Analytical paragraph, Study notes of English

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Task requirement: Write an analytical paragraph on the basis of the given map/chart/report/line graph etc. Length: 150-200 words Marks: 10

Beginning 2020, CBSE has included 'Analytical Paragraph' as one of the writing tasks in the Writing

Section of the Question Paper. It will be based on some data or information given in a map, chart, report, graph or diagram etc. In writing such a piece, students will be expected to critically analyse the given information and then summarize or describe it in a creative but objective manner; suggest a solution to a problem it may present; arrive at and describe a logical decision; apply the information to draw conclusions or make suggestions or find out and present alternative ways of doing something in order to save time, energy, resources, funds etc. Clearly, it is not going to be an easy task for most students to manage, but it will not be impossible either, if it is done in pairs or groups with plenty of scaffolding and good samples from teachers. It is needless to say that an answer to a question requiring an analytical paragraph as output cannot and must not be memorised. Instead, students must develop the necessary skills for writing such paragraphs. So, what skills are needed for writing effective analytical paragraphs? Alison Doyle in her article: "What Are Analytical Skills? – Definition and Examples of Analytical Skills" (posted on the website https://www.thebalancecareers.com/) lists the following 21^ st century analytical skills – not in the same order – that are necessary for employees. These skills are equally important for and relevant to school and college students, too: u Research u Communication u Data analysis/ u Critical Thinking u Creativity interpretation According to Alison, when a learner is trying to detect patterns, brainstorm ideas, observe facts, interpret data, draw conclusions, suggest 'out-of-the-box' or 'not so obvious' solutions to problems, he/she is using the above mentioned analytical skills. Whether attempted individually or in pairs or groups, an analytical paragraph will require students to first develop these skills and then employ them dextrously to produce paragraphs that are well- structured, lucid and logical as well as meet the length criterion.

An analytical paragraph should have the following structure: u Topic Sentence which is an opening statement or introduction that briefly describes what the paragraph is about. u Body that forms the detailed description, summary, interpretation or explanation of the information or data in the given input. u Conclusion which can be a logical deduction, a decision or a suggestion. It may also be a warning or a caution , too. Compacta recommends that the output of a question on 'analytical paragraph' should be only one physical paragraph of about 150 words. If CBSE specifies that the output may be of more than one paragraph, the single paragraph may be divided into two or three short paragraphs that follow the structure of an article.

Structure of an Analytical Paragraph:

Important:

B

ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH

ENGLISH (Language & Literature)-

Strictly according to the latest CBSE Sample Paper-

Some Useful Expressions for Writing an Analytical Paragraph

u Has risen/increased/gone up/shot up… u Has experienced/seen a rise/an increase in… u Has shown/registered a rise/an increase… u Has reached a maximum/a peak of…

u Has fallen/gone down/come down to… u Has dropped from......… to .......… u Has experienced/registered/shown a fall/a decrease/a decline in…. u Has hit/touched/reached its lowest/minimum level/point...

u Is better than/more than double/half as much/three times more/less than.... u Not as big as/as much as/as large as... u Many times over/more/less...

u Is the same as/similar to... u Is/Are comparable with... u Can be grouped together/classified together/clubbed with... u Show(s) similarity/similarities... u There are striking similarities between...

u As compared to… u In (sharp) contrast to/with… u Is comparable/not comparable with… u Compares well with.../Contrasts with…

u Has seen/registered/experienced/shown no change... u Has remained constant/unchanged/the same...

Present Perfect : Example – The number of accidents has risen sharply.

Simple Past : Example – Fewer cases of theft were reported; the sales rose up by 30 per cent.

Will + base verb : Example – At this rate the population will touch 1.5 billion mark by 2022.

Will + have + past Example – At this rate the population will have touched 1.5 billion by the participle verb : year 2022.

Passive Structures : Example – A few other alterations were also carried out in the hotel.

