ENG 101 Rubric: Compare Contrast Points 2 F Points 3 D-/D/D+ Points 3.5 C-/C/C+ Points 4 B-/B/B+ Points 5 A-/A/A+ Thesis & Focus Thesis, central idea, audience, purpose, digressions Lacks an identifiable thesis. Limited or no awareness of audience and purpose. Readers cannot discern the essay’s central idea. Thesis was attempted but unclear and/or inconsistently addressed. Reveals limited awareness of audience and purpose. Central idea either lacking or inconsistently addressed. Thesis is identifiable, but perhaps too narrow, too broad, or otherwise problematic. Awareness of audience may be adequate but inconsistent. Central idea is perhaps too general and supported by irrelevant examples. Thesis is established and is consistently addressed throughout most of the paper. Awareness of audience is sufficient. Central idea is clear and maintained in most of the essay. Thesis is clearly established and maintained throughout the entire paper. Paper demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of audience and purpose. Central idea/focus maintained throughout. Support & Development Thesis support, thesis development, use of examples, logic, and reason No support of thesis with relevant facts, examples, reasons, or evidence. No topic development. Support is minimal, logically flawed, and/or inaccurate. Topic development may have been attempted, but does not form conclusions and/or fails to exhibit clear reasoning. More support is needed. Some examples may be vague. More development needed for supporting reasons or evidence. Some irrelevant support may be present, but most evidence supports thesis. Support is sufficient but perhaps flawed in some way. Examples are sufficient. Thesis is supported and developed in most paragraphs. Essay completely supports the thesis with logical arrangement of evidence. All assertions are supported and relate to thesis. Coherence & Organization Introduction, conclusion, body paragraphs, transitions, topic sentences No clear introduction, body, or conclusion. Little-to-no transitions. Demonstrates little-to-no understanding of organization. Many sentences within paragraphs do not relate to each other and/or the paragraph’s topic. May contain no discernable topic sentences. Introduction, body, and conclusion attempted but problematic. Few transitions. Perhaps numerous digressions. Mostly missing or problematic topic sentences. Demonstrates little understanding of organization. Identifiable introduction, body, and conclusion; yet one significant weakness is present: undeveloped introduction, undeveloped conclusion, illogical paragraph order. Adequate transitions, perhaps some digressions. Some paragraphs may lack clear topic sentences. Demonstrates basic understanding of organization. Clear introduction, body, and conclusion although improvements could be made. Most paragraphs have clear topic sentences. Essay establishes a clear plan of development. Transitions are clear throughout most of the paper. Demonstra.

1. ENG 101 Rubric: Compare Contrast
Points
2
F
Points
3
D-/D/D+
Points
3.5
C-/C/C+
Points
4
B-/B/B+
Points
5
A-/A/A+
Thesis & Focus
Thesis, central idea, audience, purpose, digressions
Lacks an identifiable thesis. Limited or no awareness of
audience and purpose.
Readers cannot discern the essay’s central idea.
Thesis was attempted but unclear and/or inconsistently
addressed. Reveals limited awareness of audience and purpose.
Central idea either lacking or inconsistently addressed.
Thesis is identifiable, but perhaps too narrow, too broad, or
otherwise problematic. Awareness of audience may be adequate
but inconsistent. Central idea is perhaps too general and
supported by irrelevant examples.
Thesis is established and is consistently addressed throughout
most of the paper. Awareness of audience is sufficient. Central
idea is clear and maintained in most of the essay.
Thesis is clearly established and maintained throughout the
entire paper. Paper demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of

