The Negative Aspects of Animal Experimentation Essay -- Ethical Issues

Imagine your dog, your cat, or even your favorite animal being hit by a car. The tests that animals are put through during research are not much different. Every year millions of animals are forced to endure pain and suffering while being put through cruel and unnecessary tests (Newkirk 1). Animal experimentation should be illegal because there are other options for research, it is cruel and unfair to the animals, and because the results are not always accurate. There are several other ways to conduct experiments that do not use animals. Instead human tissue and living cells can be used to test new drugs and their chemical toxicity (Hayhurst 36). The cell cultures are placed in test tubes, assay plates, or other experimental containers and injected with a small amount of a drug. The cells create an artificial environment exactly like the environment inside a human’s body. Organs from humans or animals can also be used along with bacteria, fertilized chicken eggs, and from embryos (Day 98-99). Animal cells are more commonly used for testing than human cells are. Some human cells cannot be cultured in labs. Also there is a limited supply of cells from humans. The human cells used only come from tissue that is left over from surgery or from cadavers. A single animal can supply a large amount of cells as well as many different kinds of cells. These cells can be used for toxicity testing and to evaluate the risk of the drug. When cell cultures are used the dosage required is only a very small amount, which prevents the drug from being wasted. The dosage can also be carefully controlled and measured resulting in more accurate data (Day 99). Organ cells can be used to predict toxicity in target organs such as the l... ...drug had been given to mice, rabbits, rats, and monkeys, and all of them showed no bad effects (Allen 1). Within minutes the volunteers were writhing on the floor in agony. The drug was designed to dampen the immune response, but instead it supercharged theirs, unleashing a cascade of chemicals. All six of them were sent to the hospital. Several of them suffered permanent organ damage. One man’s head swelled up so badly that the case was referred to as the â€Å"elephant man trial† (Allen 1). Every year millions of animals are used to test products before they are used on humans. People use these products without thinking about the animals that the suffered and died for their benefit. They are selfish, and they never stop to think about the other options for testing, the cruelty of the experiments, or whether or not the test results are even accurate.

“Of Mice and Men” By John Steinbeck †Coursework Essay

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was set in the 1930’s in North California. This was a time of economic hardship due to the Wall Street Crash. Men were forced to leave their families and find work on ranches. Pay and working conditions were poor. Men scraped by, spending any extra money they had gambling or in one of the many whore houses. This is where Steinbeck drew his inspiration from; he spent time on the ranches experiencing the hardships experienced by the workers. The book is about these workers and the extremely lonely lives they led. It also exposes underlying themes of racism and how badly the disabled were treated. This was a time when people looked after number one, as there was nobody else to do this for them. The two main characters are somewhat different, as they travel and work together, looking out for each other. This was very unusual because life would have been hard enough without the extra responsibility of looking after another person. The two main characters have just been evicted from their work in a town called â€Å"Soledad† (which means loneliness). They are the only people in the book whose names Christian names are actually used. It shows that nobody makes the effort to make friends enough to be on first name terms. This is symbolic of the loneliness of each of the characters and shows how unusual the two main characters are. The two main characters are called George ands Lennie. There is very little information about them in the book. They work for their keep on the ranches. Lennie is slightly brain damaged and has a very limited memory. He is an enormous man and Steinbeck often compares his actions with those of a large, clumsy animal using similes and metaphors: â€Å"Dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.† These are intended to subtly give the reader the impression that Lennie is big and clumsy, like an animal that does not know its own strength; â€Å"Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water.† George is exactly the opposite of Lennie. He is small, dark and quick, and is cautious about his surroundings; â€Å"The small man stepped nervously†¦Ã¢â‚¬  George is always on the look out and he knows how to look after himself. The town they had just come from was called â€Å"Weed† which could signify that they were unwanted, like a weed, there: they were forced out of there because Lennie made a mistake. He had grabbed a woman and she said that he had raped her. George is very much the dominant figure in the relationship and makes all the decisions. At the very start you can tell this because Lennie copies George in the way he looks and acts; â€Å"Lennie, who had been watching imitated George exactly.† This suggests that Lennie looks up to George and wants to be j ust like him. This is quite sad really as he has ended up nothing like him. Lennie hates to make George angry, like a dog that hates to make his master angry. George feels responsible for Lennie. He is like a father figure to him, and he knows that Lennie would never be able to survive without him. He feels a sense of duty because â€Å"Aunt Clara† told him to look after Lennie. The other reason they travel together is George, though he doesn’t like to admit it, enjoys Lennie’s company and he doesn’t want to let go of the â€Å"American Dream†. They share the dream of owning their own place with a few animals; â€Å"livin’ off the fatta’ the lan'†. George knows it is very unlikely to happen but Lennie still believes and always likes to hear the story of â€Å"how it’s gonna be†. This is painful for George and he is reluctant to talk about it. You can tell it is important to Lennie because he forgets anything he is told but he re members the dream. George and Lennie are always dreaming of the future. When George and Lennie arrive on the ranch, the ranch hands and the boss are suspicious of their relationship. They suspect that George is taking Lennie’s stake for himself; â€Å"I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin’ his pay away from him?† They cannot see why someone else would travel with someone who would restrict them unless they were getting paid. They are lonelier than George and Lennie, and have no real concept of friendship. Despite having Lennie as a companion, George is also lonely. He is alone in his responsibility for Lennie. In a way it is more like speaking to an animal than a human when speaking to Lennie because George knows that whatever he says to him will be forgotten and mean nothing. From the very beginning we get a hint of this by the way Lennie is made to seem more like a responsibility than a friend to George. Lennie is made to seen like an animal, â€Å"like a terrier that doesn’t want to bring his ball back to his master†, maybe signifying that he is like a pet that always needs looking after. Steinbeck also uses George playing solitaire as a metaphor for his loneliness; â€Å"George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay, slowly and deliberately.