Risk Reflection Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Risk Reflection - Coursework Example This quotation is mentioned just below the title of the news; so that readers get persuaded into reading further. The news also reports the exact quotation of the Muslim woman. The fact that the report explicitly mentioned the comment of the Muslim woman where she has expressed that she no longer feels like being a Canadian citizen indicates that challenging or criticizing the religious practices of an individual tarnishes the image of the country as a whole. It is a short news report mostly filled with quotations nicely selected to convey the crux of the problem. For the rest of the content, phrases are highlighted in quotation marks to emphasize their importance e.g. â€Å"feel afraid†, â€Å"a human being†, and â€Å"suitable dress†. The communicator focuses on these phrases because they project how challenging the dress code makes a religious person feel. The communication could have been improved by not highlighting specific phrases so that readers could form their independent opinion. Specifically, choosing the phrase, â€Å"†¦I felt that Im not Canadian anymore† (El-Alloul cited in â€Å"Canada court denies†) generalizes the threat for Muslims all across Canada. Reading this report makes Muslims feel unsafe and threatened in Canada as a whole, although Quebec has its own distinct culture and laws within Canada and incidents happening in Quebec cannot be generalized for the liberal and democratic Canadian society as a whole. Fact of the matter is; when a person in Quebec is treated like this Muslim woman, his/her confidence in the whole of Canada is shattered. This can be explained in light of the ‘mental noise’ and ‘negative dominance’ theoretical model of risk communication. The mental noise model implies, â€Å"when people are in a state of high concern because they perceive a significant threat, their ability to process information effectively and efficiently is severely impaired† (Baron et al., cited in Infanti et al. 6). Also, the

Second World War Essay Example for Free

Second World War Essay After the Second World War, there were many organizations that were formed to take care of different interests, mostly political and economical. The General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) was one such organization that was formed in 1947 to protect and trade between member countries (Bagwell, Staiger, 2002). The major aim of the organization was to look at the tariffs and restrictions that affected trade among the member countries and how to harmonise them. To ensure that the objectives of GATT were achieved, the members laid down some principles that were to be followed by all members and be guidance in all their activities. The principles formed the basis for the GATT agreements. Hence, it was not right for any member country to come up with policies that were contrary to the agreed principles. The Most Favoured Nation (MFN) is one major principle that was to be observed by the member countries. This was the first principle that was passed to guide trade. This principle says that no member country should discriminate another member in trade. If a member gives a favour to another, (for instance, lowering the customs duty), then this has to be applied to all other members. Furthermore, in this principle, it means that goods or services from one member country is treated no differently from goods or services from another country. In addition, when the goods of a foreign country are in another’s domestic market, they have to be treated no less than the other commodities (Leonard, 2006). The second principle calls for the member countries to protect their domestic industry by applying customs duty, instead of using trade barriers. In essence, the principle called for the member countries to be transparent in carrying out their trading activities. Thirdly, the reciprocity principle called for the member countries to consult one another on matters that concerned trade between them. The principle required that as one member country called for the other to reduce her tariffs; she should as well reduce hers. This principled was thus aimed at giving mutual benefit to the trading partners. The fourth major principle dealt with improving new trade tariffs. The members agreed that by imposing a new tariff at one point, it needed to maintain the balance. These principles thus provided a framework in which the member countries were to negotiate any trading activities (Faye, 1996). GATT principles emphasised on membership trade as opposed to individualistic trade. Taking the case of non discrimination trading, it meant that only a member country could not be discriminated, but non members could not enjoy such privileges. This meant that competition between GATT members and the non members could not be a healthy competition. However, even though the principle stipulated for non discrimination between members, it was not possible to ensure that this was upheld. This was brought about by the endowment and the technology factor that existed between the member states, causing differences members have in the competition position. If there are no differences in the competitive environment, there can not be any economic welfare benefit that will be found as a result of international trade (Dowlah, 2004). GATT was formed on the principle of reciprocity. This principle has contributed to having negative impact on liberalising trade. If a nation combines the Most Favoured Nations principle and reciprocity, it can force the government to make sure that importation tariffs are lowered further, which again will be a very big disadvantage to the non member countries. When a member country lobbies for the lowering of importation tariffs, it will generally transform to other members reducing their tariffs as a way of reciprocating. This has led to a fight between the exporters advocating for liberalised trade, while the importers fighting to protect their firms. Non GATT members who were interested in liberalising their markets on a non reciprocal form have found it very hard as the members are never willing to liberalise their markets on a non reciprocal manner. This implies that the non GATT members find it very hard to trade and compete on the same level with the GATT members. For the members to liberalise their markets, they have first to see what benefit they are going to get from the others. Off course this goes against the free trade principle, since no member will be willing to trade with a country that is not going to give them any benefit in the trading pattern. Therefore, for any country to trade with another, there has to be tangible benefit that has to be proven between the nations. This is generally very difficult to be found between a member and a non member, as only the members will benefit from the agreements. Through reciprocity principle, a nation will ensure that it benefits from a trade concession by giving out another trade concession. Therefore, if a nation does not have any given concession, then it will be impossible for it to trade with others. The effect of this is that it might inhibit further