–PRETEST– 16 17 SECTION 1 Planning the Essay W hile creativity and inspiration can play an important role in good essay writing, planning, drafting, and revision are critical. Whether you have to write an essay in class, during a test, or at home, getting down to the business of writing means focusing on these three things. In this section, you’ll learn planning strategies that will not only improve the effectiveness and quality of your writing, but will also help eliminate many of the frustrations writers face. In addition, they’ll benefit your reader by showing him or her how the various points you make in your essay work together and how they support your thesis. When you begin your essay with planning, you will have guidance and direction through the writing process, especially if you are in a timed situation. Planning lets you see how your many developing ideas fit within a framework, and clearly maps out any type of essay you are required to write. [...]... 30 minutes Fortunately, a few simple strategies can help you generate ideas for any essay assignment Brainstorming Ideas How do you generate ideas? Some writers stare at a blank page waiting for inspiration, while others dive into a draft hoping ideas will come as they write Both of these techniques take time and often result in disappointment There are more productive ways to come up with material... QUESTION WORDS WHAT THEY USUALLY MEAN What is/are define or identify What caused identify or explain How are/does explain or evaluate How is X like compare How is X different contrast In what way illustrate Do you agree? argue Why is/does explain What do you think of X? evaluate 27 – UNDERSTANDING THE ASSIGNED TOPIC– Practice 1 Read the essay topics carefully Use the subject and directions...– UNDERSTANDING THE ASSIGNED TOPIC– Fulfilling the Assignment The essay assignments found on college applications, AP Exams, and the SAT and ACT are the product of considerable study and research They are designed to elicit essays that fulfill a specific need Colleges need to know more about you in order to make admissions decisions, so they ask you to write about personal issues The ACT and SAT writing... What is good and bad about it? Why? Describe your criteria for your judgment Explain Make your position, issue, process, etc clear by analyzing, defining, comparing, contrasting, or illustrating Identify Name and describe Illustrate Provide examples of the subject Indicate Explain what you think the subject means and how you came to that interpretation (what makes you conclude that it means X) Relate... that it is a timed, flowing exercise meant to elicit many thoughts and ideas on a given topic However, instead of putting whole sentences or phrases on paper, this prewriting technique involves creating a list It might contain various individual thoughts, ideas that make sense in a particular order, and/or ideas linked together by association with previous ideas Listing is a great brainstorming strategy... more and better ideas you will probably come up with) Write every word or phrase that comes to mind about your topic If you have not selected a topic, write an answer to the question(s), “What do I have to say to my audience?” or “What do I want my audience to know about me?” As with freewriting, do not edit or censor any ideas, and ignore the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation When you are... evaluate Classify Organize the subject into groups and explain why the groupings make sense Compare Point out similarities Contrast Point out differences Define Give the meaning of the subject Describe Show readers what the subject is like; give an account of the subject Discuss Point out the main issues or characteristics of the subject and elaborate Evaluate Make a judgment about the effectiveness and... But that probably falls into the same category as a white lie It’s the other lies and other silences that are the problem During her freewriting session, this student came up with a couple of examples and, through them, found a tentative thesis for her essay She also brought up some issues that will be central to her argument, including the definition of a lie and whether people have a moral obligation... mutations that can occur during replication To help make the assignment even more manageable, break down the two parts (topic and direction words) into a simple chart: SUBJECT DIRECTIONS 1 the chemical nature of genes describe 2 the replicative process of DNA in eukaryotic organisms discuss 3 the various types of gene mutations that can occur during replication include To completely fulfill the assignment,... question “Are they sound arguments?” is evaluate For this assignment, you are expected to: 1 Assess the validity and soundness of Rousseau’s judgments 2 Identify the arguments he uses to support his judgments 3 Evaluate the strengths and/or weaknesses of his argument Practice 2 Reread the essay topics from Practice 1 Given the direction words, briefly summarize how you would approach each essay Do not . standard written English Here’s an example. Imagine that you have been asked to write about a poem. Clearly, you could not write the same essay for a college application and an English Literature. book are different, your relationship to the actual reader is quite similar in each case: that of evaluatee to evaluator. The primary reason your actual readers—college admis- sion officers, SAT and. exam within 20 to 30 minutes. Fortunately, a few simple strategies can help you generate ideas for any essay assignment.  Brainstorming Ideas How do you generate ideas? Some writers stare at a