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WRITING ESSAY EXAMS
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A. When you write an essay exam, which is like writing any
other kind of expository essay, you need to follow a few
basic rules of good writing:
1. Present a well organized answer.
A survey of faculty members indicates that the majority
of those who grade essay exams consider coherent
organization to be the most important characteristic of
a well-written exam (in addition, of course, to evidence
that the writer knows the material). To write a clearly
organized and logically developed answer, you will have
to spend a few minutes planning your essay before you
begin to write. After you are done planning and have a
scrap-paper outline to serve as a guide, 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, indicates 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. Some words you
can use in your conclusion follow:
for these reasons in conclusion
to sum up therefore
consequently
2. Answer the whole question.
Many essay questions have several parts, and answering
only the first part will get you only partial credit.
However, once you've answered all the parts of the
question, stop writing! You need to be as concise as
possible because the people who grade your essay value
brevity. They are also fairly good at detecting
"padding," "shooting the breeze," "slinging the old
B.S.," etc. 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.
3. Offer adequate support.
Do not just assert something is true, prove it! What
facts, figures, examples, tests, etc. prove your point?
You may be intelligent, trustworthy, loveable, etc., but
no one is going to believe all your statements just
because you say they are true. In many cases, the
difference between an A and a B as a grade is due to the
effective use of supporting evidence.
4. Follow the conventions of grammar.
People who do not use these conventions or rules of
language may be thought of by their readers as less
competent or less educated. If you need help with these
or other writing skills, come to the Writing Center!
B. Some pitfalls to avoid:
1. Some instructors have a preferred way of presenting
information, or the content of the course may dictate
certain kinds of responses. Thus you may find yourself
repeating the same method of organization when answering
several questions, but do not be lulled into thinking
this is all that is asked of you. The next question may
challenge you to respond somewhat differently. For
example, after several short-answer questions asking you
to list some items of information, you may find that the
next question asks you to interpret the facts, not
merely list them.
2. During the first few minutes of an exam, other students
may begin writing furiously. This might cause you to
panic and to think that you should be doing the same.
Don't! The people who plunge in and begin writing often
do not read through the questions thoroughly and have
not planned their answers.
3. Be sure that you answer ALL parts of a question which
may proceed from point to point, such as the following:
Example: Discuss at length the X army. Why was it
organized, and how did the reason for its
organization affect the kind of institution it
became? Who served in this army? How was it
trained? Was it ever used?
Seemingly unrelated questions within a larger question
may actually be the instructor's attempt to lead you
through a discussion of a unified point. Consider this
question, for example:
What was President B's background prior to his
entry into American political life? Why was he
possibly the most significant figure in American
politics between President A and President M? Do
you feel that he was a good president or a poor
one? Explain.
4. Read the question carefully to be sure that you've
determined not only what is being asked but also how you
are being asked to prove your answer.
Example: X wrote, ". . ." Using material from both the
lectures and the readings, analyze X's
statement. To what extent and in what ways is
it true? How is it false?
5. Some exam questions ask for objective reporting of the
facts or objective observation, not opinions or
interpretation. In these cases, phrases such as "I
think," or "it seems to me," or "I thought this was a
pretty good example," are irrelevant or wrong kinds of
responses. Other questions, however, ask for your
interpretation, not just your ability to recall facts.
Given all the facts, what do you think about this issue
or idea? How and why do you interpret the facts this
way?
C. Some organizational patterns:
Analysis involves breaking something down into the elements
of which it is composed, discovering the parts that make up
the whole.
X
1 2 3 4
Example: What factors influence "X" type of company in
deciding where to locate in a metropolitan
area?
Useful transition words: first, second, third, etc.
next another in addition
moreover
Cause and Effect involves tracing probable or known effects
of a certain cause or examining one or more effects and
figuring out the reasonable or known cause(s).
Examples: How can story/music sessions help a young
child to develop a sense of trust?
What were the weaknesses of X government, and
why was it unable to reform itself?
Useful transition words: because consequently
therefore for this reason
as a result
Comparison involves examining two similar but not identical
things for the purpose of discovering in detail their
likenesses and differences.
