EC Sample Paragraph F
Prof. Bryan Alkema
Word Count: 363
"Coffee or Tea?"
While I love a nice cup of coffee, my wife sometimes worries about the impact of caffeine on my body, and so she suggested that I find an alternative. Rooibos tea, which comes from South Africa, is similar to coffee in both brewing and taste, but quite different in terms of health. First of all, both coffee and Rooibos tea are brewed in a similar method, typically served hot but also available as iced drinks. Both coffee and Rooibos tea come from plants: coffee is made from ground coffee beans, while Rooibos tea is made from the leaves of the Rooibos ('red-bush') plant of South Africa. Both drinks have become internationally popular and are now available world-wide in stores and restaurants. Second, coffee and Rooibos both have a dark, somewhat bitter flavor. Some people enjoy the natural flavor of both of these drinks, while other off-set the bitterness by blending in other flavors. Coffee-drinkers add milk, chocolate, or caramel; Rooibos drinkers add fruit flavors such as cranberry, orange, or mango. In both cases, these blended drinks have actually become more popular than the pure drinks! However, Rooibos tea is very different from coffee because it has no caffeine at all. Coffee obviously contains caffeine, which can be a problem because, although a small amount of caffeine is considered healthy, too much can result in mental effects such as restlessness and irritability, and physical effects such as insomnia and stomach upset. On the other hand, Rooibos tea is a very healthy drink because it contains antioxidants, which have links to healthy hearts and cancer prevention. This difference means that, while drinking several cups of coffee in one day can be a problem, drinking several cups of Rooibos in one day is actually a health benefit! In conclusion, I’ve acquired a taste for Rooibos tea and now drink one or two cups every day, but I’ve reduced my coffee consumption to one or two cups a week. I’m happy because making and drinking Rooibos tea is similar to drinking coffee, and my wife is happy because Rooibos tea has less caffeine than coffee. Would you like to try a cup of Rooibos?
Sample Paragraph F : Structure Questions [Comparison / Contrast]
- Where is the topic sentence? What two things are being described in this paragraph?
- How many supporting points are there, and what are they?
- Complete the following table using ideas and details from the paragraph.
- Does the author compare (describe what is the same) or contrast (describe what is different) these two types of classes?
- Look at the sentences that start each supporting point of the paragraph. What transition words tell the reader that there is a new idea?
- How long is the conclusion section of this paragraph?
- What suggestion does the author give as part of the conclusion?
- Compare and contrast the supporting points of the topic sentence and the supporting points in the conclusion. [How are they the same? How are they different?]
Sample Paragraph F: Skill Questions
- Read the bolded sentences in the paragraph. For each one, decide if the sentence is simple, compound, or complex.
- Circle any words you don’t know. You may add these words to your vocabulary workbook.
Sample Paragraph F: Content Questions
- Have you ever tried Rooibos tea? If you have, what did you think? If you haven’t, would you like to try it?
- How much coffee do you drink in one week? Have you ever thought about the bad effects of caffeine?
- If you’re a coffee drinker, what kind of coffee do you like? What’s the best place to get good coffee?
- If you’re a tea drinker, what kind of tea do you like? What’s the best place to get a good cup of tea?
- If you’re NOT a coffee drinker and you’re also NOT a tea drinker….what do you like to drink?
(My wife prefers to drink plain water, which I think is a little boring….)