† George lays the cards out like he has done it many time’ before. Solitaire is a single player game (and solitaire is derived from solitary), this shows that Lennie is not capable of acting like an adult and so George must play on his own. George is held from having his own life by the responsibility of caring for Lennie. He continuously tells Lennie how life would be without him; how he could have a girl and a decent job: â€Å"God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy† The truth though, is that George would be even lonely without Lennie. It is ironic at the end of the book that George should be so upset by the death of Lennie, because then he realizes that he will have to spend all the rest if his time alone. You never know what you have until it is gone. One of the ranch workers, Candy, features heavily in the book. He tries to join the friendship of George and Lennie. Candy is extremely lonely. He has been working on the ranch for many years and due to his disability. He is unable to leave because he knows that no other employer would take him on. The only reason he has got work now, is that he suffered the injury to his hand on the ranch. He has seen many men come and go but he cannot move on. Candy knows he will probably die on the ranch. Candy is very talkative because he is so eager to make friends. He warms to this gossip because he on his own when all the workers are in the fields. As soon as he meets George and Lennie he engages them in conversation, hardly letting them speak. He lets out all the opinions, about Curley and his wife and the other ranch hands that he has formed and never had anybody to tell them to. In fact the only sort of a friend he has is an old dog. The dog is old, has no teeth and it stinks. The dog is used to symbolise Candy: old and useless. The dog is also used as a foreshadowing device for Lennie’s death. When Carlson tells him that he should kill the dog he tries to stop him by making up excuses: â€Å"Maybe it’d hurt him,† and tries to put the inevitable off; wants to spend just one more day with the dog by killing it in the morning. The only reason Candy had left to live was the dog so in a way Carlson killed a part of him. The dog is also used as a second foreshadowing device for what George has to do to Lennie in the conclusion of the book. Lennie, unlike the dog, however will be killed by the only person he trusts in the world. This will come from the pressure of other people. In the early 20th Century, blacks were heavily persecuted because of their colour. The stable buck is called Crooks and is discriminated because he is a black; â€Å"S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and place rummy ’cause you were blackà ¢â‚¬ . He is kept apart from the other ranch hands because of his race. He is very nervous when Lennie enters his room. This is because crooks has his own living space away from the other men. The only people he sees are probably going to insult or hurt him so he is immediately on guard when someone comes in to his room. He is also discriminated against because of his crippled back, which means that he can’t work in the fields like the other men. Crooks reveals his past to Lennie in his barn. The irony that his father used to own his own ranch and once he used to lead a comfortable life must be extremely painful for him to relive when he thinks about his present lonely self. That is probably why he is so bitter towards the other men who are treating him so harshly. Crooks is always dreaming of the past; â€Å"Remember when I was a little kid on old man’s chicken ranch.† The other men would probably dream of having their own space but Crooks is so lonely he would rather be with other people; â€Å"A guy needs somebody to be near him.† All Crooks has for company is a small collection of books that he reads over and over again. It must be very lonely being on your own all the time when he thinks about what it had been like when he owned his own ranch. Sometimes he almost goes crazy with loneliness; â€Å"Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not. He can’t turn to the other guy and ast him if he sees it too,† He is only admitting this because he knows that Lennie is not listening, and even if he was, he couldn’t remember and repeat what was being said anyway. Crooks is proud and doesn’t want to admit that he is lonely or that the men are getting to him by calling him names and abusing him, â€Å"If I say something, why it’s just a nigger saying it.† When someone calls somebody something enough times a person will start to absorb the names and start to believe that there is some truth to what the person is saying about them. Crooks is treated like an animal. One Christmas time they â€Å"let† him into the bunkhouse and made him fight. The word â€Å"let† is used like letting an animal in for a treat. He then leaves after his fight, for his own room. The men just use him as entertainment. His life is always under threat because he means nothing them. Curley’s wife plays a very prominent role in the book as she brings the death of Lennie and herself. She is not given a name through the whole book. This signifies how little everyone thinks of her. She is referred to as â€Å"jail bait† and â€Å"slut† by all the ranch hands. This is due to the manner she has adopted to befriend the men. She constantly flirts with any man she meets and being pretty at the same time, she is bound to get herself into some sort of trouble. She acts like this because she is lonely and it is her way of attracting attention to herself. The problem is that all the workers are afraid to talk to her because they fear what Curley would do to them if they did. Curley is always looking for a fight to show how much of man he is. If he got just the faint scent of her cheating on him he would fight. Nobody want to get on the wrong side of Curley because they know he is a good boxer and because he is the boss’s son he can probably get anyone â€Å"canned† if he wants, In reality, Curley’s wife doesn’t actually like Curley and even admits to Lennie: â€Å"I don’t like Curley.† She married him to show her mother that she could be independent and to get back at her for the letter that could have been her big break that she thinks her mother stole. Curley’s wife is dreaming of what could have been, how she could have been in the movies and what a lifestyle she could have had. The marriage between Curley and Curley’s wife is not based on love but on sexual attraction Curley’s wife is also very lonely, that is why she is always skulking around the bunkhouse with the men. She needs someone to talk to; She uses the excuse that she is looking for her husband. In the end her loneliness is the end of her when she tries to talk to Lennie (much the same way as Crooks let out his thoughts to him). The climax of the book starts in the barn. The scene begins with Lennie worrying about his puppy which he has just killed accidentally. Curley’s wife enters, as usual looking for someone to talk to. She begins telling Lennie her life story. All through the book she has been portrayed as a spiteful woman; â€Å"foolin’ around with other guys, causin’ trouble.†, but here her true character comes out. Lennie ends up telling her about his love for soft things so she lets him stroke her hair. The other men can resist her charms but Lennie is not clever enough to know. Lennie strokes it a bit too vigorously and her panic affects Lennie. He breaks her neck by accident, then thinks that if he hides the puppy, which is used as a foreshadowing device to Curley’s wife’s death George will be more likely to let him tend his precious rabbits. This is sad and ironic, as Lennie cannot grasp the enormity of the thing he has just done. Curley’s wife seemed peaceful after her death; â€Å"the ache for attention were gone from her face.† She was realised from her prison on the ranch and was now free and happy. When George hears, he despairs, for Lennie has ended their chance of achieving the impossible â€Å"American Dream†. One of the themes of this book is certainly loneliness. The people are segregated into groups. Age, disabilities, race and sex separate many people. Also the time of economic hardship forced men to look after number one. It made it very hard for the men to form friendships as they have very few responsibilities. The book is about the unusual friendship of George and Lennie who have nothing in common with each other apart from they share the American Dream. That is all that keeps them going. It is extremely sad when George is forced to kill Lennie because he was all that George had left. It was ironic because George had always spoken about what life would be like without Lennie; how he could be free. Now he had his wish he was devastated that he had had to kill the only friend that he had in the world.