Two possible organizational patterns:
1. Opposing pattern
I. Subject A (education in high school)
subpoint 1 (teachers)
subpoint 2 (classes)
subpoint 3 (activities)
II. Subject B (education in college)
subpoint 1 (teachers)
subpoint 2 (classes)
subpoint 3 (activities)
Conclusion: tie A and B together
2. Alternating pattern
I. Point 1. (teachers)
subject A (high school)
subject B (college)
II. Point 2. (classes)
subject A (high school)
subject B (college)
III. Point 3. (activities)
subject A (high school)
subject B (college)
Examples: Provide three major advantages of an open
question; provide three major disadvantages of
an open question. How do the advantages and
disadvantages of closed questions relate to
the advantages and disadvantages of open
questions?
Compare and contrast the reforms of the A Era
and the B Period--their origins, aims,
success, and failures. Was the B Period an
extension of the A Era or something entirely
different?
Useful transition words: on the other hand similarly
unlike A, B. . .
While A is . . ., B is . . .
While both A and B are... , only B..
but conversely despite
however nevertheless though
on the contrary in the same way
Definition usually proceeds through three steps: 1) stating
the term to be defined, 2) stating the class of objects or
concepts to which the term belongs, and 3) differentiating the
term from the rest of the class by stating the characteristics
which distinguish what the term defines from all others in that
class. To define an object or term thoroughly you can use some
of the following:
--details which describe the term
--examples and incidents
--comparisons to familiar terms
--negation to state what the term is not
--classification (i.e., to indicate classes which compose
the term)
--analysis (i.e., to break it down into parts)
--examination of origins or causes
--examination of results, effects, or uses
Examples: Define the following terms:
directive interview vs. nondirective interview
informal communication vs. formal communication
What is the cosmological argument? Does it prove
that God exists? Why or why not?
Process (sometimes called Process or Causal Analysis) involves
giving directions or telling the reader how to do something.
Your organizational pattern is fairly straightforward. Go step
by step, giving the reader reasons for each step and defining
terms if you need to. The sequencing may be chronological or
ordered by the material.
A
B
C
D
Examples: With the heavy snows of the last two winters, you
are considering the purchase of a snowmobile.
Your spouse says it's too expensive. Explain how
you should estimate the cost per hour of
snowmobile use.
Useful transition words: first second third, etc.
next then following this
after afterwards after this
subsequently simultaneously concurrently
finally
Thesis and Support involves stating a clearly worded main point
and defending it with all the data, examples, statements of
authorities, tables, logical reasons, graphs, etc. that support
your main argument. State your thesis in your introduction,
support it in the body of your essay, and sum up in your
conclusion.
Examples: Why should the government intervene during a gas
shortage?
"It is almost always a good strategy to imitate
your competitors." Do you agree or disagree?
Discuss, illustrating your argument with examples
from the cases studied.
The price of coal has recently risen steeply.
Who will benefit most from the price rise, the
mining companies or the owners of the land on
which mining takes place? Why? What assumptions
do you have to make in order to get your answer?
Useful transition words: therefore for this reason
it follows that as a result
because furthermore
moreover
______________________________________
WHILE THE TYPES OF ORGANIZATION PRESENTED HERE ARE FAIRLY DISTINCT
FROM EACH OTHER, YOU WILL FIND MANY ESSAY EXAM QUESTIONS WHICH WILL
MIX TOGETHER SEVERAL OF THESE PATTERNS OF THINKING.
Examples: Outline briefly the systems approach to business
management. Illustrated how this differs from
the traditional approach.
Explain why it is more difficult for those
bringing about change to succeed in the political
process than those supporting the current
existing values.
What kinds of audiences and issues is rhetoric
good for, and what kind of person makes or should
make good speaker, according to Aristotle?
Compare with Plato.
D. EXERCISES
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. Suppose you are a consumer of bus services in Topeka.
What criteria would you recommend that the appropriate
regulatory commission use in setting bus fares?
3. There is near consensus in Washington that our economy
needs to be stimulated. What evidence would you present to
support this view? What can be done and by whom to
stimulate the economy? Explain briefly how each tool would
be used and how it works.
4. Should the organization structure of X Company be changed?
If so, tell
1) how it should be changed
2) what existing problems will be solved by the
change you recommend, and what problems will be
encountered under the new structure.
If not, describe the best available alternative structure
and tell why the present structure is better.
Select one of the two options above.
5. What seem to be the sources of aggression in human beings?
What can be done to lower the level of aggression in our
society?
6. If England and France had gone to war during X period,
which type of explanation would you find most plausible,
one focusing on human nature, one focusing on the nature of
the societies involved, or one focusing on the
international environment?
7. 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' 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., pp. 261-263.