2019-01-31 TOEFL: writing practice

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-animals-see-in-the-dark-anna-stockl
How many animals did the video talk about?
What were their solutions to the problem?
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Homework: Answer questions 1-6 from exercise 9.2
1 D
2 B - The specific (failed) experiments were mentioned as part of the explanation for why they don’t believe.
3 A - Sort of. This is clearly what the man is going to talk about, but there’s not really a single main idea in the part we hear.
4 D
5 C
6 A
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Look at your writing from last week. Do you understand the comments?
- Your thesis statement for agree/disagree should probably just be an affirmative statement of your own opinion.
I disagree people should make their own choices.
=? I disagree that people should make their own choices.
=? I disagree: people should make their own choices.
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Integrated Writing (first task)
- 3 minutes to read a passage
- listen to a lecture about the same topic
- read/hear the prompt
- 20 minutes to write about the points from the lecture and how they relate to the main points from the reading passage
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Read the text about endothermy in dinosaurs (ETS 1.1)
main idea (R0) = dinosaurs were endotherms
R1 = polar dinosaurs - fossils in polar regions, only endotherms could be active in cold temperatures
R2 = leg position and movement - legs were under the bodies, so they could probably run (=> endo?)
R3 = haversian canals - bone structure that allows animals to grow quickly (=> endo?)
- Can you predict any possible points the lecture might make against these points?
Listen to the lecture and note the main points (and how they contradict the reading’s points)
L0 = maybe they weren’t endotherms; the evidence from the passage doesn’t prove they were
L1 = they could have migrated or hibernated when it was cold; polar regions were warmer at the time
L2 = position could be to support body weight, not for running
L3 = they also had growth rings, which imply they stopped or slowed growing in cold temperatures, which is not typical for endotherms
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“Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific points made in the reading passage.”
Point-by-point organization:
paragraph 1 - Introduction: explain the topic (endothermy) and summarize the main ideas (R0/L0)
paragraph 2 - First point: summarize R1 and L1 and explain how they are related
paragraph 3 - Second point: summarize R2 and L2 and explain how they are related
paragraph 4 - Third point: summarize R3 and L3 and explain how they are related
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	The third point from the text is that dinosaur bones had Haversian canals, which allow animals to grow quickly. This is typical of endotherms. However, the lecture explains that dinosaur bones also had growth rings, which mean they slowed or stopped growing for part of the year. This is typical of animals that are not endotherms. Therefore, we can’t conclude that dinosaurs were endotherms from bone structure.
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BREAK
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Writing practice, ETS 2.2
Which was harder? Why?