Fall 2015

ENG. 101 FINAL EXAM

Format of the exam•You will have one class period to plan and write your essay.•Each hour will receive three prompts.•You will write a response to only one of the prompts.•Your essay should: Explain the meaning of the passage• Take some time in your introduction to consider the author’s meaning

Discuss its implications• What broader application can you make? How could the passage be used

to describe or explain life experiences?Elaborate on its ideas• Give specific and detailed examples to back up your assertions.

Sample prompts“From a civil liberties perspective, I prefer a system that takes a little bit of freedom from all to one that takes a great deal of freedom and dignity of the few—especially since those few are usually from a racially or ethnically disfavored group.” (Alan Dershowitz)

“It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self-conscious people in the world, and the most addicted to the belief that the other nations are in a conspiracy to under-value them.” (Henry James)

“The march of science and technology does not imply growing intellectual complexity in the lives of most people. It often means the opposite.”(Thomas Sowell)

“History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.”(Napoleon Bonaparte)

Your essay will be graded on:•Clarity of expression (organization, grammar, diction, sentence structure, and punctuation).•Quality of your ideas (including logic, creativity, thoughtfulness, originality).•Development of your ideas (including use of examples, supportive details, definitions, anecdotes, causes, effects, comparison, contrasts).•Writing style (voice, sentence variety, vocabulary).

•Be sure to keep your essay focused on the main point(s) you are making about the quote! Do not allow yourself to go off on a tangent (rambling is bad).•You may agree or disagree with the author of the passage, but make your position clear.• Ideally, you should incorporate the quote into your introduction rather than just writing it at the top of the page.

Organization is vital!•Your essay should have an interesting introduction…be sure to include a solid thesis statement, and make sure that your essay addresses all elements of the thesis.•You should have at least three well-developed body paragraphs. Quality is more important than quantity, but a 5-paragraph essay is expected.•Your conclusion should review the main points you made in your essay and end with a final, insightful, statement.

Planning your essay1. Think about what the prompt says. Rewrite it in your

own words.2. Think about specific words and phrases within the

prompt that help support its meaning.3. Brainstorm support. Try to include examples from

literature, personal experience or observation, current events, and/or history that help support your thesis.

4. Map your essay before you begin writing. Make sure you know the order in which you will explain your examples.

5. Think about how you can transition from paragraph to paragraph in a natural way.

Writing your introduction1. Spend some time on your intro…it’s IMPORTANT. As a

grader, I find that a good or bad introduction sets the tone for rest of the essay, especially when I’m trying to read a lot of essays quickly.

2. Work the prompt in as smoothly as possible…and PUT IT IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.

3. Begin with a hook, just as you normally would. Remember, you can start with a story (true or made up), a rhetorical question(or a series of them), a shocking or startling quote, or a misdirection (purposefully misleading the reader momentarily).

4. You need a thesis statement, just as you would for any essay. You can preview the main points you’ll make in your essay here.

Wrap it all up!Do the “usual” things you do in a conclusion…restate your thesis in a new way and briefly touch on your main points; however, also try to go above and beyond by including:• A “circular” reference to your intro…return to the technique or example that you used in your hook, and present it again in light of what you have explained.• Refer once again to the most important part of the prompt, without repeating the whole thing.• End with a final, important, concluding thought or quotation…one that leaves the audience thinking.

Before handing in…• Ask yourself:• Is the introduction appropriate? Is there enough background

information to explain the direction you’re heading?• Have you identified the quote and the author?• Is the thesis clear and specific?• Does each body paragraph have a clear topic sentence?• Does each paragraph contain enough specifics to be convincing?

Are they relevant?• Are there transitions within and between paragraphs?• Can the development of the thesis be followed from paragraph to

paragraph?• Is there a separate concluding paragraph, and does it do more than

just repeat what you’ve already said?• Recheck your grammar, mechanics, and punctuation. Eliminate the

second person pronoun (you). Check for comma splices, fragments, and run-ons.

Grading Scale

• 5 A+ 100• 4.5 A 96-99• 4 A- 90-95• 3.5 B+ 86-89• 3 B 80-85• 2.5 C+ 76-79• 2 C- 70-75• 1.5 D 65• 1 F <60