Posted: March 12th, 2023

Cause And Effect

Essay: Cause and Effect

Advanced Composition : Essay: Cause
and Effect

Lesson 9 Overview

Regardless of genre or

discipline, the purposes of

academic writing are to

inform, to communicate

feelings and ideas, or to

persuade. This lesson will

review the use of cause

and effect or causal

analysis in writing. The cause and effect essay may focus on causes,

effects or both! Keep in mind the importance of organization in cause-

and-effect work as you complete the textbook readings.

9.1 Recognize cause and effect in written works
Reviewing Cause and Effect

READING ASSIGNMENT

Read this assignment. Then, read pages 457–488 of Chapter 18 in your
textbook.

Introduction

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You get into your car, put the key in the ignition, and discover to your

dismay that the car won’t start. As you look at the fuel indicator on the

dashboard, you see that your gas tank is empty. That’s a simple

description of the relationship between cause and effect, a type of

deduction that we make on a daily basis, sometimes without realizing

it. As a pattern of essay development, cause and effect—sometimes

referred to as causal analysis—examines the relationships between

events or experiences in greater detail. The approach you take could

examine both causes and events, or focus more specifically on one or

the other aspect of the cause and effect relationship. An essay that

focuses on causes usually emphasizes the reasons something

occurred. In an effect essay, the emphasis is weighted more heavily

on the consequences of an event, situation, or choice.

Reading Highlights

Pages 457–460

Carefully review the characteristics of causal analysis. The key points

to bear in mind are

The different types of cause and effects relationships

A clear thesis statement

Logical organization

Detailed explanation of cause and effect relationships

In many cases, causal analysis is sometimes intended as an

argument that supports a set of observations, identifying a particular

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cause or sequence of causes. In other cases, a causal analysis is

intended to inform readers, to challenge their expectations, or even to

surprise readers.

Pages 460–465

Even if you’ve read it before, study Alex Vitale’s “Why the Police are

Rarely Indicted for Misconduct.” As you read the essay, look closely at

the highlighted areas, which clearly indicate the different elements the

author uses to develop her analysis. After reading the essay, study

the three different graphic organizers that follow, which illustrate three

different approaches to organizing cause and effect essays.

Pages 466–469

Read Adam Alter’s essay, “How Labels Like Black and Working

Class Shape Your Identity,” which describes how the effects of

arbitrarily assigning labels influence behavior. Afterward, review the

graphic organizer in Graphic Organizer 18.4.

Pages 469–470

Review the suggestions for integrating cause and effect into essays

based on other patterns of development, which you may find helpful

while writing your compare and contrast essay at the end of this

lesson. These suggestions highlight the importance of

Using transitions

Keeping the analysis simple

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Emphasizing why cause and effect is important in discussing

your main point

The guidelines for reading actively and thinking critically encourage

you to pay close attention to details, particularly when identifying the

relationships between causes and effects. If you include any kind of

causal analysis in your own writing, remember to offer enough

evidence to clearly establish causal relationships. Also, beware of

common errors, such as confusing chronology with causation and

mistaking correlation with causation.

Pages 470–476

Scan the “Guided Writing Assignment.” Look through all of it, but pay

special attention to the editing, proofreading, and revision tips.

Pages 477–488

Read the “Students Write” essay, “Is Sharing Files Online Killing

Music?” by Jonathan Adamczak. Note that the author’s thesis

identifies a single cause that leads to multiple consequences, and that

in the body of his essay he presents both negative and positive

effects. (Also, study the Works Cited page at the end of the essay.)

Then read Maria Konnikova’s “Why Summer Makes Us Lazy”

which makes connections by thinking about how seasons of the year

affect your mood and performance.

Key Points and Links

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READING ASSIGNMENT

Key Points

Cause and effect examines the relationships between events or

experiences in greater detail.

Cause and effect is also referred to as causal analysis.

