Writing the essay question

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Academic Skills Centre (2009) www.trentu.ca/academicskills does not mean pad your answer with irrelevant bumph; you will not gain by seeming confused, and perhaps will lose credit for what you are sure of. Markers are desperate for evidence of substance, passion, imagination, and engagement with the subject, and will reward it. They want to see your thinking, not just a recitation of facts. Essential to the production of gratitude in the examiner is that you write in a style and tone appropriately respectful of the subject matter. Wit is welcome; flippancy flops. Do not dismiss the professor’s favourite political leader as an iguana-head. Balance Argument and Examples. Frequently, students lose marks on essay exams, not because they are unfamiliar with the course material, but because they do not present their knowledge effectively. Professors prepare examination questions with certain expectations in mind; they know in advance what arguments and details need to be discussed in order for a response to be considered satisfactory, and they grade according to these expectations. Hence a student may respond accurately to the question posed, but if the expected arguments and details are lacking, the paper will probably receive a low grade. Say an exam question reads, “Discuss the effects of American cultural influence on the Canadian arts scene.” A student response outlines, in general terms, the social, political and economic effects of American culture, but fails to provide concrete examples of any of these. The response earns a C because the professor cannot judge whether the student understands the material, and has simply neglected to provide examples of the effects, or whether the student never understood the issue fully, and could not provide examples. Another response to the same question might not discuss economic issues, but because the comments on social and political effects are well-detailed, the professor can better assess the student’s knowledge, and the answer earns a B. Respect the Art of Presentation. There is an art to making the best of your knowledge on the exam; the B student practised the art, and the C student did not. Yet it is entirely possible that the latter’s grasp of the material was superior to the former’s. Though the unfairness inherent in this unfortunate situation frustrates professors immensely, they can only give you marks for what you do, not for what they imagine you capable of doing. The well-prepared student understands what markers look for in an exam, and has learned how to fashion a response that provides it. Begin, always, by answering the question. That is, in the first paragraph of your answer, include one sentence that indicates the line of reasoning in the rest of your response. For example, in answer to the question above, you might write, “American cultural influence on the Canadian arts extends to many areas, and in general has had a negative influence on Canadian cultural growth.” Even if you write little else, this statement at least would provide your professor with an indication that you had considered the question. Think of the one sentence as a thesis statement, but do not labour over it the way you might for a formal essay. Simply respond to the question directly, and get on with your answer. The thesis will give your paper clarity and integrate the different points From Making your Mark: Learning to Well on Exams. Catherine Taylor, Heather Avery and Lucille Strath: ASC, Trent U. (1994).
Academic Skills Centre (2009) www.trentu.ca/academicskills you make into a single point of view, the result being that your argument is easier to see, and the easier it is to see, the easier it is to festoon with checkmarks. Your thesis need not be passionate or controversial. If you are asked something like, “Identify the parts of the bull- frog,” you would be thought eccentric if you took a stand on what you think those parts are: “Bull-frog parts comprise the head, the body, the little front arms and the great hind legs for jumping, by Jove, whatever the enemies of truth might preach.” But you still need a thesis, in the sense of an organizational principle from which to develop your answer. In this case, the thesis statement might be, “The parts of the bull-frog may be divided by their three different functions: leaping, croaking, and breeding, each of which involves several parts.” It ain’t poetry, but it does answer the question directly and indicate the way in which you intend to organize your answer. If you do not have an immediate stance to take in response to the question, jot down the points that come to mind on the subject and then ask yourself, “What overall position do my ideas point towards?” For example, you must answer the question, “Evaluate the success of the CCF,” and you do not have a deeply felt opinion on the subject. List the pros and cons, since you are being asked to assess something. PROS - social programs: U.I.C., Medicare, Pensions, Occupational Health & Safety - civil rights - mass membership - popular leaders - support of trade unions & extra parliamentary groups - prairie strength, Western Prov's CONS regionalism never formed a national government few large donors ambitious goals (costly) lack of support from Central & Eastern Prov's. Okay. so the CCF was successful in some terms, not in others. Compose a thesis statement that reflects what information you are capable of presenting on the subject, even though it seems to be a bit of a hodge-podge: social programs, civil rights, electoral record, party history. Here’s one: The CCF did not achieve the original ambitious goals on which it was founded, and never formed a federal government, but it was successful in entrenching most of its social service and civil rights policies into Canadian government. The cleverly-worded thesis will constellate disparate elements into one integrated point of view, and thus give the Grateful Examiner a way of reading your answer as the logical development of a sensible thesis, not the grab-bag of isolated points that it might have seemed otherwise. Be as specific as possible. Most exam essay questions will address general course themes, issues that anyone who attended the lectures would be familiar with. To excel on an exam, therefore, you must establish that you are not merely acquainted with these From Making your Mark: Learning to Well on Exams. Catherine Taylor, Heather Avery and Lucille Strath: ASC, Trent U. (1994).
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