1. Read these sentences and decide which are good comparisons, which have no similarities, and which are too obvious.

A. A shopping mall is like a big sailboat.

Good    None    Obvious

B. The way your husband treats you is similar to the way he always treats his sister.

Good    None    Obvious

C. You should dress for an interview similar to the way other employees at the company dress.

Good    None    Obvious

D. His temper tantrum this morning was identical to the one you just witnessed.
Good    None    Obvious

E. She dances the way I pick a movie.

Good None Obvious

F. My car's engine works the same way yours does.

Good None Obvious

2. Read these sentences and decide which are good contrasts, which have no differences, and which are too obvious.

A. My boyfriend is not a mouth-breathing redneck.

Good    None    Obvious

B. Working for a small company is better than working for a big one.

Good    None    Obvious

C. A big air conditioner and a little air conditioner have different cooling abilities.

Good    None    Obvious

D. An airplane and a train are different.

Good    None    Obvious

E. Air and train transportation have different advantages.

Good    None    Obvious

3. Using a T-bar, brainstorm specific details to compare and contrast one of the following pairs:

• nurse - doctor
• restaurant A - restaurant B
• pro athlete - college athlete
• cars - trucks
• A student - D student

4. Using a T-bar, brainstorm information to compare and contrast the atmosphere at home of two different families. Write a paragraph summarizing your findings.

5. For each of the following topic sentences, write down the two very limited subjects of the paragraph. Write com if the two will be compared and con if they will be contrasted.

• A. Evaporation and precipitation are contrasting processes.
  
  
  
  
• B. My mother and my wife are actually quite similar.
  
  
  
  
• C. According to most students, college is like a vacation.
  
  
  
  
• D. Rock and C&W music are very different.
  
  
  
  
• E. A mountain vacation differs greatly from sightseeing.
  
  

5. Complete each of the following topic sentences by filling in the missing part.

A. The way boys and girls play

B. differ in style and experience.

C. Coke and Pepsi

D. have similar personalities.

E. Football and basketball players

F. Elvis Presley and Tupac Shakur

G. have different cultures and economies.

6. Pick one of these two subjects. Collect information about it with a T-bar.

• two TV mothers
• two bosses
• two kinds of junk food
• two friends dating habits
• two classroom activities

7. Write a paragraph using the information from the T-bar above.

8. Complete each of the following thesis statements with three points for comparison/contrast.

A. Running and swimming

B. Saturdays and Sundays

C. Books and magazines

D. Typewriters and computers

9. Write an introduction that creates interest in and narrows to the thesis for one of the following topics. State the thesis at the end.

• contrast of teens and adults
• comparison of life and athletic contest

10. Write comparison-contrast outlines for essays on the following subjects. Use block order for one and point-by-point order for the other one.

--the main dishes, side orders, and drinks of two fast food restaurants

--the personalities, habits, and hygiene of two relatives

11. Write an introductory paragraph for an essay comparing and contrasting one of the following:

• useful and good present
• two characters in movies
• two different TV programs
• living alone or living with someone

12. Write a concluding paragraph for an essay comparing and contrasting one of the following:

• cash - credit
• feeling good - feeling bad
• well done - rare
• paper - plastic
• automatic - stick shift