Top 6 Best Essays on the 'Structure and Methods of Argumentation in Expository Writing' for 7th Grade

KEY KNOWLEDGE TO MASTER

• The structure of an argumentative essay consists of three parts:

- Introduction: Present the issue with social significance (general introduction, starting point).

- Body: Present the main content of the essay (this section may have multiple paragraphs, each with a supporting argument).

- Conclusion: Summarize and reaffirm the essay's viewpoint and stance.

• Various methods of argumentation such as cause-effect reasoning and analogy can be employed to establish arguments within each part.

I. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND ARGUMENTATION

* The essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People' consists of three main parts:

- The introduction presents the topic for discussion: the spirit of patriotism among our people.

- The body elaborates on the main argument with supporting points:

+ Patriotism in the past;

+ Patriotism in the present;

- The conclusion reinforces the arguments: Our duty today is to promote patriotism.

* Here, the main argument is that our people possess a deep love for the country. To highlight its importance, the writer explains that this love is a cherished tradition vital to the nation’s defense.

* Supporting points:

+ Patriotism in the past (as tradition), illustrated with examples;

+ Patriotism in the present, exemplified through various groups (young and old, men and women, rural and urban).

* The author concludes by asserting that it is our duty to actively practice patriotism, especially in national defense efforts.

II. PRACTICE EXERCISE

Read the passage (pages 31-32 from the 7th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2) and answer the following questions:

a) What is the essay's central message? How is this message conveyed through the supporting arguments? Identify sentences that express the core argument.

b) How is the essay structured? What methods of argumentation are used throughout the text?

Answer:

a) The essay presents the central message: The importance of a strong foundation in education to become a great individual.

The core argument is clear from the title: one must start with basic education to achieve greatness.

The writer uses reasoning and examples to support this view:

- Many people study, but few succeed in mastering their craft.

- The author refers to the story of the painter Leonardo da Vinci learning basic techniques as a persuasive example of how foundational skills lead to success.

- Only those who diligently practice the fundamentals will achieve significant accomplishments.

b) The essay is divided into three parts:

Introduction: Uses contrast and comparison to present the core idea: few people succeed in becoming truly skilled.

Body: Narrates the story of Leonardo da Vinci learning to draw eggs to illustrate the importance of mastering basic skills.

Conclusion: Follows a cause-and-effect structure to emphasize that mastering the basics leads to success.

=> Overall argumentation structure: General to specific, focusing on the relationship between the parts of the essay.

A. CORE KNOWLEDGE

The structure of an argumentative essay consists of three parts:

- Introduction: Present the issue with relevance to social life (general thesis, starting point).

- Body: Elaborate on the main content of the essay (may include multiple paragraphs, each with a supporting argument).

- Conclusion: Reaffirm the essay's key points, stance, and viewpoint.

Various argumentation methods such as cause-effect reasoning, comparison, and analogy are used to establish connections between the sections.

B. EXERCISES AND GUIDELINES

Question from page 30, 7th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2

What is the structure and method of argumentation used in the essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People'?

Answer:
The essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People' is divided into three sections: Part 1 - one paragraph; Part 2 - two paragraphs; Part 3 - one paragraph.
Main arguments in the essay:
Part 1: Our people possess a deep love for the country, a cherished tradition.
Part 2: Two points: Patriotism in the past (historical context); Patriotism in the present.
Part 3: Conclusion: Our duty to promote patriotism.
Argumentation method:
Horizontal argumentation: Paragraph 1: Cause-effect reasoning; Paragraph 2: Total-part relationship; Paragraph 3: Analogical reasoning.
Vertical argumentation: Row 1: Author’s analogy; Row 2: Author’s analogy; Row 3: Cause-effect comparison.
Argument flow: The main argument is demonstrated through historical examples and various dimensions of wartime, followed by the conclusion on our responsibility to cultivate patriotism.

EXERCISE
Question from page 32, 7th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2
Read the passage and answer the following questions:

a) What is the central message of the essay? What supporting points illustrate this message?

b) How is the essay structured? What methods of argumentation are used in the essay?

Answer:
Essay: 'Master the Basics to Become Truly Successful'

a) The core message: One must master the fundamentals to achieve success and greatness.
Supporting arguments:
- Most people fail to learn properly to become truly skilled (first sentence).
- Only by mastering the basics can one achieve success (the story of egg painting… leads to greatness).

b) Structure: 3 parts
Introduction: The first sentence - 'In life... few know how to become truly successful'.
Body: 'The renowned painter... Renaissance' - The story of the painter serves as an example of the importance of mastering the basics.
Conclusion: Argumentation follows cause-and-effect reasoning.
Argument method: Specific to general, combining cause-effect reasoning to demonstrate that the process of learning leads to success.