Bloodless Surgery

Bloodless Surgery| [Type the document subtitle]| Michael Jones| Abstract There have been many court cases that has made, parent who deny their child blood transfusion, to have to get one. Most time the courts will side with the parents, but if their decision not to is life threatening, the court side with the hospital. Most times it is for religious reasons that parent don’t want their child to have blood transfusion. There are many risks associated with blood transfusion, some parents don’t want to take that risk. Some of the diseases you can get are hepatitis B and hepatitis C. HIV and AIDS can also be contracted through blood transfusion. It can even lead to death of a recipient. Is it ethical for parents to chose for their kids not to have blood transfusion. There is an alternative to blood transfusion. There are many tools and techniques to prevent the need for blood transfusion. Many doctors today are moving more towards bloodless surgery. The growth of bloodless surgery can be largely due to the number of Jehovah’s Witness patients. It is beneficial for both the patient and the hospital. More cost effective and faster recovery. I will talk about how preoperative planning is important for a successful bloodless surgery. I will touch on technique like cell savaging and Normothermia. Also introduce you to a cool tool called Cyber-Knife. I will show how Jehovah’s Witnesses and their Hospital Liaison Committee help my family when it came to bloodless surgery. Blood transfusions have been known to have many dangers. In most cases the cons outweighs the pros, causing many people to consider alternative measures. Today one of the most innovative and effective alternatives is bloodless surgery. In the event that you are faced by such a challenging yet important decision such a surgery, allow me to enlighten you on some of the statistics, procedures and benefits of bloodless surgery to assist you in making an informed decision. As we look at some of the dangers that are associated with blood transfusion alongside modern methods, equipment and benefits of bloodless surgery. We will see how these procedures have progressed over the years, and how the increase in use of bloodless surgery can be attributed to a small group of people known as Jehovah’s Witness. Witnesses as patients will not accept blood transfusion, under any circumstances. This has caused doctors to look for other solutions. The reasons why you should use bloodless surgery are the risk associated with blood transfusion. Transfusions have been used for over fifty years in clinical medicine. Within those fifty years it has become apparent that the risk such as infectious viruses, bacterial infections and even death has been linked to blood transfusion. Infectious viruses include but are limited to blood borne pathogens like hepatitis B and C. The Blood bank reports â€Å"for screened units of blood in 2007, 1 in 137,000 had hepatitis B, fewer than 1 in 1,000,000 for hepatitis C† (Nagarsheth, N. P. , Sasan, F. 2009) Blood transfusions have been associated with higher incidence of bacterial infections. â€Å"Bacterial infection was 2 percent non-transfusion patients, 15 percent for those with up to 2 units of blood red blood cells transfused, 22 percent with three to five units of blood, and 29 percent for patients transfused with 6 or more units of blood. † (Nagarsheth, N. P. , Sasan, F. 009) The more blood received in a transfusion, the more likely you are to get a postoperative infection. Many People today receive multiple transfusions. Transfusion in time develops allergenic immunization. This limits the supply of compatible blood. These numbers may seem like lottery chances, but why take the chance. Ultimately there is death. Death is not a foreign outcome of blood transfusion. Transfusion related acute l ung injury or TRALI, was first reported in the early 90’s. It’s a life threading reaction following a blood transfusion. TRALI is now known to cause many deaths each year. However, experts believe that the number of death is much higher than what is reported in relation to TRALI, because many doctors are unaware of the symptoms. The cause for such a reaction is conclusive. New scientist states â€Å"The blood that causes TRALI appears to come primarily from people who have multiple transfusions. TRALI is the top reason for blood transfusion death in the world. Jehovah’s Witnesses have benefited greatly from their faithful course. Although their reason for not having blood transfusions are not because of the negative reasons that derive from it, but because of their devout belief in God and the Bible. They obey scripture such as Acts 15; 20 which states â€Å"abstain from blood† and Leviticus 7; 26 â€Å"you must not eat any blood. † Jehovah’s Witnesses respect Gods authority and has taken their stand against blood transfusions, regardless of the outcome. If you do not agree with such a point of view, let’s examine the benefits to bloodless surgery and its advancing technology. Over the years the tools and techniques of surgery without blood transfusion has improved greatly. One tool or technique used for surgeries with a lot of blood lost is called cell salvage. This involves recovering the blood lost by a patient, cleaning it, and putting it back into the patient. This is done non-stop during surgery. â€Å"Technological advances have increased system automation†¦ offering higher processing speeds and better end product. †(Lawrence Goodnough. 2003 Vol. 4) Cell salvaging is also cost effective for the hospital and the patient. If there is a surgery with lots of blood lost, it is cheaper to use cell salvage than the units of blood used in a transfusion. Also the recovery time is faster reducing the time and money a patient spends at a hospital. How can blood loss during surgery be lowered in order to lessen the chance for need of a blood transfusion? The key is preoperative planning for a successful bloodless surgery. The first thing to be considered is the amount of red blood cell (RBC) that will lost before a transfusion is needed. This is called the transfusion threshold. Another thing that can be done before surgery is to â€Å"increase the patients RBC mass. † (Watchtower Bible and Track Society, 2004) RBC mass can be increased by injection of iron into the patient. Also erythropoietin(EPO). EPO is a protein hormone produced by the kidneys. â€Å"This synthetic hormone acts like the natural erythropoietin found in our kidneys and stimulates the bone marrow to send new, fresh red cells into the bloodstream. † (Watchtower. org)EPO is normally given 10 to 20 days before surgery. If you increase the RBC mass and lower the transfusion threshold, it allows for an even greater acceptable amount of blood loss. Normothermia is a technique used to keep the patient’s body temperature during surgery. This helps keep the blood flowing properly. Managing the patient body temperature throughout