Signal Words
Passages
Passages
100
first, next, then, before, after, finally, following, dates, and times
What is sequence?
100

One problem with every modern Olympics is that is has become very big and expensive to operate. The city or country that hosts the games often loses a lot of money. A stadium, pools, and playing fields must be built for the athletic events and housing is needed for the athletes who come from around the world. And all of these facilities are only used for two weeks! In 1984, Los Angles solved these problems by charging a fee for companies who wanted to be official sponsors of the games. Companies like McDonald’s paid a lot of money to be part of the Olympics. Many buildings that were already being built in Los Angeles were also being used. The Coliseum where the 1932 games were held was used again and many colleges and universities in the area became playing and living areas.

Problem and Solution

100

Ice-cream is a delicious frozen treat that comes in a many different colors and flavors. Two of my favorite flavors are strawberry and chocolate. Though both of these flavors are delicious, strawberry may contain pieces of fruit while chocolate usually will not. Even though more chocolate ice-cream is sold across the country annually than strawberry, each flavor tastes great inside of a milk shake.

Compare and Contrast

200
same as, similar, alike, as well as, also, both, instead of, on the other hand, different from, and as opposed to
What is compare and contrast?
200

The Olympic games began as athletic festivals to honor the Greek gods. The most important festival was held in the valley of Olympia to honor Zeus, the king of the gods. It was the festival that became the Olympic games in 776 B.C. These games were ended in 394 A.D. by the Roman emperor in Greece. No Olympic games were held for more than 1,500 years. Then the modern Olympics began is 1896. Almost 300 male athletes competed in the first modern Olympics. In the games held in 1900, female athletes were allowed to compete. The games have continued every four years since 1896, except during World War II and they will most likely continue for many years to come.

Sequence

200

 The ice-cream shop around the corner from my house has the best ice-cream in the city. When you first walk inside, there is a long chrome counter with matching stools extending to alongside the far wall. Right where the counter stops, the booth seating begins. There are lots of old-timey knickknacks on the walls and chrome napkin holders on all the tables. My favorite part of the shop is behind the counter glass, where they keep all of the ice-cream flavors. A rainbow of delicious sugary flavors is kept cool and delicious behind the counter glass.

Descriptive (order of space)

300
problem is, question is, puzzle is, to solve this, and one answer is
What is problem and solution?
300

The Olympic symbol consists of five interlocking rings. The rings represent the five continents- Africa, Asia, North America, Europe, and South America- from which athletes come to compete in the games. The rings are colored black, blue, green, red, and yellow. At least one of those colors is found in the flag of every country sending athletes to compete in the Olympic games.

Description

300

No one knows the true origin of ice-cream, but the first published ice-cream recipe appears in “Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts,” a cook book that was printed in London in 1718. Sometime around 1832, an African American confectioner named Augustus Jackson created multiple ice cream recipes and invented a superior technique to manufacture ice cream. Ice cream soda was invented around 1874, but the real breakthrough may have been at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, when the American ice-cream cone was unveiled!

Sequence

400
so, because, since, therefore, if/then, this led to, as a result, a reason why, may be due to, consequently, for this reason
What is cause and effect?
400

The modern Olympics are very unlike the ancient Olympic games. Individual events are different. While there was no swimming in the ancient games, for example, there were chariot races. There were no female contestants and all athletes competed in the nude. Of course, the ancient and modern Olympics are also like in many ways. Some events, such as the javelin and the discus throws are the same. Some people say that cheating, professionalism, and nationalism in the modern games are a disgrace to the Olympic tradition. But according to the Greek writers there were many cases of cheating, nationalism, and professionalism in their Olympics, too.

Compare and Contrast

400

Freezer burn may have wasted more ice-cream than sidewalks. If you don’t know, freezer burn is when ice crystals form on the surface of ice-cream. These ice crystals can ruin the texture and flavor of the ice cream. But you can prevent freezer burn. Since freezer burn is caused when melted ice-cream is refrozen, rather than eating your ice-cream from the container as it melts, scoop your ice-cream into a bowl and put the container back in the fridge.  

Problem and Solution

500

for instance, such as, an example, an illustration, characteristics

Description?

500

There are several reasons why so many people attend the Olympic games or watch them on television. One reason is tradition. The name Olympics and the torch and flame remind people of the ancient games. People can escape the ordinariness of daily life by attending or watching the Olympics. They like to identify with someone else’s individual sacrifice and accomplishment. National pride is another reason, and an athlete’s or a team’s hard earned victory becomes a nation’s victory. There are national medal counts and people keep track of how many medals their country’s athletes have won.

Cause and Effect

500

Have you ever had an ice-cream headache? That’s when a painful sensation resonates in your head after eating something cold (usually ice-cream) on a hot day. This pain is produced by the dilation of a nerve center in the roof of your mouth. The nerve center is overreacting to the cold by trying to heat your brain. Ice-cream headaches have turned many smiles to frowns.

Cause and Effect