Page 505 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Imagine that you are faced with one of the following decisions
regarding transportation:

Should I buy or lease a car?

Should I buy a used car or a new car?

Should I buy a car, or should I use public transportation?

First, choose one of the three questions as the basis for your essay.

Contrast the two alternatives and make a recommendation (an

argument) for the better alternative.

As you write each body paragraph, you may find advantages and

disadvantages to each alternative. For example, in terms of monthly
payment, leasing a car is better than buying. However, buying a car

may cost less in the long run, since you own it when the payments are

finished. If you have mixed results such as these, your conclusion will

be a “decision paragraph” in which you weigh the arguments for and

against each alternative and make a recommendation.

State Senate Speech: Argument,

Comparison-Contrast, and Cause-

Effect

You are a state senator. One of your fellow legislators has placed a
bill before the state senate advocating the legalization of marijuana for