liberalisation of the markets. This is due to the fact that individual members might be forced to carry out liberalisation of trade, without doing the same to the GATT members. In essence, this action will lead to having trade concessions that GATT members do not have to necessarily match (Brett, 2001). The GATT agreements have contributed to members harming others, especially the new members. Looking at the welfare gain that is supposed to be generated from the free trade, it has to be reflected to the whole members (Cannon Bland, 1993). However, on distributive, it occurs on individual level. This effect can be offset by a shift that can occur in the free trade. The problem is that this is a political decision that can affect how the free trade will occur. In more powerful nations, the governments have been forced to take up trade policies that are detrimental to the weak nations (Narlikar, 2003). There are many other problems that have been facing GATT members but being swept under the rug. Some of these problems have been advantageous to one nation while being disadvantageous to another. For instance, this was witnessed when the Japanese cars entered the American markets. Japan was faced with invisible pressure that it had to voluntarily limit the number of vehicles it was exporting to the United States (http://www. busmgt. ulster. ac. uk/modules/eco811m1/Group%201. doc. ). This is a clear evidence of how GATT members and those who supported these ideologies were bending matters so as to suit their own needs. Some powerful members like the European Union have also been taking the interpretation of GATT principles at liberty and no action has been taken against them. Many of the conflicts that have occurred in the trading patterns within GATT have been mostly solved in a very mystifying manner. It has mostly been in favor of the powerful states leaving the less powerful and the new members at a loss. In coming up with the non trade barriers, there were many other challenges that members faced in the implementation. For instance, France had a requirement that all VCRs that were being imported into the country had to undergo an inspection and pass it before being allowed into the country. The major problem with the policy is that there was a big congestion since the country depended on a single inspector (http://www. busmgt. ulster. ac. uk/modules/eco811m1/Group%201. doc. ). It was also difficult to know if some non trade barriers were genuinely motivated by policies of other partners or it was just a matter of interfering with trade. This can be explained by the instance in which the US limited the exportation of tuna as a way of protecting the dolphins. On the other hand, Mexico was taking a large number of the tuna catches into the American markets disregarding how the mode in which they were caught. After some time, Mexico was blamed on how the number of dolphins had declined. This was challenged but GATT did not do anything on the matter, hence benefiting a few nations (Collins, Bosworth, 1994). The GATT rules were so much concerned with protecting the industrialized countries leaving the poor countries that depended on agriculture out. Hence, it led to the feeling that GATT was out to protect only the rich. GATT principles seemed to be more biased in protecting the rich nations all along leaving the poor nations out. In trying to resolve the matter, the developed countries tried to be flexible with their rules, but it still did not deter the developing countries from agitating for more GATT rights (Dowlah, 2004). As earlier argued, most of the GATT principles were political, hence did not put in effect such issues as the environment (White, 1998). Taking the case in which the GATT principle calls for the member countries to treat imported goods from a member country in the same manner as locally produced goods, it was later changed and the decision only based on finished commodities being sold to the public. In this case, if the goods that had been imported were the same as the domestically produced goods, then it was not necessary to consider the mode at which the commodities were produced (Kahler, 1995). This implies that it is not possible to impose environmental issues on the products being manufactured by the member countries into others that are environmentally vulnerable. This meant that countries that disallowed the importation of especially food products that had been produced by the use of a lot of pesticides and other chemicals to be at the risk of getting its markets flooded with such commodities. This also affected small and medium sized farmers. The farmers who had diversified their productions could not be able to compete at the same level with those dealing with one type of crops at a large scale (Wold, 1996). It is thus true to argue that GATT played a significant role in developing trade and liberalizing the markets. It created a co-operation between the markets that was initially not there (Barons, 1991). However, the system outlived its purpose by benefiting few nations at the expense of others; hence the Uruguay roundtable that led to the formation of the world trade organization was timely. Bibliography Bagwell, K Staiger R. W (2002): Economic Theory and the Interpretation of GATT/WTO; Journal of American Economist, Vol. 46,Barons L (1991): Amending Section 337 to Obtain GATT Consistency and Retain Border Protection, Journal of Law and Policy in International Business, Vol. 22, Brett W (2001): Influence and Lack of Influence of Principles in the Negotiation for Chinas Accession to the Word Trade Organization, The George Washington International Law Review, retrieved on 20th October 2008 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa5433/is_/ai_n21481317. Cannon J. R Bland K. L (1993): GATT Panels Need Restraining Principles, Journal of Law and Policy in International Business, Vol. 24, Collins, S. M Bosworth B . P (1994): The New GATT: Implications for the United States; Brookings Institution, Dowlah C (2004): Backwaters of Global Prosperity: How Forces of Globalization and GATT/WTO Trade Regimes Contribute to the Marginalization of the Worlds Poorest Nations; Praeger, Faye A. A (1996): APEC and the New Regionalism: GATT Compliance and Prescriptions for the WTO, Journal of Law and Policy in International Business, Vol. 28, Hoekman, B. M . Kostecki M. M (1995): The Political Economy of the World Tr

Systems Analysis: History, Concepts And Theories

