Murry Bergtraum HS Fall 2001
English Department Ms. Scragg

The Four Types of Essay Questions:
o Task 1: Listening Comprehension
You will be read a speech two times, and using the information your hear in the speech, you must answer multiple-choice questions and write an essay. You will not get the opportunity to read the speech, so you must rely upon your listening and note-taking skills to do well on this part of the exam.
o Task 2: Reading for Information
You will be given a written text and statistics-usually in a chart, table, or graph form-which presents information on a topic or issue. You must interpret this information to answer multiple-choice questions and an essay question.
o Task 3: Literary Passages
You will be given two passages in different genres about a similar topic or theme. You must answer multiple-choice questions, and write an essay comparing and contrasting the two works. You must also show how each author makes use of a literary element to express their point.
o Task 4: The Critical Lens
You will be given a quote ("critical lens") to interpret. You then must write an essay which discusses two works of literature you have read, and relate those works to the statement in the critical lens. You must support your opinion with specific references to literary elements used in each of the two works.

The Structure of the Exam:
o January 27th, 2003, 9:15am - Day One
On the first day of testing, you will take Tasks I and II (information). You will have three hours to complete both parts, or an hour and a half for each essay.
o January 28th, 2003, 9:15am - Day Two
On the second day, you will take Tasks III and IV (literature). You will have three hours to complete both parts, or an hour and a half for each essay.

It seems like you have a lot of time for the exam (six hours), but it will go quickly. Brainstorm ideas, make a quick outline (you won't have time for a full outline) or organize your ideas in some way so that the actual writing of the essay will be easier. If you finish early, read over your work! Proofread and catch errors before handing in your paper. Do not lose points unnecessarily!

Controlling Idea
The controlling idea (otherwise known as a "thesis statement") is a sentence contained in your introduction that expresses the main idea of your essay. Read the information listed in "your task." Here you will find what topic you need to answer in your controlling idea. It should literally "control" the rest of your essay and be the theme of your piece of writing. The purpose of these essays is to persuade your audience that the controlling idea is a true statement. The rest of your essay should consist of connecting evidence and facts from the information provided which backs up your controlling idea.

Multiple-Choice Questions
Do not waste a lot of time on these questions! If you do not know the answer to a question, re-read the information and/or your notes. You have nothing to lose by guessing-don't leave a question blank. There are usually one or two choices that you can eliminate right away, which betters your odds at choosing the right answer. Even if you have no idea of the correct answer, the multiple choice questions can help guide you to some of the main points you should be focusing upon in your essay-they are asking these particular questions for a reason!

A Quick Outline Model:
1) Introduction-Controlling Idea, background information, names of texts
2) Body Paragraph 1-Supporting point and evidence (quotes, details)
3) Body Paragraph 2-2nd supporting point and evidence
4) Body Paragraph 3-3rd supporting point or a comparison, along with evidence
5) Conclusion-restating your Controlling Idea & texts, closing statements

Five Areas of Grading:
1) Meaning-Am I clearly expressing an understanding of the essay question and of the works/articles I am being asked to write about?
2) Development-Am I presenting evidence (quotes, details, description) from the work(s) that supports my ideas and conclusions?
3) Organization-Am I structuring my essay well into paragraphs that flow clearly from one to the next?
4) Language-Am I choosing my words carefully and expressing my points strongly and clearly?
5) Conventions-Am I writing in accordance with the rules of standard written English? Is my grammar and spelling up to par?

The Introduction: (some ideas)
1) Come up with a controlling idea that answers the question asked in the section titled, "your task."
2) Summarize your topic briefly.
3) Include the title, author, and the type of work you will be writing about.
4) Open with a few general statements about life that relate to the main topic.

The Conclusion: (some ideas)
1) Tie all of the important points together.
2) Refer back to the piece/s you are discussing.
3) Restate your controlling idea.
4) Make a final statement about the main topic of your essay.

General Advice:
o Each paragraph should say enough to stand on its own. One way to check whether a paragraph covers only one idea, is to imagine that each paragraph has a title. Another way is to figure out if each paragraph answers a question.
o Start a new paragraph whenever there is a shift or a change in the essay.
o Support your ideas with evidence (facts, examples, details, description, quotes) from the piece/s you are discussing.