Sociology Active Reading PDF

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE lore (o)celoa, ACTIVE READING MONEY AND COMMERCE Economics MAIN IDEAS AND SUPPORTING DETAILS THE SCIENCE OF NATURE Biology COHESION ARTS AND LETTERS FLUENCY AND ACCURACY Humanities STRUCTU...

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE lore (o)celoa, ACTIVE READING MONEY AND COMMERCE Economics MAIN IDEAS AND SUPPORTING DETAILS THE SCIENCE OF NATURE Biology COHESION ARTS AND LETTERS FLUENCY AND ACCURACY Humanities STRUCTURAL SCIENCE manvdlaelayanteiaiaclt VISUALS Engineering SOCIOLOGY Active Reading OUTCOMES You will consider the subject of sociology—specifically, the * Read actively ideas of identity, goals, and strategy. As you read about topics - Skim for the gist such as games, sports, and war, you will see that identity plays a * Scan for details significant role in which “battles” individuals engage in. Wi eter st extas abe r sadineo “Snorts ast ‘he { ralé ju iV ale it of ViNar’ ¢ Annotate and take notes r icy y i n page 2 "Skim the ras reading. What is the gist?Scan - Use dictionaries to strengthen vocabulary parasrten a Which two countries were in a dispute about an island—a dispute that led to a demonstration at a soccer game? GETTING STARTED >) MyEnglishLab : Discuss these questions with a partner or group. 1. Think of a time when you were part of a group trying to accomplish a task or produce a result—for example, a group doing a class project, a club trying to reach a goal, or even an organization trying to help your community. What strategies did your group use to work together effectively? How were those strategies different from what you might have done individually? 2. Think about sports in your home country or some other country you know well. Is there a sport that is considered the “national sport”? Why are so many people interested in that sport? Do people think the sport somehow relates to the strengths and virtues of that country? 3. What are examples of different “teams” that people play on and “battles” that they engage in? For more about SOCIOLOGY, see. See also{ W |and[OC| SOCIOLOGY ¢. 2 SOCIOLOGY PART1  FUNDAMENTAL SKILL READING ACTIVELY (0 rnc WHY IT’S USEFUL By reading actively—using high-level mental activities such as questioning, evaluating an author’s claims, and keeping track of ideas to explore further—you create a deeper understanding of a passage. (e LT ty erna Reading is an active, not passive, process. A reader does more than simply receive information that a writer has laid out. Good readers begin forming ideas about the topic as soon as they see the simplest features of a reading, such as the title and any images. Before they read, active readers skim the reading to get a general idea of its main ideas. While they read, they continually ask themselves questions about what they read, and many of them take notes either in the margins, in a notebook, or ona computer. After they read, readers review their notes and perhaps do classroom exercises that require scanning back for facts or even rereading certain sections. This unit breaks active reading down into two supporting skills: ¢ skimming for gist ¢ scanning for details NOTICING ACTIVITY As you read the following passage, be aware of questions that form in your mind about the topic. Write five questions that you asked yourself about the topic. Use these lists of words to help you express your thoughts. i Question Words / Phrases Topic Words : ; How Who How many / How much : advantage Japanese strategy : When Why What does X mean ? competition lateral thinking tactical : Where What is an example of : domination market THE GAME OF GO 1 The ancient Chinese game Go is comparable to the classic Western game of chess in terms of the games’ long histories, labyrinthine techniques, ardent fan bases, and seemingly infinite possibilities for winning. Go, however, teaches a manner of strategic thinking different from chess that might offer a particular advantage in the sphere of business. Where chess is a game of strategy with tactical threats, attacks, and eventual domination over the other player’s pieces, Go seeks to control territory on a board through a combination of patience, balance, and lateral thinking that leads to an eventual comparative advantage over the opposing player. 2 In fact, many Japanese business executives compare the vast number of possibilities on the board of Go to the international market, and find Go How is it possible to lose ina board-placement strategy akin to resource allocation. In addition, players tactical area but still gain a in Go may concede tactical losses in the interest of presenting a strategic strategic advantage? advantage, and parallels may be drawn between this aspect of the game and competitive business behavior. For example, Nissan settled for a 30 percent ANP Ee share of theJapanese EN ACE market, ety yielding g a 40 wepercent share As you read,GREopenfe by Oke a notebook Gn to competitor Toyota in order to strengthen its hold on particular target jot down ideas, questions, markets, includinging thethe s sale of luxury y vehicles, , sports Sp cars, ‘ and minivans. etc., Rehlike the question in the i aoe Go toMyEnglishLab to complete a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities, Active Reading 3  SUPPORTING SKILL 1 SKIMMING FOR GIST WHY IT’S USEFUL A good first step in active reading is to skim for the gist—that is, look briefly at the whole passage to formulate a guess about its overall meaning. With the gist in mind, you can put other ideas into perspective and mentally organize them into a whole. Skimming is the act of running your eyes quickly over a reading to get a basic mental picture of the main ideas. Skimming (unlike scanning; see Supporting Skill 2, p. 7) does not target individual pieces of information. Instead, it is meant to pick up general meaning, creating a basic overview. Skimming is a prereading activity; you are not yet trying to read the piece. As you skim, keep going at a steady pace, though you might slow down for certain features (see list below). A steady, fast skimming process will ensure that you avoid getting caught on small ideas. Remember: Your goal is to pick up the gist. The skimming process should involve the whole reading. Make sure you skim the entire text, with special attention to these elements: the title and any subheadings * the first one or two sentences of each paragraph _*® pictures and their captions (the words under or next to them) ¢ graphics (tables, graphs, etc.) ¢ words in bold type ¢ words that begin with capital letters (e.g., names of people and places, titles of books) Since skimming goes very fast, you can do more than one pass through a short reading without wasting too much time. If you like, you can organize your efforts by skimming in stages. For example, focus on one set of features (headings, pictures, etc.) during one pass. Then focus on others (first sentences of paragraphs, capitalized words, etc.) in another. Some readers skim quickly and take only mental notes. Others make written notes. Taking notes can help you clarify your expectations before you read. You may also want to compare your prereading notes with notes you took while reading. This can show you how your ideas have evolved. EXERCISE 1 A. Do not read the following passage yet. To organize your efforts, skim it in two stages, as described here: Stage 1 Stage 2 * Run your eyes quickly over * Run your eyes quickly over ¢ the title * the first two sentences of every * subheadings paragraph * the heading of the sidebar ° the first sentences of the sidebar * the photograph and its caption * any words with capital letters ¢ Take notes about the thoughts that come * any numbers to you. What main ideas do you expect ¢ Take notes about additional ideas that in the reading? Discuss your ideas with have come to you. Discuss these with a partner. a partner. 4 SOCIOLOGY PART 1  MEMORIES THAT DEFINE THE SELF 1 Asense of self-identity allows an individual to ; distinguish himself or herself from others, both individually Memories of the Old, and en masse. The realization of self-identity begins Memories of the Young in childhood and is first demonstrated when toddlers Psychological studies show that exuberantly explore new abilities. It progresses through adults over the age of 50 recall adolescence when young adults experience life-shaping self-defining memories quite events that lead to the refinement of the self. Through all ‘| differently from young adults. of this personality formation, one takes on markers of 1. Older adults tend to self-identity, including biological features such as being e view remembered events female or male, old or young, and social status features more positively. such as being married or single, employed or unemployed, * remember things in a more and so forth. Significant events in a person’s life—times of abridged, nonspecific great joy, sorrow, accomplishment, disappointment—also fashion. shape identity by yielding self-defining memories, which have memories that are are vivid, intense recollections that an individual associates integrative—meaning that with his or her personality. they involve considerations 2 These self-defining memories are the autobiographical of personal growth. coding of a person, and researchers have found that when 2. In contrast, college students measured objectively, these memories correspond to aspects tend to of an individual's personality. Through clinical studies * view remembered events conducted at the end of the 20" century, psychologist more negatively. Jefferson Singer, Professor of Psychology at Connecticut ¢ remember things in greater College, and his colleagues created a method for measuring detail. self-defining memories and a system of categorization. ¢ have memories that are Singer’s schema involves listing approximately ten self- nonintegrative. defining