The Compare/Contrast Chart
In addition to planning for a compare/contrast essay, the
compare/contrast chart is useful for evaluating two subjects prior to
making a decision. Thus, it is sometimes called the Ben Franklin
Decision T.
Salespeople often use Ben Franklin's T to close a sale by selecting
only thise features that make their product appear superior to the
competitor's. They word the features so they can be answered by a
simple yes or no, and then persuasively list a string of yes's
on their side and a string of no's on the competitor's. This
practice can be deceptive, so be cautious if someone tries it on
you!
Rather than trying to convince someone to decide something, your
reason for completing the compare/contrast chart is to gather
information so that you can write a thorough, interesting essay that
compares and/or contrasts two subjects.
Directions for Completing
The Compare/Contrast Chart
- Write the names of the two ideas or subjects you are
comparing and/or contrasting in the cells as indicated.
- Think about the important aspects of subject one and list a
general category for each one. For example, if you were comparing
the 60's to the 90's, you might want to talk about rock and roll
of the 60's. The broader category of rock and roll is music, so
you would list music as a feature.
- List as many features as you think are important about
subject I and then subject II. You can add more later.
- Begin with one subject and fill in each cell with two kinds
of infomation: (1) a general comment and (2) specific examples
supporting that comment. You will need both types of information,
so don't rush through this step.
- Do the same for the second subject.
- Cross out any rows that don't seem important.
- Number the features in the order of importance.
Subject
I
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Features*
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Subject
II
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*An easy way to think of features is to ask yourself
questions beginning with who, what, where, when, why and
how. Source: http://7-12educators.miningco.com
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