Writing to Solve Problems

Writing to Solve Problem.s

SET How do I set my goals? Setting Your Goals (p. 368)

ACHIEVE How do I achieve my goals? 1 01 ''" 'lE. al

,a I for your project (p. 370)

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: Thinking critically about this type of writing (p. 375)

Writing Processes: Establishing a process for composing your project (p. 393)

Knowledge of Conventions: Polishing your work (p. 408)

ASSESS How do I assess my goals? Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals (p. 417)

You see, hear, and read ab o ut

p roblems and possib le solutions

to those problems all the time .

In develo pin g cou ntries, gove rn-

ments and nongovernmental

organizations strugg le with

problems such as widespre ad

poverty or disease . Closer to

home, yo ur comm unity might

expe rience a high dropout rate

in your local high schoo l or a

shortage of affordable housing.

When you wri te to propose

solutions. you first ident ify an

existing p roblem and then sug-

gest one or more possible ways

to solve it. For example, the

Web site for Accion Interna -

tional has ident ified world pov -

366

e rty as a problem and has

p roposed a possible solu t ion

Accion started its lending pro-

gram mo re t han fo rty years ago,

providing loans to what it calls

"microentrepreneurs," so those

b usiness owners can grow t heir

own small companies. In turn,

the interest they pay provides

funding for even more

small-business loans.

When you are faced with a

smaller-scale problem than world

poverty, perhaps one 1n your

own life or your friends ' lives,

you will often propose your own

solution to it. Whe n yo u suggest

co unse ling to an unhappy friend,

yo u are proposing a solut ion-a

known treat ment-to an emo-

t ional problem: depression. When

you recommend a heating and

air conditioning repa ir company

to a friend with a broken furnace

you are proposing a solution-

t he repair company- to a more

practical problem: the faulty

furnace.

When you propose any sol u-

tion. however. others may already

have suggested different solut ions

tq the same problem . Therefore.

you must support your own pro -

posal with convincing evidence-

not just opinions-and

demonstrate that the proposal

has a reasonable chance of

success.

ACCIOM

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The Web site for Accion , an organization committed to fighting world poverty through its support for small businesses, demonstrates many great examples of writing to solve problems.

367

Learning the Qualities of Effective Proposals PART 3 I Using What You Have Learned to Write Arguments

CRITICAL THINKING, READING, AND WRITING

Before you begin to write your p roposal, consider the qualit ies of a successfu l proposal. It also helps to read one or more proposals to get a feel for this kind of writing.

Effective writing that solves prob lems contains a clear ly defined problem and a well-articulated so lution that is targe ted for a specific aud ie nce. In add ition, this kind of writing will include convincing evidence for the proposed solut ion's effec- tiveness, as well as a well-documemed review of alternative so lutions. Fina lly, an effective proposal will include a call to act ion.

I Learning the Qualities of Effective Proposals A proposed so lution to a problem shou ld include the following qualities:

• A clearly defined problem. An effective proposal first establishes the existence of a problem that is both understandable and manageable within the scope of the assignmen t.

• An awareness of the audience. Your readers need to believe that the problem you are writing about actua lly exists and that your proposed so lution will work. Therefore, use what your audience already knows and believes to shape your proposal. For insta nce. if your audience read- ily accepts the existence and importance of the problem, you can focus almost exclusively on the proposed solution. If, however, your reade rs may be unaware of the problem, or may not be lieve it is a problem, you will need to spend time making them aware of it and conv incing them to be concerned about it.

• A well-explained solution. Your readers need bot h to under stand yo ur solution and to find it reasonab le. One way to help any audience under- stand your proposal is to use language that the aud ience u nderstands a nd to provide definitions of unfamiliar terms.

• Convincing evidence for the effectiveness of the solution. You ·will need to prove that your solution is viable and that it is the best answer to the prob- lem by supporting your assertions with evidence such as expert testimony, case studies, experimental stud ies, and examples of similar solutions to similar problems. A solution needs to be feasible, affordable, and effective.