memories and then breaking each one down according to the following categories: specificity, meaning, Brain image studies show and emotions. significant neural changes, depending on one’s age, in Specificity the hippocampal region of the 3 Specificity of memory in this context refers to the time brain, which is associated with period of the memory. There are three levels of specificity. the recall capacity of specific A highly specific memory is a memory clearly defined in time, memory. Interestingly, no such as a particular day, week, or even single event, such difference in brain image scans as a car crash or a week at a summer camp. A nonspecific shows up between the old and the memory is an episodic recollection of events that fit into young when recalling semantic a single, lengthy time period, such as a semester abroad, memories, such as the names of a war, or a period of illness. Finally, a generic memory is a colors and other basic facts, as memory that occurs repeatedly in time, when the settings, opposed to memories drawn from characters, and emotions are the constant factors. Examples personal experience. of generic memories include an annual family vacation and helping with a yearly crop harvest. Meaning 4 In terms of meaning, there are two kinds of self-defining memories: integrative and nonintegrative. An integrative memory is a memory from which a person draws significant meaning. Singer’s study cites an example of a person who remembers a friend who tried to commit suicide and what it was Continued Active Reading 5  like to visit that friend in the hospital every day. The recognition of personal growth as a result of the episode makes the memory integrative. The second type of memory is a nonintegrative memory, which is a memory that may be significant but has not been interpreted or defined as promoting self-growth. Emotions 5 The emotions of self-defining memories can be positive or negative. A positive memory is associated with positive emotions like pride, happiness, and love. A negative memory is associated with adverse emotions like disgust, shame, fear, and sadness. 6 Among self-defining memories, most people have in common certain experiences, including relationships, life-threatening events, and achievements. Notably, however, when Singer and Dr. Jefferson Singer other psychologists compared memories of older adults to those of college students (see sidebar), they found significant differences in meaning and emotion. These findings suggest that self-identity is somewhat fluid, depending on your age and life conditions. B. Now read the entire passage. Discuss the questions with a partner. Look back at the notes you took in Part A, just after skimming. How accurate were your impressions? Which main ideas did you anticipate from skimming? C. Answer the questions. Use information and examples from the passage to support your answers. 1. Inskimming, you saw a picture of Jefferson Singer, so you knew he would be important in the reading. Now that you’ve completed the reading, describe Dr. Singer’s importance in the area of self-defining memories. 2. Inskimming, you saw a sidebar about age and memories. How does Singer’s schema—involving specificity, meaning, and emotions—apply differently to older and younger adults? D. Compare your answers to the notes you took after skimming. Go to MyEnglishLab to complete a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities. 6 SOCIOLOGY PART 1 SUPPORTING SKILL 2 SCANNING FOR DETAILS WHY IT’S USEFUL By scanning for details, you can quickly find necessary information without wasting time on sentence-by-sentence reading (or on rereading). This is valuable, for example, when taking tests or trying to find the best hits found by a search engine. Sometimes your purpose in reading is to find very specific pieces of information. You might be trying to answer questions on a test, find a specific fact to use in writing, or check your understanding of specific points in a reading. You don’t need to read, or reread, an entire passage. You only need to scan for details—very specific pieces of information. Your eyes should zero in on the essential information and filter out all the rest. BASIC SCANNING TECHNIQUES * For the name of a place, person, or organization, scan for capital letters. Many organizations are referred to first by their whole names (the United Nations, the American Cancer Society) and later by an abbreviation or acronym (the UN, the ACS). Scanning for the abbreviation or acronym is a good strategy, but also scan backwards after the first abbreviation for the full name of the organization. ¢ For the name of a book, movie, game, song, and so on, scan for both capital letters and a typographical clue, such as quotation marks or italics. ¢ For a year, date, amount, proportion, and so on, scan for TIP numerals. When you scan for numbers, keep the following Work fervor and backwards. Many in mind: readers can scan more efficiently ifthey go in two directions. They scan through ¢ Numerals are the figures 1, 2, 3, and so on. However, a passage once in the normal way, from numbers less than 11 are usually spelled out as words, the beginning of the reading to the end. ; [WEE ; Ifthey still haven't found their target, although different publications use different style rules. they scan again, but they start at the f th ds and higher) ma end and work toward the beginning. A Pele hoa ne ee ae eae piece of information that was hard to see be expressed in a combination of words and numerals, e.g., when scanning forwards might become 345 thousand or 345,000, 12 million or 12,000,000. Scan for ey seen from the opposite both kinds of expressions. For information that is not signaled by unusual type or by numerals, select keywords or phrases to scan for. Imagine you are scanning to try to answer the question “Which of the following subject areas fall under ‘liberal arts?” The most important keywords in this question are subject areas and liberal arts, so you should scan for these keywords to find the answer. Use your skills at annotation or taking notes (see Reading-Writing Connection, p. 11) to keep track of the information you find as you scan. Active Reading 7  In this example, notice how with a quick scan, key information such as dates, names, and titles stand out: at the end of the 20* century, Jefferson Singer, and Professor of Psychology. Excerpt from Memories THAT DEFINE THE SELF These self-defining memories are the autobiographical coding of a person, and researchers have found that when measured objectively, these memories correspond to aspects of an individual’s personality. Through clinical studies conducted at the end of the 20" century, psychologist Jefferson Singer, Professor of Psychology at Connecticut Colleague, and his colleagues created a method for measuring self-defining memories and a system of categorization. Singer’s schema involves listing approximately ten self-defining memories and then breaking each one down according to the following categories... EXERCISE 2 A. Read each question. Choose the kind of information you need to scan for to answer the question. Then answer the questions by scanning the passage “Nationalism and Sports” on the next page for the information you need. ie OS Omiateaides@mth Korea NOSt ins, cin crinn Butte coca utter ic eek easier oe ee eee a. Name of an event b. Name of a person c. Name of a place d. Name of an organization 2... Which has sought to revive its nationaleharactet%: 0 tat asest ane. 8). tog eee ee a. Name of an organization b. Name of a place c. A year d. An amount 3. During what period did the Canadian government increase funding for sports threefold? a b. People One of the keys to scanning is the ability c. Proportions to do it quickly. Periodically time yourself to see that you're refining your scanning d. Amounts skills. For example, before you start Part B, set a timer or use the stopwatch function on your cell phone to mark your starting time. Then turn off the timer/stopwatch when you finish. Note how long it took you to complete the scanning. Divide the number of seconds by the number of questions to get a per-question time. 8 SOCIOLOGY PART1 B. Read the passage. NATIONALISM AND SPORTS 1 Athletic games can buoy patriotism and nationalism, TIP particularly when territorial disputes exist within a nation Redd questions frst One of the beatee or with an opposing nation. Sports also have the dual effect strategies forfinding the information of aiding a nation in unification and projecting that unity ENO REE ot ead ee Once and identity outward to gain recognition in the world. This you determine the information you must — phenomenon is common among many nations, including CET eka doeeadine South Korea, which is still technically at war with North that which you don't—is much easier. Korea; Canada, which has faced domestic tensions; and Britain, which has sought to redefine its national character. 2 Nations define themselves by a number of methods, including the establishment of state symbols, such as a flag, a currency, an anthem, and an armed force. In addition, leaders of nations engage in relational activities by taking up membership in international organizations and international sporting events, all of which invigorate nationalistic pride. Since World War II, both industrialized nations and developing nations have increased funding for sports at a rate faster than other services, and some researchers believe that this is for the express purpose of fostering nationalism and asserting nations’ identities in an increasingly globalized world. 3 Territory-defining behavior plays a symbolic role in such sporting contests. For example, South Korea's 1988 hosting of the Olympic Games achieved, among many objectives, the reinforcement of the division of territory between South Korea and North Korea. Similarly, in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a national marathon crisscrossed the line of demarcation between the two Germanys, purposely using the sporting event to highlight the new territory of the country. 