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Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Independent people—those who rely on themselves rather than on others—get what they want through their own efforts. Interdependent people combine their efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their goals. To be most effective, people need to be interdependent. People who do not think and act interdependently may achieve individual success, but they will not be good leaders or team players.

Adapted from Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Assignment:

Is it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Recently, the India Deal was passed in Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. It gave India access to nuclear technology to help quell its energy needs. This move also earned the US a powerful ally. Had the two countries not worked together, the deal would have never been reached. It is necessary to combine efforts with others to be more effective as seen through my experiences with school theater, and through the formation of the EU.

At my school, the seniors, the juniors, and the underclassmen each create a unique theatrical production called SING! As a junior last year, our mission was to beat the seniors (the win over the underclassmen was guaranteed). Since this is purely a student-led production, things were in disarray at first. The seniors devised a strategy to win; they let everyone split up into their respective group (dance, props, etc.) to work on their assignment to perfection. On the other hand, we decided to hold practice by integrating everyone and working together. On performance night, our production meshed together like clockwork. The seniors fumbled relentlessly, barely being able to keep everything tied together. We had just pulled off a successful upset because of the work of our combined efforts.

Theater originated in Greece, a country that was once the most powerful in all of Europe. Though this did not remain the case, Europe itself developed into a powerful collection of countries. Then the US rose to become a superpower and Europe in turn seemed powerless. As a strategic and effective move, the European Union was formed-an organization consisting of most of the countries in Europe. This helped dramatically stimulate the European economy as a whole, and gave Europe leverage against the US. This balance of power would not have been achieved had the countries continued to act independently.

As effective as joint efforts may be, it is not employed enough in daily life. The bipartisanship seen with the India deal was a rare instance of unison between the Democrats and Republicans. Only when miscellaneous differences are cast aside will the full potential of combined efforts become apparent.

You give some excellent examples. However, you do not indicate why it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective. This seems to be part of the assignment.

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

In order to answer the question, "Is it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective?" you would need to develop a point of view and support it with reasoning and examples.

One way to approach this essay is to take a position in favor of the necessity of combining efforts with others. Here's a possible essay structure:

Introduction:
- Introduce the topic and provide a brief overview of the argument you will be making.
- Include a thesis statement that clearly states your position on the issue.

Body Paragraph 1:
- Begin by discussing your experiences with school theater and how teamwork and collaboration were essential for success.
- Describe the situation in which the seniors in your school's theatrical production chose to work separately and how that affected their performance.
- Explain how your decision to work together as a team resulted in a successful production.

Body Paragraph 2:
- Discuss the formation of the European Union as an example of the effectiveness of combining efforts.
- Explain how Europe came together to form a powerful organization that stimulated the European economy and gave them leverage against the US.
- Argue that this balance of power would not have been achieved if each country had continued to act independently.

Counterargument:
- Acknowledge that joint efforts are not always employed enough in daily life, and there are instances where individual success may be possible without collaboration.
- Briefly mention the India Deal as an example of rare bipartisan support.
- However, emphasize that the full potential of combined efforts can only be realized when differences and disagreements are set aside.

Conclusion:
- Recap your main points and restate your thesis.
- Leave the reader with a final thought that reinforces the importance of combining efforts to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Remember, this is just one approach to the essay. You might have your own unique perspective and examples to support your argument. The key is to effectively present your point of view and provide strong reasoning and evidence to support it.