You will also need to anticipa te readers· objections to your proposed solutions so that you can address them. The cost of any solution a lmost always comes up as an objection, so yo u need to be prepared to dea l with that concern (''While this so lution is expensive in the near future, I wi ll demonstrate how paying the extra money now will actually save us money in the long run").

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-- PART 3 I Using What You Have Learn ed to Write Arguments Chapter 12 I Writing to Solve Problems

• A well-documented re\ iew ot alternative solutions. Although your propo sed solution should stand on its own merits, for your proposal to convince the most skeptical readers, you must also acknowledge alternative ways to solve the problem and then carefully show why the alternatives will not work, or work as well, thus demonstrating that your solution is the best option.

• A call to action. There is little point to proposing a so lution to a problem unle ss someone actually implements that solution. Al the end of your proposal, you should urge those who ca n take action to solve the problem to do so.

I Reading, Inquiry, and Research: Learning from Texts That Propose Solutions _ As you read the selec tions , consider the following questions:

• How effective is the writer at convincing you that there is a problem that needs to be add ressed?

• To what extent has the writer offered a workable solution?

• How convincing is the evidence? Why?

• How effect ively does the writer anticipate opposing views and look at alternative solution s?

• How ca n you use the techniques of proposal writing exemplified here in your own writing?

Organizing Your Information PART 3 I Using What You Have Learned to Write Argume nts

• What is your purpo se for writing-that is. why do your readers need this solution?

• What is the most important aspect of the problem you are proposing to solve?

On e method for organizing a solution to a problem is the whole-problem pattern . If you are following this pattern , you fir st grab the reader s' attention and introdu ce the problem and then use the paragraph s that follow to explain and illu strat e it. If yo u think that readers are already familiar with the problem , this part of the paper could be fairly short , consisting of on ly a paragraph or two. If you think that readers are not familiar with the problem , however, then you might need to devote seve ral page s to explaining and illu strating it. Then offer your propo sed solution or set of solution s, re spond to objections that you think reade rs might have, and conclud e with a call to action.

A secon d organizational approach is to segment the problem. Th is approach is useful if the problem is relati vely complex and has severa l co mponent s. First, you explain and illu stra te the problem , but in a general way. Next , you focus on eac h part of the probl e m that needs speci a l attention, offering a solution and responding to object ions that you anticipate that are spec ific to each part. Finally, you offe r sugge stion s for implem e ntation and conclude with a call to action.

A third organizational approach, which involves a seq uence of steps, is appro- priate if the solution has multiple steps. After introducing the problem, you offer an overview of a seri es of steps that will solve the probl e m. You then explain each step in detail, provide evidence that it w ill work, and addre ss any objections to it.

Here is a summ ar y of these three organizational structure s.

Explain the problem. {

Offer a solution or set of!

solutions. \

Respond to anticipated objections to the solution,

Offer suggestions for implementing the solution.\

Conclude with a call to acti\m.

Introduce the problem and its background.

Explain the problem.

Explain one part of the problem, offer a solution, and respond to objections.

Explain another part, offer a solution, and respond to objections.

Deal similarly with remaining parts.

Introduce the problem and its background.

plain the problem.

r a multistep solution with an ov view of the steps.

Off r a detailed explanation of the first step.

ottJr a detailed explanation of the se_f nd step. D~al with any additional steps that

\ Offer suggestions for ;; ight be necessary. implementing the solution.

Conclude with a call to action. Conclude with a call to action.

Revising PART 3 I Using Wh at You Have Lea rned to Write Argume nts

• How clea rly have I exp lai ned and defin ed any term s my rea ders might not know?

• W hat ot her visual aid s m ig ht he lp explai n the proble m a nd/or my solution(s)?

Responding to Readers' Comments

Once yo u have rece ived fee dback from your class mates, yo ur in stru ctor, a nd oth - ers about how to improve yo ur tex t, you have to de term ine what to do with their suggestio ns and ideas. Th e fi rst thin g to do with a ny feed back is to rea lly liste n to it a nd co nsider ca refull y what your readers have to say. Fo r exa m ple, how might Susan De Mede iros have respo nded to these reader suggest ions?