Systems Analysis: History, Concepts And Theories One could unarguably suggest that systems exist, in various forms, since the dawn of time. From the Solar System, to our planets ecosystem, to the human societies where people gathered into teams to hunt animals or farm the land to be able to survive, all are prime examples of thousand years old systems. By definition, a system could be described as any entity, conceptual or physical, which consists of interdependent parts (Ackoff, 1960). As the human-controlled systems (i.e. society, organizations, information systems and business systems) started to become increasingly more complex, various issues appeared like an increase of costs, harder maintenance and more administrative complexities. The need to overcome and solve all these problems led to the appearance of the field of Systems Analysis. Systems Analysis: History, Concepts Theories The analysis, as defined in the Oxford Dictionary, is the separation of a substance into parts for study and interpretation; detailed examination. Subsequently, Systems Analysis could be described as the early process in the development of a new system, or the evaluation of an old one, where the analysts try to investigate a given situation, identify the main problems that need to be solved, break them up into sub-problems if needed, and finally recommend the most efficient and costless way to solve them (Yeates et al, 1994; Silver et al, 1989; Bingham et al, 1978). Plato once said: the beginning is the most important part of work. Nowadays, Platos words are proved far from wrong in the case of developing or evaluating a system. The first steps of working on a new project are probably the most important ones to guarantee any fair chance of success. This is the main reason why many organizations, companies and governments prefer to spend a significant amount of money in the early stag es of development, in order to be able to minimize the risk of potential disaster later on (Daniels et al, 1981). After all, the sooner a mistake is identified, the sooner it will be fixed, saving a lot of effort, time and money. There are many types of human-controlled systems, as previously mentioned, ranging from large-scale, complex human societies (whose boundaries are usually not so easy to define as they constantly interact with other societies near them), to small-scale computer information systems (whose boundaries are easier to define). Although each key author and researcher tried to describe his own concept of what analysis is and why it is critical to apply it in the development process, their thoughts and views share many common elements. Depending on the type of system they concentrated on, various definitions where given. To begin with, Systems Analysis is the process of investigating a systems boundaries, users, processes, inputs and outputs with the aim of suggesting more efficient and economical ways to solve the problems in question (Silver et al, 1989). Another, more general suggestion is that Systems Analysis refers to an orderly, structured process for identifying and solving problems (Gore et al, 1983). Finally, according to George Marshall in his book Systems Analysis and Design: Alternative Structured Approaches, Systems Analysis is the process of defining precisely what a computer system should do (Marshall, 1986). Igor Hawryszkiewycz describes in his book Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design that analysis is mainly used in order to effectively understand the structure of a system and what its requirements are (Hawryszkiewycz, 1994). John Bingham in his book A Handbook of Systems Analysis describes the analysis in six steps: the project selection, the feasibility study, the definition phase, the design phase, the implementation phase and finally the evaluation phase (Bingham et al, 1978). Perhaps one of the most straightforward explanations of Systems Analysis main objective is that it aims to transform user needs into specifications for programmers (Marshall, 1989). To achieve this, the systems analyst has to complete five tasks and responsibilities: to plan, investigate, understand, document and communicate with the rest of the team (Yeates et al, 1994). Firstly and probably most importantly too, the analyst must study the feasibility of the system. This means that he has to thoroughly search and decide if it is humanly possible to develop the system and how much effort in time and money it will cost to do so. Second step is to discuss with the systems target group and find out their needs in order to be able to understand and elicit the requirements. Third step is to research the existing data, human recourses and available computer procedures to find out the limitations, techniques or methods that will be used in the later stages of development. Usually from this phase and on the analyst works close together with the designers, programmers and testers in order to establish a successful communication between the team and share feedback with them (Parkin, 1980; Daniels et al, 1981; Open University, 1982). Although the human-controllable systems are in existence ages now, Systems Analysis as a scientific field is quite more recent, and its roots can be traced back a few decades. Before computers became mainstream, the first analysts where using more traditional approaches to analyze and solve the given problems. They followed two main steps: firstly they analyzed the projects requirements and secondly they specified these requirements. Although this practice was logical and theoretically correct, it depended too much on the human factor, which means it was prone to mistakes. Among the disadvantages of the traditional approach was that it required vast amounts of written documentation, many times there was a lack of communication between the analysts and the designers and last but not least it was very time consuming. All these negatives caused a great number of system development projects to face difficulties during the analysis phase in the 1970s (Yeates et al, 1994). Researchers in the field of Systems Analysis, in an effort to overcome all the problems caused by the traditional approach, focused their attention to develop new, more efficient methods of analysis. The result of the above efforts was a structured approach to analysis (Yourdon, 1976; DeMarco, 1979; Bansler, 1993). This approach, as described in the book Systems Analysis and Design by Don Yeates et al, follows three general principles: modeling, partitioning and iteration. Modeling is the extended use of models, diagrams, data flow charts and other graphic representations, which aim to provide a non-confusing, realistic image of the system to the rest of the development team. Partitioning is the method of dividing the system in question to sub-systems with the aim of making them more understandable to the rest of the team. Moreover, partitioning helps the analyst to decide which part of the whole problem every member of the team will be given to solve. Iteration is the method of cons tantly repeating the analysis stage, as many times as needed, in order to reach the best possible solution. The need for iteration arises from the fact that it is rare for a system to be represented correctly the first time, as many repetitions are usually needed, in order to achieve a standard of accuracy (Yeates et al, 1994). Following the appearance of a more structured and formal way of analyzing a system, researchers were trying to come up with various models, which held a central role for Systems Analysis. These models, if strictly followed, would significantly enhance the development process. The early software development models though, such as the Waterfall Model (Royce, 1970), did not allow a lot of room for feedback and changes because of their linear structure. In contrast to these early models, modified approaches like the V-Model (German Ministry of Defense, 1992) and the