4 Athletics serve not only to define territory among nations but also to unite disparate peoples within a nation. The Canadian government increased funding for sports threefold between 1978 and 1987 as a way to promote unification between many of the nation’s disparate peoples in the diverse country. For example, ice hockey served as a shared symbol of identity among the divided English Canadians and French Canadians in the mid-20" century. That Canada’s national identity is tied up in ice hockey was never more evident than in the uproar over star hockey player Wayne Gretzky’s move to Los Angeles in the late 1980s, which provoked accusations of Gretzky defecting from his country. 5 Some social scientists argue that sports act as a metaphor for culture, revealing the character of a nation, its value system, and elements of its social structure. Undoubtedly, sports foster a sense of loyalty and purpose among citizens. Britain, in contrast to South Korea, Germany, and Canada, has had little need to seek international definition for itself. As a nation, Britain comprehensively achieved recognition during its centuries as a political superpower. However, the policies of the government of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997 reveal efforts to try to redefine the country’s national identity through the promotion of sports. One aim was to focus on traditional English sports, such as soccer, cricket, and swimming, in order to reinforce a sense of national identity and pride, particularly during a time of decline in Britain’s economic and diplomatic status. National policymakers redesigned school physical education curricula to emphasize the playing of traditional team sports, rather than the study of physical education, as another way of infusing the programs with moral values and strengthening ties to the nation’s past. The establishment of the Department of National Heritage in 1992—renamed the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport in 1997—and the restructuring of the Sports Councils that took place at the time also sought to bring more emphasis to the nation’s traditional sports. Active Reading 9  C. Scan “Nationalism and Sports” for the information in the categories. Check (V) the categories you find and mark the information as indicated. Then, with another student, discuss the information you found from each category that you scanned for. Categories of Information: Oo name of a person, place, event, or organization (Circle each.) o name of a book, movie, game, song (Underline each.) O year, date, amount, proportion (Draw a box around each.) D. Answer the questions. Then discuss your answers with another student. Use information and examples from the passage to explain and support your answers. 1. Scan for a symbol that some countries use to display their identity. a. Relational activities b. National marathons c. A currency d. Value system 2. Why might countries have increased their funding in sports since World War II? a. To put themselves on the political stage b. To promote national pride and character c. To help develop their athletes’ skills d. To compete with other countries 3. What indication of identity united English Canadians and French Canadians? a. Sports funding b. Ice hockey c. Wayne Gretzky d. Domestic tensions 4. What was the end result of South Korea’s hosting of the Olympic Games in 1988? 5. Which country is NOT characterized as having a great need to define itself internationally? a. Canada b. Germany c. South Korea d. Britain 6. Scan for the original name of an organization founded by the British government. a. Department of National Heritage b. The Olympic Games c. Department for Culture, Media, and Sport d. Prime Minister Go to MyEnglishLab to complete a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities. 10 SOCIOLOGY PART1 READING-WRITING CONNECTION ANNOTATING AND TAKING NOTES SSS a a a WHY IT’S USEFUL Note-taking helps you keep actively engaged with a text and strengthens your ability to write about what you read. The notes you take are often a first attempt at summarizing and paraphrasing, capturing the ideas of a text in words that are partially your own. a ee There are many ways to produce notes as you read. You can mark or highlight important parts of a reading. You can keep track of key vocabulary. You can write down questions that enter your mind as you read. or neta If you write or highlight directly on the page you are reading, you |CULTURE NOTE | Annotations: Readers’ Reflections 1 are annotating. If you are reading a print version, your annotations Some of the most expensive used will probably go in the margins or maybe between lines. If you | books in the world owe their value to | di i annotations written bya previous owner. | are reading an e-book, check whether your reader software has | Thomas Jefferson, who was an architect | an annotation feature and learn how to use it. The advantage of | as well as one of the founders of the 1 caer : ; f |United States, sometimes wrote numbers | annotating is that you don’t have to copy pieces of text into your |and measurements in the margins of his / notes. The text is right there. The biggest disadvantage is that the | technical books. The brilliant scientist | : | and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton | annotations mar the book. If you’ve borrowed your book from a /sometimes made annotations about | library or a friend, annotations may not be an option. | whether he thought a device described | ina text would really work, Countless | Taking separate notes is the act of writing things like main ideas, |readers who have picked up books of | : d.detrun : (RexE ees id |philosophy and science fiction have i questions, and definitions in a notebook or some other place outside | annotated these works of thought with | the text. Sometimes you cannot annotate, so separate notes will be | additional ideas and questions of their | ichioicee eres ti h re | own. The annotations are prized because | your only choice. At other times, you may choose to keep separate | they show what the reader was thinking | notes as well as to annotate in the text. as he or she actively engaged with the | | reading passage. | WHAT SHOULD YOU TAKE NOTES ABOUT? Your annotations or separate notes depend on your relationship to the text you read. What will you have to remember from the text? What parts of the text do you have questions about? Are there any words you should look up? Will you have to integrate ideas from this text with ideas from somewhere else? Typical features of annotations and note-taking include ¢ highlighting, underlining, and circling vocabulary that needs to be looked up. ¢ marking points in the text that a reader disagrees with. A question mark or the word “no” might be used. * using symbols and abbreviations to save space. ee : * using 5 lines, 4 ; arrows, and numbers to show re abonsuD> For Note-Taking study ethos Style Just as everyone's are difercht co the » : eee tate ate ueene a very awkward situation when he asked me what my friend’s salary was. Deine SiWatiGn, DECANNe: QUITE waenes a ceeraanorens when riots broke out and people began to fight. Br RNC ei is Bi Mec situation in several war-torn countries is extremely distressing. 4. My boss knew exactly how to the situation when a customer complained. 5. She tried to the situation to her employer, but he did not seem to understand. On MIMEMAUOl Sane meenaoe situation worsened when the stock market crashed. 7. Shes very outgoing and feels at Home ity geese etetecemennt situations. Br il evsu tation teem teea cmc after a number of soldiers defected. 18 SOCIOLOGY PART 1 EXERCISE 6 A. Find multiword units in these excerpts from readings in this unit. Then write the words on the lines. Each item contains more than one multiword unit. 1. Ahighly specific memory is a memory clearly defined in time, such as a particular day, week, or even single event, such as a car crash or a week at a summer camp. 2. Among self-defining memories, most people have in common certain experiences, including relationships, life-threatening events, and achievements. 3. Sports also have the dual effect of aiding a nation in unification and projecting that unity and identity outward to gain recognition in the world. 4. This phenomenon is common among many nations, including South Korea, which is still technically at war with North Korea; Canada, which has faced domestic tensions; and Britain, which has sought to redefine its national character. 5. Since World War II, both industrialized nations and developing nations have increased funding for sports at a rate faster than other services, and some researchers believe that this is for the express purpose of fostering nationalism and asserting nations’ identities in an increasingly globalized world. 6. Similarly, in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a national marathon crisscrossed the line of demarcation between the two Germanys, purposely using the sporting event to highlight the new territory of the country. 7. Some social scientists argue that sports act as a metaphor for culture, revealing the character of a nation, its value system, and elements of its social structure. 8. James could not have known that his essay stood upon a ledge of history, overlooking two world wars that would shape the landscape of war and peace. Nor did James offer an activity he believed could fill the supposed void war would leave behind, were it eradicated. 