General and Specific Statements

Describe the statements below:

A. For many Americans, the cowboy is a powerful symbol that has various meanings.

B. For many Americans, the cowboy symbolizes freedom and independence.

• Statement A is more Specific than Statement B

• Statement B is more Specific than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. Initially people were shocked by the plainness of the Vietnam War memorial, so different from memorials erected in the past.

B. Much simpler than earlier memorials, the Vietnam War memorial is a large black granite slab that shows the names of those who died in the war.

• Statement A is more Specific than Statement B

• Statement B is more Specific than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. When jazz dancer Josephine Baker arrived in Paris, she took the city by storm; within a short time, she was the toast of the town.

B. Three weeks after her arrival in Paris in 1925, Josephine Baker’s performances were sold out for months, and her admirers were showering her with gifts.

• Statement A is more General than Statement B

• Statement B is more Specific than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro began his long political career as a rebel fighting the corrupt rule of Fulgencio Batista.

B. Fidel Castro may be a dictator now, but he didn’t start out that way.

• Statement A is more Specific than Statement B

• Statement B is more Specific than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. Sam Walton created a corporation that reflected his personal philosophy.

B. The Wal-mart corporation is still true to its opportunity to share profits.

• Statement A is more General than Statement B

• Statement B is more General than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. Reading biographies of famous people can give you ideas about solving your own problems.

B. We can learn a lot by reading about the lives of others.

• Statement A is more General than Statement B

• Statement B is more General than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. According to research, the first year of college can be a very difficult time for students living away from home.

B. According to researcher Joshua Gold, many college freshmen suffer from severe homesickness during their first semester.

• Statement A is more Specific than Statement B

• Statement B is more Specific than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. All the Presidents of the United States have been men.

B. No woman has ever been a President of the United States.

• Statement A is more General than Statement B

• Statement B is more General than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. Margaret Thatcher was one of the most successful politicians of the twentieth century.

B. Margaret Thatcher, also known as the "iron lady" was an extremely effective voice of the British Conservative party.

• Statement A is more General than Statement B

• Statement B is more General than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.

Describe the statements below:

A. Political leaders must be good listeners.

B. There are two important skills that political leaders must have.

• Statement A is more General than Statement B

• Statement B is more General than Statement A

• The Statements are equally General or Specific.