the entire process reduces the surreal shock to the body which reduces the chances of incurring infection. The patient can be warmed by a thermal suit or a machine that infuses warm fluid into the body. The position can also help reduces blood loss during surgery. Local veins pressure changes depending on the field of relativity to the heart. Low pressure goes hand in hand with blood saved. Stanford University Medical Center is a pioneer in the use of bloodless surgery in neurosurgery. â€Å"Without sawing into the skull or so much as cutting the scalp, they are curing patients whose brain and spine tumors were not long ago considered a death sentences. † (Fillon, Mike 1997) These surgeries are possible with the use of Stanford University’s computer mediated stereotaxis radio surgery known as the Cyber-knife. The Cyber-Knife is basically a robotic x-ray gun that shots small amounts of radiation into the tumor in a lot of different directions. This kills off the infected tissue without over exposing other parts of the body to radiation. Cyber-knife is a robotic arm that locks the radiation beam on to the tumor and constantly readjusts its aim in response to the patient’s natural small movement. To help doctors in providing treatment without blood transfusions, Jehovah's Witnesses have developed a helpful liaison service. Presently, more than 1,400 Hospital Liaison Committees worldwide are equipped to provide doctors and researchers with medical literature from a data base of over 3,000 articles related to bloodless medicine and surgery. Not only Jehovah's Witnesses, but all patients in general today, are less likely to be given unnecessary transfusions because of the work of the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Hospital Liaison Committees. In many surgeries which doctors felt that a transfusion was needed. The liaison committee has provided them with medical literature that shows how effective EPO can be. Some did not think that it would work fast enough to make up the amount of blood needed. A number of cases have shown how quickly EPO gets results. In one instance, on the very same day after EPO was administered, the count of new red cells was already four times normal! †(Watchtower. org) My mother and father got to see how effective the liaison committee, and blood surgery first hand. When my brother was 16 years old, we found out that he had cancer in his knee. At that time there was no hospitals with a committee or doctor that would perform bloodless surgery on Staten Island. So the hospital liaison committee located Mount Sinai Hospital that had one doctor that did do bloodless surgery. My brother was put on EPO, and was the only patient that was. For all of the doctors this was their first time use EPO, or even doing bloodless surgery. They were extremely surprised how much better he was doing than the other kid’s that were having blood transfusions. â€Å"It was really sad to see all those little kids and babies having blood pumped in to them. † That is what my mother said when I was asking her about my brother surgery. She said â€Å"Junior what the only kid that was up walking around, all the other kids was in their beds look like they was about to die. † Two things happened to my brother. First he lost all his hire because of chemotherapy. He also lost his leg because that was the only way they could remove all the cancer. It is reasonable to conclude that although blood transfusion has been around for many years. With all its side effects such as, infectious viruses bacterial infections and even death. It is quickly becoming a thing of the past! With strong scriptural basis and its practical benefits, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been the main reason for the growth of bloodless surgery. Today hospitals across the world implanted bloodless programs to help meet the demand for this growing number. Along with that, doctors have developed many techniques and tools in order to be successful in bloodless surgery. Techniques such as cell savaging and blood recovery and tools like the Cyber-knife. This have allowed for more cost effective surgeries, faster recovery, lower chance for infection and viruses. If ever surgery is something you have to undergo. I hope that I have persuaded you to make the right decision. References Cantrell, S. (2010). New normothermia measure heats up patient- temperature management. Healthcare Purchasing News, 34(3), 22-29. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Fillon, M. (1997). Bloodless surgery. Popular Mechanics, 174(1), 48. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Goodnough, L. , ; Shander, A. (2003). Evolution in alternatives to blood transfusion. Hematology Journal, 4(2), 87. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Nagarsheth, N. P. , ; Sasan, F. (2009). Bloodless Surgery in Gynecologic Oncology. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 76(6), 589-597. doi:10. 1002/msj. 20146 Watch Tower Bible and track society of Pennsylvania. (2004) Transfusion Alternatives, Document Series. Watchtower. org

Pledge of Allegiance essays

Pledge of Allegiance essays The pledge of allegiance is by definition a solemn swear of allegiance to the United States. But recently, it has been under attack by some for its use of the phrase one nation under God. This case was brought up by an atheist from Sacramento who didnt want his second-grade daughter to have to hear the pledge of allegiance. He took it federal court. After a self fought case to the Ninth Appellate Court, the court ruled that the phrase under God is an endorsement to monotheism, thereby in conflict of state and church separation. This ruling came at a tough time in America when everyone was still trying to find an answer to September 11. But, I do believe this to be the right decision. The state-sponsored use of one nation under God is a subtle, but intentional endorsement of religion. In so doing, the government is in breach of the First Amendment to the Constitution. The people who are fighting against the Courts decision to ban the phrase seem entirely to forget about the Constitution. A senior judge who disagreed with the ruling said there was only a miniscule risk that the use of the phrase under God would bring about a theocracy or suppress someones belief. Does something in there sound wrong to you? The judge implies the phrase could and would suppress small portions of Americans. Thats unacceptable. A Harvard professor predicted that the Supreme Court would overturn the decision. Our House of Representatives and the Senate were disgusted by the courts decision. The senate passed a resolution 99-0 showing support for the pledge of allegiance. The lawmakers of the United States are simply playing politics to appease the majority of Americans. We put our trust in these people's hands to represent us and defend the Constitution, not to appease constituents who support sta ...