9. There is no clear answer for why the world has fallen on such comparatively harmonious times, though scholars cite several theories, including the nuclear deterrent, increased international trade, and the interconnectedness ofthe world in the digital age. B. Compare answers with a partner. Go to MyEnglishLab to complete a skill practice. Active Reading 19  APPLY YOUR SKILLS WHY IT’S USEFUL By applying the skills you have learned in this unit, you can successfully read this challenging text and learn about the relationship between sports and war, and how identity both informs and manifests in each. BEFORE YOU READ A. Discuss these questions with one or more students. 1. Think of sports events you have watched in person, on TV, or online. Have you ever noticed the warlike language that is often used in sportscasting? What are some examples? Why do you think such language is used in sports? 2. Can you think of any situations in which an athlete used his or her role on the world stage to promote a personal political or nationalistic viewpoint? Share what you know. 3. Do you know of any efforts to implement a sports program with the aim of reducing violence among youth? Has it been successful in achieving that objective? B. Imagine that you will be participating in a small group discussion about the passage “Sports as the Moral Equivalent of War,” which begins on the next page. Your group will be discussing the following questions. Keep these questions in mind as you read the passage. 1. What qualities do sports and war have in common? 2. What war themes do sportscasters often focus on in sports stories? 3. What are some examples of specific events in history where sports were used to promote nationalism? 4. What is the relationship between civil unrest and sports in a given society? 5. Within sports, which group of people tends to be the most violent? C. Review the Unit Skills Summary. As you read the passage, apply the skills you learned in this unit. UNIT SKILLS SUMMARY Be an active reader. * Evaluate your understanding, question the author’s claims, and record ideas to investigate further. Skim for gist. * Move your eyes quickly over the reading to get a general mental image ofthe main points. Scan for details. * Use the strategies you learned to quickly identify details—like names of people, places, organizations, years, and dates—without reading every sentence. Annotate and take notes. - Write or highlight on the printed page or use the annotation feature in an e-book. Another option is writing notes, such as questions and definitions, in a notebook. Use dictionaries well to strengthen your vocabulary. * When faced with a word entry that has multiple definitions, analyze the text you are reading to choose the most appropriate definition. In dictionary entries, look for highlighted words to find common collocations, and read example phrases to identify multiword units. 20 SOCIOLOGY PART 1 READ A. Read the passage. Annotate and take notes as necessary. Sports as the Moral Equivalent of War 1 Inthe early 1900s, renowned philosopher whether intended to be humorous or not, is a and psychologist William James posited that war prime example of the comparison of sports to war was, as he somberly lamented, the “romance and the equation of the two activities’ importance of history,” insofar as it stimulates the human in society. psyche and gives some a sense of purpose and 4 Likewise, individual sporting games can nobility. James, a self-described pacifist, argued become a mirror for a battle between nations that war cannot simply disappear and that it with a history of actual war, with individual must have a “moral equivalent,” or an activity players’ actions the attacks. For example, in that could, as he put it, “redeem life from flat a 2012 Olympic soccer match between South degeneration.” James could not have known Korea and Japan, two countries with an extremely that his essay stood upon a ledge of history, acrimonious relationship and a long history of overlooking two world wars that would shape the conflict, Korean soccer player Park Jongwoo held landscape of war and peace. Nor did James offer up a sign that asserted that a disputed island an activity he believed could fill the supposed territory belonged to South Korea. It is important void war would leave behind, were it eradicated. to note that actual statements or actions related Other experts, however, theorize that sports to political quarrels between nations are strictly could perhaps fill this vacuum and offer a moral forbidden in modern international games. Park equivalent. Furthermore, evidence shows that the was suspended by the Disciplinary Committee introduction of sports into societies plagued by of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football violence may help curb warlike behavior. Association) for two matches and initially had 2 Sports and war undeniably share common his bronze medal withheld for his overtly political characteristics. Sports, by definition, are types display. of physical activity that are usually competitive, 5 The idea of sports fostering a sense or even combative, by nature. Sporting events of nationalism also comes into play when and wars typically arouse intense feelings and considering the concept of games replacing emotions among invested parties—spectators battle tactics. In 1884, Ireland successfully and players as well as civilians and soldiers. formed the Gaelic Athletic Association, which Stamina, courage, discipline, and team spirit are was closely tied to both the militant nationalist characteristics lauded in participants of both group called the Irish Republican Brotherhood and sports and war. Athletes together with war heroes the Irish resistance movement. The Association are distinguished and celebrated. In addition, both formed as a way to promote nationalism and sports and war, until more recent times, have distinguish itself from England. The purpose existed as predominantly male activities. of the organization was not only to resuscitate 3 Sports commentary abounds with battle-like purely Irish games, such as hurling and Gaelic language. Sports writers choose words analogous football, but also to separate itself from English to war reporting, such as tragedy, massacre, games, such as football, rugby, and cricket. The punishment, defeat, tactics, and defense. Association also prohibited contact with English Commentary ranges from stories of injury, loss, sport clubs, symbolizing political resistance. and defeat, to victory and heroic transformation. 6 The parallel of games and battles is not only Bill Shankly, former manager of the Liverpool drawn between opposing nations, but also within Football Club, was famously quoted as saying, single societies plagued by warring factions within “Football is not a matter of life and death; it’s their borders. Such civil unrest is often prevented much more serious than that.” Shankly’s quote, when sports are introduced, lending credence to Continued Active Reading 21  the theory that games can become a stand-in for Colombia, and the West Bank and Gaza. The battle. In Manchester, England, gang warfare and organization states that soccer is not simply a knife crimes seized the city at the turn of the 19% sport, but a “transformative force in the lives of century. In the 1890s, philanthropists founded young people, teaching them leadership skills and clubs for the youth to provide them access to healthy ways to handle conflict.” The statement sports, which in part led to British football’s rise elevates a game to an activity that goes beyond in popularity and the eventual establishment of simple play and functions to prevent larger conflict the teams Manchester United and Manchester in society. City. After the introduction of the sports clubs, Arguably, allegiance to a country as its troops gang violence abated. Arguably, group aggression march to war has been replaced with allegiance was redirected to organized games and dispensed to a team as players compete on the playing on the soccer field rather than on the streets. It field. Since the conclusion of World War II, the is important to note that though conflict may be number of deaths due to group conflict in the displaced by sports, violence among sports fans, world as a whole has been steadily declining. whether in the form of brawls between fans of The past 25 years in particular, despite many opposing teams or in the form of looting or victory violent conflicts, has been a time of relatively riots, is still prevalent. great peace, with fewer wars overall. There is no The movement to help at-risk youth in England clear answer for why the world has fallen on such in the 1890s set a precedent for future similar comparatively harmonious times, though scholars efforts. In recent years, Mercy Corps, an American cite several theories, including the nuclear aid agency, has worked to provide alternatives to deterrent, increased international trade, and the youth violence and to deter children from joining interconnectedness of the world in the digital armed movements. Mercy Corps has employed a age. As violence has fallen, sports have grown program called Sport for Change in communities correspondingly, supporting the theory of sports rife with violence, including South Sudan, Kenya, being the moral equivalent of war.. Reread the questions in Before You Read, Part B. Is there anything you cannot answer? What reading skills can you use to help you find the answers? Go to MyEnglishLab to read the passage again and answer critical thinking questions. THINKING CRITICALLY In “Sports as the Moral Equivalent of War,” you read about an instance in which a soccer player openly displayed his nationalistic views during a game. He was later disciplined for doing so, as actions and statements associated with political disputes between countries are prohibited in modern international games. Why do you think political expression in sports is taboo? What problems could such displays cause? Currently, some nationalistic displays—for example, flags, national anthems—are allowed, but others are not. Where should the dividing line be for what is and is not permitted? 