Academic Writing

5 Building on generalisations
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Read the following text and note the generalisations in italics. Answer the questions
that follow.
2.8: Generalisations
119
WHAT WOMEN WANT
What we look for in choosing a mate seems to vary from place to place. A recent study
(Jones and DeBruine, 2010) explores the idea that female preferences in a mate might
vary according to the society in which she lives. In their research nearly 5,000
women in 30 countries were shown the same pictures of male faces and asked to
state which they found more attractive. In countries where disease is common
women chose men with more masculine features, while in countries such as America
with more advanced health care and lower levels of disease, more effeminate-
looking men were preferred. The researchers conclude that in healthier societies
women are more interested in men who may form long-term relationships and help with
child-rearing, while in places where child mortality rates are high they choose strongly-
featured men who seem more likely to produce healthy children.
(a) What is the function of the first generalisation?
(b) What is the basis of the concluding generalisations?
(c) What is the purpose of the concluding generalisations?
6 Practice C
Most essays move from the general to the specific, as a generalisation has to be supported and
developed. For example, an essay with the title ‘The impact of globalisation on the Chinese
economy’ might develop in this way:
Generalisation
Support
Development > Specific
Since the mid-twentieth
century, there has been
a remarkable increase in
international trade.
The reasons for this are
a combination of
international
agreements such as
GATT, better transport
and improved
communications.
China has played a significant