• One reader was not draw n in by DeMede iros's introduc tion . Wh en a pee r rev iewe r ind icates tha t a n introd uction does not excite him or her, th at co mm ent mea ns tha t some readers might ju st stop rea din g at that point.

• A not her reade r aske d about the poss ib ility of using a g raphi c to he lp explain data.

• A reade r req uested a co nclusion that ties a ll of DeMedciro s's inform ation toge ther.

WRITER'S Hork,/wp I Responding to Full Drafts

Working with one or two other c lass-

mates, read each paper and offer com-

ments and questions that will help each

of you see your papers' strengths and

weaknesses. Consider the fo llowing

questions as you do:

• What is your fi rst impression of this

draft? How effectively does the title draw you into the paper? What

part(s) of the text are especially

effective at explaining the problem

or the writer's proposed solutio n?

• How successfully does the intro-

duction grab readers' attention? What other at t ention grabbers

might the writer try?

• How well has t he wr iter explained the problem to someone who is

unfamiliar with it? How might the

writer expla in it more effectively?

• How effective is the organizational

approach?

• How carefully did the writer docu- ment sources in this dra ft ?

• How well has the writer explained

the proposed solu t ion (s)?

• How well has the writer addressed

objections that skeptics might raise?

• How has the writer suggested

ways to implement the proposed solu t ion(s)?

• Might visuals help the writer to

present the problem or its solu-

tion(s) more effective ly?

• How effectively does the conclu-

sion call people to action?

• What do you see as the main weak-

nesses of this paper? How might the writer improve the text?

A Writer Achieves Her Goal PART 3 I Using What You Have Learned to Write Argum ents

WRITER'S H ork ,Jwp Round -Robin Editing with a Focus on Inclusive Language

I Modif ,ers (p. 1901

Wo r~ 1ness (p 228

Ciling Sour ces (p 270

Careful Word Cho ce (p. 313)

I When you propose solutions to problems,

be especially careful to use inclusive lan-

guag e- language that does not exclude

peo pl e based on gender, ethnicity, marital

statu s, or disability. Using inclusive lan- guage makes readers feel that they are

Look for instances in your work

where you may have inadvertently used

language that excludes a group based on

gender, ethnicity, marital sta tus , or dis-

ability. If you are uncertain about whether a particular word or phrase is a problem,

Subordinate Clauses (p . 357)

~ Inclusive Language (p. 409)

inc luded in the group that is solving th e consult a grammar handbook or ask your

proble m. instructor.

I Genres, Documentation, an~ Format ------ - ~ If you are writing an academic paper in respon se to Scenar ios I or 2, you wi ll need to follow the conventions appropriate for the discipline in whic h you are writing. For Scenario 3, you may need to follow the co nventions of a forma l propo sal.

A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Susan DeMedeiros' Final Draft

Below is the final draft of Susan DeMedeiro s' propo sa l. As you read her essay, co nsider whethe r you thi nk her solutions w ill work.

SUSAN DEMEDEIROS

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1c1· Chapter 211.

Staying Ahead of Skimming Scams PROPOSAL ESSAY

Abstract

O n November 11, 2011, Cahfom1a-based Lucky grocery stores discovered skimming devices embedded in their self-service check-out machines during routine maintenance . Readers in 24 sto res in Cahfomia were breached Two of them were in my community and one is at the store where I shop regularly This incident is the inspiration for my top ic for this project I inter- viewed the Santa Clara store manager where tr.e tampering occurred, the po\Jce , and the local Wells Fargo Bank for the ir perspective and advice . In

PART 3 I Using Wh at You Have Learne d to W rite Argu ments Chapter 12 I Writing to Solve Prob lem s

One of DeMedei ros's classmates made the following commen t on her initia l draft:

You probably need an Introduction that grabs our attention more than this does.

responded with a new ope ning para- graph that attempts to catch the reader 's attention by present - ing the situat ion that led to her interest in the topic .

