Other writing tasks

Summary

In assignments and examinations you are often required to write answers to different sorts of questions. You need to be familiar with the requirements for writing comprehensive single-sentence answers, and how to write different types of one-paragraph answers (define, describe, explain, and compare and contrast). The Academic Skills Office fact sheets, Writing different paragraph types, contain more generic information on writing skills for the different paragraph types.

Samples of other writing tasks in the sciences

Single-sentence answers
Paragraphs

Definition
Description
Explanation
Compare and contrast

Writing single-sentence answers

Definitions

A useful way to organise a short definition of any scientific term is to state:

the item to be defined
the category to which it belongs
its special distinguishing features
an example, if appropriate.

Item	Category	Features	Example
herbivore	animal	eats only plants	cow
meiosis	nuclear division	halves chromosome number
arthropod	invertebrate	jointed chitinous exoskeleton and jointed legs	scorpion
isotopes	atoms	same atomic number but different mass numbers	carbon-12 and carbon-13

Sample question

Define what is meant by a herbivore.

Sample answer

A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants. An example of a herbivore is a cow.

Sample question

What is meiosis?

Sample answer

Meiosis is a form of nuclear division that halves the number of chromosomes in daughter cells.

Sample question

What is an arthropod?

Sample answer

An arthropod is invertebrate with jointed chitinous exoskeleton and jointed legs; for example, a scorpion.

Sample question

What are isotopes?

Sample answer

Isotopes are atoms that have the same atomic number but differing atomic masses; for example, carbon-12 and carbon-13.

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Writing paragraphs

Some important things to remember when writing paragraph answers are:

Introduce the paragraph with a topic sentence.
Use appropriate terminology.
Be clear, concise and well organised.

Definitions

Start the paragraph with a topic sentence which gives a simple single-sentence definition, then add further supporting information.

Sample question

What is meiosis?

Sample answer

Meiosis is a form of nuclear division that halves the number of chromosomes from 2n to n. Meiosis occurs in two stages, with the first stage separating homologous chromosomes and the second stage separating the duplicated chromosomes (chromatids). The result is four haploid nuclei which are genetically different from each other and the parent nucleus. This process ensures that chromosome number remains constant over generations, and crossing over of homologues and random assortment of chromosomes in meiosis contributes to genetic diversity of offspring.

Descriptions

Description paragraphs provide detailed information about something: its properties, parts, functions or other features. Use a topic sentence to identify the topic of the paragraph, then use the appropriate terminology to give an organised and detailed description.

Sample question

What are the characteristics of metals?

Sample answer

Metals are elements which share a number of features. They are (with the exception of mercury) solid at room temperature, they are malleable and ductile and conduct both heat and electricity. Most metals also have a high melting point and relatively high density.

Explanations

Explanation paragraphs are used to describe some procedure, or how something works. They should logically follow the sequence of steps or activities involved.

Sample question

Explain how a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) works.

Sample answer

The operations of a CPU are driven and synchronized by repetitive clock pulses, with the smallest increments of work completed between sequential clock pulses. The CPU is controlled by a computer program, and instructions enter the CPU from a memory storage device such as a hard disk or CD-ROM, via the computer’s main random access memory (RAM). The CPU accesses specific data in RAM by specifying the address of the data that it wants. As a program is executed, the instruction decoder implements software instructions and data then pass to the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU), which performs calculations. The resulting data are passed back to RAM or to another storage register for further use. The program counter in the CPU keeps track of successive instructions to make sure that the instructions are followed in the correct sequence.

(Source: Microsoft Online Encyclopedia (2007), Central Processing Unit. Retrieved from http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages / RefArticle.aspx?refid=761556091)

Compare and contrast

This type of paragraph requires you to examine similarities and differences. Start with a topic sentence that identifies the topic and introduces the intention to compare/contrast.

Sample question

What is the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells?

Sample answer

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells have some fundamental differences. In eukaryotic cells the DNA is usually in the form of a number of linear chromosomes inside a membrane-bound nucleus. In contrast, the DNA of prokaryotic cells is usually in the form of a single circular molecule that is not bounded by a nuclear membrane. Eukaryotic cells also have a number of other membrane-bound organelles such as Golgi apparatus and mitochondria, which do not occur in prokaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells occur in most kingdoms of living things, while prokaryotic cells occur only in the Kingdom Monera – the bacteria.

(Source: Knox, B., Ladiges, P., & Evans, B. (1995), Biology, Sydney, Aust.: McGraw-Hill.)

Samples index