Free Essays on Serial Murderer Henry Lee Lucas

Henry Lee Lucas is one of America’s most notorious serial killers. He was convicted of eleven murders in Texas, West Virginia, and Michigan and is suspected in twenty-seven other states for up to one hundred and sixty-two murders (Egger, 1998). Lucas claims to have killed in almost every state in the United States and to also have killed individuals in Canada as well (Hickey, 1991). Although he has confessed to killing around three hundred people, the actual number of his victims is probably less than fifteen and Lucas has confessed to numerous crimes only to later recant his confessions (Egger, 1998). In 1936, Henry Lee Lucas was born in Blacksburg, Virginia (Furio, 1998). He was raised in a small two-room cabin with his father, mother, brother, three half brothers, four half-brothers and his mother’s boyfriend (Egger, 1998). His mother, Viola Waugh, was an alcoholic and a prostitute who was also very abusive towards her son (Furio, 1998). While growing up, Lucas was even forced to watch his mother have sex with numerous strange men in their home (Giannongelo, 1996). Viola raised Lucas as a girl for about the first seven years of his life (Egger, 1998). She made him wear dresses, keep his hair long and even curl his hair and wear make up (Egger, 1998). Only after a teacher at school complained about his long hair did his mother finally cut it and let Lucas dress as a boy (Egger, 1998). After Lucas was allowed to dress like a boy, his mother became even more violent towards him, even making him eat from the floor and not at the table with the rest of the family (Egge r, 1998). Lucas has stated that: â€Å"It’s a lot harder than what people can imagine. Growing up with hatred, without any kind of friendship, without any kind of companion to be around or anything† (Egger, 1998). The man who Lucas thought was his father, Anderson Lucas, lost both his legs in an accident while he was working for the railroad and spent th... Free Essays on Serial Murderer Henry Lee Lucas Free Essays on Serial Murderer Henry Lee Lucas Henry Lee Lucas is one of America’s most notorious serial killers. He was convicted of eleven murders in Texas, West Virginia, and Michigan and is suspected in twenty-seven other states for up to one hundred and sixty-two murders (Egger, 1998). Lucas claims to have killed in almost every state in the United States and to also have killed individuals in Canada as well (Hickey, 1991). Although he has confessed to killing around three hundred people, the actual number of his victims is probably less than fifteen and Lucas has confessed to numerous crimes only to later recant his confessions (Egger, 1998). In 1936, Henry Lee Lucas was born in Blacksburg, Virginia (Furio, 1998). He was raised in a small two-room cabin with his father, mother, brother, three half brothers, four half-brothers and his mother’s boyfriend (Egger, 1998). His mother, Viola Waugh, was an alcoholic and a prostitute who was also very abusive towards her son (Furio, 1998). While growing up, Lucas was even forced to watch his mother have sex with numerous strange men in their home (Giannongelo, 1996). Viola raised Lucas as a girl for about the first seven years of his life (Egger, 1998). She made him wear dresses, keep his hair long and even curl his hair and wear make up (Egger, 1998). Only after a teacher at school complained about his long hair did his mother finally cut it and let Lucas dress as a boy (Egger, 1998). After Lucas was allowed to dress like a boy, his mother became even more violent towards him, even making him eat from the floor and not at the table with the rest of the family (Egge r, 1998). Lucas has stated that: â€Å"It’s a lot harder than what people can imagine. Growing up with hatred, without any kind of friendship, without any kind of companion to be around or anything† (Egger, 1998). The man who Lucas thought was his father, Anderson Lucas, lost both his legs in an accident while he was working for the railroad and spent th...