DETAILED CONTENT
1. Relationship Between Structure and Argumentation
The structure of an argumentative essay consists of three parts:
Introduction: Present the issue with social relevance (general thesis, starting point).
Body: Present the main content (with multiple smaller sections, each supporting a sub-argument).
Conclusion: Reinforce the essay’s core message.
Regarding argumentation: Various methods such as cause-effect reasoning, total-part relationships, and analogies are used.
The argumentation should be logical and clear, aiming to demonstrate the thesis.

Example: In the essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People', the structure consists of:
1. Introduction: Presents the issue for discussion: Patriotism among our people.
2. Body: Elaboration on the main argument with sub-points:
- Patriotism in the past
- Patriotism in the present
3. Conclusion: Reaffirms the arguments, emphasizing our responsibility in fostering patriotism.

I. The Relationship Between Structure and Argumentation

Examine the diagram in the 7th-grade literature textbook (Volume 2, page 30) for the essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People' to understand the interconnection between arguments in each section. The three parts of the essay are closely related, logical, and form a cohesive, highly persuasive argumentative text.

Important to Remember:

* An argumentative essay consists of three parts:

- Introduction: Present the issue of social significance (the starting thesis, general perspective).

- Body: Present the main content (it may contain several smaller sections, each with a supporting argument).

- Conclusion: Summarize and affirm the essay’s message, attitude, and viewpoint.

* To establish the thesis within each section and the relationship between them, different argumentation methods, such as cause-effect reasoning or analogy, may be used.

II. Practice

Read the essay 'Mastering the Basics to Achieve Greatness.'

Answer the following questions:

a) What is the central idea of the essay? How is this idea represented in the supporting arguments? Find the sentences that express the main points.

The essay presents the idea that mastering the basics is essential to becoming skilled and successful.

This idea is demonstrated through the following arguments:

- Few people understand how to learn in a way that leads to success (the first sentence reflects this idea).

- Only by diligently mastering the basics can one achieve success (the story of Da Vinci’s egg painting illustrates this: only those who work hard on the basics can succeed in the long run).

b) How is the essay structured?

The essay is divided into three parts:

- Introduction: Contains a single sentence that uses contrastive reasoning.

- Body: From 'The Italian artist...' to 'A great Renaissance artist.' The story of Da Vinci painting eggs illustrates the main point.

The argumentation method here is cause-effect reasoning: Da Vinci's repeated practice of egg painting improved his skills and helped him become a renowned Renaissance artist.

- Conclusion: From 'The story of egg painting...' to the end. The conclusion also uses cause-effect reasoning: Da Vinci’s success is attributed to his teacher Verocchio’s emphasis on mastering the basics.

I. The Relationship Between Structure and Argumentation

The essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People' is structured in three parts:

- Introduction: Introduces the central issue of discussion: the spirit of patriotism among our people – the main thesis.

- Body: Breaks down the main thesis into smaller supporting arguments:

+ Patriotism in our past;

+ Patriotism in our present;

- Conclusion: Reaffirms the arguments presented and emphasizes our responsibility today in promoting patriotism.

For more details, refer to the essay 'The Spirit of Patriotism Among Our People.'

II. Practice

a) The central idea of the essay: The importance of mastering the basics to become truly skilled.

The essay’s main argument is clearly expressed in the title: one must master the basics to achieve greatness; in other words, to succeed, one must begin with the fundamentals.

To support this argument, the author uses reasoning and examples:

- Many people attend school, but few know how to study effectively to succeed.

- The author uses the story of Leonardo da Vinci learning to paint eggs (borrowing the tale of this great artist to strengthen the argument that mastering the basics leads to greatness).

- Only those who diligently practice the fundamentals can achieve success.

b) The essay's argumentation structure: Vertical argumentation – Total-part relationship.

- The essay consists of three parts:

+ Introduction: Uses contrastive reasoning.

+ Conclusion: Uses cause-effect reasoning.

Part I: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND ARGUMENTATION

* The essay is divided into three parts: Introduction (I), Body (II), Conclusion (III).

* The Introduction and Conclusion each consist of one paragraph, while the Body contains two paragraphs.

* Key arguments:

- Main thesis: Our people possess a deep love for the country (the author explains this as a valuable tradition with a role in defending the nation).

