Groups 201-204 Homework: Do you want to be famous?

Source.

Essay: Respond to the following questions--

When you imagine your future, do you sometimes think about what it would be like to become famous? Fame has its advantages, but on the other hand, fame isn't always easy to cope with. For you personally, what might be some of the pluses and minuses of fame?

This time, write in your own voice, replying directly to the questioner: "I think that...."

You may quote other people, including celebrities, journalists, commentators, and so on, but if you do, please please please give the name of the person you are quoting, put "quotation marks" around exact quotes, and tell us where you got the quotation. Do not copy answers from Internet homework sites and give them to me as your own work.

Example: 

Johnny Depp told interviewer Larry King, "... There are moments in a man's life when you just kind of want to feel somewhat normal."(1)

[at bottom of essay: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

(1) Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2052397/Johnny-Depp-reveals-feels-uncomfortable-public-eye.html

Write 200-250 words, using something like the following plan.

1. title
2. introduction: how did you get interested in this topic, or why?
3. list the advantages of fame and give reasons/examples
4. list the disadvantages of fame and give reasons/examples
5. draw a conclusion (give your opinion or a balanced summary of the topic).

Bring your essay to our next class. Together we'll consider the advantages and disadvantages of being famous.

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Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

Groups 201-204 Homework: You're the expert, part two

Write another essay on a topic of your choice. This time I would like you to cite at least one other author, using a quotation or a paraphrase from that author (or those authors) and telling the reader where the quotation or idea came from.

First, think about an interesting subject or theme, or about a news story or public concern that you know about. 

(Ideas: Russia and the world; the Olympic ideal; a perfect vacation/holiday; fate and freedom; should animals ever be kept in zoos?; intellectual property in a world of torrents; the cost of education; alcohol and addiction; starting your own business; finding a soulmate; online friendships; are libraries obsolete?; preserving historic buildings.)

In your essay, use these phrases if they are helpful.  

Write an opening paragraph, perhaps with a phrase from this list:

• What would you do if you only had _____? According to ______, the most important ______ is _______.
• The increasing number [or amount] of ______ has become an urgent problem.
• Many of my friends think that ______. I agree with them, and here's why. OR However, I believe they are wrong.
• Ever since the events at ______, journalists and politicians have argued for more ______.
• One day I was on my way to _______, when suddenly ________. I realized that ________ and decided to do something about it.

In this first section, if you wish, you could draw upon another author (perhaps a journalist or analyst or eyewitness) to help you describe the situation you'd like to address.

In your second section, express and explain your point of view. Here you might use another author to explain how you learned about this point of view or why you think it is correct.

In your third section, express and explain the "other side's" point of view, or explain the weaknesses of your own point of view. Here you could use a quotation or a paraphrase that represents the viewpoint you disagree with.

Finally, draw a conclusion or make a recommendation to the reader.

At the very end of your essay,  list the authors, their books or articles or Web pages. If you use only one source, put the full details of that source here, as we discussed in class. If you have more than one source, put "Works Cited" at the top of the list, and then list the individual sources. See this page for more guidelines.

By the way, the guidelines I'm quoting and linking are based on American standards for the humanities. Rules and guidelines are different in other English-speaking countries. In anything you write, choose one standard and use it consistently; don't mix standards from different countries or systems in one paper.

Here are a couple of Web sites that explain both the methods and the rules for finding and citing other people's work:

• Ohio State University "Research Strategies"
• "Citing Sources Effectively in Academic Papers"

You have two weeks for this assignment. Next week (March 5 or 6), tell me what your topic is, and the following week (March 12 or 13), please bring your finished essay of 200-250 words to class.

Groups 201-204 Homework: You're the expert.

(Originally posted on November 26.)

Write an essay on a topic of your choice.

First, think about a hobby or interest of yours, or about a news story or public concern that you know about. (Ideas: the ideal vacation; fate and freedom; music; file-sharing; cost of education; alcohol and addiction; starting your own business; global warming; finding a soulmate; online friendships; are libraries obsolete?; preserving historic buildings.)

Write an opening paragraph, perhaps with a phrase from this list:

• What would you do if you only had _____? According to ______, the most important ______ is _______.
• The increasing number [or amount] of ______ has become an urgent problem.
• Many of my friends think that ______. I agree with them, and here's why. OR However, I believe they are wrong.
• Ever since the ______ incident, journalists and politicians have argued for more ______.
• One day I was on my way to _______, when suddenly ________. I realized that ________ and decided to do something about it.

In your second section, express and explain your point of view.

In your third section, express and explain the "other side's" point of view, or explain the weaknesses of your own point of view.

Finally, draw a conclusion or make a recommendation to the reader.

Use these phrases if they are helpful.

