Critical Decision Making

Have you ever been faced with making a difficult decision? So often in life we find ourselves at crossroads; some of minor importance, such as choosing which shoes to wear to a party; and some of great magnitude, such as deciding on a career path or area of study. Whichever the case may be, the basic essential questions are usually the same: What are my options? Should I or shouldn't I? Which choice is better for me? What will happen if I make this decision? What are the consequences? To facilitate decision making, it can be helpful to organize all the information and factors involved in the situation. First, acknowledge the decision you must make (eg., which shoes to wear to the party). Next, identify what your options are (eg., high heels or sneakers). Now consider the possible positive and negative outcomes of choosing each option (eg., high heels look pretty, but are difficult to walk and dance in; sneakers are not very dressy, but would be very comfortable, and would allow me to enjoy myself more). Finally, evaluate how important each of the possible outcomes may be to you, and why. Now make your decision...and if the shoe fits, wear it!

Vocabulary:

crossroad: a time when you have to choose between two or more different things

minor: small

magnitude: large, or of importance

essential: necessary

options: choices, things to choose from

consequences: results of one's actions (usually negative)

Use the vocabulary words to complete the following sentences:

1. Even though she fell off her bike, she only had a ________ bruise on her knee.

2. In order to follow this recipe exactly, we will need all the ___________ ingredients.

3. Tom loves kittens but Lauren loves puppies; they found themselves at a ________ deciding on a pet.

4. When you do not follow the rules in class, you must suffer the ___________ of your actions.

5. She knew the whale was large, but did not fully appreciate its ________ until she saw it in person.

6. The menu had so many ________ that it was easy to find something I liked.

Grammar Point: Causes and Results

As discussed in this passage, our decisions (causes) can lead to a variety of outcomes (results). We can expresss such relationships between events using words such as so, then, therefore, thus, hence, as a result, consequently, and in that case. Using the example of deciding which shoes to wear, write a sentence about the decision and the outcome including cause and result words or phrases. If you write a good sentence then you will have mastered this grammar point!