Page 532 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

hypothesis, prediction, and experimentation. The first step,
observation, involves observing a particular phenomenon,

usually over a period of time. In the second step, the scientist

constructs a hypothesis that explains something about the

phenomenon. In the third step, the hypothesis is then used to

make a prediction about the phenomenon, an “educated guess”

that the scientist must prove through the fourth step,
experimentation. The experiment must be set up so that it can

be repeated by the same scientist or by others to verify the

results. If the experiment confirms the prediction consistently,

the hypothesis becomes a theory, an assumption about the

way the phenomenon works.

Exercise 11-4 Summarizing a Longer

Passage Developing Focus

In a paragraph, summarize the following longer passage. Use your
paraphrasing skills to condense the ideas in the original material.

Developing Focus

One of the most valuable skills a student can develop is focus.
Focus is the ability to concentrate on one thing for an extended

period, shutting out everything else. The person who is focused has