You have one more week for this assignment. This week (December 4 or 5), tell me what your topic is, and next week (December 11 or 12), please bring your finished essay of 200-250 words to class.

Groups 201-204 Homework: The Internet as a source of information

This homework task (C2) is our first assignment under the "Essay" section of the unified state exam. Note the "Useful Phrases for Essays" entry on this blog for help and inspiration. We will survey your opinion and those of others in the class when we meet to review this homework next week.

You should take about forty minutes to do this assignment. Please write it on a page that you can give me.

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Exercise from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.
Cartoon from xkcd.com.

Groups 201-205 Homework: Essay on being famous

Source.

Last essay of the year! Comment on the following statement:

Many people dream of becoming famous celebrities, but fame can bring many pressures and problems.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous? Write 200-250 words, using the following plan:

1. title
2. introduction (state the problem/topic)
3. list the advantages and give reasons/examples
4. list the disadvantages and give reasons/examples
5. draw a conclusion (give your opinion or a balanced consideration of the topic)

Bring your essay to class on May 22 or 24. Together we'll consider the advantages and disadvantages of being famous.

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Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

S201-205 Homework: Is air travel better?

Photo by J. Maurer

Comment on the following statement:

Travelling by air is usually considered to be much quicker and more comfortable than travelling by other means. However, sometimes this may not be the case.

Source.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by air? Write 200-250 words on paper that you can give me. (I'll return it with written comments.)

Use the following plan:

• write an introduction (state the problem/topic)
• list the advantages and give reasons/examples
• list the disadvantages and give reasons/examples
• draw a conclusion (give your opinion or a balanced consideration of the topic)

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Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

S201-205 Homework: Are extreme sports worth the risk?

Artist: Nikolai Fomin

Comment on the following statement: "Extreme sports have become more and more popular. However, some say that they are too risky."

What is your opinion? Does the thrill of the sport outweigh the risk? Write 200-250 words on a piece of paper that you can give me. Use the following plan:

• write an introduction (state the problem/topic)
• express your personal opinion and give reasons for it
• give arguments for other points of view and explain why you don’t agree with them
• draw a conclusion

Please give me your essay next week (February 27 or March 1) or send it to me electronically. Have fun!

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Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

S201-205 Homework: Are zoos ever a good idea?

Tell us what you really think! Are zoos justifiable? Why or why not?

If you have already finished your essay on a topic of your choice, then I will ask you to write this new essay on a EGE blank form during class time. However, if I don't already have your personal-topic essay, then I will ask you to finish that essay during this week's class, and write the zoo essay as homework.

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Kazan' Zoo and Botanical Park, December 2013

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Exercise from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers. 

S201-205 Homework: advice about learning Russian

You have seen the following announcement in an international student magazine:

We are looking for essays that give advice to foreigners about learning your language. In your essay,

• suggest some ideas that will help foreigners to learn your language better;
• mention what you think the main difficulties will be.

Write an essay of 200-250 words (on a separate piece of paper or by e-mail) in response. Use the following plan:

• write an introduction (state the topic, explain what you will do in the essay)
• make your suggestions, illustrate them with examples and results
• list the main difficulties and give reasons and examples
• write a conclusion 

Some ideas and phrases for your essay:

• talk with native speakers
• rules and exceptions
• alphabet and spelling
• to conjugate verbs (verb conjugation)
• to decline nouns and adjectives (declension of nouns, pronouns, adjectives); cases ("Russian has six cases.")
• cognates and false cognates (false friends--English-Russian and Russian-English)
• slang
• articles ("Russian does not use articles")
• word order
• verbs of motion
• perfective and imperfective aspects (совершенный вид, несовершенный вид)

Note: In your introduction you can talk about "learning the Russian language," but afterwards you can simply say "learning Russian."

Please give me this homework next week (Wednesday or Friday). Thank you!

S201-205 Homework: "There are too many cars...."

This assignment is due on your class day in the week of November 5-9.

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Exercise from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

200-level homework: make your own essay exercise

Once again, it's your turn to be the textbook writer!

If necessary, you can look at some of the essay assignments you've enjoyed in the past:

• Fame and its disadvantages
• The thrills of extreme sports
• Animals should never be kept in zoos
• Should children be allowed to play video games?
• Too many cars

The best essay assignments might end up in the final exam!

200-level homework: your favorite place

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Group 206: Remember that, this week (April 16-20), we meet Friday at 18:00 instead of Wednesday at 15:00. Place: Room 16.

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Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

Be sure to give your article a title. Articles are often more interesting if they begin with an incident or a quotation.

Useful phrases for essays

 Introduction:

Many people prefer _____, but a growing number believe that ______.

The increasing number of [or: amount of or: danger of] ______ has become an urgent problem.

