In the Name of Allah The Islamic Institution for Education and Teaching

Grade: 11
Al-Mahdi Schools, Department of English

Types of Introduction (Answer Key)

A. Match each of the methods (types) of introduction to its purpose:
1. e
2. b
3. a
4. d
5. c
6. f

B. Read the introductory paragraphs below and identify what method of introduction
the writer uses and what purpose (other than arousing the readers’ curiosity and
grabbing their attention) each one serves.
1. Disease like Scarlet Fever and whooping cough used to kill more young children than
any other cause. Today, however, child mortality due to disease has been completely
eliminated by medical science. Instead, car accidents are the number one killer of our
children. And 50% of the children fatally injured in car accidents were not protected by car
seats, belts, or restraints of any kind. Several steps must be taken to reduce the serious
dangers car accidents pose to our children.
Type: (ANSWER: SURPRISING FACT)
Function: (The writer starts his introduction by a surprising fact and uses statistics in the
introduction to show the reader that half of children are killed in car accidents and not by
diseases, and that’s a big problem! The writer wants to add emphasis to the topic and shed
light on the importance of taking serious measures to eliminate children’s deaths by car
accidents.)
 2. I remember my dad grumbling about water going everywhere as he put the hose
back in place. He had had the hose in just the right position, and if we hadn't been
playing with it, the rink would have been flooded by now. To us kids, the thought of
having our own ice rink to skate on was too exciting to make us stop and think about
the hose….

Type: (ANSWER: ANECDOTE)

Function: (The writer starts the introduction by a personal story talking about his past. The
writer is looking back happily on moments in his/her life sharing the joy of that memory with
readers to entertain them.)

3. Everybody has heard the old saying, “Time flies,” but I never really thought about that
statement until I started college. I expected college to challenge me with demanding
course work. I expected it to surprise me with the wide range of people I would meet. But
I never expected college to exhaust me. I was surprised to discover that my biggest
problem in college was learning to organize my time.
Type: (ANSWER: ANECODOTE + QUOTATION)
Purpose: The writer wants to show readers the importance of time management in college
when he started by a famous saying about time. He wrote about his experience at college
and the problem of disorganizing his time, as if he wants to caution readers to pay attention
to their time and always benefit from each minute because time passes very quickly.

C. What method(s) of introduction did the writer use in the reading selection “The Birth-
Order Myth” (P. 23)? What purpose does it serve?

The type of introduction in the reading selection “The Birth-Order Myth” is a mix between
the two methods using a quotation or saying and surprising facts. The writer started the
introduction by some sayings about birth in order to grab our attention towards the topic
(Birth order) and to show that some people believe that birth order affects the
personality. The writer also added examples about researchers that claimed that
firstborns are different from others. Add to that, the writer added studies performed by
two Swiss social activists to show readers that birth order doesn’t exist and that the
previous assumption is incorrect and this is surprising and it will sure arouse our curiosity
to read on!