Definition of Examples in Rhetoric

Definition of Examples in Rhetoric In rhetoric, an example is a particular instance that serves to illustrate a principle or support a claim. It is also known as exemplum  and is related to  example (composition). Examples that serve a  persuasive purpose  are  a type of  inductive reasoning.  As Phillip Sipiora points out in his discussion of rhetorical  kairos, [T]he  concept of the example is itself a critical dimension of the  rhetorical  logical appeal, or argument (at least in Aristotles theory of  rhetoric, the  most comprehensive extant treatment of classical rhetoric)  (Kairos: The Rhetoric of Time and Timing in the New Testament.  Rhetoric and Kairos, 2002).Examples are supplementary evidence, notes  Stephen Pender. As a weaker form of persuasion, examples are employed only when enthymemes are unsuited to an argument or audience... Yet examples have their place in reasoning (Rhetoric and Medicine in Early Modern Europe, 2012). Commentary Our whole economy hangs precariously on the assumption that the higher you go the better off you are, and that unless more stuff is produced in 1958 than was produced in 1957, more deer killed, more automatic dishwashers installed, more out-of-staters coming into the state, more heads aching so they can get the fast fast fast relief from a pill, more automobiles sold, you are headed for trouble.(E.B. White, A Report in January. Essays of E.B. White. Harper, 1977)There were aspects of living in that house overlooking the Pacific that he failed to mentionhe failed to mention for example the way the wind would blow down through the canyons and whine under the eaves and lift the roof and coat the white walls with ash from the fireplace, he failed to mention for example the king snakes that dropped from the rafters of the garage into the open Corvette I parked below, he failed to mention for example that king snakes were locally considered a valuable asset because the presence of a king s nake in your Corvette was understood to mean (I was never convinced that it did) that you didn’t have a rattlesnake in your Corvette . . ..(Joan Didion, Blue Nights. Alfred A. Knopf, 2011 Aristotle on Factual and Fictitious Examples Aristotle divides examples into factual and fictitious, the former relying on historical experience and the latter invented to support the argument... Holding together the categories of example... are two major ideas: first, that concrete experience, especially when it is familiar to an audience, is highly significant; and, second, that things (both material objects and events) repeat themselves. (John D. Lyons, Exemplum, in Encyclopedia of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 2001) Persuasive Examples As Quintilian defined it, an example adduces some past action real or assumed which may serve to persuade the audience of the truth of the point which we are trying to make (V xi 6). If, for instance, a rhetor wants to convince her neighbor that he should keep his dog inside the fence that surrounds his property, she can remind him of a past instance when another neighbors dog, running free, spread another neighbors garbage all over both front yards. Rhetorical examples should not be confused with the particulars used in inductive reasoning. This rhetor has no interest in generalizing about all dogs in the neighborhood but is only concerned to compare the actual behavior of one dog running free to the probable behavior of another in similar circumstances...Rhetorical examples are persuasive because they are specific. Because they are specific, they call up vivid memories of something the audience has experienced. (S. Crowley and D. Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Pearson, 2004) Further Reading 40 Essay Topics: ExamplesArgumentExemplumFive Model Paragraphs Developed With ExamplesInductionLogicLogosPersuasion

Review of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Percussion Concert Essay

Review of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Percussion Concert - Essay Example Bach, was the opening song. Alemande and Gigue performed this piece very musically and with great accuracy. This showcase of talent was a superior way to draw in the audience from the very start. With only two performers playing such a serious piece, this song could have easily dragged, becoming boring and losing the attention of much of the audience. Alemande and Gigue, however, did a superior job. I never thought I would hear this piece performed by percussion only – and it was great. The second song, Log Cabin Blues, by G.H. Green, provided an enjoyably light, fun contrast to the seriousness of the first piece. I couldn’t help but tap my foot along to the beat of this upbeat song. Katy La Farve, Jonathon Goldstein, Ryder Shelly and Iskandar Rashid carried away the delightful tune on the marimbas while Keaton Snyder kept the beat on the drum set. Particularly enjoyable was the part of the lead marimba, which was fast and covered a wide range of pitches. In the past I have encountered percussion and other ensembles that fail to attend to dynamics in their musical performances, especially in a fast-paced song like this that requires the performers to focus on so many other things. This group managed to include fantastic dynamic contrast, and it was delightful. These performers really got into the song – and in effect, so did the audience. After several other percussion excerpts from various composers, the final piece, Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part, was performed.