22 SOCIOLOGY PART 1  THINKING VISUALLY Look at the map and map key, which show different countries that boycotted the Olympic Games in three different years. Based on the countries and years indicated and what you know about what was _ happening in the world during those years, what do you think may have been the reasons for each boycott? THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE Read these excerpts from “Sports as the Moral Equivalent of War.” Use a dictionary to determine the best definition for each underlined word. Write the definition. 1. Other experts, however, theorize that sports could perhaps fill this vacuum and offer a moral equivalent. 2. Furthermore, evidence shows that the introduction of sports into societies plagued by violence may help curb warlike behavior. 3. For example, in a 2012 Olympic soccer match between South Korea and Japan, two countries with an extremely acrimonious relationship and a long history of conflict, Korean soccer player Park Jongwoo held up a sign that asserted that a disputed island territory belonged to South Korea. 5. Such civil unrest is often prevented when sports are introduced, lending credence to the theory that games can become a stand-in for battle. 6. The parallel of games and battles is not only drawn between opposing nations, but also within single societies plagued by warring factions within their borders. 7. James could not have known that his essay stood upon a ledge of history, overlooking two world wars that would shape the landscape of war and peace. Nor did James offer an activity he believed could fill the supposed void war would leave behind, were it eradicated. 8. Sports by definition are types of physical activity that are usually competitive, or even combative, by nature. 9. Bill Shankly, former manager of the Liverpool Football Club, was famously quoted as saying, “Football is not a matter of life and death; it’s much more serious than that.” © Goto MyEnglishLab to listen-to Professor Greenberg and to complete a self-assessment. Active Reading 23  individual choices impact the globakeconomy. > s _ at ECONOMICS Main Ideas and Supporting Details Col ry" Ta — ¢oe Tp 7 oF| a8 itcdedat | * | -S You will consider the subject of economics—specifically the * Recognize main ideas and supporting details issue of international trade. Some topics you will read about - Identify sentence functions include the concepts of comparative advantage, free trade versus * Identify topics and main ideas protectionism, and public good. - Identify supporting details * Summarize oblems and Their Resolutions” on page 42. Can you identify the main idea? The supporting details? The sentence functions? + Analyze meaning using word parts GETTING STARTED MyEnglishLab Discuss these questions with a partner or group. 1. Choose five countries that you know something about. What is each country’s strongest product or service? Does it trade that product or service internationally? Why or why not? 2. Think of a country that is facing international competition. How should it respond to this situation? 3. Many of the big businesses you have heard of began as small start-ups. Which fields are rich terrain for start-ups today? Are they different from those in the past? Which fields will offer start-ups opportunities in the future? For more about ECONOMICS, see 3. See also| W |and|OC| ECONOMICS 24 ECONOMICS PART1  FUNDAMENTAL SKILL RECOGNIZING MAIN IDEAS AND SUPPORTING DETAILS oe SEE St eee aren a 2 ca rr WHY IT’S USEFUL Seeing the main ideas helps you appreciate the interrelationships among thoughts and claims. Supporting details—the real pattern of evidence for the main idea—may be hidden among unimportant sentences. Finding this evidence is the key to understanding a writer’s reasoning. Well-structured paragraphs are the backbone of a good reading. Collectively, paragraphs organize and advance the ideas in a reading, with each paragraph serving a particular purpose. Individually, most paragraphs convey a topic, a main idea, and support for that idea. The skill of recognizing and understanding the main idea and supporting details in a paragraph is essential to understanding a text. This unit breaks the skill down into three supporting skills: * identifying sentence functions * identifying topics and main ideas * identifying supporting details NOTICING ACTIVITY Notice the basic elements of a paragraph, identified in the passage. COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE Set-up sentence ‘The classical economist David Ricardo developed a theory Main idea: that remains critical to our understanding of international trade. how comparative Topic sentence - ?His comparative advantage theory argued against protectionist Caines 4a Topic legislation and neatly illustrated the benefits of free trade. relations >The theory of comparative advantage demonstrates that rather than trying to remain isolated from other countries, a nation’s businesses can profit by specializing in their most efficient industries. ‘Ricardo, whose exposition of the concept was published in 1817, tackled the question of trade advantages in an ‘ illuminating way. iy ain °What was so brilliant about it? °Comparative advantage Beginning theory recognizes subtleties of trade that are not dealt with in the connector more straightforward theory of absolute advantage by legendary political economist Adam Smith.’ According to absolute advantage theory, if one country can produce all commodities more efficiently than another, trade activity between the two is never profitable. Supporting 8 Comparative advantage theory, however, says it is better to ele specialize in one product—that in which a country has the greatest production advantage—and buy other products from elsewhere. ° This is true even if the country could produce all of the products more efficiently. !°This strikes some students of economics as counterintuitive. !! However, Ricardo’s theory has proven useful over and over, even in circumstances far more complex than the idealized two-country trading grid that he used to illustrate its __| End connector principles. !Let us look at some of those complexities. Go to MyEnglishLab to completé a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities. Main Ideas and Supporting Details 25  SUPPORTING SKILL 1 IDENTIFYING SENTENCE FUNCTIONS WHY IT’S USEFUL By identifying the functions of sentences within a paragraph, you can quickly understand the meaning of the ideas within it. You will feel the flow of ideas within a paragraph and between paragraphs. Sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs, performing specific functions. In the reading “Comparative Advantage” on the previous page, you saw labels identifying the types of sentences that make up the paragraphs. Not all paragraphs have all of the following kinds of sentences, and sometimes a single sentence can serve more than one of these functions: * set-up sentence—a sentence, sometimes in the form of a TIP question, that sets the context for the topic sentence of a To get the gistofareading, orto. paragraph “preview” it, read the title and the first * topic sentence(s)—one or two sentences that indicate the pine pene Te a topic and express the main idea or purpose of the paragraph —_ sentence may not be clear at first, this * supporting details—specific facts, examples, or pieces of AL ai eapes re oftheae information that explain or support the main idea paragraph that follows. ¢ end connector—a sentence or phrase that connects the ideas in a paragraph to the next paragraph ¢ beginning connector—a sentence or phrase that connects the ideas in a new paragraph to the previous paragraph * conclusion—one or two sentences indicating that the discussion of the paragraph’s main idea is finished; most paragraphs do not have conclusions EXERCISE 1 A. Read the title of the following passage. What does the title suggest about the importance of comparative advantage? B. Read the passage for general meaning. Then read it again, concentrating on the functions of sentences. Notice the sample labels in Paragraphs 1 and 2. Write similar labels for the sentences in Paragraphs 3 and 4. If a sentence has two functions, write both labels. SU: Set-up sentence SD: Supporting detail BC: Beginning connector : TS: Topic sentence EC: End connector COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE THEORY IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY 1 1,SU. The modern, globalized economy is a complex collection of nations and industries....!S.. All involved seek to maximize their profits in international trade, which—economists have pointed out—depends on leveraging their comparative advantages. >..22... Nations that shrewdly recognize and exploit comparative advantages can enjoy robust growth, and those that nimbly refocus their is common for nations either to fail to recognize their advantages or to do a poor job of exploiting them. °..£C.. History offers many notable examples of ineffective and effective economic policies. 2 »6,BC, JS. Consider the US economy after the disastrous stock market crash in 1929.7..22.. As bad as things were, the US economy enjoyed comparative advantages in a number of areas, from agricultural products to film technology to capital goods (equipment used in factories to produce other goods). 