GED Reasoning Through Language Arts
Text Structure & Organization
Structure is the skeleton — the order the author arranged the ideas in. There are only five skeletons on the test, and each one advertises itself with signal words. Spot the signals and the structure question answers itself.
The words first
- chronological
- events in time order
- compare/contrast
- how two things are alike and different
- cause and effect
- why something happened and what followed
- problem/solution
- a difficulty, then the fix
- description
- a topic and its features, no particular order
The method
THE FIVE STRUCTURES AND THEIR SIGNAL WORDS
chronological first, then, next, in 1912, finally, later
compare/contrast similarly, however, unlike, both, whereas
cause/effect because, as a result, therefore, led to, since
problem/solution the issue, one answer, to address this, solved
description for example, also, in addition, characterized by
WHY IT MATTERS
The structure tells you where answers live:
asked for a cause? look after "because" and "since"
asked what came first? scan for the earliest date or "first"
asked how they differ? look after "however" and "unlike"
Worked all the way through
The problem
"Overfishing emptied the bay by the 1980s. In response, the state imposed catch limits, and by 2000 the fishery had partly recovered." What structure is this?
- Step 1 — Circle the signal words."In response" is the loudest one. Also a difficulty (emptied bay) then an action (limits) then an outcome (recovered).
- Step 2 — Match to the five skeletons.A difficulty followed by "in response" and a fix is problem/solution.
- Step 3 — Check the runner-up.Dates make it feel chronological, but time is just the container here. The passage is ORGANIZED around the problem and its fix.
On the board
"emptied the bay"
the problem
"in response"
the signal phrase
"imposed catch limits"
the solution
"partly recovered"
the result
structure: problem / solution
Answer
Problem and solution
A second one, in a different form
"Unlike gas cars, electric cars have no tailpipe. Both, however, require large amounts of energy to build." Structure?
"unlike"
contrast signal
"both" + "however"
comparison signals
structure: compare / contrast
Answer
Compare and contrast
The usual mistake
Labeling anything with two subjects as compare-contrast, even when one causes the other.
Check yourself
One passage can contain little pockets of several structures. Ask what the WHOLE passage is organized around — the structure of the building, not of one room.
Practice it
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