Racial Profiling Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Racial Profiling Questions - Coursework Example Why hasn’t it been solved before? Unfortunately, the approach taken and being taken is to place a band aide over one problem and has never been to address the core of the problem. By educating the youth and impressing upon them the importance of equality and shared values we will see changes in the future through these younger generations. Why are the obvious solutions inadequate? By itself the education of the youth still leaves an entire generation (generation Y and X) without the benefit of understanding why racial profiling is wrong. As a result we must educate them as well, through job seminars and similar. What are the consequences of not solving the problem? The problem will cycle to another race with time, as it has throughout the history of the United States. 5. We should use education because the use of education will lead to understanding, equality and a truly blended society. By better understanding each other and our differences and learning to embrace those diffe rences we are better able to accept each person’s approach and less likely to use our lack of understanding to supplement our approach within the law.

Impact of the invention of Automobiles Essay Example for Free

Impact of the invention of Automobiles Essay The invention of automobile has been one of the most significant factors that have contributed towards the transformation of the world. Before the invention of automobile it was very difficult and time consuming to travel from one place to another. Man has become the master of his own time due to the automobile. Now he can plan his own schedules and manage his time more efficiently and constructively. Automobile gave a boost to the world economy. Petroleum was a product that was in abundance but was largely unused. With the invention of automobile it started getting used and also boosted the living standards of the people of the countries in which it is available the most for e.g. the Middle Eastern countries. Though there was enough living space in all the continents of the world, people used to live clustered in the locality that was nearest to their work. As a result those working in factories used to live close to it despite the health hazards it created. With the invention of the automobile people were able to cut down their health risks by moving away to cleaner places with better air to breathe and yet manage to report to work within the stipulated time minus any hassles that earlier long distance traveling encompassed. All the services got fast. The firemen, the doctor, and the policeman can all reach on time and get on with their work that is extremely urgent. Many newer services got created for e.g. the courier service that thrives on the benefits laid down by the invention of automobile. Hence the socio-economic condition of the world has got totally and positively transformed with the invention of the automobile. But sadly there have also been certain negative outcomes of the invention of the automobile. The number of deaths on roads has increased due to this modern necessity. Also the world has become a much more polluted place to live in because of the toxic fumes that automobiles create. However, if we compare the negative and positive impacts of the invention of automobile on the world at large then we cannot deny the fact that the positive impacts outshine the negative impacts. The best part is that if human beings are careful then these negative impacts can be shunned completely. Man cannot think living without the automobile and perhaps its invention is the best thing that has happened to the world. References Colorado.edu. (2009). Negative Impact of the Automobile. Retrieved Jun. 1, 2009 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/automobile/negative.html Nosotoro, R. (2007). Impact of the Automobile. Retrieved Jun. 1, 2009 from   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t4w32automobile.htm

Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. :: English Literature

Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. To what extent are they typical of murder mystery stories? In my opinion a typical murder mystery is one where it keeps you reading in anticipation wanting to know who has committed the well planed out murder, the whole way through. Until the end where the clever detective (who is usually quite an old man, dressed in a smart tweed suit) goes through one by one all of the suspects telling them exactly why they could have committed the murder, but then why they didn't. He then confronts the real murderer who is normally the one everyone least suspects. This all takes place in a large country manor where lots of people would have been busying round but for the murderer, conveniently there are never any witnesses to the crime. The murder is most often well planed out, with a devious reason behind it. The two stories are both very different and mainly the only similarities are that they are both about murders that are done by people that are close family to the victims they murder in there own homes.7 The settings in both of them are very different; in lamb to the slaughter the setting is in a normal home in a small village, where normal family life goes on. To begin with everything is going fine and things are going on the same, as they would do every other day. The husband has just got home from work and his wife asks him how his day has been 'Hullo darling' she says and then gets him a drink. The fact it is just like every other day shows in the relaxed atmosphere, which is described as 'a blissful time of day' The atmosphere also seams to be warm and cosy as she was 'luxuriating in his company' Where as in the Speckled Band the setting is really as you would expected a murder mystery setting to be. This shows as at the start there is an air of panic as Watson and Holmes have been 'knocked up' as 'a young lady had arrived in a considerable state of excitement' The murder setting is also typical as it is in a large country manor, owned by the well-known Surry Family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran. But unlike an average murder mystery there wouldn't be an awful lot of people around to be suspects, as only the two stepdaughters and their father were in the house. Although there wasn't a lot of atmosphere after the opening part of the story, as there is just a woman telling Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. :: English Literature Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. To what extent are they typical of murder mystery stories? In my opinion a typical murder mystery is one where it keeps you reading in anticipation wanting to know who has committed the well planed out murder, the whole way through. Until the end where the clever detective (who is usually quite an old man, dressed in a smart tweed suit) goes through one by one all of the suspects telling them exactly why they could have committed the murder, but then why they didn't. He then confronts the real murderer who is normally the one everyone least suspects. This all takes place in a large country manor where lots of people would have been busying round but for the murderer, conveniently there are never any witnesses to the crime. The murder is most often well planed out, with a devious reason behind it. The two stories are both very different and mainly the only similarities are that they are both about murders that are done by people that are close family to the victims they murder in there own homes.7 The settings in both of them are very different; in lamb to the slaughter the setting is in a normal home in a small village, where normal family life goes on. To begin with everything is going fine and things are going on the same, as they would do every other day. The husband has just got home from work and his wife asks him how his day has been 'Hullo darling' she says and then gets him a drink. The fact it is just like every other day shows in the relaxed atmosphere, which is described as 'a blissful time of day' The atmosphere also seams to be warm and cosy as she was 'luxuriating in his company' Where as in the Speckled Band the setting is really as you would expected a murder mystery setting to be. This shows as at the start there is an air of panic as Watson and Holmes have been 'knocked up' as 'a young lady had arrived in a considerable state of excitement' The murder setting is also typical as it is in a large country manor, owned by the well-known Surry Family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran. But unlike an average murder mystery there wouldn't be an awful lot of people around to be suspects, as only the two stepdaughters and their father were in the house. Although there wasn't a lot of atmosphere after the opening part of the story, as there is just a woman telling

Duties and Responsibilities of Ceo Essay

A chief executive officer (CEO) is the head of the company and is responsible for its overall success. Some CEOs are also members of the board governing the company, or boards with other organizations. They determine the policies that make up the structure of an organization, or its corporate governance Chairman of the Board A CEO often serves as chairman of the board of directors. The board conducts performance reviews on the CEO and other high-level executives and determines whether they are doing a good job running the company. The board has the power to hire and fire CEOs. As part of the board, a CEO provides input on where he sees the company heading, financially and strategically. Steve Jobs was both the chairman and CEO of Apple for many years. Industry Analysis To lead the company, the CEO must be knowledgeable about the industry. She attends or maintains a presence at conferences and has meetings with other executives to make deals and exchange information. This not only keeps her informed about upcoming events and opportunities like mergers, but also makes her aware of potential threats, like a new competing product line. Approve Annual Reports Annual reports are like a report card on a public company’s s financial status. The CEO writes a personal message that accompanies the report. The message is a summary of the entire report and states his thoughts on future goals, and how the company is progressing toward them. The letter is intended to inform stockholders about the company’s past and future performance. A CEO must verify that all the financial statements in the report are true and complete. Work With Other Executives A CEO must communicate with other high-level executives to make decisions. She often helps recruit candidates at this level since she will be working so closely with them. Although she typically receives input from officials such as the chief financial officer, the chief technology officer and the chief marketing officer, the CEO is the final decision maker on issues. She must clearly state her reasoning for decisions in a variety of formats such as presentations and company meetings. Effective communication reduces misunderstandings and makes employees feel secure about the company’s future. Determine Corporate Policies The CEO must know a lot about basic business topics so he can make decisions in a wide variety of  areas. He is required to have a master of business administration (MBA) degree and at least 10 years’ experience in business, preferably in the same industry, background elements that provide him with a broad base of knowledge. Among the things he’ll determine are when the company goes public, how many employees to hire or lay off, whether or not to merge with other companies and what companies to acquire. He must also make sure that company policies are clearly communicated to the right people in email, memo or newsletter formats.

