catapults in the amphibious warfare
of Alexander.
12. Justify • Show
good reasons for; give evidence; present facts to show your position. Justify
the American entry into World War II.
13. Prove • Establish
the truth of something by giving factual evidence or logical reasons. Prove
that in a full-employment economy, a society can get more of one product
only by giving up another.
14. Summarize • Sum
up; give the main points briefly. Summarize the ways in which man
preserves food.
15. Trace • Follow
the course or trail of; give a description of progress. Trace the
development of television in school instruction.
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