|
Writing Essay Exams
Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu
What is a well written answer to an essay question?
It is...
Well Focused
- Be sure to answer the question completely, that is, answer all parts
of the question. Avoid "padding." A lot of rambling and ranting is a
sure sign that the writer doesn't really know what the right answer
is and hopes that somehow, something in that overgrown jungle of words
was the correct answer.
Well Organized
-
Don't write in a haphazard "think-as-you-go" manner. Do some planning
and be sure that what you write has a clearly marked introduction
which both states the point(s) you are going to make and also, if
possible, how you are going to proceed. In addition, the essay should
have a clearly indicated conclusion which summarizes the material
covered and emphasizes your thesis or main point.
Well Supported
- Do not just assert something is true, prove it. What facts, figures,
examples, tests, etc. prove your point? In many cases, the difference
between an A and a B as a grade is due to the effective use of supporting
evidence.
Well Packaged
- People who do not use conventions of language are thought of by their
readers as less competent and less educated. If you need help with these
or other writing skills, come to the Writing Lab!
How do you write an effective essay exam?
-
Read through all the questions carefully.
-
Budget your time and decide which question(s) you will answer first.
-
Underline the key word(s) which tell you what to do for each question.
-
Choose an organizational pattern appropriate for each key word and
plan your answers on scratch paper or in the margins.
-
Write your answers as quickly and as legibly as you can; do not
take the time to recopy.
-
Begin each answer with one or two sentence thesis which summarizes
your answer. If possible, phrase the statement so that it rephrases
the question's essential terms into a statement (which therefore
directly answers the essay question).
-
Support your thesis with specific references to the material
you have studied.
-
Proofread your answer and correct errors in spelling and mechanics.
Specific organizational patterns and "key words"
Most essay questions will have one or more "key words" that indicate
which organizational pattern you should use in your answer. The six most
common organizational patterns for essay exams are definition, analysis,
cause and effect, comparison/contrast, process analysis, and thesis-support.
Definition
Cause and effect involves tracing probable or known effects of a certain
cause or examining one or more effects and discussing the reasonable
or known cause(s).
Q: "Define recession and discuss the probable effects a recession
would have on today's society."
A: Thesis: A recession, which is a nationwide lull in business
activity, would be detrimental to society in the following ways: it
would .......A......., it would .......B......., and it would .......C.......
.
The rest of the answer would explain, in some detail, the three effects:
A, B, and C.
-
Typical questions
-
"Describe how X is accomplished."
-
"List the steps involved in X."
-
"Explain what happened in X."
-
"What is the procedure involved in X?"
-
Process (sometimes called process analysis)
This involves giving directions or telling the reader how to do something.
It may involve discussing some complex procedure as a series of discrete
steps. The organization is almost always chronological.
-
Q: "According to Richard Bolles' What Color Is Your Parachute?,
what is the best procedure for finding a job?"
-
A: In What Color Is Your Parachute?, Richard Bolles
lists seven steps that all job-hunters should follow: .....A.....,
.....B....., .....C....., .....D....., .....E....., .....F.....,
and .....G..... .
The remainder of the answer should discuss each of these seven
steps in some detail.
|
|
-
after, afterwards, after this
-
subsequently
-
simultaneously, concurrently
|
Thesis and Support
-
Thesis and support involves stating a clearly worded opinion
or interpretation and then defending it with all the data, examples,
facts, and so on that you can draw from the material you have studied.
-
Q: "Despite criticism, television is useful because it aids
in the socializing process of our children."
-
A: Television hinders rather than helps in the socializing
process of our children because .......A......., .......B.......,
and .......C....... .
The rest of the answer is devoted to developing arguments A, B,
and C.
-
therefore
-
for this reason
-
it follows that
-
as a result
|
-
because
-
however
-
consequently
|
Exercises
A. Which of the following two answers is the better one? Why?
Question: Discuss the contribution of William Morris to book design,
using as an example his edition of the works of Chaucer.
a. William Morris's Chaucer was his masterpiece. It shows his
interest in the Middle Ages. The type is based on medieval manuscript
writing, and the decoration around the edges of the pages is like that
used in medieval books. The large initial letters are typical of medieval
design. Those letters were printed from woodcuts, which was the medieval
way of printing. The illustrations were by Burn-Jones, one of the best
artists in England at the time. Morris was able to get the most competent
people to help him because he was so famous as a poet and a designer
(the Morris chair) and wallpaper and other decorative items for the
home. He designed the furnishings for his own home, which was widely
admired among the sort of people he associated with. In this way he
started the arts and crafts movement.
b. Morris's contribution to book design was to approach the
problem as an artist or fine craftsman, rather than a mere printer who
reproduced texts. He wanted to raise the standards of printing, which
had fallen to a low point, by showing that truly beautiful books could
be produced. His Chaucer was designed as a unified work of art
or high craft. Since Chaucer lived in the Middle Ages, Morris decided
to design a new type based on medieval script and to imitate the format
of a medieval manuscript. This involved elaborate letters and large
initials at the beginnings of verses, as well as wide borders of intertwined
vines with leaves, fruit, and flowers in strong colors. The effect was
so unusual that the book caused great excitement and inspired other
printers to design beautiful rather than purely utilitarian books.
From James M. McCrimmon, Writing with a Purpose, 7th ed. (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980), pp. 261-263.
B. How would you plan the structure of the answers to these essay
exam questions?
1. Was the X Act a continuation of earlier government policies or did
it represent a departure from prior philosophies?
2. What seems to be the source of aggression in human beings? What
can be done to lower the level of aggression in our society?
3. Choose one character from Novel X and, with specific references
to the work, show how he or she functions as an "existential hero."
4. Define briefly the systems approach to business management. Illustrate
how this differs from the traditional approach.
5. What is the cosmological argument? Does it prove that God exists?
6. Civil War historian Andy Bellum once wrote, "Blahblahblah blahed
a blahblah, but of course if blahblah blahblahblahed the blah, then
blahblahs are not blah but blahblah." To what extent and in what ways
is the statement true? How is it false?
|
