Making Generalizations Learning the Skill If You Say, "We Have a Great Football Team," You Are Making a Generalization, Or a General Statement, About Your Team

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South Asia Today Critical Thinking Skills Activity

Making Generalizations Learning the Skill If you say, "We have a great football team," you are making a generalization, or a general statement, about your team. If you go on to say that your team was last year's top-ranked team and has not lost a game this season, you are providing evidence to support your generalization. When studying geography, it is often necessary to put together bits and pieces of information-supporting statements-to arrive at a complete picture. In some cases, authors provide only generalizations, and you need to search for the supporting statements or evidence that make the generalization logical and factual. To make valid generalizations, follow these steps: • Identify the topic or subject matter. • Gather facts and examples related to the topic. • Identify similarities or patterns among these facts. • Use these similarities or patterns to form some general ideas about the subject. fl Practicing the Skill . Directions: Read the facts below about Nepal and Bhutan. Then study the statements that follow. Circle the statements that are reason able generalizations about both Nepal and Bhutan.

Nepal Bhutan

• Population: 25.4 million people • Population: about 1 million people • Average life expectancy: 62 years • Average life expectancy: 63 years • Hindus: 81 percent of population • Muslims: 75 percent of population • Muslims: 19 percent of population • Hindus: 25 percent of population • Rural population: about 85 percent • Rural population: most of Bhutan's people • Population density: 447 persons per sq. mile • Population density: 55 persons per sq. mile • Literacy rate: 45 percent • Literacy rate: 42 percent • Annual per capita income: $1,500 • Annual per capita income: $1 AOO

A. Improving reading skills should be a priority for both countries. B. People live longer in countries with smaller populations.

C. The populations of both Nepal and Bhutan are very religious.

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Critical Thinking Skills Activity continued

D. With so many people living in rural villages, Nepal's cities are not crowded. E. Smaller countries in South Asia tend to have larger Muslim populations. F. Many more people live in Nepal than Bhutan. (I Applying the Skill Directions: Read the information below about Sri Lanka. Then circle the correct answer for each of the questions that follow. Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean off working in the services industry and 38 per the southeastern tip of India, is about half the cent working in agriculture. Major industries size of Alabama. It has a population of about include telecommunications, insurance, and 20 million, and the life expectancy for Sri banking along with the processing of rubber, Lankans is 73 years. Sri Lankans have an aver tea, coconuts, tobacco, and other agricultural age literacy rate of 92 percent. The labor force commodities. The average per capita income numbers more than 8 million, with 45 percent is $4,000.

1. Making Generalizations Which generalization could you make about living in Sri Lanka? A. It is difficult to find a job in Sri Lanka. B. Electricity is not available in most of the country. c. The people of Sri Lanka are generally healthy and live a long time. 2. Making Generalizations Which generalization could you make about the economy of Sri Lanka? A. Agriculture is the main employment for the people of Sri Lanka. B. Sri Lankans have a fairly developed economy. C. The majority of the population is included in the labor force. 3. Making Generalizations Which generalization could you make about the people of Sri Lanka? A. The majority of the people in Sri Lanka live in small rural villages. B. Sri Lankans are generally well educated. C. The people of Sri Lanka are not productive.