Page 9 - English Grammar and Composition-Student Textbook short

Practice 2: Four Types of Essays

Read the following excerpts of essays. Decide which type you think it is. Based on the lesson, write
why the excerpt would be categorized that way.

1. Even though millet was originally grown in and around the Yellow River valley, and many crops have been
cultivated in China, the area south of the Hwai River was generally used to grow rice and the area north was for
wheat. Ninety percent of the Chinese diet came from grains and vegetables and only two to three percent from
meat. Typical farms were small and could be worked by a peasant farmer and the members of his family. Larger
landholders often rented small parcels of land to tenant farmers.
The going was tough through the deeply cut river valleys. It took three days just to ford the rapids that traversed a
mere quarter mile. The men were sunburned and tired at the end of the ordeal. Even though there was a deadline
for arriving at the outpost, the leader of the expedition decided to rest in camp for a fill day to recover the strength
of the crew.

2. Dappled light fell into the glade and slowly chased the dew from the grass. Patterns and colors danced and
shimmered. The bubble of a small brook could be heard nearby, and hence the chatter of birds was ever-present. A
man sat hunched, back against a log, immersed in scripture. Time and space seemed only a distraction as the
warming sun grew to be more and more an intrusion.

3. There are three main arguments about the origins of the Thompson Theory of economics. One proposes that it
came about in the Russian Taiga region after WWII. The second common argument is that this theory was actually
used as early as during the reign of Peter the Great. But the third argument will be advocated here. This argument
proposes that the Thompson Theory is actually an outgrowth of the missionary journeys undertaken by the Apostle
Paul in the first century. This argument is supported by multiple first century documents which will be focused on in
depth.

8