To report an increase

To report a decrease

To report differences

To report similarity

To report comparisons and contrast

To report constancy or no change

Frequently Used Tenses

The pie-chart based on a phone survey of 1000 randomly selected students shows how school students aged 13-16 years are taking their online classes. A majority of respondents (45%) take their online classes rather seriously, which is a good sign for the newly introduced online education system. It also indicates that this age group is well-versed in the use of the internet and online education platforms and applications. A little under one-fifth (18%) students said that they do join the online classes but mute their microphone and camera, which makes online classes more manageable but does not permit any interaction which is vital for any effective teaching and learning. Then there are those who do not take the online classes seriously. Fortunately, this group constitutes only 7% of the survey population. They make mischief and disturb the class by writing funny things on their teachers' white board. While 15% of all the respondents said they play games on their digital devices while their online classes are in progress, an equal number of students admitted they do not study textbooks or do assignments on their own after the classes. Clearly, a lot needs to be done to ensure student compliance before online classes become truly effective.

Take online classes very seriously Switch on the class but mute microphone and camera Write funny things on the teachers' white board Do not study textbooks or do assignments on their own after the class Play games on another device while the online class is on

Given below are the results of a phone survey of a group of 1000 students aged 13-16 carried out by an education company to find out how effective online classes are. Study the data carefully and then write an analytical paragraph to summarise the information. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw your own conclusions.

(A) Topic Sentence: A topic sentence is an introductory sentencethat briefly describes what the paragraphis about. Here, the pie-chart shows theresults of a survey in percentages.

(B) Body: It forms the detailed analysis and descriptionor summary of the input information.

(C) Conclusion: It is the last sentence and it describes the logicaldeduction or conclusion. It may sound a caution ora warning based on the analysis of the input.

Here the author gives his/her own opinionbased on the given data. Such statements may not always be needed. Sometimesquestion statements may preclude the possibility of making such observations.

This is another example of the author'sown opinion which indicates his/her background knowledge of the topic.

It refers back to 'those who do not takeonline classes seriously'.

This expression refers back to the expression'15% of all the respondents' in the previous line by way of comparison. This is a conclusion that the author hasinferred on the basis of the data and his/her own background knowledge of the topic.

The given data is not to be mechanicallyreproduced as shown in the input but has to be interpreted as to what it suggests orconstitutes. Here 45% constitutes 'a majority of respondents', which is asignificant observation or analysis to make.

Such expressions are not only effective inavoiding a mechanical reproduction of the given data but also help in rounding off thedata for a better understanding of it.

Such expressions indicate the author'sattitude and tone in writing.

What Students aged 13-16 do during their Online Classes (in %)

15 15

7

45

18

Given below is a bar graph showing some changes in the public behaviour in 'X' city in a period of two years. Analyse the data carefully and then summarise it in the form of an analytical paragraph.

The bar graph presents some data on changes in public behaviour in 'X' city in the current year as compared to the last year on as many as five counts – spitting in public, smoking in public, defacing walls with graffiti and posters, throwing litter at public places and in streets, and the blaring noise from loudspeakers. First a couple of things to cheer about. As is clear from the data, there has been a nearly 66% fall in the number of incidents of spitting. Only 78 cases were registered as against 229 registered last year. Similarly, cases of smoking also decreased dramatically from 481 cases reported last year to a mere 92, a fall of more than 80%. By sharp contrast, the menace of defacing walls with graffiti and posters has more than doubled. From about 457 cases last year, it recorded 983 cases in the current year. While the use of blaring loudspeakers has also come down marginally (from 690 this year as compared to the last year's figure of 761), not much has changed in people's habit of throwing/dumping garbage at public places and in streets. Overall, the public behaviour of people in 'X' city has shown improvements in a couple of counts like spitting and smoking but a lot remains to be done in areas like defacing public property with graffiti and dumping garbage in public places. Similarly, the use of loudspeakers further needs to be reduced.