DeMedeiros rec eived thi s comment from a classmate :

I think some kind of graphic might help explain all these

Her response w as to add this gr aphi c.

addition to offenr.g members of the public what I think is the best solution to protect t heir asse ts, I include statistical data on the prevalence of identity theft, informat10n on card skimming, and a list of other possible solut,ons

Staymg Ahead of Skimming Scams

Santa Clara, California, is one of the safest places to hve, but 1t is not immune 2 to card skimming thieves. In November 2011, store employees discovered tam- pered card reade rs in check-out stands at the Lucky grocery store on Saratoga Avenue (S. Fein, persona communication, February 4, 20:2). These card read ers conta ined internal sk1mmm g devices that recorded credit and debit card data th e moment they were swiped. Loca, shoppers were swindled out of thou- sands of dollars, but this turned ou t to be more than a loca l problem . Skimming devices were discovered in 24 Lucky stores throughout Cahforn,a (Delevett, 2011, Tumposky, 2011). In fact, these scams a re a growing issue nationwide. Take Florida, tor example, where recently 103 skimming devices were found in gas pumps across the state (Korn & Dendy, 2015)

Individuals need to learn how to protect themselves from this growir.g prob- 3 lem These days, people use credn and debit ca rds regularly at pay-point loca - tions such as grocery stores, gas pumps, ATMs, a nd m ovie theat ers To prot ect themselves , consumers should be vigilan t and know what to do to avoid becom mg victims of fraud Several solutions are available, all of them outlined below. but the one that is mos t effective is setting up text and e -mail ale rts that ins tantly notify consumers the moment an unauthorized transaction is attempted on their accounts. This solut ion is not only fast, easy, and inexpe n sive, 1t is cntical

Identity Theft History

According to the U.S Bureau of Justice Statist ics, various fo rm s of identity theft 4 have become more widespread over the past severa1 years. In 2005, persons in 6.4 million Amencan households had at least one person who was a victi m of iden tity theft; by 2010, that number had risen to 8.6 million households (Lang- ton, 2011) As of 2012, the mos t recent year for which such data are available, ·approximat ely 16.6 m illion persons or 7% of all U S residents age 16 or older, were victims of one or more incidents of iden tity theft" (Harrell & Langton, 2013) This increase is primarily due to the growing una uthorized use of credit and de bit cards. Identity theft is defined by the Bureau of Justice as having three components unauthorized use of credit and debit cards, fraud ulently imperso n ating another for the pu rpose or opening new accounts, and a com- biratlon of the two components. It is a global proble rq_ We can see the growth of iden tity the ft from 2005 to 2010 (no similar grap h ic data a?e a~a ilable for 2012) in the chart from th e 1 JS B"i:ireau of Justice Statisncs shown in Figure 1 (Langton, 2011)

Percent 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

0

A Writer Achieves Her Goal PART 3 I Using What You Have Learned to Write Arguments

2005 2007 2009 2010 Yea r

Fig 1 Percent of households that experienced identity theft, by type of identity the ft, 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010. From "Identity Theft Reported by Households, 2005-2010," by L. Langton, November 2011, Cnme Data Bnef, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US. Department of Justice . Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/con tent/pub/pdf/itrh0510.pdf

What Is Skimming?

Criminals use a tactic called ·skimming· to steal persona\ mformation from consumers who swipe their cards at locations such as ATMs, grocery stores, and gas pumps Skimming happens when thieves attach data-reading devices to d1g1ta, card readers, either internally or externally, or use handheld magnetic readers to collect the personal data stored in the magnetic stnp on the back of credit or debit cards. They then sell these data to higher-end cnminals who use encoders to transfer consumers' data to counterfeit cards, which they, in tum, sell for up to $100 (Paganmi, 2014) This results in a nightmare for the consumer No1 on.y do, is skimmi:1g create fraudulent charges on their credit cards, It swiftly wipes out cash from their bank accounts.