Family Essays - Sojourner Truth, Burning Of Rome, Family Scholarship

Family Essays - Sojourner Truth, Burning Of Rome, Family Scholarship Family Scholarship Essay Since the day I was born, I have enjoyed story-telling. My first memories are of my father spinning me tales, as I nodded off. Every night I traveled back in time through his stories. I learned of Nero's sadistic burning of Rome, Adolph Hitler's maniacal reign, and Sojourner Truth's brilliant speech. All elements of our historical heritage, for which I have great affection. When I was quite young, my father purchased our very first computer. Through his hobby, I grew to love the technical side of the world in which we live. Through the years, we have owned many computers and they each taught me something new. Due to these two loves, I have chosen to double major in history and computer science. "Jewel, you have to make it. I want you to finish what the rest of us have started. You must finish college," my grandmother has stated to me many times. No one in my family has completed a four year degree. It is my intent to blaze a trail for my posterity, as also is my grandmother's ambition. As long as I can remember it has been my fondest dream (and my furthest goal) to attend college. From the beginning, I knew it would be an uphill climb to gain admission into a prestigious university. Lately I have realized I cannot reach my dreams alone. I need assistance financially. Through applying for financial aid, I am able to alleviate this need. I sincerely hope that you will seriously consider my application.

The New SAT vs. the ACT Full Breakdown

The New SAT vs. the ACT Full Breakdown SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For the past decade or so, the SAT has come under increasingscrutiny for its confusing structure, trick questions, and obscure vocabulary. Meanwhile, the ACT is often seen asthe fairer test, more closely based in what students learn in school. As you might have heard, the College Board undertook a radical overhaul of the SAT that went into effect in March 2016 and, in many ways, made it much more similar to the ACT. Adding to the confusion is the fact that ACT, Inc., also made some minor changes to the ACT. What are the main differences between the current versions of the two tests?The short answer is that the SAT and ACT are now quite similar.The changes have eliminated many of the two tests' major differences in both style and content. Nonetheless, there remain important variations- some long-standing and some newly introduced. I'm going to start by talking about what the SAT and ACT look like in general, and then I'll break down the new similarities and unique characteristics of each test, section by section: Test Structure (Timing/Sections and Scoring) Reading Writing/English Math Science Essay Brief Timeline of Changes to the SAT and ACT Before we get into the key differences between the two tests, I've included a basic timeline of when the changes to each exam went into effect below: Early 2015 and earlier Slight changes to ACT question distribution Paired passages on ACT Reading Fall 2015 New ACT Writing test RedesignedPSAT March 2016 Redesigned SAT As you can see, the ACT, the SAT, and even the PSAT have all undergone noticeable changes in the past few years. Yet while the content and format of the ACT has stayed mostly the same, both the SAT and PSAT have been completely revamped (or, rather, redesigned). Now that you understand when these big changes happened, let's begin our analysis by comparing the overall structures of the current SAT and ACT. SAT vs ACT: Overall Test Structure One of the goals of the SAT overhaul was to make the testmore straightforward, so many of its structural oddities, such as the wrong-answer penalty, were eliminated.The College Board also streamlined the SAT structure by including only one section of each type (except for Math, which has two subsections now) rather than three. The ACT structure, on the other hand, hasstayed mostly the same.The biggest changes to the test mainly targeted the Writing (essay) section, and that's it. Let's go over the specific layouts of the two tests so you can better understand the similarities and differences between them. Timing and Sections The current SAThas one Reading section and one Writing section. The Math section is divided into a No Calculator Test and a Calculator Test (meaning you may not use your calculator on the former but may on the latter). In addition, there is one Essay section, which is optional. The four sections are always in the same order. The entire SAT is three hours without the Essay, and three hours and 50 minutes with the Essay. The exact breakdown looks like this: SAT Section Total Time # of Questions 1. Reading 65 minutes 52 2. Writing and Language 35 minutes 44 3. Math No Calculator 25 minutes 20 4. Math Calculator 55 minutes 38 5. Essay (Optional) 50 minutes 1 prompt By contrast, the basic ACT structure and timing have not changed, with the exception of the new essay section, which is longer.Here is the breakdown of the ACT's timing and questions: ACT Section Total Time # of Questions 1. English 45 minutes 75 2. Math 60 minutes 60 3. Reading 35 minutes 40 4. Science 35 minutes 40 5. Writing (Optional) 40 minutes 1 prompt As you can see, the format of the current SAT is more similar to that ofthe ACT than to that of its previous incarnation. While there's no Science section on the SAT, it contains sections on Reading, Writing/English, and Math, just like the ACT does. It also has an optional Essay section like the ACT (before, the SAT Essay was mandatory!). Scoring The 2016 SAT redesign also involved major changes to the scoring system; we'll go through these one at a time: Scoring returned to the 400-1600 scale:In 2005, when the College Board last implemented major changes to the SAT, it added the Writing section; this meant there were three scores (each on a scale of 200-800) to combine, making the top possible score 2400. Nowadays, the Writing and Reading sections count toward the same Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score, which are combined with your Math score to get a final score between 400 and 1600. There's no wrong-answer penalty:You're no longer penalized by 1/4 point for every wrong answer! The original idea behind this policy was to discourage guessing on the SAT, but the College Board's research found that eliminating it doesn't affect scores that much and cuts down on students' reliance on test-taking strategies (a major goal for this overhaul). The Essay is given three scoresand no longer affects your total SAT score:Since it's now optional, the SAT Essay works a lot more like the ACT essay- you get a separate