A. BAR GRAPH

SAMPLE ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH (DATA BASED)

1. The following bar graph shows the points tally of four houses of Sacred Heart Convent School for the year 2020-21. The data is to be used to adjudge the best house of the year and the runners up. Study the data carefully and then write an analytical paragraph summarising the information. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw conclusions.

P ractice Exercises

2. The bar graph shows some statistics about the ten top wheat producing states of India in the year 2011-12. Study the data carefully and then write an analytical paragraph in about 150 words summarising the information. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw conclusions. 3. The following bar graph shows nutrient content of some common food items. Write an analytical paragraph of about 150 words briefly summarising the data and making appropriate comparisons.

Red House

Green House

Yellow House

Blue House

Discipline

House Wise Points Tally

0 2 4 6 8 10

Art and Craft

Sports

Academics

Uttar Pradesh Punjab Haryana Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan Bihar Gujarat Maharashtra Uttarakhand West Bengal

30,292, 17,280, 12,685, 11,538, 9,319, 4,725, 4,072, 1,313, 878, 872,

**3.

2.**

STATES

WHEAT

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture

Wheat Production (in tonnes)^

Wheat yield (tonnes per hectare)

2.26^ All India Average yield(tonnes per hectare)

2. Given below are the results of a survey on anxiety and fears among school students aged 13 to 16 and their effects on students' personality and behaviour. Study the data carefully and then write an analytical paragraph summarising the information. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw conclusions. 3. The Readers Club of a school recently conducted a survey to study the habit of reading among students. The pie charts given below show the compiled results in percentages. Use the data to write an analytical paragraph to summarise the findings of the survey. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw conclusions. - Lack of confidence - Poor self-esteem - Below par performance - Difficulty in maintaining

Different types of Anxiety and Fears Among School Students Aged 13- Fear of being rejected by classmates Fear of losing a friend Fear of failure in exams Fear of being scolded by parents Fear of being insulted by teachers

9% 39%

21% 21%

10%

Effects of Different Fears on Students' Personality & Behaviour

Frequency of reading among students aged 12 to 17

Reading preference (Literature) among students aged 12 to 17

Reading preference (Magazines and Newspapers) among students aged 12 to 17

healthy interpersonal relationship

The line graph below shows the number of incidents of UFO sightings in North India in six months – July to December last year. Study the statistics carefully and then summarise them in the form of an analytical paragraph.

UFOs or Unidentified Flying Objectes continue to be sighted at various places in North India. The data for the last six months of the last year shows that these incidents have shown a fluctuating trend. According to the given line graph, as many as 15 UFO sightings were reported in the month of July. The month of August registered a thirty-three percent increase in such sightings. However, between September and November, the sightings fell sharply from 15 to under 10 before their numbers shot up again in December which registered an equal number of UFO sightings as in July and September. Overall, there have been ups and downs in the number of UFO sightings made in the last six months in North India although the data does not indicate the type of UFOs sighted, where and by whom and whether the claim could be verified by scientists or not.

C. LINE GRAPH

P ractice Exercises

1. The following line graph shows the average number of passengers who travelled by the Blue Line of the Delhi Metro between October 2019 and March 2020. Study the information carefully and then write an analytical paragraph in about 150 words to summarise it. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw conclusions.

Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. 2019 2019 2019 2020 2020 2020

32 24 18 12 Passengers (in thousands)^6

Passenger numbers for the Blue Line of Delhi Metro

Risk World Low and High middle income income Percentage of deaths Indoor smoke from solid fuels 3.3 3.9 0. Unsafe drinking water, insanitation, lack of hygiene 3.2 3.8 0. Urban outdoor air pollution 2.0 1.9 2. Global climate change 0.2 0.3 0. Lead exposure 0.2 0.3 0.

Deaths among Three Different Income Groups due to Different Risks/Causes

The table below shows risk of death posed by five different causes in two income groups of people along with the world average of these deaths. Study the data carefully and then summarise it in the form of an analytical paragraph.