2. audience and purpose. Central idea/focus maintained
throughout.
Support & Development
Thesis support, thesis development, use of examples, logic, and
reason
No support of thesis with relevant facts, examples, reasons, or
evidence. No topic development.
Support is minimal, logically flawed, and/or inaccurate. Topic
development may have been attempted, but does not form
conclusions and/or fails to exhibit clear reasoning.
More support is needed. Some examples may be vague. More
development needed for supporting reasons or evidence. Some
irrelevant support may be present, but most evidence supports
thesis.
Support is sufficient but perhaps flawed in some way. Examples
are sufficient. Thesis is supported and developed in most
paragraphs.
Essay completely supports the thesis with logical arrangement
of evidence. All assertions are supported and relate to thesis.
Coherence & Organization
Introduction, conclusion, body paragraphs, transitions, topic
sentences
No clear introduction, body, or conclusion. Little-to-no
transitions. Demonstrates little-to-no understanding of
organization. Many sentences within paragraphs do not relate to
each other and/or the paragraph’s topic. May contain no
discernable topic sentences.
Introduction, body, and conclusion attempted but problematic.
Few transitions. Perhaps numerous digressions. Mostly missing
or problematic topic sentences. Demonstrates little
understanding of organization.
Identifiable introduction, body, and conclusion; yet one
significant weakness is present: undeveloped introduction,
undeveloped conclusion, illogical paragraph order. Adequate
transitions, perhaps some digressions. Some paragraphs may

3. lack clear topic sentences.
Demonstrates basic understanding of organization.
Clear introduction, body, and conclusion although
improvements could be made. Most paragraphs have clear topic
sentences. Essay establishes a clear plan of development.
Transitions are clear throughout most of the paper.
Demonstrates good understanding of organization.
Clear and effective introduction, body, and conclusion:
Introduction establishes the essay’s main idea, and conclusion
summarizes thesis and main ideas without merely copying and
pasting from the introduction. Clear and effective transitions are
present throughout the paper. Demonstrates excellent
understanding of organization.
Language & Style
Word choice, repetition, redundancy, awkwardness, article
misuse, wrong word form (their/there, etc.), typos/misspellings,
vocabulary
May contain more than 6 errors in word choice, wordiness,
redundancy, or awkwardness.
May contain more than 6 errors in inappropriate language for
academic audience.
Fails to demonstrate competent language use; sentences and
vocabulary are inappropriate, facile, and/or incoherent.
May contain 6 errors in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or
awkwardness.
May contain 6 errors in inappropriate language for academic
audience.
Contains repetitive, incorrect, and/or insufficient sentence
structure and/or limited vocabulary.
May contain 4 – 5 errors in word choice, wordiness,
redundancy, or awkwardness.
May contain 2 – 3 errors in inappropriate language for academic
audience.
Demonstrates competency with language use but sentence
constructions and vocabulary may be limited or repetitive.

4. May contain 2 – 3 errors in word choice, wordiness,
redundancy, or awkwardness.
May contain 2 – 3 errors in inappropriate language for academic
audience.
Demonstrates sufficient knowledge and skill with varied
sentence construction and vocabulary. Unnecessary repetition is
minor.
May contain 1 error in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or
awkwardness.
May contain 1 error in inappropriate language for academic
audience.
Demonstrates sophisticated knowledge and skill with varied and
complex sentence construction and vocabulary. Little-to-no
unnecessary repetition.
Grammar
Fragments, subject-verb agreement, verb tense errors, verb form
errors, run-ons, pronoun agreement
Contains more than 5 different grammar errors.
The identical 3 – 4 errors may be repeated throughout.
Contains 4 – 5 different grammar errors. The identical 2 – 3
errors may be repeated throughout.
Contains 2 – 3 different grammar errors. The identical 1 – 2
errors may be repeated throughout.
Contains 1 grammar error, which may be repeated throughout
the essay.
Contains either no grammar errors, or 1 – 2 different errors with
no repetition.
Punctuation & Capitalization
Comma errors, comma splices, apostrophe errors, capitalization
errors, semicolon errors, colon errors
Contains more than 5 different punctuation/capitalization errors.
The identical 3 – 4 errors may be repeated throughout.

