12.Practice.Tests.for.the.SAT_2015-2016_1128p

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
. .
Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations
1065
I
Answers and
Explanations
SECTION l
6 Score Essay
Seeking both sides of the story is the foundation of our legal
system. It takes both prosecution and defense to discover
the truth in a courtroom. I volunteer as a prosecuting attorney
for the mock court in my town. The mock court is part of the
family court and we try juvenile cases with the help of local
attorneys. In my work with the mock court I have discovered
how important it is to get both sides of the story.
This fall I worked on a case prosecuting ·ack" who
had been arrested for spray painting the wall of a local
elementary school. The evidence in the case seemed
overwhelming. The police caught Jack with a can of spray
paint at the school; the paint was on his shoes; and he
had already done community service for damaging a
park bench. I felt very confident of my case going into the
courtroom, and I became even more convinced of Jack's
guilt when saw how he acted in the court. He seemed
hostile and uncooperative.
However, the defense made a case that Jack had not done
the actual spray painting. The defense attorney asserted that
Jack had been at the school with some older boys who ran
when the police arrived, leaving Jack and the empty can of
paint. According to Jack's testimony, he had not run with the
others because he knew that if he was caught leaving the
scene he would be in even more trouble, especially as he
already had a record with the police. I was very surprised
when the defense was able to produce two witnesses who
backed-up Jack's story. He was cleared of all charges.
This case taught me how easy it is to be prejudiced by one
set of facts. With just one side of the story, the evidence
the police gathered and my own impression of Jack, I was
completely convinced that he was guilty. Had it been up to
me I would have sentenced him without a second thought.
Hoever, through the process of the trial I heard Jack's
version of the events. With the new evidence, I was forced to
reevaluate my impression of Jack. Behavior that I had initially
interpreted as hostility, I came to see as fear and anxiety.
In our legal system, the prosecution and defense each
represent one side of the story, and it is their job to tell that
story as convincingly as they can. However, the judge or the
jury listens to both sides in order to determine the truth of
the case. The court is built around the principle of hearing
both sides of a story, but it is not the only place where
this idea applies. In journalism, personal arguments, and
any situation in which it is necessary to make a judgment,
a person who only has one set of facts can easily be led
astray by prejudice and preconceived notions. It is always
important to gather all the facts before deciding on the truth
of the matter.
6 Score Critique
All essays are evaluated on four basic criteria: Topic,
Support, Organization, and Language. This essay begins
strongly with an introduction that leads well into the writer's
single but extremely well-developed example. Providing
background, she announces her stand on the prompt
and provides her thesis for the essay. The introduction
transitions smoothly into the first body paragraph, which
describes the author's example, based on her personal
experience. This paragraph moves smoothly into the next,
which further develops and supports the author's single
example. Finally, the concluding paragraph neatly wraps up
the author's argument. This author clearly took time to plan
her essay, resulting in a coherent and consistent essay that
is well organized and offers sufficient support for her thesis.
The author's use of specific details in her narrative about
Jack's case makes the essay outstanding. In addition, the
author uses varied sentence structure and language to
express her ideas. She includes key words like however
to demonstrate how her point of view changed by having
both sides of the story. The author's attention to detail,
as evidenced by a lack of grammatical or spelling errors,
also indicates that she allowed herself sufficient time to
proofread her essay at the end.
4 Score Essay
When you want to know the truth, it is important to get
both sides of the story. This is especially true in journalism.
Every good reporter knows that you cannot rely on just one
source. I work as a reporter on my school paper and I have
learned to always get both sides of the story.