How Does an Exposition Work?

How does an exposition work?

Here you can reinforce your knowledge of how an exposition is structured to balance opposing points of view.

/ To complete this activity
There are two parts to this activity.
1.Read through the exposition below titled ‘Commodity or luxury?’. Each paragraph is numbered.
2.After you have read through the whole exposition answer the questions in ‘Analysing the exposition’.
Hint:You might have a great idea about how to present your work differently. Check with your teacher first to decide how this will be presented.
Remember! Include your completed work sheet activities in your portfolio.

Commodity or luxury?

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8. / Forests are considered the most valuable resource on our planet today. It would be almost impossible for any living thing to survive without forests. Because of their value as a commodity, forests around the world are being logged and the timber sold off for a variety of purposes. This raises many issues with different groups in society. Some groups only consider the huge profits that can be made from the sale of timber products. Other groups want the forests conserved. Regardless of the point of view, we all know forests are important.
Forests contribute to many of our needs. For example:
•they play a major role in maintaining clean air and water
•they provide a space for a multitude of recreational activities including camping, hiking, walking, picnicking, playing and climbing
•they promote cultural heritage appreciation
•they are important nature study sites
•forests are an important element of catchment areas
•plants used for making medicines are found in many forests
•they provide jobs, jobs, jobs
•they provide timber for a variety of purposes, such as building, furniture making, firewood, making paper products and hundreds of other products like pencils, cricket bats and guitars.
Many of society’s needs are met by logging forests. Communities need timber, paper, furniture and many other products that are derived from wood. Australia has developed commercial forests which are replanted to ensure a continued supply of native hardwood and softwood. Conservation areas have also been developed where no logging is allowed. This means that less than one per cent of forests in Australia are logged for wood production in any one year. It is expected that within the next decade Australia will become a leading producer of commercial timber in the Pacific region.
Within Australia more than 80 000 people have jobs in the forestry and timber industries, making these industries very important to the economic and social wellbeing of rural and regional Australia. Logging is considered essential to the economy by many Australians.
To environmentalists, forests are more than just trees growing next to each other. Forests have five different layers: the canopy, herbs, shrubs, the understorey and the forest floor. Forests are ecosystems of animals and plants living and interacting with each other. A diversity of animals and plants is found in Australian forests. Most of the flora and fauna found in the Australian forests is unique to Australia. In addition to this, forests are essential for biodiversity, which scientists claim will help living things adapt to climate change in the future by supplying such essentials as water, food and medicine.
Trees are important for preventing erosion. As rain falls, drops splatter on the ground and wash away the soil. The leaves of trees intercept the rain as it falls and lessen this impact. Leaf litter and tree roots also protect the soil and keep it from washing away. In areas where trees were extensively cleared the soil has become too salty and cannot be used for agriculture.
The world’s old-growth forests are being destroyed every day. An area of natural forest the size of a soccer pitch is cut down every two seconds. The process of logging of forests is responsible for about one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than that emitted from all the cars, planes and trains in the world. In order to conserve these last remaining forests and their ecosystems, environmentalists believe large areas of forest must be protected from further commercial exploitation.
Australian governments and industry are working toward sustainable management of the forests by providing a balance of commercial, environmental and community values in forests. The 1992 National Forest Policy Statement and other actions have aimed to bridge the gap between environmental concerns and commercial interests.

Analysing the exposition

1.Highlight the topic sentence in each paragraph of the exposition ‘Commodity or luxury?’

2.Answer the following questions using the paragraph numbers.

a.Which two paragraphs give general information about forests?

b.Which paragraph concludes the arguments?

c.Which paragraphs support the logging of forests?

d.Which paragraphs are for conservation and against logging?

3.Do you think this exposition presents a balanced view, or do you think it is one-sided? Explain your answer in at least one sentence.

4.In your own words write a sentence to give the main idea of each paragraph.

Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 8