25D. If the US government had kept the doors of international trade open, US 26 ECONOMICS PART 1  It seemed to ee that government could not formulate effective economic policies. Bi ect, Though not the only economic misstep in history, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff and others like it have fortunately given way to wiser trade decision-making. '°........... Nations that have opted for freer trade have historically been rewarded with economic growth. "........... For example, for several decades in the mid-20" century, China chose not to maintain trading relationships with many of the world’s foremost economies. ".......... Then, after opening up to foreign investment and producing goods for export, the waking giant found a comparative advantage in many types of manufacturing. se China quickly became dominant in a variety of industrial and manufacturing sectors. Te Sts It is a rare country that remains an autarky (a self-contained economy) in an age of wide- ranging trade and hard-to-thwart digital communications. “°........... The few present-day examples, such as North Korea, tend to rank low in nearly every measure of economic health, demonstrating just why a relatively free international market coupled with the pursuit of a nation’s comparative advantage within that market results in a superior choice for growth and development. i pgs Given the ever-changing landscape of international trade today, no nation or industry can afford to rest on its advantages. @ wes In the 1970s, US automakers, who had previously held comparative advantages over those of nearly all other nations, suddenly found themselves unable to compete with an innovative Japanese automobile industry, which operated more efficiently and analyzed more effectively the wishes of consumers. *°......... Subsequently, auto firms in other countries, notably South Korea, entered the fray and exploited certain comparative advantages (namely related to price and labor).......... While attempts by US automakers to regain some of their market advantages have been somewhat successful, the car market deserves more attention. C. Discuss these questions with another student. Use information and examples from the passage to support your answers. 1. What idea is introduced by the end connector in Paragraph 2? 2. In Paragraph 3, what idea is introduced by the beginning connector? 3. In Paragraph 3, how is the topic sentence different from the beginning-connector sentence? 4. Does Paragraph 4 end with a conclusion? Why or why not? | JS Go to MyEnglishLab to ig a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities. Main Ideas and Supporting Details 27  SUPPORTING SKILL 2 IDENTIFYING TOPICS AND MAIN IDEAS WHY IT’S USEFUL By identifying the topic and main idea of a text, you will be able to recognize and pinpoint the most important information that you should take away from a reading. The topic of a text is essentially what the text is about. One of the simplest ways to determine this is by reading the title, which nearly always indicates something about information in the text. This way, readers have an idea of what they are going to read about before actually beginning to read. After previewing the title, you can mine further information about the topic by scanning the headings within a reading. These short phrases, statements, or questions, which separate a reading into sections, indicate the subtopics—or smaller topics that support the main topic. These headings are often boldfaced or italicized, making it clear to readers that the text beneath one heading, for example, contains information that differs from the text beneath another heading. That said, information associated with each heading always contributes to the main topic of the text. Once the topic of a text has been identified, the main idea can be determined by considering what the author is attempting to express about the topic. A topic cannot stand in isolation; authors always provide a variety of ideas associated with a given topic in order to communicate their main point. The topic and main idea of the following paragraph, excerpted from “Comparative Advantage Theory in a Global Economy” (p. 26), can be determined by reading it and analyzing its components. SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY 'The modern, globalized economy is a complex collection of nations and industries. All involved seek to maximize their profits in international trade, which—economists have pointed out—depends on leveraging their comparative advantages. *Nations that shrewdly recognize and exploit comparative advantages can enjoy robust growth, and those that nimbly refocus their efforts to move from one advantageous pursuit to another do especially well. “However, it is common for nations either to fail to recognize their advantages or to do a poor job of exploiting them. *History offers many notable examples of ineffective and effective economic policies. The topic—success and failure in the global economy—can be easily identified by reading the title of the excerpt. A reader can only determine the main idea, however, after reading the entire paragraph. In this excerpt, the main idea is as follows: whether a nation recognizes and takes advantage of what sets it apart from others leads to its success or failure in the global economy. 28 ECONOMICS PART 1 EXERCISE 2 A. Preview the passage. What topics and main ideas do you think will be expressed? B. Now read the full passage. As you read, identify the topic of each paragraph and make notes about what you think the main ideas are. PATRIOTIC PURCHASING 1 As international trade becomes freer, a nation’s workers may regard unprecedented levels of competition from low-wage workers abroad as a major threat to their livelihood. Various types of protectionist measures have been implemented in some countries in an attempt to shelter citizens from the supposedly negative effects of the global exchange of goods. Some examples of such measures are trade restrictions like tariffs (a tax on goods coming into or going out of a country) and import quotas (an official limit on the amount of a particular product allowed into a country). Certain groups of Americans are concerned that, should such trade restrictions not be passed, foreign competitors could, for example, drive the American automotive industry over a cliff. Similarly, some Canadians wonder whether they would be ina better position if they purchased only domestically manufactured products. However, most mainstream economists steadfastly maintain that free trade benefits all consumers and boosts financial prosperity worldwide. If this is accepted as truth, is it ever to a country’s economic advantage to encourage its citizens to solely buy products made in-country? Who Benefits? 2 It may be beneficial to some businesses in the short term to convince citizens to purchase goods produced in their own country. However, that nation’s economy does not always benefit in the same manner. Businesses within a country frequently seek governmental restrictions on trade for the sake of avoiding both competition and the expense of innovating to maintain market superiority. Politicians, who must ingratiate themselves to special interests within their districts, often justify their support of protectionist policies by claiming that their objective is to bolster the country’s economy. In the long term, however, these safeguards nearly always hurt the national economy. In turn, other countries pass retaliatory legislation, which results in the slowdown of international trade and, accordingly, the worldwide economy. Paradoxically, this slowdown will eventually have a detrimental effect on those same businesses that sought those tariffs and quotas in the first place. 3. Anation’s workers might be correct in asserting that in the very short term, buying domestically produced goods slows the rate of job losses in a certain industry. However, while protectionist policies may help them maintain job security for a limited time, the economic problems caused by these policies will ultimately : Continued Main Ideas and Supporting Details 29  hurt them. Under a protectionist umbrella, workers may actually lose their ability to weather economic crosswinds as they cling to skills that become increasingly obsolete. If businesses and workers adapt to changing circumstances early on, they will be better off than if they adapt only when forced to do so by dire economic circumstances. Should You Buy Local? 4 Buying products manufactured in one’s own country may confer a sense of patriotism on the consumer, which is perfectly understandable. Local manufacturers may even enjoy a comparative advantage by having an ability to appeal to local consumers’ tastes in ways international companies cannot. But subscribing to a campaign like “Buy American” or “Buy Canadian’—which urges the purchase of only domestic products—is unlikely to have any positive effect on the long-term health of local producers and certainly not on that of the nation’s economy as a whole. By the time a business even starts trying to rally consumers against international competition, the battle is probably lost. More often than not, the most patriotic thing a consumer can do is to provide home-country businesses with the incentives they need to outcompete their international rivals. C. Answer the questions. 1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1? a. Consumers and the world economy overall gain substantially from free trade. b. Protectionist measures safeguard domestic businesses from excess outside competition. c. There is controversy over whether a country should promote the purchase of domestically produced goods. d. Increases in international competition have caused workers to be concerned about keeping their jobs. 2. What is the main idea of Paragraph 2? a. Businesses might benefit more from products being purchased in-country than the economy does. b. Politicians support governmental restrictions because they believe the economy will benefit from them. c. In order to make more money, businesses often advocate for the passing of trade restrictions. d. The global economy is adversely affected by retaliatory legislation passed in certain countries. 30 ECONOMICS PART1  3. Which two sentences work together to express the topic of Paragraph 2? 