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Joy English · Level C1 · Ulasanjoy-english.com

Ulasan buku nonfiksi

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Tulis ulasan evaluatif yang meringkas, menilai, dan merekomendasikan, dengan bahasa evaluatif yang bernuansa dan tepat.

The Quiet Ledger by Imre Halvard: a patient study of attention

Few books about attention manage to avoid either alarmism or self-help clichés. The Quiet Ledger, Imre Halvard's first book, does both, and the result is as thoughtful as it is readable.

Halvard, a former archivist, begins with an unlikely subject: the account books kept by a nineteenth-century merchant, whose meticulous entries reveal how deeply he concentrated on tasks that we would now consider tedious. From this starting point, he builds a persuasive argument that attention is not a fixed capacity but a habit shaped by the demands we place on it. The writing is lucid and wry, and the author has a rare gift for explaining research without simplifying it.

Where the book is less convincing is in its middle chapters. Having established his thesis, Halvard tends to repeat it, supported by anecdotes that are charming but hardly conclusive. A chapter on the effect of notifications, for instance, draws sweeping conclusions from a single small experiment, and the reader is left wishing for more rigour. Nor does the author address the possibility that concentration is easier for some people than for others, an omission that sits oddly with his otherwise careful approach.

These reservations aside, the book's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Halvard's closing chapter, on the practical value of boredom, is the finest in the book: it is both humane and unexpectedly moving, and it lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Not a definitive study, then, but a stimulating and elegantly written one. It will appeal to readers who enjoy popular science with a historical flavour, though those hoping for a step-by-step programme for improving concentration may be disappointed. Recommended, with minor reservations.

Pilih opsi terbaik

Pilih opsi yang paling tepat dalam ulasan yang apik.

  1. Which sentence is the most precise evaluation?
    • a) The writing is really good.
    • b) The writing is lucid and wry.
    • c) The writing is great and nice.
  2. Which criticism is expressed in the most measured way?
    • a) The middle chapters are rubbish.
    • b) The middle chapters are a waste of time.
    • c) The middle chapters are less convincing.
  3. These reservations ___, the book is well worth reading.
    • a) aside
    • b) beyond
    • c) besides
  4. Nor ___ the author address differences between readers.
    • a) he does
    • b) does
    • c) is
  5. Which sentence best finishes a review with a recommendation?
    • a) It will appeal to readers who enjoy popular science with a historical flavour.
    • b) Read it or do not read it.
    • c) That is all I have to say.
  6. Halvard has a rare ___ for explaining research clearly.
    • a) gift
    • b) present
    • c) talent of
  7. Which sentence describes the book without retelling the plot or argument in detail?
    • a) The author describes the merchant's ledgers and builds an argument about attention as habit.
    • b) First, the author writes chapter one, then chapter two, then chapter three.
    • c) Then, in the second chapter, the merchant writes down every price.

Lengkapi bahasa ulasan

Ketik satu kata untuk melengkapi setiap kalimat.

  1. The result is ___ thoughtful as it is readable.
  2. The author tends to ___ his main point in the middle chapters.
  3. The chapter on notifications draws sweeping ___ from a single small experiment.
  4. The last chapter is both humane and ___ moving. (in a way the reader does not expect)
  5. It is not a definitive study, ___ a stimulating one.
  6. Readers hoping for a step-by-step programme may be ___.
  7. The book's strengths ___ its weaknesses.

Tugas menulis

Tulis ulasan tentang buku nonfiksi, dokumenter, atau pameran yang kamu kenal dengan baik (nyata atau rekaan) yang membahas subjek serius dengan cara yang mudah dipahami. Jelaskan tentang apa karya itu, evaluasi kekuatan dan kelemahannya dengan contoh yang spesifik, dan sebutkan siapa yang akan menikmatinya.

220–280 kata

Periksa tulisanmu

  • Saya membuka dengan pemikat atau pernyataan yang jelas tentang apa karya itu.
  • Saya mendeskripsikan karya itu secara singkat tanpa menceritakannya ulang.
  • Saya mengevaluasi dengan bahasa yang tepat dan contoh yang spesifik.
  • Saya menyampaikan minimal satu kritik yang seimbang.
  • Saya menggunakan struktur yang bervariasi (misalnya Nor does..., These reservations aside).
  • Saya menutup dengan rekomendasi yang jelas untuk jenis pembaca tertentu.

Kunci jawaban

Pilih opsi terbaik

  1. b) The writing is lucid and wry.Lucid dan wry adalah kata sifat evaluatif yang spesifik; yang lainnya kabur.
  2. c) The middle chapters are less convincing.Less convincing bersifat moderat dan profesional, sedangkan opsi lainnya blak-blakan dan informal.
  3. a) asideThese reservations aside adalah pola tetap yang berarti "mengesampingkan keraguan ini".
  4. b) doesSetelah Nor kita membalik kata bantu dan subjek: Nor does the author address ...
  5. a) It will appeal to readers who enjoy popular science with a historical flavour.Kalimat ini menyebutkan kalangan pembacanya dan memberikan rekomendasi.
  6. a) giftA gift for + -ing adalah kolokasi yang wajar di sini; talent membutuhkan for, bukan of.
  7. a) The author describes the merchant's ledgers and builds an argument about attention as habit.Kalimat ini mengarahkan pembaca dalam satu kalimat. Kalimat lainnya hanya menceritakan ulang.

Lengkapi bahasa ulasan

  1. asPola as ... as menghubungkan dua sifat yang sama-sama benar.
  2. repeat / restate / reiterate / labour / labor / belabour / belabor / overstateTends to diikuti bentuk dasar kata kerja: repeat, restate, atau reiterate.
  3. conclusions / generalisations / generalizations / inferencesDraw conclusions/generalisations adalah kolokasi yang standar.
  4. unexpectedly / surprisinglyAdverbia seperti unexpectedly atau surprisingly menerangkan kata sifat moving.
  5. but / though / yetNot ... but ... mengontraskan dua deskripsi; though atau yet juga bisa dipakai di sini.
  6. disappointed / frustrated / dissatisfiedBerharap pada sesuatu yang tidak disediakan akan berujung pada kekecewaan.
  7. outweigh / outnumberOutweigh berarti "lebih besar atau lebih penting daripada".

Contoh jawaban

The Salt Roads, a documentary in four parts, takes a modest subject, the old trade routes that carried salt across a continent, and turns it into an absorbing study of how ordinary goods shape societies.

The film follows a geographer, Mina Okafor, as she travels the routes by train, truck and, in one memorable episode, on foot. The photography is superb, and the commentary is lucid without ever being patronising. Each location is filmed with patience, so that the viewer has time to notice details that a busier programme would skip. Particularly effective is the second episode, which uses old trading ledgers to reconstruct a single journey day by day.

Where the series falters is in its third part. Having established its theme, it lingers too long on a series of interviews that add little, and the pace slackens noticeably. Nor does it consider how the same routes were used by people other than traders, which seems an odd omission in an otherwise thorough series.

These reservations aside, the series is a rewarding one. Its final scene, in which Okafor watches salt being harvested by hand, is quietly moving. The closing narration, delivered without any trace of sentimentality, leaves the viewer with a lasting sense of how much depends on small, easily overlooked things.

It will appeal to viewers who enjoy history and travel, although those looking for a fast-moving narrative may find it slow. Recommended.

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