5. Contains 4 – 5 different punctuation/capitalization errors. The
identical 2 – 3 errors may be repeated throughout.
Contains 2 – 3 different punctuation/capitalization errors. The
identical 1 – 2 errors may be repeated throughout.
Contains 1 punctuation/capitalization error, which may be
repeated throughout the essay.
Contains either no punctuation/capitalization error, or 1 – 2
different errors with no repetition.
Format
heading,
title,
margins, spacing,
length*,
underlined thesis, other assignment-specific required elements
*Length for compare/contrast: 500 words minimum
Doesn’t meet formatting requirements.
Formatting may be missing four or more elements (either no
title, incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or
thesis not underlined).
Length may not meet minimum requirements.
Doesn’t meet most formatting requirements.
Formatting may be missing three elements (either no title,
incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis
not underlined).
Length may not meet minimum requirements
Meets some formatting requirements.
Formatting may be missing two elements (either no title,

6. incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis
not underlined).
Length may not meet minimum requirements (an essay that does
not meet length minimum will score no higher than 3 in this
category)
Meets most formatting requirements.
Formatting may be missing one element (either no title,
incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis
not underlined).
Length meets minimum requirements of at least 500 words.
Meets all requirements.
Formatting is appropriate in terms of heading, title, margins,
spacing, underlining thesis.
Length meets minimum requirements of at least 500 words.
Observational Exercise
Obstacles

7. Purpose
1. To develop an understanding of the practical value of path–
goal leadership as a strategy for helping followers reach their
goals
2. To identify Obstacles that limit group effectiveness
3. To investigate how a leader’s style helps followers overcome
obstacles to goal achievement
Directions
1. Observe a meeting, practice, or session of one the following
groups (or a similar group): a sports team practice,
a class project group meeting, a weekly staff meeting at work, a
fraternity or sorority council meeting, or a planning
meeting for a nonprofit organization.
2. Record what you observe at the meeting. Be specific in your
descriptions.
General observations of the meeting:
Observations of the leader’s behavior:
Observations of group members’ behaviors:
Questions
1. What are the goals of the individuals or group you observed?
Are the goals clear?
2. What are the major obstacles confronting the individuals in
the group?
3. What style of leadership did the leader exhibit? Was it
appropriate for the group?
4. If you were leading the group, how would you lead to help
group members?
Reflection and Action Worksheet
Obstacles

8. Reflection
1. When it comes to helping people who are having problems,
how do you view your own abilities? Are you comfortable
with setting goals and giving directions to others?
2. One of the central responsibilities of a leader is to help his or
her followers become motivated. This means helping
them feel competent, helping them meet their expectations, and
helping them value what they do. How
would you apply these three principles in a leadership situation?
3. As you reflect on the obstacles discussed in the chapter,
which obstacles would you be most and least effective
at addressing? Why?
Action
1. To be an effective leader requires that you clarify the goal
and define the path to the goal. What specific things
could you do in an upcoming leadership situation to clarify the
goal and define the path for others?
2. As you look at your results on the Path–Goal Styles
Questionnaire, what scores would you like to change?
Which styles would you like to strengthen? How can you make
sure you exhibit the most effective style the next
time you are leading a group?
3. People vary regarding their need to be helped. Some want a
lot of assistance, and others like to be independent.
Are you prepared to adapt your leadership to be helpful to those
who need it? Discuss.
Observational Exercise
Ethical Leadership
Purpose