4. What is the main idea of Paragraph 3? a. Citizens would benefit significantly from purchasing goods made in their country. b. It is advantageous for workers to adapt swiftly to dynamic economic conditions. c. Workers should change their circumstances as soon as the economy is hit with problems. d. Protectionist policies serve to help workers in certain industries keep their jobs. 5. What is the main idea of Paragraph 4? a. Small businesses have a unique advantage because they cater to the preferences of citizens in their country. b. Customers should recognize that the impact they can make on the global economy by “buying local” is limited. c. Asa result of economic downturns, local companies are often forced to take different business approaches. d. Companies do everything in their power to inform consumers of the drawbacks of foreign competition. 6. What is the topic of Paragraph 4? Write it in your own words. D. Now discuss your answers in Part C with another student. Use information and examples from the passage to explain and support your answers. Go toMyEnglishLab to complete a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities. Main Ideas and Supporting Details Sil  SUPPORTING SKILL 3 IDENTIFYING SUPPORTING DETAILS WHY IT’S USEFUL Academic texts contain different levels of detail. By distinguishing supporting details from less important details, you can read more efficiently and focus on the relevant information. Supporting details in a paragraph add information about the topic and main idea. Most paragraphs contain more than one supporting detail sentence, but shorter paragraphs may offer only one. Details can support the main idea in many different ways. Types of Supporting Details ¢ facts (historical, scientific, etc.) * opinions * statistics * examples * causes / effects * descriptions * explanations Not every sentence in the interior of a paragraph provides a supporting detail. Some sentences serve other functions. The author might include a certain sentence to set up another point, to be entertaining, to refer to some other part of the reading, or to fill any number of other roles. Here is an example of a paragraph that includes both support and nonsupport sentences. ‘ One of the most enduring—and controversial—concepts to come out of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 is that some Topic sentence companies are too big to fail. ?The argument is that some companies are so essential to the national economy (or even the Not a support world economy) that government has to step in and save them sentence. Introduces from failure. *Of course, any such judgment is inherently anti- an unimportant Support sentences. competitive, as we explain in Chapter 6. ‘ Initially, the concept extra point and Gives an example of ; ce ee e refers to another le was applied to banks and financial institutions as the US h “some companies...” : part of the text. government stepped in to prop some of them up. ° For example, See a sentencedExmiecses Bathe UsUS government san k $85 billion the into a illion into a bailout plan ffor bailout plan Support sentence. point of view about a AIG Insurance in 2008. ° It’s notable that a month or so earlier, Introduces a new situation that doesn’t Lehman Brothers had been allowed to go bankrupt and break kind of company support the “some q ee he f - (car companies) companies Meenint up; one wonders why. ’ Later, the focus was on the automobile that got support. industry as loans and equity purchases by the US government Not a support kept General Motors and Chrysler afloat and managed their sentence. Expresses bankruptcies. ® Here’s a toast to Ford Motor Company for having an extraneous point h b ne f 5 ee a h ofviewabout a the backbone to emerge from the crisis without any such help. Enaea ieoten situation (praising The chorus of complaints following this round of government sentence Ford) that doesn't largesse, which was called the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” support the idea of government bailing (TARP), was huge. out companies. EXERCISE 3 A. In the following excerpts, notice the supporting details in bold. Then identify the type of support: fact, statistic, cause / effect, explanation, opinion, example, description. More than one type may be correct. If the US government had kept the doors of international trade open, US businesses probably would have been able to rebound after a couple of trying years. (1) Instead, Congress passed, and President Herbert Hoover signed in 1930, an infamously restrictive tariff usually 2 ECONOMICS PART 1  known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. While the aim was to encourage both citizens and industry to “Buy American” as a way of bringing money back into the national economy, things went awry. (2) The tariff wrongheadedly pinned most hopes for growth on economic activity within the country, a foolish notion considering the far greater pool of potential earnings from international trade. (3) Setting off a series of sanctions and countermeasures from US trading partners, the tariff worsened the crisis and led to the worldwide Great Depression. It seemed to many that government could not formulate effective economic policies. (From “Comparative Advantage Theory in a Global Economy” Paragraph 2, p. 26) The lessons of comparative advantage theory extend beyond the realm of the job search. There is also the matter of the worker’s own comparative advantages in terms of skills, a calculus that looks very much like what economists do in figuring a nation’s comparative advantage. (4) Imagine someone looking for web-development work in a job market where many applicants are competing for every available position. Our web developer is good at coding in Java and C++, and she has two years of web-development experience. Not bad, but nearly every other job-seeker in that field can say the same. It is best for her to avoid competing for jobs based on those skills alone even though she may feel that she’s better than most competitors. (From “Comparative Advantage and Job-Hunting” Paragraph 4, p. 36) Perhaps the clearest focus provided by comparative advantage theory is on the phenomenon of opportunity cost (OC). (5) If a job-hunter spends time applying for jobs that do not suit him or her very well, an OC is incurred. He or she cannot spend that time applying for more appropriate positions. The costs might not be measured in money (unless you assign a certain dollar value to an applicant’s time) but could be quantified in terms of some other unit you might invent to measure success or satisfaction, some sort of “fruitfulness factor.” (From “Comparative Advantage and Job-Hunting” Paragraph 2, p. 36) Economies come in many shapes and sizes, not all of them involving money-based trading. Some theorists, such as the French sociologist and anthropologist Marcel Mauss, have concentrated on “gift economies.” These involve exchange, just as money-oriented economies do, but the interaction is less direct. (6) The basic idea is that | help you meet your needs even though you don’t have anything to give me in return—not yet, anyway. |trust that at some point in the future, you or your relatives will give something to me to balance things out. (From “Gift Exchanges as an Economic System,” p. 34) B. Compare answers with another student and explain the reasons for your answers. Go to MyEnglishLab to complete a skill practice. Main Ideas and Supporting Details 33  READING-WRITING CONNECTION SUMMARIZING WHY IT’S USEFUL By writing a summary after you have read something, you are creating a study tool that you can refer back to, discovering what you did and did not understand about the text, and consolidating your memory of information from the text. A summary is a short version of an original text that gives the most important information. As a student, you will frequently be asked to summarize a text in order to demonstrate (1) your understanding of its main idea(s) and (2) your ability to express the information in your own words and in a much shorter form. The most important aspects of a summary are its brevity and its accuracy. It has to clearly capture the main idea(s) of the original text in a condensed form. Before you summarize a text, make sure you have carefully read and understood it. Most sentences contain words or phrases that are not necessary to include ina summary. Here are some suggestions to help you keep your summaries short and focused: * Notice the title. Note the topic, main idea(s), your questions, and important supporting details. (Or make an outline to help you see important elements and plan your summary.) ¢ Use your own words. "* Brevity is a central feature of a good summary. The best summaries are about one-third the length of the original. ¢ Avoid words or phrases that do not contain important information—for example: as most readers already know, after all, according to several sources. ¢ Avoid repeated words, phrases, and ideas. * Use pronouns (it, this, they, etc.) to replace repeated or long sequences of words. * Shorten or leave out most examples and minor supporting details. * Shorten or avoid stylistic expressions—for example: surprisingly, to tell the truth, as ifthis weren’t strange enough, and so on. * Shorten or leave out parenthetical expressions—words or phrases that make extra, unnecessary comments about an idea. Parenthetical expressions usually appear between parentheses, dashes, or commas: (xxx) —xxx— , Xxx,. EXERCISE 4 A. Read the title and the passage. What is the main idea? GIFT EXCHANGES AS AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM Economies come in many shapes and sizes, not all of them involving money- based trading. Some theorists, such as the French sociologist and anthropologist Marcel Mauss, have concentrated on “gift economies.” These involve exchange, just as money-oriented economies do, but the interaction is less direct. The basic idea is that I help you meet your needs even