Spiral Model (Boehm, 1988) gave the analyst the flexibility to interact with the rest of the team even in the later development phases. This is particularly important for the sole reason that, as discussed earlier, Systems Analysis is one of the most crucial phases during a systems creation. By providing the team the option to interact with the analyst on the go, it can minimize the time needed for system revision and most im portantly save a lot of time and money. Although return of investment and risk minimization are two of the most salient reasons of why Systems Analysis is so important, there are a lot more benefits to be gained in the long term. The efficiency of the project team is greatly enhanced as goals are reached faster and the available resources are used more wisely. Furthermore, errors are recognized earlier which translates to less time invested in testing during the final phases of a project, which in its own turn leads again to more profit (Silver et al, 1989). It is very important also to mention that nowadays systems become so complex that usually consist of multiple subsystems, each one playing a key role in the whole process. These subsystems coexist and highly depend on each other. Any change that may occur in any of them could affect multiple other subsystems of the whole. It is critical for the analysts to spend a considerable amount of time and effort to understand the system as one single entity and identify all of its problems. Only after a thorough study of the system they will be able to really understand its purpose and support the development team in creating a system that will be safe, robust and effective (Hawryszkiewycz, 1994). In 1994, a study by the Standish Group provides a better understanding of how valuable the correct application of analysis during a systems development phase is. The company studied eight thousand software projects undertaken by 350 different companies in order to see how successful the development process was. The results were disastrous as around 31% of the projects were cancelled before they make it to the production phase (Standish, 1994). When in further study, these companies were asked about the reasons for these failures, more than 54% answered that it was various problems during the analysis phase (Standish, 1995). Systems analysis though is not a cure-all medicine. Like all approaches in system development, it has its own disadvantages and limitations. Some company, for example, could have so many internal problems, financial or not, that a single Systems Analysis, even the best one possible, could not be enough to save it from bankruptcy. Another disadvantage is that Systems Analysis costs a lot of money and time (Silver et al, 1989). Although, it has been proven many times that projects that went through a thorough System Analysis phase had greater chances to become successful, its still not a guarantee. As the human factor never stops to play a vital role in the whole development process, there is always the risk that something is mistakenly overlooked (i.e. a bug in the code that escapes the final testing phase), which leads to a fault product in the production line, which in turn leads to less sales or even stigmatize the organizations good name. Conclusion Systems Analysis has become a necessity, a highly important and integral tool that development teams, governments and companies use to enhance their productivity and raise their profit margins (Silver et al, 1989). As people say: money makes the world go round, and this is especially true nowadays that organizations put even more effort to identify and satisfy their needs in the most effective and efficient way. Systems and projects become even more sophisticated, even more advanced, even more complex and even more critical for the safety of the users. Developers must be able to adapt in this ever-changing environment if they want to survive in the highly competitive world of today. For all these reasons, Systems Analysis continues to play a key role, and researchers are trying constantly to find new ways to make it even more efficient in the future.

Negative Consequences of Gender Role Stereotyping Essay -- Class Gende

In our society today, men and women perform distinctly different roles which are based on nothing more than their biological gender. Although these roles do not hold true for each individual, the majority of people live out their lives in accordance with these extremely pervasive roles. Society tends to assign classes of social roles to "male" individuals and classes of social roles to "female" individuals (as society perceives their sexes). These gender roles limit what both males and females can and cannot do. Gender roles enslave individuals and force them to be what others want them to be. They are perpetuated and reinforced by the mass media and society in general many ways, some which are obvious and others which are more subtle. In many societies, there is a strong tendency to exaggerate these gender roles, and it seems to frequently jump from a valid observation to a false conclusion. Individuals within the culture are expected to conform to these "norms" and are socialized in manners which constantly reinforce the beliefs and behaviors which are prescribed and presupposed for them. We live in a sexually repressive society, but in order to break out of these binds, people must define their sexuality on their own terms, and not be manipulated and dominated by cultural "norms" of beauty, desirability and behavior. Gender role is a social construction of a particular cultural group's expectation of another person's behaviors, attitudes, values and beliefs based on their perceived biological sex. Biological factors have strong impacts on occupations that are judged by a society to be appropriate for men and for women. The probl... ... L.A. (1998). The allocation of household labor in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual married couples. In D.L. Anselmi & A.L. Law (Eds.), Questions of Gender (pp. 582-591). Boston: McGraw-Hill. McIntosh, P. (1998). White privilege and male privilege. In M.L. Andersen & P. Hill Collins (Eds.), Race, Class and Gender: An anthology (3/e). Boston: Wadsworth, pp. 94-105. Plous, S. (2003). Understanding prejudice and discrimination. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp. 507-536. Pollack, W. (1998). Real boys. New York: Henry Holt, pp. 3-64, 272-337. Schiebinger, L. (1993). Nature's body: Gender in the making of modern science. Boston: Beacon, pp. 11-39, 143-183. Steinem, G. (1998). If men could menstruate. In M.L. Andersen & P. Hill Collins (Eds.), Race, Class and Gender: An anthology (3/e). Boston: Wadsworth, pp. 428-429

Rhetorical Analysis: Too Much of a Good Thing