9. 1. To become aware of the dimensions of ethical leadership
2. To assess how actual leaders exhibit ethical leadership
Directions
1. For this exercise, you must observe a public presentation of a
leader in your community. This can be a pastor, a college
president, a mayor, a city commissioner, the head of a social
service agency, or some other community leader.
2. Record what you observe about the leader’s ethics in the
categories that follow. Try to be thorough in your descriptions
of the leader’s presentation.
Leader’s name: ____________________________ Leader’s
title: ______________________________
Occasion: ___________________________________
1. The character of the leader: What was the leader like? What
kind of person was the leader? What were the leader’s
strengths and weaknesses?
2. The actions of the leader: How does this leader go about
accomplishing goals? Where does the leader stand on (1)
showing respect, (2) serving others, and (3) showing justice?
3. The goals of the leader: What were the leader’s main goals?
Were the leader’s goals clear to you and others in the
audience? How would you assess the value and worth of those
goals?
4. The honesty of the leader: What did you observe about this
leader’s honesty? Was the leader open and forthright?
How authentic did you find this leader to be?
5. The power of the leader: Based on French and Raven’s (1959)
types of power, what kind of power did this leader
exhibit? What did you observe about how this leader would use
his or her power with others?
6. The values of the leader: Based on the presentation, what do
you think this leader values? What is important to this

10. leader? What values did this leader promote in his or her
presentation?
Questions
1. What is your overall assessment of this leader’s ethics?
2. What specific examples in the leader’s presentation were
particularly revealing of the leader’s ethics?
3. Which factors of ethical leadership (character, actions, goals,
honesty, power, and values) were most apparent in
the leader’s presentation? Discuss.
4. On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you describe this
speaker’s ethical leadership? Defend your answer.
Reflection and Action Worksheet
Ethical Leadership
Reflection
1. This chapter suggests that leadership has a moral dimension
and that leaders have a responsibility to use their
authority for the common good. Do you agree? Discuss.
2. When you consider the character of a leader and what a
leader does (the leader’s actions), which of these
two factors is more important with regard to ethical leadership?
Can a person with bad character be an ethical
leader? Discuss your answers.
3. In this chapter, the circumstances at Abu Ghraib prison are
used as an example of unethical leadership. Do you
agree with this assessment? How do you view what happened at
Abu Ghraib? What factors explain the leadership
ethics in this situation?
4. This chapter includes a story about Richard Lee, the father
who coached his son’s Little League baseball
team. What was your reaction to the story? Do you think

11. Richard was an ethical leader? How would you have
responded in this situation?
Action
1. Based on your responses to the Ethical Leadership Styles
Questionnaire, what are your core values? Do you
think other people know your core values? Are you comfortable
talking about these values with others? In your
planning for the future (e.g., next five years), how will your
values influence what you do? Discuss.
2. Character is a fundamental aspect of ethical leadership. What
are your character strengths and weaknesses?
List three specific actions you could take to strengthen your
character.
3. In the Observational Exercise (12.3), you observed and
analyzed the ethical leadership of a specific leader. If
you were to apply the same analysis to your own leadership,
how would you describe yourself? What factors
best explain the ethics of your own leadership? If you were to
try to become a more ethical leader, what specific
changes should you make in your leadership? Discuss.
Observational Exercise
Managing Conflict
Purpose
1. To become aware of the dimensions of interpersonal conflict
2. To explore how to use Fisher and Ury’s (1981) method of
principled negotiation to address actual conflict
Directions
1. For this exercise, you are being asked to observe an actual

12. conflict. Attend a public meeting at which a conflict is being
addressed. For example, you could attend a meeting of the
campus planning board, which has on its agenda changes in
student parking fees.
2. Take notes on the meeting, highlighting the positions and
interests of all the people who participated in the
meeting.
Questions
1. How did the participants at the meeting frame their
arguments? What positions did individuals take at the
meeting?
2. Identify and describe the interests of each of the participants
at the meeting.
3. Discuss whether the participants were able to be objective in
their approaches to the problem. Describe how
the people involved were able to separate themselves from the
problem.
4. In what ways did the participants seek to find mutually
beneficial solutions to their conflict?
Reflection and Action Worksheet
Managing Conflict
Reflection
1. How do you react to conflict? Based on the Conflict Style
Questionnaire, how would you describe your conflict
style? How has your past history influenced your conflict style?
2. This chapter describes three kinds of relational conflict (i.e.,
esteem, control, affiliation). Of the three kinds, which
is most common in the conflicts you have with others? Discuss.
Action

