Text 1:

Adapted from The Ants and the Grasshopper by Aesop (620-560 BCE)

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Text 2:

Adapted from Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse (620-560 BCE)

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

The themes of these passages are different but the author chose a similar genre to tell the story. Why would an author choose a fable to explore this theme instead of a different genre?

Text 1:

Adapted from The Ants and the Grasshopper by Aesop (620-560 BCE)

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Text 2:

Adapted from Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse (620-560 BCE)

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

The themes of these passages are different but the author chose a similar genre to tell the story. Why would an author choose a fable to explore this theme instead of a different genre?

Text 1:

Genetic investigations into the origins of human life most often focus on mitochondrial DNA. As opposed to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is transmitted only from the mother. This allows for the tracing of mutations that arise independently of changes that occur because of the combining of the mother’s and father’s DNA. As useful as this is, the high mutation rate of mitochondrial DNA allows scientists to look at only relatively recent prehistory.

Text 2:

Nuclear DNA, on the other hand, has a low mutation rate, making it ideal for looking into the more distant past. Studying the nuclear DNA of fossils now shows a substantial decrease in population size in Europe and Asia approximately 50—80 thousand years ago. No such decrease happened in Africa. This supports the idea that migrants from Africa replaced all previous humans, and did not interbreed with earlier migrants.

What structure do both authors use to organize their text?

Text 1:

Adapted from The Ants and the Grasshopper by Aesop (620-560 BCE)

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Text 2:

Adapted from Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse (620-560 BCE)

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

How does the author's purpose compare in these works?

Text 1:

One clear advantage of selling goods online is that smaller markets can be served without the seller needing to invest in high inventory costs. Recordings of classical music, for example, are increasingly hard to find at the larger music chains. Now the classical music lover can locate nearly any classical CD in print on the Internet.

In addition, forward-thinking artists without national followings have made their music available on personal sites or through services that provide the musicians with a more generous share of profits than that offered by the large record labels. For some, this has resulted in increased sales volume, greater return on investment, greater control of the product, and a more direct connection with their fan base.

Major orchestras and record labels have taken note, and have created websites where one can purchase individual tracks, full CDs, archival recordings, and even music exclusively made available for online downloads. Some symphony orchestras now include, with the price of admission to a concert, the right to download a recording of the concert afterward. Other services allow the listener unlimited streaming or downloading for a monthly fee.

Text 2:

One disadvantage of selling goods online is that smaller retailers can be crushed by large online retailers. Big corporations that sell online have access to more goods so that brings the cost of each item down exponentially. They place larger orders and can carry more varieties of products so they may be able to satisfy more customers.

Just about anything can be found online so it takes away the fun of the hunt. Digging through vintage record bins, combing through racks of clothing, or spending a day out shopping with friends is reduced to a few clicks online and waiting 3-5 business days for the package to arrive. Small businesses are losing foot traffic to their stores and facing declining sales when a big box store can beat their price with a cheaper imported good.

Musicians, for example, may have CDs to sell after a performance but when people can download the single song they like or it can be listened to on a streaming service the artist can lose out on those sales. Many artists don’t produce a tangible good anymore and just make their goods available for digital download or purchase.

Do the authors’ present facts or opinions in their texts?

Text 1:

One clear advantage of selling goods online is that smaller markets can be served without the seller needing to invest in high inventory costs. Recordings of classical music, for example, are increasingly hard to find at the larger music chains. Now the classical music lover can locate nearly any classical CD in print on the Internet.

In addition, forward-thinking artists without national followings have made their music available on personal sites or through services that provide the musicians with a more generous share of profits than that offered by the large record labels. For some, this has resulted in increased sales volume, greater return on investment, greater control of the product, and a more direct connection with their fan base.

Major orchestras and record labels have taken note, and have created websites where one can purchase individual tracks, full CDs, archival recordings, and even music exclusively made available for online downloads. Some symphony orchestras now include, with the price of admission to a concert, the right to download a recording of the concert afterward. Other services allow the listener unlimited streaming or downloading for a monthly fee.

Text 2:

One disadvantage of selling goods online is that smaller retailers can be crushed by large online retailers. Big corporations that sell online have access to more goods so that brings the cost of each item down exponentially. They place larger orders and can carry more varieties of products so they may be able to satisfy more customers.

Just about anything can be found online so it takes away the fun of the hunt. Digging through vintage record bins, combing through racks of clothing, or spending a day out shopping with friends is reduced to a few clicks online and waiting 3-5 business days for the package to arrive. Small businesses are losing foot traffic to their stores and facing declining sales when a big box store can beat their price with a cheaper imported good.

Musicians, for example, may have CDs to sell after a performance but when people can download the single song they like or it can be listened to on a streaming service the artist can lose out on those sales. Many artists don’t produce a tangible good anymore and just make their goods available for digital download or purchase.

How do these authors present their information similarly or differently?

Text 1:

Genetic investigations into the origins of human life most often focus on mitochondrial DNA. As opposed to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is transmitted only from the mother. This allows for the tracing of mutations that arise independently of changes that occur because of the combining of the mother’s and father’s DNA. As useful as this is, the high mutation rate of mitochondrial DNA allows scientists to look at only relatively recent prehistory.

Text 2:

Nuclear DNA, on the other hand, has a low mutation rate, making it ideal for looking into the more distant past. Studying the nuclear DNA of fossils now shows a substantial decrease in population size in Europe and Asia approximately 50—80 thousand years ago. No such decrease happened in Africa. This supports the idea that migrants from Africa replaced all previous humans, and did not interbreed with earlier migrants.

Does either of the authors present unfair or biased information?

Text 1:

Adapted from The Ants and the Grasshopper by Aesop (620-560 BCE)

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Text 2:

Adapted from Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse (620-560 BCE)

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

How does the author's purpose compare in these works?

Text 1:

One clear advantage of selling goods online is that smaller markets can be served without the seller needing to invest in high inventory costs. Recordings of classical music, for example, are increasingly hard to find at the larger music chains. Now the classical music lover can locate nearly any classical CD in print on the Internet.

In addition, forward-thinking artists without national followings have made their music available on personal sites or through services that provide the musicians with a more generous share of profits than that offered by the large record labels. For some, this has resulted in increased sales volume, greater return on investment, greater control of the product, and a more direct connection with their fan base.

Major orchestras and record labels have taken note, and have created websites where one can purchase individual tracks, full CDs, archival recordings, and even music exclusively made available for online downloads. Some symphony orchestras now include, with the price of admission to a concert, the right to download a recording of the concert afterward. Other services allow the listener unlimited streaming or downloading for a monthly fee.

Text 2:

One disadvantage of selling goods online is that smaller retailers can be crushed by large online retailers. Big corporations that sell online have access to more goods so that brings the cost of each item down exponentially. They place larger orders and can carry more varieties of products so they may be able to satisfy more customers.

Just about anything can be found online so it takes away the fun of the hunt. Digging through vintage record bins, combing through racks of clothing, or spending a day out shopping with friends is reduced to a few clicks online and waiting 3-5 business days for the package to arrive. Small businesses are losing foot traffic to their stores and facing declining sales when a big box store can beat their price with a cheaper imported good.

Musicians, for example, may have CDs to sell after a performance but when people can download the single song they like or it can be listened to on a streaming service the artist can lose out on those sales. Many artists don’t produce a tangible good anymore and just make their goods available for digital download or purchase.

How do the authors' ideas compare to each other?

Text 1:

Adapted from The Ants and the Grasshopper by Aesop (620-560 BCE)

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Text 2:

Adapted from Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse (620-560 BCE)

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

How are the ants in the first story and Mouse in the second story similar to each other?