Which of the following should not be included in the introductory paragraph of an essay? a. a thesis statement b. background on the topic c. evidence and analysis d. an attention-getting device

The correct answer is C. Evidence and analysis

Explanation:

The introductory paragraph of an essay is the one that presents basic elements of the essay that are developed in the body paragraphs. Because of this, introductory paragraphs commonly include first a hook or attention-getting device that invites the reader to read all the essay, then an introduction of the topic that includes information to the background related to it and finally, the thesis statement that explains the idea that is going to be explained during the essay. However, in the introductory paragraph, you should not include evidence and analysis as these are included in the body paragraphs to explain the thesis statement but not in the introductory paragraph as this only presents the topic and thesis but does not support it or analyze it.

the sentence does not violate the phrase structure second rule (introduced by noam chomsky) because noun phrases consist of a determiner such as a, the or every, and a noun. in the sentence, the noun phrase the cake includes a determiner (the) and a noun (cake).

on the other hand, the first rule indicates that a sentence encloses a noun phrase, followed by a verb phrase. the example sentence can be analysed as follows:

john (n) + ate (v) + the (det) + cake (n).

your answer is c) experiments with water vapor showed that elements combine in specific proportions.