13. 1. Briefly describe an actual conflict you had with a family
member, roommate, or coworker in the recent past.
Identify the positions and interests of both you and the other
person in the conflict. (Note: Individuals’ positions
may be easier to identify than their interests. Be creative in
detailing your interests and the other person’s.)
2. Describe how you could fractionate the conflict.
3. Using Fisher and Ury’s (1981) methods, describe how you
could separate the person from the problem and how
you could work together to address the conflict. During your
discussions, how could you help the other party in
the conflict save face? How could the other party help you save
face?
Compare and Contrast Instructions
The table below provides an extensive list of topic options from
which you must select, and we recommend that you choose one
that you are interested in beyond this course. For instance, if
you are a Finance or Business major, you might be interested in
the Stocks v. Bonds topic. If you are a Political Science major,
you might choose Monarchy v. Presidency. Or perhaps you’re
taking StraighterLine’s Intro to Philosophy course, in which
case you might opt for the Hobbes v. Locke topic. Note that you
must use at least one credible source to support your
ideas.Additional helpful resources:
Compare/Contrast Rubric | Compare and Contrast SampleYou
may choose any of these topics:
• Stocks v. Bonds
• Socialism v. Capitalism
• Hitler v. Napoleon
• Apple v. Microsoft
• Renaissance Art v. Baroque Art (or any two artistic periods)
• Biology v. Chemistry
• America in the 1950s v. the 1970s
• Women in 1914 v. today
• Pop Culture in the 1980s v. Pop Culture today

14. • Abraham Lincoln v. Thomas Jefferson (or any two
presidencies)
• British English v. American English
• Writing for print v. Writing for the Web • American
Government v. Canadian Government (or any world
government)
• US Constitution v. Articles of Confederation
• Star Wars v. Star Trek
• Monarchy v. Presidency
• Thomas Hobbes v. John Locke (or any two philosophers)
• The former USSR v. Russia today
• (World War) Allies v. Axis
• Maya Angelou v. Adrienne Rich (or any two poets)
• Nazism v. Fascism
Choose one of the options above and write an essay comparing
or contrasting the two topics in your selection using
EITHER the point-by-point OR the subject-by-subject method
to organize the details and specific examples. Consider focusing
on three to five subtopics and generate ideas through
prewriting. Develop a strong thesis statement for your essay
that includes your two topics from the list above; your three to
five subtopics; and a claim about how they are similar,
different, or both. Sample Thesis Statements:
If you will argue that your two topics are mostly similar:
Topic A and Topic B share many similar characteristics,
including (Supporting point 1), (Supporting point 2), and
(Supporting point 3); while they differ in (Additional
supporting point), the similarities greatly outweigh the
differences.
OR
If you will argue that your two topics are mostly different:
While Topic A and Topic B have (Additional supporting point)
in common, they are mostly quite different; in fact, they differ
in characteristics such as (Supporting point 1), (Supporting
point 2), and (Supporting point 3).

15. OR
If you will argue that your two topics have many
important/interesting similarities and differences:
Analyzing Topic A and Topic B reveals many fascinating
similarities as well as differences; for instance, they share
(Supporting point 1) and (Supporting point 1), but are vastly
different when it comes to (Supporting point 3) and (Supporting
point 4).
Tips
To brainstorm, you might consider using a Venn diagram or a
simple list to show what your topics have in common and how
they differ. Then you can select the most prominent or
interesting characteristics that you want to highlight in your
paper.
Be sure to avoid beginning your comparisons or contrasts in the
introduction. Your thesis is the only place in the introduction
where you will include this information. Use the introduction to
get your reader’s attention, and consider using a good strategy
that leads into the topic. For instance, you might relate a short
anecdote to illustrate your topic, an interesting quotation that
relates to your topic, or perhaps a surprising statistic that
reveals something about your topic.
Then, in the body paragraphs remember to support your claim(s)
outlined in the thesis. For instance, if one of your points says
the city and the country are different in terms of transportation,
be sure the topic sentence of one body paragraph presents a
similar statement. In addition, spend equal time on each
subtopic in each body paragraph, and one way to develop
organized body paragraphs is to focus on one topic before
moving to the next one so that the paragraph support is split
50/50. In other words, using the example above, you would
explain the transportation options in the city in full, and then,
you would detail the types of contrasting transportation in the
country. End each body paragraph with a strong concluding
sentence that synthesizes that paragraph’s discussions.
The conclusion should sum up the specific supporting points as