- Supporting arguments:

+ Patriotism in the past (the author provides examples).

+ Patriotism in the present. The author supports this by listing various groups in society (elderly, young, men, women, urban, rural).

- Conclusion: Our responsibility is to channel this patriotism into active participation in national defense and resistance.

Part II: PRACTICE

Read the passage (pages 31-32, 7th-grade literature textbook, Volume 2) and answer the following questions:

a) What central idea does the essay express? How is this idea demonstrated in the supporting arguments? Find the sentences that present the arguments.

b) How is the essay structured? What reasoning methods are used?

Detailed Answer:

a) The central idea is presented in the title. This idea is expanded upon in the first two paragraphs and the conclusion. These are the sentences that express the main arguments.

b) The essay is structured into three parts:

I. Introduction: Uses contrastive reasoning to present the argument that few understand how to truly learn for success.

II. Body: Tells the story of the great artist Leonardo da Vinci painting eggs to illustrate the importance of learning the basics through methodical instruction and persistence from both teacher and student.

III. Conclusion: Uses cause-effect reasoning.

* It is through diligent practice of basic skills that success is achieved.

* Great teachers are essential for teaching the fundamentals effectively.

* Only excellent teachers can produce exceptional students.

This is how the arguments and examples lead to the conclusion.

Part I: Basic Knowledge

Review the text 'The Patriotic Spirit of Our People.' Refer to the diagram below, observing both the horizontal and vertical relationships to analyze the structure and argumentation methods used in the text.

(Hint: How many parts does the essay have? How many paragraphs are in each part? What are the key arguments in each paragraph? Horizontal line (1) uses cause-effect reasoning, horizontal line (3) uses general-specific reasoning, and horizontal line (4) is based on analogical reasoning. Vertical line (1) uses analogical reasoning based on time.)

Answer:

The text 'The Patriotic Spirit of Our People' is structured into three parts:

- The Introduction presents the main issue: the patriotic spirit of our people – the central argument;

- The Body elaborates on the central argument with smaller supporting arguments:

+ Patriotism in the past;

+ Patriotism in the present, with examples drawn from various social groups (old, young, men, women, urban, rural);

- The Conclusion reaffirms the presented arguments: our responsibility today in nurturing and expressing patriotic spirit.

Part II: Skill Development

Read the following essay and answer the questions:

'LEARNING THE BASICS IS THE KEY TO GREATNESS'

Many people go to school, but few know how to learn to become truly accomplished.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), a renowned Italian artist, was recognized for his talent in painting by his father at a young age. His father sent him to study under the famous painter Verrocchio. Da Vinci wished to learn quickly, but Verrocchio had a unique teaching method. He made Da Vinci practice drawing eggs for many days in a row, which frustrated him. Verrocchio then explained, 'You must understand that in a thousand eggs, no two will have exactly the same shape! Even with one egg, changing the angle will reveal a different shape. If you don’t practice carefully, you won’t be able to draw it accurately!' Verrocchio added that repeatedly drawing eggs was also a way to train the eyes and hands. Only when the eyes are sharp and the hands are skilled can one draw anything. Following this method, Da Vinci eventually became a great Renaissance artist.

The story of Da Vinci drawing eggs demonstrates that only those who diligently practice the basics can achieve success. And only great teachers can impart the most fundamental lessons. As the saying goes, 'Only a great teacher can create great students.'

(Source: Xuan Yen)

a) What central idea does the essay convey? What arguments support this idea? Identify the sentences that present the key arguments.

b) How is the essay structured? What reasoning method does the author use?

Answer:

a) The essay conveys the idea of the importance of mastering basic skills to become great.

The central argument is clearly stated in the title: mastering the basics is essential to achieving greatness. In other words, to become successful, one must start with the basics.

To illustrate this point, the author provides logical reasoning and examples:

- Many people go to school, but few know how to truly learn to succeed.

- The author shares the story of Leonardo da Vinci practicing egg-drawing (using the story of the great artist to support the argument that mastering the basics is necessary for success).

b)

- The essay employs vertical reasoning: general-to-specific structure.

- The structure is divided into three parts:

+ Introduction: Reasoning through contrast to introduce the main argument that few people truly learn to achieve greatness.

+ Body: Telling the story of Da Vinci drawing eggs to highlight the importance of learning the fundamentals through methodical teaching and perseverance.

+ Conclusion: Using cause-effect reasoning to reinforce the idea that only through careful practice can success be achieved, and only great teachers can teach the most essential skills.

- Only those who put in the effort to practice the basics well can secure their future success.