A Special Place Within My Heart Essay Essay

I have lived in the same community since I was three years old and know every store, road, and area of Niles, Illinois like the back of my hand. I grew up with the same group of friends, which I am still friends with them today, and I have grown up with mentors in which I hold close to my heart, for shaping me into the young woman I am today. Niles, Illinois is a mid sized community with about 30,000 residents; I have become close with many residents due to countless activities and events. I am a young woman in which I always need to be doing something with my time, and the place in which I am perfectly content, gives me the ability to do so. When I was four years old, I started at St. John Brebeuf School, a Catholic school, which is apart of St. John Brebeuf Parish. Growing up throughout the years there, I learned many new things such as: meeting loyal friends, finding a mentor, seeing all the hustle and bustle of the community, and of course the many activities and committees in which you are able to become more involved. Seventh grade is when I really became involved within my parish. I began by joining the Lifeteen choir, in which we sing at mass, playing hand bells at mass, the Youth Ministry program in which you talk about church itself and volunteer within the community, Altar Serving which consists of helping the Priest and deacon at mass, and the GLADD program, which helps mentally challenged children learn about God. As the years went on, I found more activities and committees to become involved in, and now in addition to what I was apart of since seventh grade, I am now a Lector at mass, in which I read either the first or second reading, schedule the times in which altar servers serve, and also organize parties, To Teach Who Christ Is committee, where we teach the church about Christ, and where we raise money to fund for repairs to the parish, Picnic Planner, and 60th Anniversary Party Planner, we are having a big party to celebrate our 60th year as a parish. By joining all of these activities and committees, I have met key people within the parish, learned more about the parish history and its community, and met my mentor. I met my mentor four years ago, when I began taking singing more seriously. This woman had been a respected parishioner of the parish for a lengthy time, sings as a cantor weekly, been involved with many activities, and is the wife of a key member of the parish, a deacon. This woman’s name is Jan Skaja, I admire her for her determination to every task she puts her mind too, her kind and generous nature, her attentive listening skills in which I can talk to her about anything, she teaches me to be myself, and confident regardless of what the situation is, and inspired me to be the vocalist I am today. Meeting Jan has shaped a big part of my life by following her life examples, and looking up to someone who also enjoys singing. By participating in these multiple activities and committees, St. John Brebeuf has become like a second home and the parishioners have become like family to me, it has taught me leadership skills though the multiple activities, time management with balancing school work and my responsibilities at church, and maturity because most of the activities I am apart of require me to work with adults. This parish has been my everything, and I wouldn’t change a minute of my time here. My memories are now in a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to experience the memories I create here in the future.

Population Control in China essays

Population Control in China essays I feel that the family planning program in China is a necessity, yet when I think about it, it seems all wrong. It is really hard to decipher whether their actions are wrong or right because they really arent either. It is most definitely a necessity to control the childbirth because with the rise of population and the decrease in food only more social problems can occur. Overall, the final outcome of a situation like this would be most likely to be famine. But at the same time the psychological problems that occur from these situations can be overwhelming. The immense pressure forced upon families with there mind set on having multiple children must be unbearable. The strain on a mother's body and mind from having these forced abortions must be tremendous. I do agree though, the family planners must pursue in their endeavors for the reason that if one family is permitted to defy then all will defy and ultimately they will lose control. Control is what the republic of China relies on . They decide whether you live or die, and now they control if you are born or not. These efforts are just another way for China to control its people. The communists are making sure that they are the force in command. Population control is a way for them to secure their seat of domination. They create the illusion that this is for a greater good, which it partially is, but if my opinion is correct its all about control. Perhaps Im just a paranoid delusional. The fewer people there are the less likely they are to be overthrown. They are trying to limit the amount of poor people in china, after all most revolutions are started by an uprising of the peasants. When you think about it the restrictions that are placed can easily be avoided by the richer people of china. Fines or less access to free medical isnt anything to a well off person; after all they have the money anyway. If a wealthy person in china decides to have a child ...

