Diagnostic Questions for Revising Paragraphs1. To what ext ent do the paragraph's sentences refl ect unity, or "oneness" in topic, message, and purpose (goal)? 2. How eff ective is the topic sentence (if the paragraph needs one)?3. How eff ective is the coherence, or the fl ow in meaning and logic f rom sentence to sentence? 4. How eff ective is the pattern of idea development?5. To what extent is the structure of successive sentences coordinated when it should be coordinated?6. To what extent does the structure of successive sentences vary when it should vary?7. How eff ectively are successive paragraphs designed (that is, how do they look on the page)?8. How successively are ideas in paragraphs developed with appropriate support, examples, reasoning, and so on? (This question overlaps with diagnosing content.)To what extent do the paragraph's sentences reflect unity, or "oneness" in topic, message, and goal?Steps f or Det ecting and Diagnosing Unity1. Do the stopwatch test: Af ter reading a paragraph, time how long it takes to identif y 1 central topic, 1 main message, and, 1 rhetorical goal that the sentences contribute to accomplishing. I f more than 5 seconds pass, the paragraph likely lacks unity. To diagnose the problem more deeply, ask the f ollowing questions.2. Do the topics of consecutive sentences remain consistent and f ocused on the paragraph's overall topic, or do the topics change drastically without suffi cient warning?3. Do the messages of consecutive sentences relate logically to one another?4. Do the purposes of consecutive sentences relate logically to one another and serve the paragraph's overall rhetorical goal?5. Do the paragraph' s sentences begin with topical inf ormation that directly relates back to the topics and messages of previous sentences?Strategies for Revising Paragraphs that Lack Unity1. Delete the sentences that break the unity f rom the draf t entirely2. Move the sentences that break the unity to (a) an existing paragraph in which they would fi t better or (b) a new paragraph3. Start successive sentences with the same subject (but avoid monotony!)4. Use transitional sentences, phrases, or words to signal shif ts in topics and goals 5. Start new sentences with words and phrases that link back to the topic, message, and goal of a previous neighboring sentence6. Use unity- groundingwords and phrases consistently throughout the paragraphSample #1: Evaluate the paragraph unityNote: I've numbered the sentences for easy reference to them in our discussion!(1) A consistent finding in many observational studies is that individuals who report frequent bouts of laughter have relatively low risks for developing major diseases. (2) This positive association between laughter and health may be explained by several underlying mechanisms. (3) It is possible that the act of vigorous laughter directly stimulates health-promoting physiological responses. (4) For example, laughtermight lessen muscular tension and enhance blood flow to organs such as the heart and brain, thereby protecting against cardiovascular diseases and stroke. (5) Laughter might also induce hormonal responses that favorably influence immune function and protect against immune-related diseases. (6) In response to laughter, concentrations of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol might be lowered. (7) Becausestress hormones inhibit immune cell activity, a reduction in their circulating concentrations would theoretically boost immune function. (8) Another mechanism by which laughter may positively influence health, or at least self-reported perceptions of health status, involves its analgesic effects. (9) There is evidence that laughter stimulates brain cells to release endogenous pain-killers such as endorphins.Sample #2: Evaluate the paragraph unity(1) As indicated in numerous previous studies, there is an association between sense of humor and physical health. (2) Variables such as closeness, self-esteem, and extroversion may be involved, although this has generated much controversy among researchers. (3) The intellectual identification with the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of other individuals is an especially important consideration in understanding the humor-health connection. (4) Measures of sense of humor and subjects' self-reports of laughter tend to be associated with positive emotions such as joy and compassion. (5) The physiological effects of laughter have been shown to influence the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. (6) Thus, stress has been implicated in this relationship.Sample #3: Evaluate the paragraph unity(1) Although numerous studies have documented that laughter increases the threshold for perceiving pain,contradictory findings have revealed no relationship between these two variables. (2) The conflicting outcomes have significantly limited progress in this research field; thus, it is important to analyze the existing research and explain the inconsistencies. (3) The lack of agreement in findings across the existingstudies may be due to differences in experimental design, varying subject characteristics, and discrepancies in the methods used to measure pain threshold. (4) In studies revealing a positive relationship between laughter and pain threshold, an explanatory hypothesis is that laughter has a distracting effect that diverts attention from the painful stimulus. (5) A contrasting hypothesis is that laughter reduces pain through direct physiological effects, including the increased secretion of endorphinsand other analgesic chemicals from parts of the brain that regulate pain perception.Sample #4: Evaluate the paragraph unityNote: The writer's goal for the paragraph was to justify her proposed study's methods by explaining how they accounted for methodological limitations in previous studies on the issue. (1) The proposed study is designed to improve on methodological shortcomings of previous studies on theeffects of humor and laughter on health. (2) A major limitation restricting the validity of findings has beenthe short duration of previous studies. (3) In typical laboratory experiments on this topic, subjects spend approximately 30 minutes watching comedic television shows or parts of humorous movies. (4) Before and after these sessions, researchers measured health-related variables such as blood pressure, stress hormone concentrations in the blood, and immune cell activity. (5) Most of the previous studies have not