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Opening Doors: Understanding College Reading, 3/e
Joe Cortina, Richland College
Janet Elder, Richland College

Formulating Implied Main Ideas

Writing Prompts

Making connections between what you read and your own life experiences is one important way to call upon and build background knowledge, or prior knowledge, about a topic. The journal prompts associated with each reading selection are designed to give you an opportunity to extend your experience with the topic of the article, and to think more about how it applies to your own life. You may use these prompts to get started, but the purpose of your journal is to write freely. If you find yourself going off in another direction than that indicated by the questions, that's fine. Any connections you can make with the reading topics will be valuable.

Reading One: Laugh Your Stress Away

Have you ever had an experience when laughter diffused a tense situation? Describe what happened, including the overall results.

Alternatively, tell a story about something that never fails to make you laugh.

Reading Two: The Changing Roles of Men and Women

Have you seen evidence of the differences between men and women, as cited in this selection, in your own experience? Give some examples. If you disagree with the article, provide examples of situations that may indicate that men and women are more similar than different.

Reading Three: Demography

What are your reactions to the information presented in this selection? Do you find it frightening and discouraging, or do you see some positive elements in these demographic figures? What solutions can you think of to prevent problems that might result from the increasing world population?