Rhetorical Analysis: Too Much of a Good Thing â€Å"At least 25% of all Americans under age nineteen are overweight or obese, a figure that has doubled over the last 30 years. † says Greg Crister in his article titled â€Å"Too Much of a Good Thing† which appeared on July 22, 2001 in the Los Angeles Times. In his article, Crister uses three common rhetorical strategies, ethos, pathos, and logos, in an attempt to persuade his audience, anyone raising children or interested in children's health issues, of how prevalent this epidemic has become and provide them with some solutions as to how they can help prevent childhood obesity.Overall, Crister's argument succeeds and his audience walks away convinced that childhood obesity is, in fact, an epidemic that plagues children in their own country and that they must act immediately themselves to help fight the fight and insure that it does not become a problem with their own children. One common rhetorical strategy is ethos, wh ich is the use of credible sources to support a claim.Since Crister is a writer and not an expert on childhood obesity himself, it is important that he uses creditable sources to persuade the audience of the epidemic that childhood obesity is becoming. Crister uses ethos very well in his argument by providing current findings from reliable sources that are relevant to the immediate problem of childhood obesity. At the beginning of his article, Crister says, â€Å"Obesity,' the U. N. roclaim[s], ‘is the dominant unmet global health issue, with Westernized countries topping the list. † It is a common belief that the United Nations predominately only deals with epidemics that plague children in third world countries so by bringing to the audience's attention that the U. N. is now focusing on the United States, Crister encourages them to look closer to home to see what an immediate crisis that childhood obesity has become.By making the audience aware that childhood obesity is being treated as an epidemic by a trustworthy and knowledgeable organization such as the United Nations, Crister succeeds in persuading his audience that this is a serious issue in their own country and they are more likely to want to do whatever they can to prevent childhood obesity since it could affect their own children rather than children on the other side of the world. The rhetorical strategy pathos means to appeal to the audience's emotions when making an argument and one way in which Crister uses pathos effectively is by his word choice.In his article, Crister says, â€Å"Closer to home, at least 25% of all Americans under age nineteen are overweight or obese, a figure that has doubled over the last 30 years and a figure that moved the surgeon general to declare childhood obesity an epidemic. † Knowing that, generally, parents only want the best for their children, Crister use of descriptive words, such as calling childhood obesity an epidemic, invokes a negative reaction in his audience and causes their protective, parental instincts to immediately kick in.Most parents could never fathom their own child might be part of an epidemic of any kind so by referring to the fact that childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic itself, Crister creates a sense of urgency in his audience that in turn makes them want to act on their protective instincts by helping to prevent the spread of this epidemic. In keeping with his strong use of word choice, Crister also uses the word gluttony twice in his article and even elaborates by pointing out that gluttony is â€Å"vilified as one of the seven deadly sins. Again, the use of such strong language causes the audience take notice of the severity of childhood obesity and makes them want to do whatever they can to prevent it so that their own children are not considered gluttons or part of an epidemic. Another rhetorical strategy is logos, which means using logic, common sense, and reason to appeal to an audien ce. In his article, Crister uses logic to provide some solutions to help prevent childhood obesity as well as discredited some long-standing myths on how these solutions might not work.One solution that Crister offers is when he points out the importance of teaching good eating habits early on so that overeating, one of the main causes of obesity, can be avoided. To help persuade the audience that this is an important step to take, Crister discredits the common misconception among parents that children will stop eating once they are full. Crister mentions a study led by Barbara Rolls, a nutritional scholar at Pennsylvania State University, in which she observed the eating habits of two groups of children.Rolls found that the three year old group would stop eating once they were full, regardless of how much food they were given, but the five year old group would continue to eat, long after they were full, until everything on their plate was gone. This study helps persuade the audienc e that what they believed to be true about the eating habits of children might not be true after all and that it is their job to help their children learn how to develop good eating habits at an early age.Crister goes on to point out that parents are led to believe that restricting a child's diet will cause them to, in turn, overeat. In an effort to explain this to his audience Crister says, â€Å"The operative notion is that a child restrained from overeating will either rebel by secretly gorging when away from the table or, worse, will suffer such a loss of self-esteem that a lifetime of disastrous eating behavior will follow. † Another solution that Crister offers is to stigmatize overeating. He says, â€Å"Of course, no one should be stigmatized for being overweight.But stigmatizing the unhealthful behaviors that cause obesity would conform with what we know about effective health messages. † This helps his audience see that stigmatizing overweight people might be detrimental but stigmatizing overeating itself might be one of the most logical solutions in preventing childhood obesity. Crister also notes that in the early 20th century France, when first faced with the excessive weight gain among children, they adopted the belief that meals should always be supervised by adults, food should be served in moderate proportions, and second helpings should be rare.The French are often stereotyped for being some of the most confident people in the world so Crister ends his article with the logical, yet tongue-in-cheek statement that, †[The French] were taught in childhood not to overeat. And it didn't seem to do much harm to their self-esteem. † This quote combined with his use of logos works well for Crister's argument because they make his audience realize that what they have been led to believe in the past about restricting a child's eating habits and how children approach eating in general might not, in fact, be true.By discrediting a ll of these myths, Crister's persuades his audience that they must take responsibility in teaching their children good eating habits early on in their lives and they become more comfortable with the idea that stigmatizing overeating as well as restricting their own child's eating are other ways in which they can do their part in preventing childhood obesity.Overall, Crister's uses of ethos, pathos, and logos succeed in persuading his audience what an epidemic that childhood obesity has become and they walk with a couple of solutions to help them act immediately in helping to prevent this epidemic in their own children or children in this country. Works Cited Crister, Greg. â€Å"Too Much of a Good Thing. † Los Angeles Times 22 July 2001. 16 November 2012 .