The table shows some statistics related to deaths among low and middle income groups as well as high income groups due to five reasons – indoor smoke from solid fuels; unsafe water, insanitation and lack of hygiene; urban outdoor pollution; global climate change and lead exposure. As is clear from the data, the high income group people die of the outdoor pollution more than any other cause. They account for 2.5% of all deaths which is higher than the world average of 2.0%. A mere 0.1% people of this group die of drinking unsafe water, insanitation and/or lack of hygiene. On the other hand, the lower and middle income group has mortality rate higher than the world average in all categories except urban outdoor air pollution, where it is 0.1% less than the world average of 2%. This group accounts for 3.9% and 3.8% deaths due to indoor smoke from solid fuels and unsafe drinking water, insanitation and lack of hygiene respectively. Global climate change and lead exposure account for 0.3% death each among this group. Overall, more people in the lower and middle income group die of the given causes than the high income group people.

D. TABLE

P ractice Exercises

1. The table below shows the average daily consumption of coffee and tea on weekdays by six employees in a company. Study the information carefully and then write a paragraph analysing the data. Make comparisons and draw conclusions as appropriate. Coffee 0 1 1 0 2 2

Employee^ Tea Bhushan Chaitali Evan Mahmood Sukhwinder Mohanan

AM PM AM PM

Total No. of Cups Coffee 0 2 1 0 0 2 2 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 1 3 2 0 0 3 2 0 2 4 4 0 2 5 2 0

Tea

2. The table below shows some statistics about the estimated and actual profits (in millions of Indian Rupees) of a particular company in the year 2020 as well as details of the 2019 figures. Study the information carefully and summarise it in the form of an analytical paragraph. Make comparisons and draw conclusions wherever appropriate. 3. The table below gives in percentage the number of office goers who used different modes of transport to go to work in the years 2019 and 2020 as well as their projected figures for the year 2021. Study the data carefully and then summarise it in the form of an analytical paragraph. Make comparisons and draw conclusions wherever appropriate.

2019

YEARLY FINANCIAL SUMMARY TABLE (Targeted)^2020 (Actual)^2020 Revenue Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit Costs of Operations Taxes Paid Net Income

270 150 120 14 4 102

340 180 160 16 5 139

430 160 290 18 6 266

Year

2019 2020 2021

Walking

2 1 0

Bicycle

27 11 7

Motorcycle/ Scooter 39 31 40

Own Car

10 16 11

Taxi

1 12 6

Bus

12 16 19

Local Trains 9 13 17

What to do:

Evacuation

When:

u FIRE ALARM u POWER OUTAGE u AS DIRECTED

Shelter-in-Place

When:

u SEVERE WEATHER u HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL

Lockdown

When:

u VIOLENCE OR THREAT OF VIOLENCE What to do: What to do: u Use the "Boot" to secure the door. Leave the building immediately. u Remain calm – walk, do not run u Last person out closes the door u Leave by the nearest safe exit u Do not use elevators u Assist others, if safe to do so u Report missing persons or persons left behind to emergency responders u Report to Evacuation Area and await instructions u Do not re-enter building until "All clear" is given

u Follow directions given by security u Stay away from windows and doors u Move to an interior room, stairwell, or hallway with no windows on the lowest floor u Use phones only for emergencies u Stay in place until the "All clear" is given

u Use the "Boot" to secure the door u Secure and lock windows and close blinds/shades u Turn off lights and monitors u Keep quiet u Silence cell phones u Do not open doors during a lockdown, even in the event of a fire alarm u Stay in safe areas until directed by law enforcement

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Fire, Medical Emergency or Violence Call 911

The visual below shows how gasoline and diesel reach our local gas stations. Study the information carefully and then summarise it in the form of an analytical paragraph. Make comparisons and draw conclusions as appropriate. Do not add any new information.

