“And the people have blue noses, eh?  Ha! ha!  Excuse me, then, but is a milksop a man from some state, or some country, too?”

At tea some one used the word “claptrap.”  “What’s that?” quickly demanded the student in our midst. “‘Claptrap’—­’clap’ is so (he struck his hands together); ‘trap’ is for rats—­what is, then, ’claptrap’?”

“It is a vulgar or unworthy bid for applause,” I explained.

“Bah!” he contemptuously exclaimed.  “I know him,—­that cheap actor who plays at the gallery.  He is, then, in English a ‘clap-trapper,’ is he not?”

It was hardly possible to meet him without having a word or a term offered thus for explanation.

—­Clara Morris:  Alessandro Salvini ("McClure’s").

B. Write six sentences which might be developed into paragraphs by giving specific instances.

+Theme XXI.+—­Write a paragraph by furnishing specific instances for one of the following topic statements:—­

1.  Nine tenths of all that goes wrong in this world is because some one does not mind his business.

2.  It requires a man of courage and perseverance to become a pioneer.

3.  Even the wisest teacher does not always punish the boy who is most at fault.

4.  It is impossible to teach a dog many amusing tricks.

5.  Even so stupid a creature as a chicken may sometimes exhibit much intelligence.

6.  Carelessness often leads into difficulty.

7.  Our school clock must see many interesting things.

8.  Our first impressions are not always our best ones.

9.  I am a very busy lead pencil, for my duties are numerous.

10.  Dickens’s characters are taken from the lower classes of people.

11.  Some portions of the book I am reading are very interesting.

(Do your specific instances really illustrate the topic statement?  Have you said what you intended to say?  Can you omit any words or sentences?  Have you used and or got unnecessarily?).

+45.  Development by Giving Details.+—­Many general statements lead to a desire to know the details, and the writer may make his idea clearer by giving them.  The statement, “The wedding ceremony was impressive,” at once arouses a desire to know the details.  If a friend should say, “I enjoyed my trip to the city,” we wish him to relate that which pleased him.  These details assist us in understanding the topic statement, and increase our interest in it.  Notice in the paragraphs below how much is added to our understanding of the topic statement by the sentences that give the details:—­