Baroque Era Test Essays

Baroque Era Test Essays Baroque Era Test Paper Baroque Era Test Paper Essay Topic: Poetry During the seventeenth century, women who desired a public voice through music often joined a: convent Which of the following was a reason that a woman would join a convent during the seventeenth century? a. to avoid an unwanted marriage b. to seek asylum after being widowed c. to have an outlet for musical talent d. all of the above d. all of the above the canticle of Mary is generally known as the Magnificat during which service does the magnificat occur? vespers what services did Chiara Margarita Cozzolani provide for the convent of St. Radegonda? a. director of choirs b. abbess and prioress c. composer d. all of the above d. all of the above what is a type of music NOT composed by Chiara Margarita Cozzolani? the secular cantata the dramatic and mystical qualities of Cozzolanis setting of the Magnificat are similar to those of what other significant artwork? Beninis Ecstasy of Teresa Of the following, which characterizes Cozzolanis music for the Magnificat? a. imitative polyphony throughout b. an ABA structure c. expressive and rich in word-painting d. all of the above a? imitative polyphony throughout? (I wasnt sure about this one) what are the performing forces for Cozzolanis magnificat? two choirs, two soprano soloists, and organ and strings the prayer of praise at the end of the Magnificat is called the doxology a drama that is sung is called a opera the vocal style in opera that imitates the natural inflections of speech is called recitative a highly emotional song in an opera is called a aria the orchestral introduction at the beginning of an opera is called the overture the text of an opera is called the libretto what composer is regarded as the first master of opera? ? which cultural center rejected italian opera? France a type of English entertainment combining music, poetry, and dance was called the masque the greatest native-born English composer of Baroque was Henry Purcell Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas was composed for a production at a girls school who was the librettist of Purcells Dido and Aeneas? Nahum Tate what epic poem was the basis for Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas? Virgils Aeneid Dido sings her famous lament in Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas just prior to: killing herself Didos lament for Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas is composed over a ground base Luther believed that music belonged to the congregation in the Lutheran church, the weekly hymns sung by the congregation were called chorales which of the following does NOT describe the chorale? a. intended to be sung by the congregation b. four part harmony c. text in german d. simple and memorable melodies b. sang in four part harmonies the sacred cantata was an integral part of the lutheran church service the expansion of the chorale with new poetry resulted in the cantata during his musical career, Johann Sebastian Bach held position of: a. cantor of St. Thomans Church in Leipzig b. court organist and chamber musician to the duke of Weimar c. court musician to the prince of Ahjalt-Cothen d. all of the above d. all of the above Johann Sebastian Bach was most famous in his day as a performer on the organ what would listeners hear in a typical Bach chorale? intricate choral movements what is the form of the chorale tune Wachet Auf? bar form (AAB) Bachs cantata no. 140, Wachet Auf, has how many movements? seven the opening movement of Bachs cantata Wachet Auf is best described as a grand chorale fantasia the fourth movement of Bachs cantata Wachet Auf has three musical lines: unison choir, unison strings, and continuo Handels Messiah is a oratorio What is Handels most famous oratorio, frequently performed today? Messiah Why is Messiah so popular in Britain and America today? a. sung in english b. first part is appropriate for the christmas season c. it combines vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra d. all of the above d. all of the above which of the following does NOT characterize an oratorio? a. elaborate scenery b. recitatives c. arias d. choruses a. elaborate scenery the stories for oratorios are generally drawn from the Bible George Frideric Handel is considered master of the oratorio Who was born in Germany and studied in Italy, but spend much of his creative life in England? Handel When Handel arrived in London, he established his fame by composing oratorios Later in life, Handel turned his efforts from the opera to the oratorio the subject of the second part of Messiah is the death of christ the orchestra for Messiah relies primarily on the strings Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion from Messiah is an example of a da capo aria what is ritornello? an instrumental refrain in an aria the famous choral climax of Handels Messiah is the Hallelujah Chorus which of the following does NOT characterize the Hallelujah Chorus? a. varied dynamics b. fugal passages c. homophonic passages d. a cappella setting d. a cappella setting in seventeenth century New England, the puritan practice of singing that is based on call and response was called lining-out what is the basic texture of the practice of lining-out? monophonic why was lining-out developed? a. most people could not read music b. most people could not afford to buy a psalm book c. the church wanted everyone to participate equally in services d. all of the above d. all of the above what is heterophonic texture? the simultaneous performance of slight variants of the same melody which of the following was NOT a musical development in the seventeenth century? a. polyphonic settings of sacred music began to appear b, singing schools began teaching music c. american composers were discouraged from writing music d. shape-note singing was developed a. polyphonic settings of sacred music began to appear which of the following does NOT characterize shape-note notation? a. it was created in order to standardize sacred melodies b. it was based on solfege, syllables used to memorize music c. the shape of a note denoted its solfege