though you don’t have anything to give me in return—not yet, anyway. I trust that at some point in the future, you or oa : Canoes arriving for a potlatch, a gift-giving feast practiced by your relatives will give something to me indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada and to balance things out. Although such a the United States 34 ECONOMICS PART 1  system sounds simple and friendly, it is very hard to maintain. Over time, the pattern of obligations gets so complicated that it’s nearly impossible to outline, and balance becomes unachievable. In fact, there is some question about whether “gift economies” exist at all. Skeptics say that the gift- giving is a strong cultural trait in such systems, but it is not the basis of the real daily economy whereby people obtain food, shelter, and other necessities. B. Read these summaries of “Gift Exchange as an Economic System” and choose the best one. o 1. Economies come in many shapes and sizes. The French sociologist and anthropologist Marcel Mauss concentrated on “gift economies.” These involve exchange, just as money-oriented economies do, but the interaction is less direct. I help you meet your needs even though you don’t have anything to give me in return—not yet, anyway. At some point in the future, you or your relatives will give something to me to balance things out. This sounds simple and friendly but is very hard to maintain. The pattern of obligations gets too complicated, and balance becomes unachievable. There is some question about whether “gift economies” exist at all. The gift-giving is just a strong cultural trait, not the basis of the real daily economy. o 2. Modern economies concentrate too much on money. In the past, gift economies offered a simpler, friendlier system. I gave things to you, but you didn’t pay me for them. Instead, youd eventually give me something of equal value. Though they get complicated, gift economies are supported by strong cultural traditions that ensure everyone gets the daily necessities they need. o 3. The idea of “gift economies” has been explored by some theorists. In theory, such economies base their exchanges on a system of trust. If one person gives something to another, the giver will eventually be paid back in some way by a return gift. Such economies are complicated, though, and may not even really exist. C. Discuss these questions with one or two other students. Then explain your answers to the class. 1. Which summary did you choose and why? 2. Approximately how many words does the original paragraph have? How many words does the best summary have, approximately? 3. Circle information in the original that is in the best summary and then notice what information was NOT included. Why was each piece of information not included? Which strategies for summarizing from the list on the previous page did the summary writer use? 4. Different readers might write different summaries of an original. This is because not all readers agree on which ideas are the most important. Would you change the best summary in any way? Would you include different information? Would you express things differently? Main Ideas and Supporting Details 35  EX ERCISE 5 A. The following is an excerpt from an article that applies economic principles to personal experiences. Read the excerpt. Comparative Advantage and Job-Hunting 1 The concept of comparative advantage is of education or not just an abstraction. Nor is it applicable training, an ability Writing words down helps only to entire national economies. A job-hunter to do certain you remember them. Create would do well to recognize his or her personal tasks, prior work vocabulary flashcards (using comparative advantages and use this recognition in the field, and so index cards, an online flashcard generator, or an app) or create both to choose the best jobs to apply for and to on. The candidate avocabulary study list. stand out among other job-seekers. The savvy presents such person looking for a job will look at the galaxy qualifications, and in return the prospective of employment possibilities through the lens of employer assigns a certain salary to the position global economics. (plus a package of other money-related benefits, 2 Perhaps the clearest focus provided by such as health insurance). But other factors comparative advantage theory is on the also figure into the calculus, such as location, phenomenon of opportunity cost (OC). If a job- corporate culture, the character of one’s fellow hunter spends time applying for jobs that do not workers, and innumerable other features of the suit him or her very well, an OC is incurred. He job. Without such nonmonetary enticements, the or she cannot spend that time applying for more position’s fruitfulness factor would decrease, and appropriate positions. The costs might not be the OC of applying for it would increase. measured in money (unless you assign a certain The lessons of comparative advantage theory dollar value to an applicant’s time) but could be extend beyond the realm of the job search. There quantified in terms of some other unit you might is also the matter of the worker’s own comparative invent to measure success or satisfaction, some advantages in terms of skills, a calculus that looks sort of “fruitfulness factor.” Potential employment very much like what economists do in figuring that has a high fruitfulness factor, that is, a a nation’s comparative advantage. Imagine strong chance of being offered to a candidate and someone looking for web-development work in a a strong chance of being accepted, is far better job market where many applicants are competing for a job-seeker to pursue than employment with for every available position. Our web developer a low fruitfulness factor. Such a job would be is good at coding in Java and C++, and she has unlikely to be offered or unlikely to be accepted, two years of web-development experience. Not or both. So a candidate would incur higher OC bad, but nearly every other job-seeker in that by spending time applying for low-fruitfulness field can say the same. It is best for her to avoid positions rather than jobs that are better suited to competing for jobs based on those skills alone him or her. even though she may feel that she’s better than 3 Of course, in calling a position “better suited” most competitors. By analyzing her comparative and assigning a fruitfulness factor, we have to advantages rather than absolute skills, she might consider a number of attributes, most of which recognize that she has other, less common talents are only indirectly about money. Some relate to she wants to leverage, something like proficiency the likelihood that an offer will be made. Others in Spanish or a sophisticated knowledge of film relate to the likelihood that an offer will be production. lf there are employers that value accepted. The job-seeker’s skills and experience those characteristics—and if there are, she is are the main criteria for appropriateness to the quite likely to enjoy working there—she stands stated requirements of the job—a given level above the crowd. 36 ECONOMICS PART 1  5 Acorollary of the theory of competitive Some of these judgments are obvious. In advantage is the principle that some things are almost no case is it to a job-seeker’s advantage worth doing and others are worth trading for. In to cut his or her own hair or sew clothes for the fact, David Ricardo’s first exposition of the theory interview. However, the principle is helpful in less (1817) involved the question of which product(s) obvious cases as well. Should the job-seeker Britain and Portugal should produce and which compose his or her own résumé? Most do, and they should trade for—wine, cloth, both, or neither. many of them do well enough that the time Ricardo concluded that even if a country—he spent in this writing has a low OC—that is, itis a postulated Portugal—were more efficient at sufficiently profitable use of time that they should producing both, it made economic sense for it to not pay someone else to write résumés for them. concentrate on the product where its advantage However, a job-seeker may recognize that resumé is greatest (wine, in Ricardo’s example) and to writing is not the sharpest of his or her skills. buy the other product from elsewhere. A job- It may be worth the person’s time to trade out seeker has to recognize that a full exploitation that task—to hire one of the many professional of comparative advantage in the search for résumé-writing companies—while concentrating employment involves analogous judgments. time and effort on some higher-return task, like researching the histories of prospective employers HOURS OF LABOR PER YEAR or watching videos about how to behave in job interviews. Portugal England Commodity B. Reread and summarize Paragraphs 2, 4, and 5. Use the summarizing strategies you've learned. Note the word limit for each. ¢ Summarize Paragraph 2 in no more than 55 words. ¢ Summarize Paragraph 4 in no more than 55 words. ¢ Summarize Paragraph 5 in no more than 40 words. Go to MyEnglishLab to complete a vocabulary exercise and skill practice, and to join in collaborative activities. For more about SUMMARIZING, see |W | ECONOMICS @. Main Ideas and Supporting Details By  LANGUAGE SKILL ANALYZING MEANING USING WORD PARTS WHY IT’S USEFUL By familiarizing yourself with the meanings of the building blocks of words (roots and affixes), you can decipher unfamiliar words you encounter in your reading and build your vocabulary. The meaning of a word is derived from its parts. The root of a word contains the core meaning. Words that share the same root are part of a word family. We build upon the root by adding affixes: prefixes and suffixes. A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word and changes the core meaning. A suffix is added to the end and often changes a word’s part of speech. prefix root suffix