Iowa State University: Business and Technical Communication

Essay Assignment

This assignment asks you to write an essay suitable for publication in a professional journal or newsletter. You will identify an issue that’s interesting to teachers and/or workplace professionals in business and technical communication and then pose a question you want to explore about that issue. Your essay will be an argument for a clearly stated position and should be presented in a logical, understandable, and engaging manner. Your essay should be targeted to a particular journal, which means that you need to read enough articles and essays in that journal to identify their general features.

Consider the following questions:

What are the conventions of essays in the journal or newsletter you are targeting?What is the question you are addressing?What is the argument you are making?

Cover Memo

When you submit your essay, please include a cover sheet in which you identify the features of essay conventions that you consciously employed to make the essay appropriate for the intended journal or newsletter. This is the meta-cognitive element — you know not only what you’ve done but why you did it. Please indicate the journal or newsletter to which you plan to submit your revised essay.

5. What are students expected to do in their assignment?
A. put forward an original idea about a subject
B. provide support for a particular point of view on a topic
C. present an argument against an existing essay or article
D. offer a solution to an unresolved issue in a particular field

6. Along with their essay, students are asked to provide a note which
A. indicates the reason for their choice of topic.
B. identifies the background texts they have read.
C. justifies their choice of intended journal or newsletter.
D. specifies the essay-writing characteristics used in their assignment.

VII. For questions 1 – 12, read the text below and think of the word that best fits each space. Use only one word in each space.
                                                                                      FOOD LABELLING
Everyone knows that they should eat what is good (1) __________ them, but often they are not mindful (2) __________ what goes into the processed food offered by supermarkets. For many people this starts when they decide to go on a diet and want to know exactly what is in the products they buy. Food labelling plays a vital role (3) __________ the fight (4) __________ obesity and poor health, but it’s very easy to pick up the wrong type of food by (5) __________ as labelling has, to a (6) __________ extent, been rather confusing due to a lack of standardisation in the industry. Over the years, in (7) __________ to public pressure, laws have been passed to ensure that all food is labelled in a similar way. A system is now being used in the UK known as Traffic-light food labelling where the labels used are red, amber and green to show consumers the level of fats, sugars and salt, thus providing consumers (8) __________ an easy-to-see system. However, if you want to see what vitamins and minerals the product is rich (9) __________ , you would still have to read the small print on the packaging. For example when you choose ‘low-fat’ food, believing that it will be better for you, the reality is often that in comparison (10) __________ the ordinary product, the low-fat one could have substitute chemicals or products which could be just as harmful. Unfortunately dieting often gets people down, especially when they stop losing weight, but that’s precisely the point when they should (11) __________ at it and remember that they will benefit just as much or more (12) __________ taking regular exercise. 

VII. Use the words given in CAPITALS with each sentence to form a word that fits in the gap.

1. My husband has been receiving ______________ therapy since he had his accident. (OCCUPY)

2. The ______________ of glaucoma increases with age. (OCCUR)

3. After his mistake cost his company £50,000, he was fired for ______________ . (COMPETENT)

4. ______________ is a serious problem at this particular inner-city school. (TRUANT)

5. There was a ______________ smell coming from inside the old disused well. (REPEL)

6. The Sumatran tiger is officially recognized as a/an ______________ species. (DANGER)

7. The morning Rachel was due to leave for India, a ______________ arrived in the post. (PACK)

8. The student was given ______________ for consistently forgetting to do her homework. (DETAIN)

9. An attempt had been made to build the house in the ______________ style. (COLONY)

10. The man was known for his quick temper and ______________ style of leadership. (TYRANT)

Ex4: Complete this letter by writing a preposition in each space.

Dear Jodi,

Sorry I haven’t been (1) ____________ touch (2) ____________ you for such a long time, but it’s been a busy few months.

Earlier this year, I heard that my great-aunt had died. Apart (3) ____________  seeing her a couple of times at my parents’ house, I didn’t really know her. So you can imagine my surprise when I found (4) ____________ she had left me a cottage along (5) ____________ some money in her will!

When I saw the cottage, I just fell in love with it. It’s close (6) ____________ a beautiful little village, and looks out (7) ____________ the sea. My great-aunt used it as a holiday home, and I’ve decided to do the same. Unfortunately, it has been badly looked (8) ____________ , so I’ve had to spend most weekends this year sorting the place (9) ____________ .

I knew it was (10) ____________ need (11) ____________ some work, and at first I thought I could get away (12) ____________ giving it a quick coat of paint. But I soon realised it was a much bigger job. There were holes in the roof, and the window frames were so rotten some of the panes of glass were (13) ____________ danger (14) ____________ falling out.

I was walking around the village one Saturday, wondering what best to do, when who should I run (15) ____________ but Barney Adams. Do you remember him from school? As luck would have it, he now works in the village as a builder and decorator. We got talking, and he said he’d come (16) ____________ and look (17) ____________ the house. Naturally, I took him up (18) ____________ his offer! He got really enthusiastic about it. He talked me (19) ____________ replacing all the windows, and he has put in a new central heating system (20) ____________ place (21) ____________ the old coal fires. I’ve had to prevent him (22) ____________ extending the kitchen, which he was keen to do! He has checked the roof (23) ____________ , and fortunately that doesn’t need replacing. Thanks (24) ____________ Barney, the house is now looking brilliant, and (25) ____________ comparison (26) ____________ other builders, he doesn’t charge very much.

The next project for me is to clean (27) ____________ the mess in the garden, as it’s completely overgrown. If you want to come (28) ____________ and help me (29) ____________ some time, feel free! You’ll always be very welcome.

Love,
Emily

Read these extracts from newspaper and magazine articles. Choose one phrase from each of the pairs in the box to complete the sentences.

1. An enquiry into last year’s explosion at the Amcon Refinery that killed 25 workers concluded that it ________________ if the refinery had installed a hazard warning system, as safety officers had recommended.
2. Mr Rosi will return to court on 31 January to hear his sentence, having been warned yesterday that he ________________ a long period in prison.
3. There is some evidence to suggest that Jon Ricci ________________ as a secret agent during the 1960s, although even after the end of the Cold War this was never confirmed.
4. Mateusz Weber, chief executive of the Schools Examination Authority, said: "The newspapers claim that the improving results show that exams ________________ . But we are absolutely certain that standards have remained the same."
5. Messi ________________ them the lead just before half time, but he shot straight at the goalkeeper, who made an easy save.
6. For centuries the flooding of the Nile was very important because, without it, the people ________________ crops in the dry desert. But global warming has changed the traditional patterns of agriculture in this part of the world.