syllable d. it was first applied to tutorials for piano playing d. it was first applied to tutorials for piano playing how can the career of William Billings be described? he knew several leaders of the American Revolution Billingss best-known publication is The New England Psalm Singer the form of Billingss Davids Lamentation is ABB what is the texture of Billingss Davids Lamentation? homophonic with solos and duets of the following, what contributes to the simplicity of Billingss Davids Lamentation? a. mostly stepwise melodies b. consonant harmonies c. duple meter and regular rhythmic patterns d. all of these d. all of these what describes Spanish attitudes toward indigenous American peoples? they tried to reconcile local beliefs and christianity which of the following musical activities in NOT associated with Gaspar Fernanded? a. playing organ b. composing operas c. teaching music to choirboys d. collecting music performed in Mexico at the time b. composing operas which of the following does NOT characterize the villancico by Fernandes? a. images of christianity mixed with those of the aztec religion b. an ensemble refrain c. notation that includes parts for organ and other instruments d. a frequent short-long rhythm c. notation that includes parts for organ and other instruments the first era of western music history in which instrumental music was a major focus for composers was the Baroque which of the following does NOT describe instrumental music in the Baroque era? a. the flowering of instrumental music was largely encouraged by wealthy patrons b. elaborate instrumental music often accompanied grand celebrations c. new technologies made more sophisticated instruments possible d. instrumental music became the central focus of western concert music at this time d. instrumental music became the central focus of western concert music at this time which of the following is NOT a major difference between Baroque and modern violins? a. the general shape of the instrument b. the type of strings c. the playing techniques d. the cost of the instrument a. the general shape of the instrument during the Baroque, which of the woodwind instruments became associated with a somber mood? bassoon which of the following instruments was NOT made of wood during Baroque? a. recorder b. oboe c. trumpet d. flute c. trumpet which of the following does NOT characterize the Baroque suite? a. consists of a series of dances b. movements are in contrasting keys c. each movements is a dance type from a different country d. the movements have contrasts of tempo and character b. movements are in contrasting keys which of the following dance types was NOT standard in a Baroque suite? a. allemande b. sarabande c. courante d. tarantella d. tarantella what is the most common form of the individual movement in a suite? binary baroque composers applied the concept of the suite to: a. solo instrumental music b. keyboard music c. orchestral music d. all of the above d. all of the above handels Water Music is best described as suite why is the music for Handels Water Music marked by lively rhythms and catchy melodies? it was written to be performed outdoors on barges the Alla hornpipe movement from Water Music is characterized by instrumental groups exchanging motivic ideas the instrumental form based on the contrast of two dissimilar bodies of sound is called a concerto the typical solo concerto has how many movements? 3 the *blank* form in a concerto is loosely based on the alternation between orchestral statements and virtuosic passages for the soloist. ritornello a ritornello form in a concerto is typically found in the first and third movements who was the greatest and most prolific italian composer of concertos? Vivaldi antonia vivaldi was known as the red priest for the color of his hair vivaldi lived and worked in Venice What is Vivaldis best-known set of concertos? The Four Seasons the solo instrument in Spring from The Four Seasons is the violin Which of the following does NOT characterize Vivaldis Four Seasons? a. based on poems b. avoid ritornello form c. convey pictoral images d. structured in three movement forms b. avoid ritornello the opening movement of Spring from The Four Seasons is in what form? ritornello in the slow movement of Spring, Vivaldi evokes a dogs parking through an ostinato rhythm which of the following was NOT an important keyboard instrument during the Baroque? a. harpsichord b. piano c. organ d. clavichord b. piano What keyboard instrument is plucked by quills? harpsichord the harpsichord is different from the piano because: a. sometimes has two keyboards b. strings are plucked c. not capable of wide dynamic range d. all of the above d. all of the above the keyboard instrument that uses various sets of pipes to create contrasting colors is? organ what is toccata? an improvisatory, virtuosic keyboard work what is the keyboard form that is based on the principle of voices imitating each other? fugue what is the principal element of a fugue? counterpoint after the first statement of the fugue subject, the second entrance of the subject is called the answer the opening section of a fugue, in which all voices successively introduce the subject is called the exposition in a fugue, the areas of relaxation where the subject is not heard are called episodes which of the following is NOT a contrapuntal device that alters the orginal theme of a fugue? a. augmenation b. retrograde c. prelude d. diminution c. prelude in a fugue, the technique of stating the theme in shorter time values that go faster is called diminution in the field of keyboard music, Bachs most important collection was the well-tempered clavier what is the title of a set of 48 preludes and fugues by Bach? the well-tempered clavier how many preludes and fugues are contained in the two well tempered clavier volumes? 