Writing to Compare Compare and contrast the authors' choices regarding language, structure, and content. Use
these questions to guide your analysis:
• Text structure: From what key memory or episode does each essay spring? In what order
does the author present information? How does each author connect a specific event to
larger ideas?
• Timeframe: What is the chronological scope of the essay? How does such a scope of time-
long or short-help express a central idea?
• Voice: Is the voice formal, or casual? What is the tone? How do words, phrases, and
sentences create that tone?

The vast muslim world was wonderful for the growth of knowledge. the greeks had developed a level of practical experience and technical understanding a thousand years more advanced than anyone else nearby. the muslims began to translate some of these ancient greek texts. from india, muslims learned of the zero, which allowed them to invent what we still call "arabic” numerals. and because the koran, the sacred book of islam, is written in arabic, scholars throughout the muslim world learned to read arabic and to share their knowledge. the muslims swept past jundi shapur and learned the secrets of sugar. as they conquered lands around the mediterranean sea, they spread word of how to grow, mill, and refine the sweet reed. how do the details in the passage support the central idea? the details describe the important role muslims played in spreading knowledge throughout the world. the details clarify the role jundi shapur played in spreading the secrets of sugar to the rest of the world. the details describe how muslims used knowledge from only the greeks to make innovations. the details reveal how important the koran was in muslims conquer other lands