Historical information is also often presented in this chronological order. The essay must be unified by this thesis, and the transitions between steps need to keep the essay cohesive. If process analysis is used as a secondary method of idea development, for example to explain the historical background of a topic, make sure that the description of the process is pertinent to the controlling idea. Division and classification is an important rhetorical strategy when the writer wants to analyze and then group similar items or divide one item up into parts. Classification examines more than one item and then separates the items into groups according to their similarities on a specific principle or criteria.
Critical thinkers rely on the power of classification during the analysis of complex information.
Research results may need to be classified before they can be reported. A description or explanation may need to be divided up into useful categories so that the information is organized and meaningful. By breaking down the whole into manageable and useful parts, a thinker can reach more reliable conclusions. Division breaks one item into meaningful parts and then examines the parts in relationship to the whole. What these principles or features are depends on the discipline and the purpose of the analysis.