Activity 3: Using Transitions and Connectors in an Essay [4 ]
Suggested answers:
How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly
1 1(When / Soon) famed author Vladimir Nabokov (2000) wasa child, he was
amazed by the beauty of butterflies: “From the age ofseven, everything I felt in
connection with a rectangle of framed sunlight was dominated by a single passion.
If my first glance of the morning was for the sun, my first thought was for the
butterflies” (p. 81). Graceful, colorful, and delicate, very few animals inspire such
delight and wonder as butterflies. The process of how the much less beautiful
caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly, which is truly one of the miracles
of nature, requires four discrete stages for complete metamorphosis.
2 In 2 (first / the first) stage of a butterfly's life cycle, a mature female butterfly lays eggs.
3 (After / In addition) these eggs mature, the caterpillar, or larva, emerges. Larvae
(plural of larva) are immature insects that have not yet developed fully; they are often
wingless and wormlike. Dickens (1972) explains the purpose of the larval stage: “The
sole purpose, one may think, of the larva or caterpillar is to eat. This certainly appears
to be true, for the larva will eat so fast that it has to discard its non-elastic skin four or
five times during its life” (p.14). Typically, the larval stage last from two weeks to
two months.
3 4 (Next / The next) sequence in a butterfly's life cycle is referred to as the pupa, or
chrysalis. The term pupadenotes this life stage for all insects, whereaschrysalis
denotes this stage specifically for the life cycle of butterflies. 5 (Until / During)
this stage, the insect apparently lies dormant; however, 6 (at the same time /
afterward), within its protective cocoon, much activity is taking place. Its cell
structure is breaking down, and the organism is undergoing its transformation into
a butterfly. The chrysalis stage typically takes from one week to one month.
4 7 (Finally / As you finish), the insect transitions from a chrysalis into a butterfly 8
(since / when) it emerges from its cocoon. This adult stage of a butterfly's life
cycle is also referred to as the imago phase. A butterfly's wings are not yet fully
developed when it leaves its cocoon, so, 9 (previously / immediately following), it
must spend the first half hour after leaving its cocoon expanding them. During this
stage of the life cycle, reproduction can begin again, 10 (as / before) adult
butterflies mate and lay eggs to produce the next generation; hence, the life cycle
of a new generation begins as well.
5 Butterflies' lives are brief, typically lasting only one to twomonths, but their life
cycle as a whole is one of the wonders of [Link] people truly appreciate the
delightful appeal of caterpillars, butbutterflies prove that nature's inspiring beauty
often has surprisingroots. The life cycle of the butterfly, from egg to larva to
chrysalis toadult, provides a vivid example of the complexity of nature and
theremarkable power of metamorphosis.