Understanding the Big-Bang Theory

Understanding the Big-Bang Theory The big-bang theory is the dominant theory of the origin of the universe. In essence, this theory states that the universe began from an initial point or singularity, which has expanded over billions of years to form the universe as we now know it. Early Expanding Universe Findings In 1922, a Russian cosmologist and mathematician named Alexander Friedman found that solutions to Albert Einsteins general relativity field equations resulted in an expanding universe. As a believer in a static, eternal universe, Einstein added a cosmological constant to his equations, correcting for this error and thus eliminating the expansion. He would later call this the biggest blunder of his life. Actually, there was already observational evidence in support of an expanding universe. In 1912, American astronomer Vesto Slipher observed a spiral galaxy- considered a spiral nebula at the time, since astronomers didnt yet know that there were galaxies beyond the Milky Way- and recorded its redshift, the shift of a light source shift toward the red end of the light spectrum. He observed that all such nebula were traveling away from the Earth. These results were quite controversial at the time, and their full implications were not considered. In 1924, astronomer Edwin Hubble was able to measure the distance to these nebula and discovered that they were so far away that they were not actually part of the Milky Way. He had discovered that the Milky Way was only one of many galaxies and that these nebulae were actually galaxies in their own right. Birth of the Big Bang In 1927, Roman Catholic priest and physicist Georges Lemaitre independently calculated the Friedman solution and again suggested that the universe must be expanding. This theory was supported by Hubble when, in 1929, he found that there was a correlation between the distance of the galaxies and the amount of redshift in that galaxys light. The distant galaxies were moving away faster, which was exactly what was predicted by Lemaitres solutions. In 1931, Lemaitre went further with his predictions, extrapolating backward in time find that the matter of the universe would reach an infinite density and temperature at a finite time in the past. This meant the universe must have begun in an incredibly small, dense point of matter, called a primeval atom. The fact that Lemaitre was a Roman Catholic priest concerned some, as he was putting forth a theory that presented a definite moment of creation to the universe. In the 1920s and 1930s, most physicists- like Einstein- were inclined to believe that the universe had always existed. In essence, the big-bang theory was seen as too religious by many people. Big Bang vs. Steady State While several theories were presented for a time, it was really only Fred Hoyles steady-state theory that provided any real competition for Lemaitres theory. It was, ironically, Hoyle who coined the phrase Big Bang during a 1950s radio broadcast, intending it as a derisive term for Lemaitres theory. The steady-state theory predicted that new matter was created such that the density and temperature of the universe remained constant over time, even while the universe was expanding. Hoyle also predicted that denser elements were formed from hydrogen and helium through the process of stellar nucleosynthesis, which, unlike the steady-state theory, has proved to be accurate. George Gamow- one of Friedmans pupils- was the major advocate of the big-bang theory. Together with colleagues Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman, he predicted the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, which is radiation that should exist throughout the universe as a remnant of the Big Bang. As atoms began to form during the recombination era, they allowed microwave radiation (a form of light) to travel through the universe, and Gamow predicted that this microwave radiation would still be observable today. The debate continued until 1965 when Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson stumbled upon the CMB while working for Bell Telephone Laboratories. Their Dicke radiometer, used for radio astronomy and satellite communications, picked up a 3.5 K temperature (a close match to Alpher and Hermans prediction of 5 K). Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, some proponents of steady-state physics attempted to explain this finding while still denying the big-bang theory, but by the end of the decade, it was clear that the CMB radiation had no other plausible explanation. Penzias and Wilson received the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics for this discovery. Cosmic Inflation Certain concerns, however, remained regarding the big-bang theory. One of these was the problem of homogeneity. Scientists asked: Why does the universe look identical, in terms of energy, regardless of which direction one looks? The big-bang theory does not give the early universe time to reach thermal equilibrium, so there should be differences in energy throughout the universe. In 1980, American physicist Alan Guth formally proposed inflation theory to resolve this and other problems. This theory says that in the early moments following the Big Bang, there was an extremely rapid expansion of the nascent universe driven by negative-pressure vacuum energy (which may be in some way related to current theories of dark energy). Alternatively, inflation theories, similar in concept but with slightly different details have been put forward by others in the years since. The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) program by NASA, which began in 2001, has provided evidence that strongly supports an inflation period in the early universe. This evidence is especially strong in the three-year data released in 2006, though there are still some minor inconsistencies with theory. The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John C. Mather and George Smoot, two key workers on the WMAP project. Existing Controversies While the Big Bang theory is accepted by the vast majority of physicists, there are still some minor questions concerning it. Most importantly, however, are the questions which the theory cannot even attempt to answer: What existed before the Big Bang?What caused the Big Bang?Is our universe the only one? The answers to these questions may well exist beyond the realm of physics, but theyre fascinating nonetheless, and answers such as the multiverse hypothesis provide an intriguing area of speculation for scientists and non-scientists alike. Other Names for the Big Bang When Lemaitre originally proposed his observation about the early universe, he called this early state of the universe the primeval atom. Years later, George Gamow would apply the name ylem for it. It has also been called the primordial atom or even the cosmic egg.