My Story

l have had my own experience with this type of identity theft V1s1tmg New 6 York was a trip my husband and I had looked forward to for many months I was excited about expenencing the energy of the Big Apple and shopping on 5th Avenue My h'..lsband could not wait to listen to jazz music at the Vil- lage Vanguard We stayed in a comfortable hotel on Long island and took the

- PART 3 I Using What You H ave learned to Wr ite Argumen ts Chapter 12 I Writing to Solve Problems

railroad into the city each day. When we returned home to Cal!fornia, ther e was a voicemall message from our bank ask ing us to contact them regard ing possible fraud on our account I went onhne to view our bank account and discovered. to my horror. that hundreds of dollars were missing . I informed my bank that the transactions were indeed fraudulent My husband's debit card had been skimmed as well. We later discovered that both of our cards had been skimmed at the restaurant of the ho tel where we had stayed . Thieves had caused the excitement from our vacation to be replaced by anger and shock

What Consumers Can Do

Consumers can consider severa: possible solut10ns to this problem. Each of 7 these options has advantages and disadvant ages. as indicated by the following review a n d table

The U.S. Secret Service suggests paying close attention to card readers.

Although it is impo rtant to know what a tampered device may look like. some card a readers h ave no external modifications. such as the ones removed from Lucky grocery stores in Calitorrna Those units. which had internal cameras and elec- tronics added to the circuitry, were discovered by the grocery employees during scheduled machine maintenance only after the urnts were opened In such cases. the consumer would not see any difference in the external view of the card reader an d would not know if it had been tampe red with (U.S. Secret Service, 2012)

A former skimmer suggests monitoring your accounts using Mint.com

Convicted skimmer Dan DeFelippe (Crouch, 2011) now helps the government 9 fight identity theft Although he makes an important point about being vigilant and monitoring all bank account activity. consolidating accounts at Mint.com (a Web site tha t manages money and monitors all of its users' financial accou nts) has its drawbacks. At Mrntcom, the user is required to provide the user names and passwords to all of the ir accounts, so this solution may not be safe enough for the con sumer even though the company claims they encrypt the data stored on their servers (Duffy, 20!3. Schultz. 2010). Providing pnvate account log-in data and passwords to an outside company makes sensitive data vulnerable to a breach. Furthermore. outside account consohdation services do not protect consumers dnectly from card skimming during poi nt-of-sale purchases.

The Federal Trade Commission promotes consumer education.

The Fede ral Trade Commissio n has an informat1ve Web site (wwwidenti tytheft. gov) that offers consumers a wide range of helpful informatlon . However. if credit or debit cards have been compromised due to skimming of digital card readers,

A Writer Achie ves Her Goa l PART 3 I Using What You Have Learned to Wr ite Arguments

the FTC offers assistance only after the consumer r.as been nor lied of the breach by the respective financial institutions (Federal Trade Comm1ss1on, 2015)

The Santa Clara Police Department suggests shredding sensitive documents

The SCPD advises consumers to shred all paper items such as bllls, rece ipts. 11 and bank statements, and to watch their mail carefully (C Shapiro, personal communication. February 12. 2012)

Wells Fargo Bank suggests message alerts delivered to your e-mail or mobile device.

Wells Fargo Bank offers customers the most effective solution to protect the1r 12 accounts The Rapid Alerts program offers consurr.ers free message alerts dehv- ered by e-mail or text. Alerts nonfy customers instantly of unusual transac tions to their accounts. This service empowers consumers to take action should they see unauthor,zed activity (M Ayala. personal communication. February 4, 2012)

• Consumers can instantly detect fraudulent transactions and take immediate action

• Rapid Alerts identify the merchant, date, amount. and location.

• Transactio ns ongmat ing from international locat10ns are instantly iden - ti5ed

• Consumers are instantly alerted of online purchases, ATM withdrawa ls, and telephone transactions

I think receiving message alerts is the best solution. However, the follow- 13 mg table presents the benefits and costs of each solution.

Look for fake card readers

Consolida te accoun ts on Mmrcom

You can choose not to swipe your card if the reader looks suspicious The benefit is that your

Many card-skimming devices are intema, and cannot be seen externally, so the cost is the risk of not identifying a

ca rd is not tampered with skimming devJCe lf you do not swipe It

This solution offers one- This solution requ1res loss of stop shopping. You can pnvacy and the security of monitor al: your accounts your user names and pass- on one site. wor ds; It carnes the risk of

breaching all your accounts.

(continued)

Here one of De Medeiros' classmates asked the fo llowing question:

Why isn't the wmost effective solution" In with the other solutions?

