Question

Which of these topics is appropriate for a compare and contrast essay?


watching television and playing soccer


pets and computers


a cinnamon roll and a symphony


maple syrup and honey

Answer 1

Best choices: watching television vs. playing soccer, and maple syrup vs. honey.

Why:
- Watching TV and playing soccer are both leisure activities, so you can compare social, physical, and mental effects (passive vs. active recreation, costs, skill-building, etc.).
- Maple syrup and honey are both natural sweeteners with similar uses, so you can compare origins, production, flavor, nutrition, and culinary uses.

Why the others are weaker:
- Pets vs. computers are very different categories (living companions vs. machines). You could force a comparison (roles in people’s lives, care/cost), but it’s less natural.
- A cinnamon roll vs. a symphony are nearly unrelated (food vs. music); that makes a straightforward compare-and-contrast essay awkward unless you adopt a deliberately metaphorical approach.

If you want, I can help you pick one of the two good topics and draft a thesis and an outline.