Essayscore that does not factor into your final score (on the 400-1600 scale). Essay scoring also changed: rather than getting onescore between 2 and 12, you'll get three scores, for Reading, Analysis, and Writing, between 2 and 8. You get lots of subscores:As part of its attempt to provide more helpful information to colleges, the College Board now provides several subscores and cross-test scoresfor the SAT: Analysis in History/Social Studies, Analysis in Science, Command of Evidence, Words in Context,Expression of Ideas, Standard English Conventions,Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math. That said, it's unclear how (or if) colleges use these scores, so don't worry about them for now. On the other hand,ACTscoringstayed mostly the same. You get four section scores, each on a scale of 1-36. These are then averaged to create a composite ACT score, also on a scale of 1-36. The exceptionis ACT Writing. This section is separate from your composite ACT score and scored on a scale of 2-12. Like the SAT Essay, it'sscored across multiple domains, which are as follows: Ideas and Analysis Development and Support Organization Language Use Each of these subscores is between 2 and 12, and the average of these four subscores is your ACT Writing score. Now that we've covered the big-picture changes, let's move on to the nitty-gritty of each section of the SAT and ACT. Jason Parrish/Flickr SAT/ACT Reading Section SAT Reading is the section that's most similar to its previous incarnation. However, there are still some big changes to note. One is that the SAT Reading section only includes longer passages.Without Sentence Completions or short passages, this section now looks a lot more like the ACT Reading section, which contains a series of 500-750 word passages followed by several questions. Also,thanks to a recent change to the ACT,both tests feature paired passages. These are just the basic similarities of the two tests' Reading sections, but how specificallydo these two sections differ? The chart below shows the specifications for each test: SAT Reading ACT Reading Total Time 65 minutes 35 minutes # of Questions 5 passages, 52 questions 4 passages, 40 questions Passage Types 1 US/World Literature, 2 History/Social Studies, 2 Science 1 Prose Fiction/Literary Narrative, 1 Social Sciences, 1 Humanities, 1 Natural Sciences Question Types Main Idea, Vocab-in-Context, Inference, Evidence Support, Data Reasoning, Technique, Detail-Oriented Main Idea, Vocab-in-Context, Inference, Detail-Oriented SAT Reading Although the Sentence Completions and short passages have been eliminated, the remaining long reading passages look more or less the same as they always have, with a few exceptions: Inclusion of classic texts:As part of the plan to make the Reading passages more complex and therefore more similar to what you might read in school, the SAT Reading section now includes excerpts from texts from the Western canon, including stories and essays by famous authors, US founding documents, and other historically important works. Because these are often quite old, they tend to include more challenginglanguage. Evidence questions:One of the big changes to SAT Reading that you might've heard about is the addition of evidence questions, which ask you to indicate what part of a passage supports your answer to a previous question. As these questions are quite tricky, you'll definitely want to learn effective ways to approach them. Questions go in chronological order (for a passage):This is one aspect of the SAT Reading section that didn't change and that really sets it apart from the ACT Reading section, in which questions do not follow the order of the passage. Charts and figures in science passages:Two of the five SAT Reading section passages cover scientific topics and include charts and figures. Here's an example of the types of charts and data you'll see, taken from an official SAT practice test: ACTReading The big difference between ACT Reading and SAT Reading remains how you need to budget time. Also, while the SAT is more focused on analyzing specific points in a passage and understanding how the author constructs an argument, the ACT deals more withreading comprehension. Here are some of the key features of ACT Reading, in comparison with SAT Reading: Randomly ordered questions:SAT Reading tells you where to look for the answers to most questions, but one of the biggest challenges on ACT Reading is finding the information you need. The questions are ordered randomly and often do not give line numbers, which can makefinding specific details very tricky. Less time per question:The strict time constraint is the other challenge many students face on ACT Reading: you have roughly eight and half minutes per 10-questionpassage on the ACT,compared with 13 minutes per 10- to 11-minute passage on SAT Reading. SAT Writing/ACT English Section Of the three SAT sections, Writing underwent the biggest changes (though if you've taken the ACT, its new format is going to look familiar). The current SAT Writing and Language section uses the same passage-based format as the ACT English section. Here's an official example of an SAT Writing passage and the questions that follow: SAT Writing also includes more ofthe same grammatical concepts as ACT English,most notably of which is punctuation. SAT Writing ACT English Total Time 35 minutes 45 minutes # of Questions 4 passages, 44 questions 5 passages, 75 questions Content Tested Standard English Conventions: 20 questions (45%), covering sentence structure, conventions of usage, and conventions of punctuation Expression of Ideas: 24 questions (55%), covering development, organization and effective language use Usage and Mechanics: sentence structure (20-25%), grammar and usage (15-20%), and punctuation (10-15%) Rhetorical Skills: style (15-20%), strategy (15-20%), and organization (10-15%) Despite the massivesimilarities between the SAT Writing and ACT English sections, there are still some noticeable differences. Let's go through them one at a time. SATWriting and Language As I noted above, the SAT overhaul involved a complete redesign of the Writing section so that all of the questions are now presented in the context of reading passages.Here are other major changes to note: The Writing section is included in your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score: With the current SAT, the Writing section is part of the same final section score as the Reading section is; this change returned the SAT to its original 400-1600 scale (as opposed to the previous 600-2400 scale). Slightly more focused on writing style:These days, SAT Writing has slightly more questions dealing with Expression of Ideas (writing style and argument) than it does targeting Standard English Conventions (grammar and sentence structure). Includes charts and graphs:Like the SAT Reading section, SAT Writing includes charts and graphs with its passages. However, there are only a few questions of this type per test. Some word choice questions involve challenging vocab:While word choice questions on the ACT are more focused on nuanced differences between common words, this type of question on the SAT sometimes tests knowledge of more traditional vocabulary words like those that wereincluded in old Sentence Completion questions. ACTEnglish Again, the similarities between these sections are much greater than their differences, but the ACT does emphasize slightly different skills than the SAT does. Here are the main features of the ACT English section and how they differ from the SAT Writing section: A lot more questions:ACT English has almost twice as many questions as SAT Writing. This doesn't necessarily make it more difficult, but it does necessitate a slightly different approach. Read our guide for more suggestions on how to approach ACT English passages. Slightly more focused on grammar and conventions:While the SAT has more questions about writing style, the ACT has theemphasis reversed: it's primarily focused on Usage and Mechanics questions, which coversentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. Big-picture questions:Though the two tests cover almost all the same material, ACT English hasone type of question that SAT Writing does not have: main idea questions. Both tests ask questions such as "What is the purpose of this passage?" on their Reading sections, but only the ACT includes these on the English section as well: SAT/ACT Math Section SAT Math is the section that remains the most similar structurally, but there were some pretty big changes in terms of its content. Like the ACT Math section, SAT Math now includes somemore advanced math topics, such astrigonometry and complex numbers, though there are only a few questions on these concepts. SAT Math questions are also closer to ACT Math questions in style: they're more straightforward and test the kinds of math you learn in school rather than more obscure topics. Here's an overview of the two Math sections: SAT Math ACT Math Total Time Calculator: 55 minutes No Calculator: 25 minutes 60 minutes # of Questions Calculator: 38 questions No Calculator: 20 questions 60 questions Topics Tested Heart of Algebra - 33% Problem Solving and Data Analysis - 28% Passport to Advanced Math - 29% Additional Topics in Math - 10% Pre-algebra - 20-25% Elementary algebra - 15-20% Intermediate algebra - 15-20% Coordinate geometry - 15-20% Plane geometry - 20-25% Trigonometry - 5-10% SAT Math The changes to SAT Math were designed to make it more similar to the tests you take in math class, meaning you're asked harder questions in a more straightforward way. Here are some of the key changes to note: Divided into a Calculator section and a No Calculator section:SAT Math is now split into two sections, one for which you're allowed to use a calculator and one for which you aren't. Don't worry about the No Calculatorsection too much, though, as it only requires basic calculations you can easilydo by hand or in your head. Heavily focused on algebra:As I mentioned above, one of the goals of the SAT was to make it more similar to what you learn in school and what you'll need for college. One part of this change was shifting the focus of the test toward algebra. Now, 61% of Math questions deal with algebra topics, including manipulating equations and expressions, writing equations to solve word problems, solving quadratics, and working with formulas. More data analysis: The proportionof data analysis questions has also increased. Almost one-third of SAT Math questions focus on manipulating ratios and percents, in addition to understanding graphs and charts. Very little geometry:With so much of the SAT Math section devoted to algebra and data analysis, there's very little room for geometry. In fact, only six questions ask about geometry and trigonometry, though the test still provides most of the common formulas you'll need. Still has grid-ins:Like the old version of SAT Math, the current Mathsectionhas 13 student-produced response questions, commonly known as grid-ins. These questions require you to write in your own answer instead of choosing one from the options given to you. ACT Math ACT Math stayed more or less the same, despite some tweaks to topic distribution. However, the changes to the SAT have created some new differences between the tests: Farmore geometry and trigonometry:If you like geometry, the ACT's the test for you. One-quarter to one-third of ACT Math questions deal with geometry or trig. However, unlike the SAT, the ACTdoesn't provide you with any formulas, so you'll absolutely have to know the common ones. A wider range of material:In fact, ACT Math tests more topics in general than the SAT does. You might see questions about logarithms, graphs of trig functions, and matrices- none of which appear on the SAT. SAT/ACT Science Section While there still isn't a Science section on the SAT, the College Board has attempted to incorporate these skills into the other three sections. According to the College Board website, "[the redesigned SAT]call[s] on the same sorts of knowledge and skills that students will use in college, in their jobs, and throughout their lives to make sense of recent discoveries, political developments, global events, and health and environmental issues." The current version of the SAT includes questions that ask you to analyze a chartorgraphin all three sections, as well as two reading passages on scientific topics. The ACT continues to have a lot more science questionssince it has a dedicated Science section. It also asks more complex questions than the SAT does, particularly with regard to experimental design. SAT Essay/ACT Writing Section The Essay is the one section for whichboth tests underwent a major overhaul.Moreover, both the SAT Essay and ACT Writing sections became more complex and are nowoptional. Ideally, the changes to the essay create results that better reflect your ability to understand and build arguments, though it remains to be seen how many schools will require the essay section onceit's optional for both tests. SAT Essay ACT Writing Total Time 50 minutes 40 minutes Optional? Yes Yes # of Prompts 1 prompt 1 prompt Scoring Domains Reading, Analysis, Writing Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, Language Use SAT Essay The College Board shifted the SAT essay task from one that asks you to make an argument to one that asks you to dissect an argument. Take