DeMedeiros resp onded by placing her "best solution" in with the others.

Here one of DeMe- de iros' classmates wondered if the table were placed in the best spot:

I really like the way you present Infor- mation In this table but is it in the best place?

DeMedeiros moved the table up to where its placement made more sense.

A classmate pointed out that the word- ing in DeMedeiros ' chart was confusing because she ~eemed to be saying the same thing for both cost and benefit. DeM• JEiros clarified her language so that the benefit and the cost were distinct from one anothe r. She also made sure the benefit was posi- tive and the cost was negative.

-- PART 3 I Usi ng What You Have Learn ed to Write Arguments Chapter 12 I Writing to Solve Problems

One of DeMede iros' classmates asked:

These are Important points. Is this the best way to intro - duce them?

DeMed eiros changed her Introduction to these points to make it more formal.

Solution Benefit Cost

Sign up tor You can view activity to Credit reports cost from credit reports see t someone is open- $12 00 to $40 00 per month .

mg accounts in your Reports are sent monthly or name or usmg your cards quarterly, not instantly . fraudulently

Shred mail Thieves cannot go Shredders and shredding ser through trash and vices run from $25 to thou- retrieve your personal sands ot dollars. depending data to open accounts of on quality Shredding has no their own If your mail is impact on card skimm:ng. shredded

Monitor This solution keeps you Fraud can occur at any time, accounts and up to date on the status day or night Consumers will bank statements of your accounts. notknowwhenithappens

and can miss It unless they go into then bank sites con - stantly, which is impractical.

Text and e-mail This no-cost courtesy This solution may not be alerts service allows instant offered by all banks and

notification ot unusual financial institutions You activity monitored by have to take the time and m1- the bank. Fraud can be tiative to set it up yourself. quickly stopped and losses reimbursed Setup takes minutes and can be done online

Are Message Alerts Effective?

According to a Wells Fargo press release (20:lJ. "Rapid Alerts allow consumers 14 to better manage and track then consumer credit card spending whlle also prov:dmg them with near real time detection o: potentially fraudulent activity· However, 1t 1s important to remember that there are limitations with such an option. For instance, message alerts do not prevent someone from opening new accounts in your name. They a;so do not lock or close your account. It 1s up to you to take action.

Even with their limitations, message alerts can protect you in the rollowmg l! ways.

• Text message alerts are the first line of defense You wm be alerted the moment unusual activity occurs

A Writer Achieve s Her Goal PART 3 I Using Wh at You Hav e Learn ed to Wr ite Argum e nt s -

• Bank software programs keep track of your purchasing habits and can detect when activity does not fit your patterns .

• You wH\ be alerted if your card is compro~ised. so the potential for thieves to charge items to your accoun t or deplete your cash as time passes is great'y reduced.

Take Action

The sooner people take action, the better Consumers should call or visit th eir 16 financial institution today and sign up for message alerts to be sent to their cell phones or e-ma il addresses. The public must be vigilant and protect their assets and credit by takmg advan tage of the tools that are available to help them stay ahead o~ the countless thieves who commit these cnmes

References

Crouch, M. (2011, January 6). Sec rets of a former credit card thief CreditCards com. Retrieved from http//www.cred1tcards com/cred1t - card-~ews/ secrets -former-cred it-car d -thief-dan -defelippi-1282 .php .

Delevett, P (2011, December 6) Luc ky urges some customers to close bank accounts in wake of hacking San Jose Mercury News Retrieved from http//www mercurynews.com/busmess/cL19480050.

Du ffy, J (2013, March 14). Mint.com re view PC Mag . Retrieved from http// www.pcmag com/article2/0,28 17 2344<:32,00 asp.

Federal Trade Commission. (2015). Identi ty theft . Retrieved from http:// www.consumer ftc gov/features/feature 0014-identity-theft.

Harrell, E. & Langton, L. (2013, December). Victims of identity theft, 2012 Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. http//www.bJs.gov/ content/pub/pdf/v it12.pdf

Korn, L , & Dendy, M (2015, May 19). 103 credit card skimme rs found at Florida gas pumps Officials inspect more than 7,500 gas sta tions ac ross state . WKMG Orlando Retr ieved from http //www clickorlando com/news/103 - credit - card-ski rnrners-found-at - flonda - gas-pum p s/33107150.