48 Bachs last demonstration of contrapuntal mastery was the art of the fugue how many voices or individual lines are there in Bachs contrapunctus 1, from the art of the fugue? four by which voice is the subject first stated in contrapunctus 1 from the art of the fugue? alto TRUE or FALSE: Creative voices from groups excluded from equal opportunity seldom have any emotional impact. False TRUE or FALSE: Women who made a name for themselves as professional musicians were often viewed as having low morals. True TRUE or FALSE: The convent of St. Radegonda in Milan was famous for its music-making. True TRUE or FALSE: The Catholic Church supported the performances of nuns in public and their use of polyphony. False TRUE or FALSE: In convents, men frequently joined the nuns choir in order to perform the bass parts. False TRUE or FALSE: Although coming from the family of a wealthy Milanese merchant, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani entered a convent and professed her final vows at age eighteen. True TRUE or FALSE: In Cozzolanis Magnificat, the choirs often sing in homophony. True TRUE or FALSE: In opera, the lyric melodies that release emotional tension are called recitatives. False TRUE or FALSE: Early operas, such as Monteverdis Orfeo, were simple productions for intimate gatherings. False TRUE or FALSE: The first public opera houses opened in Venice. True TRUE or FALSE: In seventeenth-century England, the masque was a popular type of aristocratic entertainment that combined vocal instrumental music with poetry and dance. True TRUE or FALSE: Purcells Dido and Aeneas was first performed in a public opera house. False TRUE or FALSE: The aria When I am laid in earth is unified by a ground bass on a descending chromatic scale. True TRUE or FALSE: The aria When I am laid in earth is accompanied by continuo only. False TRUE or FALSE: Luther believed that professional musicians had no place in a church service. False TRUE or False: A chorale is a hymn tune associated with German Protestantism. True TRUE or FALSE: Chorales were intended to be sung by a trained choir. False TRUE or FALSE: The texts for chorales were always taken directly from the Bible. False TRUE or FALSE: Bach completed over two hundred cantatas. True TRUE or FALSE: Johann Sebastian Bach lived a short, unhappy life and had no children. False TRUE or FALSE: During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach was known primarily as a great organist. True TRUE or FALSE: All the movements of Bachs Cantata No. 140 make use of the chorale tune Wachet auf. False TRUE or FALSE: In Wachet auf, Bach avoids mirroring the form of the chorale in his chorale movements. False TRUE or FALSE: A bar form has the structure of A-A-B. True TRUE or FALSE: An oratorio is a dramatic, staged work with elaborate scenery and costumes. False TRUE or FALSE: The role of a chorus is especially important in the oratorio. True TRUE or FALSE: Handel wrote his oratorio Messiah over a period of four years. False TRUE or FALSE: The libretto for Handels oratorio Messiah is a compilation of verses from the Old and New Testaments. True TRUE or FALSE: Handels Messiah is divided into three parts. True TRUE or FALSE: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion is in bar form. False TRUE or FALSE: The Hallelujah Chorus is the climax of the Christmas section of Messiah. False TRUE or FALSE: Handels Hallelujah Chorus includes a variety of textures. True TRUE or FALSE: Lining-out was a system designed to promote polyphony in America. False TRUE or FALSE: Lining-out often involved heterophony. True TRUE or FALSE: Shape-note notation was designed to help the general public read music. True TRUE or FALSE: William Billings was the first highly trained composer active in America. False TRUE or FALSE: Billingss four-part compositions generally placed the main melody in the soprano. False TRUE or FALSE: The text for Billingss Davids Lamentation is derived from the Bible. True TRUE or FALSE: Missionaries taught American natives plainchant exclusively in Latin. False TRUE or FALSE: The incorporation of percussion instruments in Fernandess villancico is not indicated in the score but suggested by various historical documents. True TRUE or FALSE: The Renaissance period was the first in which instrumental music was comparable in importance to vocal music. False TRUE or FALSE: Stradivarius, Guarneri, and Amati were famous makers of violins during the Baroque era. True TRUE or FALSE: The invention of valves enable Baroque trumpet players to become virtuosos. False TRUE or FALSE: Today, Baroque music is played exclusively on modern instruments. False TRUE or FALSE: The standard Baroque suite consists of a variety of international dance types. True TRUE or FALSE: Baroque suites were composed for orchestra only. False TRUE or FALSE: Handels Water Music received its name because of the depiction of waves in the Alla hornpipe. False TRUE or FALSE: The Alla hornpipe from Handels Water Music is in ternary form. True TRUE or FALSE: The typical Baroque concerto is written for a solo instrument with a continuo accompaniment. False TRUE or FALSE: The concerto lends itself to virtuoso playing. True TRUE or FALSE: The tempos in a three-movement concerto are Adagio-Allegro-Andante. False TRUE or FALSE: Antonio Vivaldi composed over two hundred concertos for solo violin. True TRUE or FALSE: Vivaldi lived in Rome, where he taught music at a girls school. False TRUE or FALSE: Bach composed the famous set of works known as the Brandenburg Concertos. True TRUE or FALSE: The Four Seasons is considered to be program music. True TRUE or FALSE: In Spring from The Four Seasons, all of the images are created in the orchestra passages. True TRUE or FALSE: The most important keyboard instruments of the Baroque were the harpsichord, organ and piano. False TRUE or FALSE: The strings of a harpsichord are plucked by quills. True TRUE or FALSE: The advantage of the harpsichord was its ability to produce crescendos and diminuendos. False TRUE or FALSE: The organ has multiple keyboards. True TRUE or FALSE: A fugue is a contrapuntal composition in which a single subject is the focal point that unifies the work. True TRUE or FALSE: A fugue is a form intended exclusively for solo keyboard performance. False TRUE or FALSE: At the beginning of a fugue, the countersubject is stated alone. False TRUE or FALSE: Johann Sebastian Bachs Art of Fugue is now generally considered to be a keyboard work. False