a look at the official sample prompt below to get a sense of the type of question you'll be asked on test day: Here are some of the main features of the redesigned SAT Essay section and how it differs from the old SAT Essay: You're given a text and asked to analyzethe author's argument:Unlike the prompt for the old SAT Essay,the current essay assignment asks you to read and and analyze an argumentative essay. You're thengraded on three skills: reading, analysis, and writing. They don't want your opinion: According to each SAT Essay prompt, it doesn't matter what your opinion on the issue is- rather, you need toexplain how the author makes his point. More similar to essays in English class and on AP tests:In keeping with the College Board's goal to make the SAT more accurately reflect the skills you learn in school, the SAT Essay task is now much closer to the types of essays you write in school. ACT Writing The Writing (essay) section is the only part of the ACT that underwent major changes. Nonetheless, it's remaining more similar to itsold format than the current SAT Essay did to its. Take a look at the official sample prompt below to see what you'll be asked to write about: Here are some key ways in which the ACT Writing section differs from the SAT Essay section: Asked to analyze three perspectives on an issue:Rather than simply laying out a question, the prompt gives you three perspectiveson an issue and asks you to evaluate them. Must argue your opinion:Like the previous ACT and SAT essay prompts, the current ACT Writing task requires you to argue your own position on the issue at hand. Need to generate specific examples:Since the prompt itself only provides perspectives on the issue, not facts, you'll need to come up with specific examples to bolster your argument. Caleb Roenigk/Flickr What Do These SAT and ACT Differences Mean for You? I've written an in-depth breakdown of how to decide whether you should take the SAT or ACT here if you want to read through it. But for now, here are the important takeaway points as you create a long-term study plan. Content Differences Between the SAT and ACT The redesigned SAT is much more content-based than the old SAT, so if you're planning to take it, make sure you understand exactly what will be on it. Also, keep in mind that the ACT still tests more grammar and math concepts than the SAT does. Check Whether You Need to Take the Essay Both the ACT Writing test and SAT Essay are optional, so before registeringfor either test, check whether you need to take the essay. Requirementsvary depending on the schools you're applying to. Even if you aren't sure where you want to apply, I recommend signing up for the essay anyway. What's Next? If you've decided to takethe SAT,check out our in-depth study guideas well as our expert guide to a perfect 1600 SAT score, written by a full scorer. On the other hand, if you think the ACT might be the test for you, try an official ACT practice test, calculate your goal score, and learn how to get a perfect 36 ACT score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Questions answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Questions answer - Essay Example In addition, the European press always presented war in a romantic analogy. Diplomacy was mainly tied to alliance systems between the central and the allied powers. The Central Powers comprised of Germany, Italy and Austro-Hungary while the allies included France, Britain and Russia (Shaara 8). In fact, according to the print media, warfare was a matter of nationalistic pride. This war was also facilitated by the ignorant nature of the citizens and their apathetic nature to foreign affairs. Additionally, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand beefed up the war in Europe. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand in the summer of 1914 led to the outbreak of the war which involved a Bosnian terrorist who was seeking Bosnian independence. In this period, the Europeans were eager to experience the war. Some of them were even willing to risk their life by fighting in the war. This is because most of the youths and students inculcated the spirit of patriotism and devotion to the state. There are some prominent individuals who influenced the citizens substantially in believing that the war encouraged togetherness in the country (Shaara 9). Question #2 In the 1920s, there was a great reaction in the world which was caused by the wars in the world. The Great War is also known as World War I. According to most individuals, the Great War was a unique war because it involved several countries. Further analysis also depicts that the Great War involved huge life losses. Approximately 10 million men were killed. In fact, the Great War differed from the expectations of the generals and the majority of the Europeans. Most individuals thought that the war would last a single winter. However, the war lasted for four years. The main reason why the Great War differed so much from the expectations of the generals and the Europeans was because; both the military and diplomatic plans of the political leaders had failed in Europe (Shaara 18). In addition, the technological innovations had cha nged the warfare at the battlefield. In this period, the introduction of machine guns, battleships and airplanes significantly affected the war both at sea and on land. The machine guns favored most of the defense schemes employed by countries. The airplanes were mostly utilized for the survey but, bombs were not used in the war. The main warfare took place in Northern France, Southeastern Europe and Russia. In these areas, most of the people who were killed were the men. This is because the individuals in the warzone were not able to predict the extensiveness of the war. This war also created a gulf between military and civilian populations (Shaara 10). Question #3 Total war was a military quarrel whereby numerous countries mobilized all the available resources in order to destroy the ability of other nations to participate in war. This practice of total war was significantly utilized in the 19th century. Total war was also recognized as a separate class of warfare. Research assert s that total war was mainly caused by industrialization. It is quite prevalent that World War I influenced the birth of total war in the industrial age. During this period, soldiers faced each other in battlegrounds that had become extremely lethal due to the advancement in warfare machinery. There was no war witnessed in history such as the First World War. The main reason why this war was significant as opposed to other wars was because it had a long-term effect on the industrial revolution. According to various