Some people believe that ______, while others argue strongly that _____.

Ever since the ______ incident, journalists and politicians have argued for more ______. Let’s look at what each side has to say.
One day I was on my way to [or: was speaking with or: was trying to] ______, when, suddenly, _______. I realized that _______ and decided to do something about it.

NOTE: Sometimes you can begin your essay by simply paraphrasing the assigned topic, or turning it into a question: "The Internet has become a popular source for information. Does the Internet deserve this popularity, or do its dangers outweigh its advantages?" 

Outlining one side of the argument:

Many people argue that _______.

In my experience, _______. [See note below concerning third-person vs first-person.]

In other words, ________.

On the one hand, __________.
This approach has many advantages ....

First, …. Second, …. Third, …. In addition, …. Finally, ….

As evidence, they point to ________.

If we fail to take their advice, the number of ________ will start to go up, and the _______ will start to go down.

Is it fair that ______ will enjoy ______ while millions of others will ______?

Throughout history, people have _________________.

Outlining the other side of the argument:

On the other hand, _________.

To be fair, _________.

They argue that _________, but fail to notice that _________.

To a certain extent, they are right. For example, __________.
Theoretically, this may be true. But in real life, ....

However, there are no reports of [or: there is no evidence of] __________.

At the same time, ______________.

Is it worth the risk?

Conclusion:

To sum up, ________.

We [or They] can’t have it both ways; either _________ is true or _________ is true.

In the final analysis, _________.

Both sides have some good points, _______________.

While the results are not conclusive, most of the evidence points to __________.

It is obvious that ______________.

Why must we choose? Both approaches have value.

If our only concern is immediate results, we can choose _________, but if we take future generations into account, we will clearly want to ________.

NOTE ON VOICE/PERSON: In general, essays written in the first-person "I" or "we" voice are less formal. Often personal experience is more persuasive than abstract discussions, but be sure to take into account your intended audience. An academic audience may prefer or even require a more objective-sounding third-person approach.

BE CONSISTENT. If you decide to speak in the first person singular, "I", don't switch to "we" or a passive voice halfway through the essay. If you speak as "we" or as a neutral observer, don't switch to "I" unless you make an explicit switch, for example at the end: "I would like to conclude with a personal experience."

[modified 2013/09/18]

200-level homework: fame and its disadvantages

Comment on the following statement:

Many people dream of becoming famous celebrities, but fame can bring many pressures and problems.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous? Write 200-250 words, using the following plan:

1. title
2. introduction (state the problem/topic)
3. list the advantages and give reasons/examples
4. list the disadvantages and give reasons/examples
5. draw a conclusion (give your opinion or a balanced consideration of the topic)

We will read our essays and compile a list of the advantages and disadvantages of being famous.

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Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

Homework for 200-level classes: "No zoos..."

This week's homework (for next week) is an essay. In class, to help prepare for writing the essay, we'll consider some of the arguments, both in favor of and against this statement: "Animals should never be kept in zoos. They belong in their natural environments."

This week I'm not actually requesting a word limit. For my class you can write less than 200 words or more than 250.

For other instructions, click on the thumbnail.

Exercise adapted from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

Homework for 200-level courses: Essay on video games

You have 40 minutes to do this task. Please be prepared to read your essay when your class meets during the week of January 16.... Please comment on this statement:

Nowadays, a lot of children play video games. Many parents think these games are violent and affect their children in negative ways. Others disagree and feel that the games can even be beneficial.

What is your opinion? Should children be allowed to play video games or not? If so, under what conditions?

Write 200-250 words using the following plan:

• write an introduction (state the topic)
• express your personal opinion and give reasons for it
• give arguments for the other point of view and explain why you don’t agree with those arguments
• draw a conclusion.

S200: Essay on being famous

Comment on the following statement:

Many people dream of becoming famous celebrities, but fame can bring many pressures and problems.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous? Write 200-250 words, using the following plan:

1. title
2. introduction (state the problem/topic)
3. list the advantages and give reasons/examples
4. list the disadvantages and give reasons/examples
5. draw a conclusion (give your opinion or a balanced consideration of the topic)

This essay is due between May 12 and 17.

S200 groups: Essay on pets

You have 40 minutes to do this task.  please bring the essay to class one week after you received the assignment.

Comment on the following statement.

In Western countries, people spend a lot of money on their pets. They buy special food for their cats and dogs, buy them toys, and often pay high fees for medical treatment. Some people think this is a waste of money, and argue that pets are dirty and dangerous.

What can you say for and against having a pet? Do people have to spend too much money on pets?

Write 200-250 words. Use the following plan:

• give a general outline of the problem
• outline the points FOR
• outline the points AGAINST
• draw a conclusion weighing up the points outlined