Langton, L (2011, November) Identity theft reported by households, 2005-2010 Retneved from US Bureau of Justice Statistics. http:// www bJs.gov/content/pub/pd f/it rh0510.pdf

Pagarnni, P. (2014, January 14). Int roduction to the business of stolen car d data Jnfosec Institute Retneved from http://resources.infosecinst"ute com/introduction business-sto'.en-card-da ta/ 1

Schultz, J. (2010, July 6). Should you trust Mint.corn 1 The New York Times Retrieved from http //bucks blogs.nyt1mes.corn/2010/07/06/should - you -trust- m int-com/.

He re a classmate questioned why DeMedeiros used a numbered list:

Why are you using numbers here Instead of bullet points like you use everywhere else?

DeMedeiros recognized the inconsiste ncy and addressed it.

One classmate pointed out tha t De Medeiros didn't really have a con- clusion in her initia l draft. She responded with a concluding paragraph.

The paper follows APA guid el ines for In-text citations and ref erences. Since the draft orig inally sub- mitted to classma tes didn't contain any formal documenta- tion, one classma te reminded DeMe- deiros to add it:

Of course, In your revised version, you'll need to Include all of your citations ,

DeMedeiros included a formal list of ref- erences in her final draft.

PA RT 3 I Using What You Have Learned to Write Arguments Chapter 12 I Writing to Solve Prob lems

Tu mpos ky, E (2011, De cember 91 Lucky's custom e rs hit by ca rd - skimming thieves. Retrieved from ABC News Web site http .//abcnews go com/US/luckys-superm a rket chain-hit -card-skimmer -thieves/ story?id =15123679#.Ty3bblwV3gU

U.S Secret Service (n dJ Beware of skimming fraud . Retrieved from ht tp.//www .sec retserv ice.gov/Sk1mmmg- Fraud . pd f.

Wells Fargo . (2011, Septembe r 21). Wells Fargo enhances free rapid alerts service for mobile phone customers. Retneved from https // www. wellsfa rgo.com/cred1 t -cards/alerts/.

UNDERSTANDING A WRITER'S GOALS: QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS

Rhetorical Knowledge : The Writer 's Situation and Rhetoric

I. Audience: Who is the intended audience for DeMedeiro s' propo sa l? What make s you think that ?

2. Purpose: What doe s DeMedeiro s hope will happen when peopl e read he r propo sal?

3. Voice and tone: How ha s DeMedeiros use d language to help establish her ethos as someone who is knowledgeable about the prob lem of this parti cular form of identity theft ?

4. Respons ibility: Comment on DeMedeiro s' use of so urce s to s upport her prop osa l. How re spon s ibly ha s sh e u sed her so ur ces? Wh y?

5. Context, form at, and genre: DeMedeiro s 1

wrote thi s paper for a fir st-year writing course. If she were to convert thi s piece of writ ing to an article for her local new s pa- p er, what rev isio ns wo uld she need to make ? Effective problem /so lution paper s feature a well-defined probl em and then present a viable so lution. Doe s D eMe deiro s do both in her paper ? lf so, how? If not , what could she do?

Critical Thinking: The Writer 's Ideas and Your Personal Response

6. What is your initial respon se to DeMedeiro s· proposal ?

7. How is D eMedeiro s' paper simil ar to other proposed so lution s that you have read ?

Composing Processes and Knowledge of Conventions : The Write r's Strateg ies

8. How effectively doe s DeMedeiro s organize her propo sa l? What other organ ization would have worked?

9. Do you find the table that DeMedeiro s uses to explain the different secu rit y option s to be helpful ? Can you think of any other visuals DcMedeiro s m ight have u se d to help her argument? What might they be?

Inquiry and Research: Ideas for Further Exploration

10. Inter v iew family members and neighbor s about their feeling s on how identit y theft is affecting them and what measure s th ey are taking to avo id it.