Tài liệu Write better essays in just 20 minutes a day part 16 docx

Persuasive In a persuasive,or argument, essay, you choose one idea and show why it is more legitimate or worthy than another. Your purpose is not to merely show your side, but to convince your reader why your side is best. In order to convince effectively, you must base your argument on reasoning and logic. The most important strategy for the persuasive essay is to choose the side that has the best, or most, evidence. If you believe in that side, your argu- ment will most likely be even stronger (although you don’t have to believe in it to write a good essay). An important component of a persuasive essay is the inclusion of other sides or points of view. In fact, the scoring rubric for the ACT essay notes specifically that readers will be looking for counterarguments. Counter- arguments are presented in order to be refuted or weakened, thereby strengthening the case for your side. How- ever, it is important to use reasoning and understanding to refute them. If you don’t sound fair, or simply present emotional reasons why your side is best, you have weakened your argument. You must show that your idea is most legitimate in part because other ideas are weak or incorrect. Key verbs that will help you identify a call to write a persuasive essay include: ■ Criticize: express your judgment about the strengths and weaknesses of your topic, and draw conclusions ■ Evaluate: assess the topic based on its strengths and weaknesses, drawing conclusions ■ Justify: defend or uphold your position on the topic, using convincing evidence ■ Prove: confirm or verify that something is real or true using evidence, examples, and sound reasoning 147 The scorers of every type of timed essay agree on one significant point: You must support your essay with details, examples, and evidence. Not only will they strengthen your argument, but they will make your writing come alive. Common advice for essay exam takers is to include at least one sentence in each paragraph that begins with the words For example. Compare these sentences: High school seniors should be allowed open campuses, on which they can arrive in time for their first class, leave during free periods, and come back to school for their other classes. There is no reason to treat high school sen- iors like children by making them stay in school all day when they don’t have classes to attend all day. Seniors can handle the extra responsibility. High school seniors should be allowed open campuses, on which they can arrive in time for their first class, leave during free periods, and come back to school for their other classes. Seniors are given freedom and responsi- bility in many other areas of their lives; for example, the ability to drive a car. Seniors are also permitted to vote, and to prepare for their futures through the college admissions process or vocational training. The first example uses generalizations and unsubstantiated claims (“no reason to treat [them] . . . ,” “can handle the extra responsibility”), which weaken the argument. The second uses evidence, such as the responsibility of driving and voting, to make the case for open campuses. Remember to back up what you say with evidence, details, and other types of examples. The Best Way to Achieve a High Score Set a schedule that allows for each step in the writing process: ■ Spend the first ᎏ 1 4 ᎏ of your time planning your essay. ■ Spend ᎏ 1 2 ᎏ of your time drafting your essay. ■ Spend the last ᎏ 1 4 ᎏ of your time editing and proofreading your essay. Time Management  Understanding Your Prompt This advice might seem obvious, but it aims to correct one of the most common mistakes made on essay exams: Spend time understanding the type of prompt you’ll encounter. Remember that your score depends in large part on how well you address that prompt (both the ACT and SAT essay directions note that an essay written off topic will be scored 0; a GED essay that fails to adequately address the prompt also gets the lowest score—a 1). Prepa- ration materials, both in print and on the Internet, are available for every essay exam, so it’s easy to familiarize yourself with them. Many students fail to address the prompt because they didn’t understand what it was asking them to write about. The best way to determine whether you understand it is to put the prompt in your own words, and then compare yours with the original. Are they nearly the same in meaning? If you have trouble with this exercise, try circling the verbs (key words) in the original prompt. These are the same key words you will look for during the exam. When you understand the key words, you can more easily write the type of essay required by the prompt.  Budgeting Your Time As you prepare to take your exam, familiarize yourself with its timing. Whether you have 25 minutes or an hour, you should complete three distinct tasks: planning, writing, and revising. The writing stage will take the longest, and, for essays that don’t hold grammatical and spelling mistakes against you, the revising stage will be the short- est. But every essay should include all three. Planning Section 1 covered prewriting. Review in particular Lessons 3 and 4, and decide, based on a few practice essays, which brainstorming technique works best for you in a timed situation. Knowing exactly what you will do when you begin the exam will not only help you save time, but will also take some of the pressure off, too. Some exit exams (such as Indiana’s Graduation Qualifying Exam) judge your prewriting notes, outlines, and other graphic organizers, making it even more important to choose a strategy that you know you do well ahead of time. Even if you are tak- ing the SAT, and have just 25 minutes for your essay, spend the first 3–5 planning. Your planning time, no matter which prewriting strategy you use, should involve the formation of a thesis state- ment and three or four main points. Any supporting evidence for, or examples of, those points should be included. Once you begin planning, don’t be tempted to switch topics, which will waste valuable writing time. Allow a few min- utes to think through the topic. You may cross off main points that don’t work, or add a new one or two as you go. –PREPARING FOR AN ESSAY EXAM– 148  Practice Set a timer for five minutes. Draft a thesis statement and create an outline for the following sample SAT essay prompt: Some people say there are no more heroes, but I see plenty of heroic people all around me. One person I consider a hero is . Fill in the blank in the sentence. Write an essay in which you explain your answer.  In Short The time you spend planning for and preparing to take an essay exam can mean the difference between a great score and a poor one. Do your homework by researching your exam: Understand how it’s scored, what type of prompt(s) you’ll encounter, what the directions say, and even how much space you’ll be given to write in. Learn how to respond quickly to a prompt by practicing: Come up with a thesis statement and outline in just five min- utes or less. –PREPARING FOR AN ESSAY EXAM– 149 Gather a couple of sample prompts online or from other books about your exam (see the Additional Resources section for a list of books and online resources). Set the timer for five minutes and practice writing thesis statements and outlines. The more you practice, the easier it will be to plan your essay on exam day. Skill Building until Next Time . essay that fails to adequately address the prompt also gets the lowest score a 1). Prepa- ration materials, both in print and on the Internet, are available. writing, and revising. The writing stage will take the longest, and, for essays that don’t hold grammatical and spelling mistakes against you, the revising stage