An essay can focus on a cause and typically emphasizes the

reasons something occurred.

An essay focusing on effect, the emphasis is weighted more

heavily on the consequences of an event, situation, or choice.

A cause and effect essay should have a clear thesis statement,

logical organization, and detailed explanations

Discover More: Cause and Effect
Respond to the following based on your reading.

Read or reread Adam Alter’s essay in Chapter 18 and answer
questions 1–3.

1. In addition to cause and effect, what other patterns of
development does Alter use in his essay?

2. At what points in the essay does Alter use transitions to move from
one point to the next?

3. Identify some examples of descriptive language Alter uses in his
essay.

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4. Read or reread Jonathan Adamczak’s essay “Is Sharing Files
Online Killing Music?”; then respond to all three items under
“Analyzing the Writer’s Technique.”

Discover More Answer Key:

Discover More: Cause and Effect

1. Comparison and contrast (paragraphs 3 and 6); illustration is used

throughout as a tool for introducing elements demonstrating cause

and effect relationships, particularly in paragraphs 3, 4, 6, and 7. He

also uses third-person narrative patterns in paragraphs 3–5 and

paragraphs 8 and 11.

2. “In contrast…” (paragraph 3); “Four years before…” (paragraph 6);

“The next phase…” (paragraph 7); “When the new school year

arrived…” (paragraph 8).

3. “Laden with the baggage” (paragraph 3); “forced to drink from paper

cups” (paragraph 4); “meek shadows of their potential selves”

(paragraph 5); “swamped” (paragraph 10).

4. Analyzing the Writer’s Technique

1. Adamczak’s purpose is to report and analyze, rather than argue

or narrate, although he does urge musicians “to embrace creative

challenges” in his conclusion.

2. Adamczak uses illustration throughout the essay. He also

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occasionally uses comparison and contrast, as in paragraph 5

when he contrasts recording music digitally with recording music

on vinyl.

3. The introduction straightforwardly lays out what the essay will be

about, which would allow readers to trust the writer. By including

advice to musicians, the conclusion ends on a forward-looking

note.

9.2 Prepare a prewriting activity on cause and effect for
use in an essay on a specified topic
Graded Project: Essay: Cause and Effect

READING ASSIGNMENT

Your project must be submitted as a Word document ( x, )*. Your
project will be individually graded by your instructor and therefore will take up
to a few weeks to grade. Be sure that each of your files contains the following
information:

Your name
Your student ID number
The exam number
Your email address

To submit your graded project, follow these steps:

Log in to your student portal.
Click on Take Exam next to the lesson you’re working on.
Find the exam number for your project at the top of the Project Upload
page.

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Follow the instructions provided to complete your exam.

Be sure to keep a backup copy of any files you submit to the school!

Cause-and-Effect Essay

A cause-and-effect essay (or causal analysis) fully explains the

causes or effects that are the focus of the essay’s thesis and presents

them in a logical order.

Assignment

For your cause-and-effect essay, you will write an 1,800- to 2,000-

word research paper using the cause-and-effect pattern of

development. You’ll choose one of the assigned topics below and

begin your research. Four to six secondary sources are required. You

are required to use American Psychological Association (APA) citation

and documentation format for parenthetical (in-text) citation and your

list of references.

Review Cause and Effect, Chapter 18, in your textbook and complete

exercises 18.1 and 18.2. These exercises will help you identify and

distinguish between causes and effects. Also refer to graphic

organizers 18.1, 18.2, and 18.3 to see the structure of different types

of cause-and-effect essays. You’ll choose one of these methods to

organize your topic.

Please note that there is no graded prewriting for the cause-and-effect

essay, but you should still follow the steps in the writing process to

plan, organize, draft, and revise your essay before you submit it for

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evaluation.

