Question

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A student must write a three-page essay for a science class. Which of the following topics is narrow enough?

chemical reactions

the life cycle of a butterfly

the geology of North America

African mammals

Answer 1

this one is kind of hard to explain w/o giving it away but I will make an attempt

Answer 2

"chemical reactions" is too vague because there are millions of different chemical reactions and tons of literature written about the reaction thermodynamics/mechanisms

Answer 3

similar reasoning for "African mammals" because there are too many subtopics and types of animals to make a coherent, focused essay

Answer 4

"the geology of North America" is better than the others, but I would still consider that too broad for a 3-page essay because "geology" is too wide of a topic (too many subtopics within geology to consider)

Answer 5

the life cycle of a butterfly, while some might consider this too vague, is the most narrowly focused because it focuses on one specific element of one animal's life

Answer 6

so, I guess I'll go with life cycle of a butterfly

Answer 7

thanks!