Chapter 11

Cause and Effect: Explaining Why

 Cause
 Cause – probes the reasons why actions,
events, attitudes, and conditions exist
 Cause
 Driving under the
influence of alcohol
can cause accidents
 Effects

Effect – examines consequences

What happens after…
 Effects
 Effects of a
tornado
 Causation
 Cause and effects are two sides of a coin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0lhMWaenCg&feature=related

Causes
What causes the accident in the video? List
the causes of the accident.
Effects
What is the effect of the accident? To the
viewer? The skier? The announcer?
Cause and effect
Cause and effect
Cause and effect
Cause and effect
Cause and effect
Cause and effect
 Causation
 Explain what the causes of a situation are (causes) and
what may happen as a direct result of the causes (effects)
 EXAMPLE:
Situation: Car breaks down on the side of the highway

Cause: Neglect, No gas,

Effect: Missed interview,
Poor maintenance, No oil
No job, No car, Tension
change, Freon not checked
headache
 Why is causation important?
 Explains historical events, natural
happenings and the actions and attitudes
of individuals and groups
 Helps us anticipate the consequences of
personal actions, natural phenomena, or
government policies
 Causation: Consequences of
Personal Actions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHNOIttoPdY

What is the situation/event shown on the video?

What are the anticipated consequences (effects) of
the boy’s actions?
 Causation: Historical Event
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/videos#causes-
of-world-war-i
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/videos#wwi-firs
ts

Class Exercise:
What is the event/situation shown in the videos?
What are the causes of the events shown in the videos?
What are the effects of the situation shown on the videos?
Patterns in Causal Analysis

Several causes can produce one effect

Situation – Flower Growth
Cause 1: Enough Water

Cause 2: Sunlight

Cause 3: Weeding

Effect: Beautiful flower

Multiple Causes – Single Effect
Multiple Causes - Single Effect
 Class Exercise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh5JPEm0GMc

List all the causes that lead to anorexia.

Outline of Effect – Causes Essay
I. Introduction: identify effect (related to
a situation/event); state thesis
II. Body
a. Cause number 1
B. Cause number 2
c. Cause number 3
III. Conclusion – Reviews causes;
establishes their relationship to effect
Causes of Drug Use
 Patterns in Causal Analysis
 Single cause can produce multiple effects
Patterns in Causal Analysis
 Single cause can produce multiple effects
EXAMPLE:
Situation/Event – Massive late winter snowstorm (Yahoo! News March
02, 2009)

Massive snowstorm pummeled the North East causing bad weather.

Effect 1
Grounding hundreds of flights
Effect 3
Effect 2
Closing school for over
Causing spinouts on highways
a million children
 Outline of the Cause – Effects
Essay
I. Introduction: identify cause (related to
a situation/event); state thesis
II. Body
a. Effect number 1
b. Effect number 2
c. Effect number 3
III. Conclusion – Reconsiders effects;
connects them to cause
Effects of Drug Use
Mistaking Chronology for
Causation
 Writing a Causal Analysis
 Who is my audience? Will this topic
interest them?
 Shall I focus on causes or effects?
 Present them in order.
 Focusing on Causes
 How significant is this cause?
 Could it have brought about the effect by itself
 Does it form part of a chain?
 Precisely how does it contribute to the effect?

 Use signal words like cause, reason, or stem

from, or ask a question -
“Why did this happen?”
 Focusing on Effects
 How important is this effect?
 What evidence will establish its
importance?

Use signal words like effect, result, impact,

or use a question –
“What has happened since something
took place?”
 Examples of Common Transitions
used in Cause and Effect Essays
 Because  For
 So  For that reason
 So that  Due to
 Then  As a result
 Consequently  Therefore
 Thus  Thereby
 Since  First
 Above all  Second
 Primarily
 Last
 Focus on Causes or Effects?
a. The smoke from burning poison ivy can bring
on a skin rash and lung irritation.
b. Popularity in high school stems largely from
good looks, a pleasing personality,
participation in school activities, the right
friends, and frequent dates.

NOTE: Causes essay – answers question Why did the

event happen?
Effects essay – answers question What happened after
an event?
 Homework
 Find a magazine clipping, newspaper
article or an article on the web that
explains the causes or the effects of a
particular event.
 Causation
 Coming late to class
 Large green worm on your salad at a restaurant
 Flat tire on the way to work
 Breaking up with your partner
 Effects of divorce on children
 Causes of procrastination
 Effects of 9/11
 What are the effects of teenage depression?
 Causation
 What makes someone a serial killer
 Effects of Stimulus plan
 What effects can be attributed to phenomena
such as the hippies of the 1950s and 60s?
 Effects of an invention (touch screen, soap)
 Causes or effects of violence at sporting events
 Explain the causes for the popularity of fast food
restaurants or the effects .
 Causes or effects of the bubonic plague in the
Middle Ages?
 what caused the AIDS epidemic?