16. well as your overall assessment of why these points are
important. Consider what kinds of interesting or new
conclusions you can draw from your comparison. In other
words, your essay must reveal why your comparison is
important. A well-developed paragraph often contains a
minimum of five sentences. Note that any of the main sections
below labeled with Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV) could be
more than just a single paragraph. Point-by-Point
I. Introduction
A. Thesis
B. Additional information to introduce your topic and gain
the reader’s attention
II. Supporting point 1
A. Topic 1
B. Topic 2
III. Supporting point 2
A. Topic 1
B. Topic 2
IV. Supporting point 3
A. Topic 1
B. Topic 2
V. Supporting point 4 or Additional point
A. Topic 1
B. Topic 2
VI. Conclusion
A. Reiterate your thesis (but do not simply restate it from the
introduction)
B. Give your overall assessment—the “so what” factor—
about your topic. For instance, is one topic better than the other
for some reason? Is one topic misunderstood?
Subject-by-Subject
I. Introduction
A. Thesis
B. Additional information to introduce your topic and gain
the reader’s attention
II. Topic 1

17. A. supporting point 1
B. Supporting point 2
C. supporting point 3
D. Supporting point 4 or Additional point
III. Topic 2
A. supporting point 1
B. Supporting point 2
C. supporting point 3
D. Supporting point 4 or Additional point
V. Conclusion
A. Reiterate your thesis (but do not simply restate it from the
introduction)
B. Give your overall assessment—the “so what” factor—
about your topic. For instance, is one topic better than the other
for some reason? Is one topic misunderstood?
Here’s an example of how you might organize using these
methods for an essay about cats versus dogs as pets (remember,
this topic is not one of the options for this essay). Point-by-
Point
I. Introduction
A. Thesis: While cats and dogs are both clear winners when
it comes to pet choices, these animals are vastly different when
it comes to noise level, exercise needs, and cleanliness.
II. Subtopic 1: Noise level
A. Topic 1: Cats are quiet
B. Topic 2: Dogs can be noisy
III. Subtopic 2: Exercise
A. Topic 1: Cats do not have to be walked
B. Topic 2: Dogs require exercise
IV. Subtopic 3: Cleanliness
A. Topic 1: Cats groom themselves
B. Topic 2: Dogs need to be bathed
V. Conclusion
Subject-by-Subject
I. Introduction

18. A. Thesis: While cats and dogs are both clear winners when
it comes to pet choices, these animals are vastly different when
it comes to noise level, exercise needs, and cleanliness.
II. Topic 1: Cats
A. Subtopic 1: Noise level
B. Subtopic 2: Exercise
C. Subtopic 3: Cleanliness
III. Topic 2: Dogs
A. Subtopic 1: Noise level
B. Subtopic 2: Exercise
C. Subtopic 3: Cleanliness
IV. Conclusion
The guidelines for this assignment are as follows:
Remember to apply the concepts you're learning in the course,
including elements of grammar, punctuation, thesis
development, and other skills.
Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words.
Sources: You need a bare minimum of one credible source for
this assignment.
Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your
writing assignment with the following information:
· Your first and last name
· Course Title (Composition I)
· Assignment name (Comparison and Contrast)
· Current Date
Format:
· MLA style documentation (please see the tutorial in the course
topic)
· Last name and page number in upper-right corner of each
page
· Double-spacing throughout
· Title, centered after heading
· Standard font (Times New Roman or Calibri)
· 1" margins on all sides
· Save the file as .docx or .doc format