Topic

Choose one of the following topics:

The causes and effects of cheating on exams or lying or

misrepresenting qualifications and accomplishments on a job

application or resume

The causes and effects of a major decision or change in life, such

as buying a home or returning to school

The causes and effects of social media on relationships and

communication

You may write in first-person or third-person point of view. You’re

writing for an audience unfamiliar with your topic, so your goal is to

use language your readers are familiar with and can relate to; be sure

to define any technical terms you use.

Research

You are required to use four to six reputable secondary sources for

your cause-and-effect essay. Evaluate your sources to ensure that the

information you are using and passing on to your readers is accurate

and reliable.

Incorporate evidence from your secondary sources into your outline or

graphic organizer to plan your essay. You’ll need to use parenthetical

citation and include a list of references on the last page of your exam.

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Refer to the APA style section in your text and the APA style guide in

the Writer’s Block (pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/writersblock/citationanddoc

umentation/apastyle) .

Process

Follow the steps in the guided writing assignment to prewrite,

organize, draft, revise, edit, and proofread your essay.

Choose one of the cause-and-effect graphic organizers in your

textbook to develop your plan; include the information from your

secondary sources in your outline or graphic organizer.

Study the cause-and-effect essays “Why the Police Are Rarely

Indicted for Misconduct” by Alex S. Vitale and “Is Sharing Files Online

Killing Music?” by Jonathan Adamczak to see how each writer

organizes and develops his analysis of each situation.

Exam Format

Format your prewriting and essay exams according to the following

instructions. Refer to the sample APA-style essay in your text.

1. Start with a title page that includes your

Title

Name

Student ID

Address

Email address

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http://pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/writersblock/citationanddocumentation/apastyle

2. Use the header function to insert your page number in the top

right margin of your document.

You do not need to include your essay title in the header.

3. Begin your document on page 2 after the title page.

Start page 2 with your title

Do not include abstracts in your essays.

Use transitional words, phrases, and sentences (p. 149) to

guide your reader through your essay.

Do not use headings in your essay.

4. Include your references list on the last page of your document.

Do not submit it separately.

Grading Rubric

Skill
Realized

A

100-90

Skill
Developing

B

89-80

Skill
Emerging

C

79-70

Not
Shown

F

69-0

Thesis: Audience, Purpose, and
Topic

The writer provides a clear thesis
statement that addresses the
purpose of the essay.

10 9 8 7.5 7 4 0

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Development

How insightfully and convincingly
does the writer apply the
appropriate development methods
to explore the thesis through
assertions, evidence, and analytic
explanation?

25 23 21 19 17 10 0

Organization

There is a clear introduction with a
thesis, body, and conclusion. The
writer uses topic sentences to
organize body paragraphs and
transitions appropriately to guide
the reader from point to point. The
conclusion reinforces the thesis
statement and provides a
satisfactory ending to the essay.

15 14 13 12 11 6 0

Incorporation of Source
Material

How logically and effectively are
paraphrases, summaries, and
direct quotations from varied,
relevant, and reliable sources
integrated with the writer’s style
for purpose and audience?

10 9 8 7.5 7 4 0

Style and Voice

The writer interacts with the
assigned audience using an
appropriate, consistent point of
view and tone. The writer offers
adequate evidence from his or her
own experience to effectively
engage readers’ interest and
address the purpose of the essay.
The conclusion reinforces the
thesis statement and provides a
satisfactory ending to the essay.

15 14 13 12 11 6 0

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APA Citation and
Documentation

Did the writer accurately and
correctly document the required
number of sources following APA
citation style both in-text and on
the references list?

10 9 8 7.5 7 3 0

Conventions

The writer uses correct grammar,
spelling, punctuation, and
sentence structure. The writer
makes correct word choices,
defines unfamiliar terms, and
conveys a clear message. The
writer has edited and proofread
the essay.

10 9 8 7.5 7 3 0

Format and Length

The writer met the required length
(1,800 to 2,000 words), used the
assigned font and margins, and
included the required header
information correctly.

5 4.5 4 3 1 0

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