1. Find the major claim: "The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are amazingly contradictory. You may find, for example, that horse racing is legal in your state, but that you cannot legally play poker for money on your front porch; bookies may be prosecuted by state law, but they are supposed to purchase a federal license nonetheless; one church condemns gambling, while another raises money by sponsoring Bingo games. Gambling laws are inconsistent from state to state or even from town to town and are very difficult to enforce."
2. Find the major claim: "The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre."
3. Find the major claim: "Many people who have come close to death from drowning, cardiac arrest, or other causes have described near-death experiences--profound, subjective events that sometimes result in dramatic changes in values, beliefs, behavior, and attitudes toward life and death. These experiences often include a new clarity of thinking, a feeling of well being, a sense of being out of the body, and visions of bright light or mystical encounters. Such experiences have been reported by an estimated 30 to 40 percent of hospital patients who were revived after coming close to death and about 5 percent of adult Americans in a nationwide poll. Near-death experiences have been explained as a response to a perceived threat of death (a psychological theory); as a result of biological states that accompany the process of dying (a physiological theory); and as a foretaste of an actual state of bliss after death (a transcendental theory). "
4. Find the major claim: " Are Americans today waiting longer to get married? According to 2003 Census Bureau figures, the answer is yes. The Associated Press reports that one-third of men are still single when they reach age 34 and that nearly one-quarter of women are still single at that age. Compared with data for 1970, these figures are four times higher. In 1970, the percent of never-married men aged 30-34 was 9 percent; the rate has risen to 33 percent. The percent of never-married women increased from 6 percent to 23 percent. The typical marriage age for men in 2003 was 27.1 years, up from 25.3 in 1970. The typical age for women rose from 20.8 to 23.2." The main idea is, "Americans are waiting longer to get married."
5. State the major claim: "Denial is typically the first stage that dying people experience. Many patients refuse to believe that they will really die. After experiencing the denial stage, many patients experience anger. They may feel they have been cheated. This stage is typically followed by the bargaining stage. Some patients feel that if they make a bargain with God, they will be healed. When these patients realize that bargaining will not work, they may enter the next phase, depression, withdrawing from close relatives and friends. The final stage is acceptance, a phase which ensures a sense of peace." The major claim is "There are several different stages that dying people experience."
2. Find the major claim: "The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre."
3. Find the major claim: "Many people who have come close to death from drowning, cardiac arrest, or other causes have described near-death experiences--profound, subjective events that sometimes result in dramatic changes in values, beliefs, behavior, and attitudes toward life and death. These experiences often include a new clarity of thinking, a feeling of well being, a sense of being out of the body, and visions of bright light or mystical encounters. Such experiences have been reported by an estimated 30 to 40 percent of hospital patients who were revived after coming close to death and about 5 percent of adult Americans in a nationwide poll. Near-death experiences have been explained as a response to a perceived threat of death (a psychological theory); as a result of biological states that accompany the process of dying (a physiological theory); and as a foretaste of an actual state of bliss after death (a transcendental theory). "
4. Find the major claim: " Are Americans today waiting longer to get married? According to 2003 Census Bureau figures, the answer is yes. The Associated Press reports that one-third of men are still single when they reach age 34 and that nearly one-quarter of women are still single at that age. Compared with data for 1970, these figures are four times higher. In 1970, the percent of never-married men aged 30-34 was 9 percent; the rate has risen to 33 percent. The percent of never-married women increased from 6 percent to 23 percent. The typical marriage age for men in 2003 was 27.1 years, up from 25.3 in 1970. The typical age for women rose from 20.8 to 23.2." The main idea is, "Americans are waiting longer to get married."
5. State the major claim: "Denial is typically the first stage that dying people experience. Many patients refuse to believe that they will really die. After experiencing the denial stage, many patients experience anger. They may feel they have been cheated. This stage is typically followed by the bargaining stage. Some patients feel that if they make a bargain with God, they will be healed. When these patients realize that bargaining will not work, they may enter the next phase, depression, withdrawing from close relatives and friends. The final stage is acceptance, a phase which ensures a sense of peace." The major claim is "There are several different stages that dying people experience."