EXAMPLE 1. Yeast metabolism (a biology lab conclusion)
This experiment confirmed our hypothesis that yeast is alive. When something is alive, it can grow, use energy, reproduce, maintain homeostasis, and respond to its environment. Yeast does not appear to be alive because it does not visibly respond to its environment. In this experiment, we observed whether or not yeast undergoes metabolism by introducing yeast into two different environments: one without a readily available source of energy, and one with readily available energy (in the form of table sugar, or sucrose).
When the yeast was in a low-energy (no sugar) environment, no metabolism took place. When the yeast was placed in a sugar-water solution, it underwent anaerobic fermentation, turning the sucrose into ethanol and CO2 gas, which we were able to observe by collecting it in a balloon above the test tube.
Thus, we have seen two pieces of evidence that yeast is alive: first, it uses energy by metabolizing sugar; second, it responds differently in different environments, doing nothing when it is in plain water and fermenting when it is in a sugar and water solution.
EXAMPLE 2.Mapping magnetic fields (an isolated conclusion from a report)
Initial hypothesis: Magnetic field strength will be proportional to the strength of the current running through a straight wire and inversely proportional to the distance from the wire.
The data collected correlated strongly to the hypotheses, albeit with percent errors reaching as high as 20%.
The trends in the data support the hypotheses that the strength of a magnetic field was proportional to the current running through a straight wire and inversely proportional to the distance from the wire. However, the significant percent error may indicate mechanical error, which must be accounted for in future experiments.
The accuracy of the results could be improved with better equipment. Instruments capable of measuring the strength of the magnetic field to a more precise number would likely result in a more accurate slope and therefore a smaller percent error. Similarly, although the probe was zeroed between all measurements, there is a chance that magnetic fields generated by electronics in the room might have affected the measurements taken. In the future, the experiment would need to be more isolated to generate better results.
The use of voltage and current in this experiment compels the experimenter to question whether a resistor would behave in the same manner a straight wire does in this setting, or whether the presence of a resistor further up in the circuit might change the magnetic field in any way. Experimentation with a resistor in the circuit would be necessary to determine this.
Conclusions in persuasive writing
Following are examples of some techniques you can use to write effective conclusions. These strategies could be used in combination. Some of them could be applied to scientific writing as well (e.g. summary).
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Summary
Contrary to what many adults think, most adolescents are not only aware of the important issues of the times but also deeply concerned about them. They are sensitive to the plight of the homeless, the destruction of the environment, and the pitfalls of rampant materialism. Indeed, today’s young people are not less mature and sensible than their parents were. If anything, they are more so.
Prediction
The growing tendency on the part of the judicial system to hold parents responsible for the actions of their delinquent children can have a disturbing impact on all of us. Parents will feel bitter toward their own children and cynical about a system that holds them accountable for the actions of minors. Children, continuing to escape the consequences of their actions, will become even more lawless and destructive. Society cannot afford two such possibilities.
Quotation
The comic W. C. Fields is reputed to have said, “Anyone who hates children and dogs can’t be all bad.” Most people do not share Fields’s cynicism. Viewing childhood as a time of purity, they are alarmed at the way television exposes children to the seamy side of life, stripping youngsters of their innocence and giving them a glib sophistication that is a poor substitute for wisdom.
Recommendation or Call for Action
It is a mistake to leave parenting to instinct. Instead, we should make parenting skills a required course in schools. In addition, a nationwide hotline should be established to help parents deal with crises. Such training and continuing support would help adults deal more effectively with many of the problems they face as parents.
(Adapted from https://wps.pearsoncustom.com/wps/media/objects/2426/2484620/240012_ch06.pdf)
Exercise 2(B1/B2)