Multiple Choice Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multiple Choice Exam - Essay Example 1998; Haines 2004; McDonald 2007). Throughout this essay, we will delineate the advantages and disadvantages of specific exam types and questions, and eventually, we will arrive at multiple choice examinations and consider why these exams are optimal for an assessment of knowledge and ability. The types of exams which can be employed to assess students are considerable: essay, short answer, practical, seen question, take-home vs. in-class, open-book, or oral examination are just a few (McDonald 2001). Each approach is accompanied by specific advantages and disadvantages which make them appropriate for particular situations. Essay exams, for example, assess not only the student's knowledge of a particular area, but also their ability to coherently formulate a written answer that is clear and direct, and it has the advantage that partial credit can be assigned based on the quality of the answer provided (McDonald 2001; (McDonald 2007). However, disadvantages include that scoring of essay exams can often be obfuscated by subjectivity in determining what qualifies as a correct answer and how many points may be subsequently awarded. Students with poor writing skills, who are as knowledgeable as their peers, may be penalized more severely in their responses due to grammatical a nd syntactical deficiencies in their writing which are unrelated to their knowledge of the particular question (McDonald 2001; (Haines 2004). As such, it is especially important to consider these advantages and disadvantages when selecting the type of exam which will be utilized. In the past few decades, in part because of technological advances that have made grading less demanding, multiple choice exams have come into favor in a wide range of academic and non-academic settings (Merritt 2006). We will consider the advantages and disadvantages of multiple choice exams and how they may be employed in later sections. TYPES OF EXAM QUESTIONS While the wide-variety of exam types might suggest there is an even greater amount of questions, this actually proves not to be the case. In fact, exam questions can be distilled down into two disparate types: open-ended and closed-ended. Open-ended exam questions provide a question or statement and demand the test-taker to answer the question by drawing upon their own knowledge (Genesee & Upshur 1996). Open-ended questions require an ability to identify what the question is asking and develop an articulate answer that satisfies all the requirements of that question (Genesee & Upshur 1996). Essay, short answer, and "fill-in-the-blank" type questions are all examples of open-ended questions. Problems with these types of questions can be subjectivity and lengthiness in the grading process. However, they are advantageous in that they require a nuanced ability to produce a coherent and appropriate answer from one's own knowledge (McDonald 2001). Closed-ended questions, unlike open-ended questions, do not require the test-taker to extract the answer solely from previous knowledge; rather, closed-ended questions provide a pre-existing set of potential answers in addition to the question being asked (Genesee & Upshur 1996). Since all students select from a set of preordained answers, the tests are ostensibly more objective