Ever wondered how petroleum fuels like petrol and diesel you use to run your vehicles reach your local gas stations? The entire process passes through several stages from the production or import, refinement, storage, transportation and distribution. In the first stage, the crude oil which is imported from other countries or produced domestically reaches refineries where it is refined in several stages to obtain petrol and diesel, two among a whole range of petroleum- based products. These products are stored in refinery storage facilities which are connected to a central pipeline delivery system. Petrol and diesel from this storage facility are carried to bulk terminal storage tanks either through a network of pipelines or though tankers or barges. Next, tanker trucks further transport these products from the bulk storage tanks to the gas stations in towns and cities where consumers can buy them as and when they require.

Imported crude oil

Flow of gasoline (or petrol) and diesel to your local gas station

Refinery A

Refinerystorage

Refinery storage

Pipeline storage Commonpipeline

Bulk terminalstorage

Tanker or barge

Tanker or barge

Tanker truck

Tanker truck

Tanker truck

Gas station

Gas station

Refinery B Gas station

Imported crude oil

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Domesticcrude oil

Book Shelves & Reading Hall

Magazine &Newspaper Stand

EntranceMain

UndergroundWay to Parking & Cafeteria

Door 2 Door 1

UndergroundExit from Parking & Cafeteria

Exit

Book Issue & Return Counter

Books Exhibition Area

Pool Area

Toilets

Water Station

City Library in 2020

DRIVE WAY

DRIVE WAY

P A R K I N G

Book Shelves &Reading Hall

Entrance^ Main

Toilets

Door 2

Door 1

City Library in 2000

P A R K I N G

Book Issue & Return Counter

Newspaper StandsMagazine & DRIVE WAY

Given below are the two maps of a library in a city. Carefully study both the maps and then write an analytical paragraph describing the major changes or renovations the library has undergone in the last 20 years. Make comparisons wherever appropriate and draw your own conclusions.

The City Library, the central point of the city has undergone many changes in the last twenty years. In the year 2000 it was much smaller with half of its area on the right being occupied by the entrance driveway and parking lots. Toilets for the visitors were located behind the parking lots. Visitors got access to the reading hall and bookshelves from a door close to the main entrance gate. For this they first had to go past the books issue and return counter. Newspaper and magazine stands were located behind this counter. Twenty years later, the library has been completely redesigned and rebuilt and a lot of new facilities have been added to it. The entrance driveway remains on the right but has become narrower. Ornamental plants can be seen growing all along it. The driveway takes you to an underground parking area in the extreme end of which is a cafeteria for visitors. On the ground floor a new reading hall has been built which is nearly double the size of the old reading hall and also contains an issue and return counter, a water station and. While the visitors enter from the right hand side gate of the library, they exit from the parking lot from the gate on the left hand which leads to the exit driveway. The open area right in front of the reading hall has a lush green garden with a pool and some easy garden chairs for readers a permanent books exhibition area.

toilets

as well as

1. Given below are two maps – A and B of APJ School. Map 'A' shows the layout of the school as it was in 2015 and Map 'B' shows the layout of the school at present. Carefully study the two maps and then write an analytical paragraph in about 150 words describing the major changes in the layout.

P ractice Exercise

PATH

Gate 2 Raja Ram Mohan Rai Road Gate 1

PATH Secondary School Block

Second Floor(Classes IX, X & Auditorium) (Administrative BlockFirst Floor & Principal's Office) Parking for StaffGround Floor (Cars, Bikes) & Students (Bicycles)

PATH

Second Floor(Class VIII)

(Multipurpose Hall)Third Floor

(Classes VI & VII)First Floor (Office LibraryGround Floor and Dispensary)

Middle School Block

PATH

(Classes IV and V)^ Second Floor

(Nursery and KGGround Floor Section)

(Classes I, II and III)First Floor

Nursery, KG andPrimary Block Playground

MAP A