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12 Practice <strong>Tests</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>SAT</strong><br />

554 Practice Test Six Answers and Explanations<br />

4 Score Essay<br />

I think it is possible to fail if you do not take your failure<br />

and learn something from it. This way <strong>the</strong>re is something<br />

touchable you can show from your "failure," and so you<br />

have not really failed because you have something to show.<br />

For example, if you failed English <strong>the</strong>n, yes, that is a failure.<br />

But if you <strong>the</strong>n go to Summer School and take English<br />

again, learn alot, and get a good grade, you haven't really<br />

failed, you just took a little longer to get <strong>the</strong>re than most<br />

people.<br />

If, however, you fail English and you decide "I just can't do<br />

this" and decide to drop out ra<strong>the</strong>r than even trying to fix<br />

your original failure <strong>the</strong>n, yes, you failed. You failed because<br />

you didn't use that set back to better yourself, you just gave<br />

up.<br />

Ano<strong>the</strong>r example is on <strong>the</strong> television show "American Idol,"<br />

where, even though <strong>the</strong>re is only one winner at <strong>the</strong> end,<br />

a lot of <strong>the</strong> people who didn't win (i.e. failed) have turned<br />

that failure into success. Even William Hung, who was a<br />

terrible singer on <strong>the</strong> show, now has a commercial on <strong>for</strong><br />

"Ask Jeeves." So this guy's failure at one thing resulted in<br />

success at ano<strong>the</strong>r. No one would consider him a failure.<br />

His name is known all over <strong>the</strong> country.<br />

Ano<strong>the</strong>r example of a person turning around a failure is my<br />

bro<strong>the</strong>r Christopher, who takes Tai Kwon Do. He has taken<br />

it ever since he was five, and he has always passed every<br />

color belt <strong>the</strong> first time he took it. Then, two years ago, he<br />

dislocated his shoulder. He wasn't supposed to do his belt<br />

testing, but he did it anyway, and he didn't make it because<br />

his body hurt too much. He was upset that all of <strong>the</strong> kids<br />

who had been in his class since <strong>the</strong> beginning moved up a<br />

belt, but he stayed <strong>the</strong> same. For a while, he even quite Tai<br />

Kwon Do. But he missed it too much so he went back. He's<br />

in a class with new kids and he got his red belt ultimately.<br />

So you can't really call that a failure ei<strong>the</strong>r. He just took<br />

more time <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs.<br />

4 Score Critique<br />

All essays are evaluated on four basic criteria: Topic,<br />

Support, Organization, and Language. With better time<br />

management to allow <strong>for</strong> more development of examples,<br />

a less abrupt ending, and some proofreading, this essay<br />

might have received a 5 or even a 6.<br />

This writer clearly understands <strong>the</strong> prompt and takes a<br />

position on <strong>the</strong> question presented in <strong>the</strong> first paragraph.<br />

He even presents three examples relevant to <strong>the</strong> prompt.<br />

However, none of his examples is sufficiently well<br />

developed. The organization of <strong>the</strong> essay is adequate,<br />

indicating that <strong>the</strong> writer took some time to plan be<strong>for</strong>e<br />

beginning to produce his writing. There is also some<br />

use of fluid transitions between ideas, but <strong>the</strong>y are basic<br />

and repetitive (For example, Ano<strong>the</strong>r example, Ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />

example). The essay also ends too abruptly; it seems that<br />

<strong>the</strong> writer ran out of time be<strong>for</strong>e he could <strong>for</strong>mulate a<br />

concluding paragraph.<br />

There are a number of sentence fragments and run-on<br />

sentences, some spelling errors (alot <strong>for</strong> a Jot, quite <strong>for</strong><br />

quit), and some slang (guy's, kids). This writer needs<br />

to save time to proofread his work. Fixing basic spelling,<br />

grammar, and sentence structure errors is an easy way to<br />

bump your essay score up at least one point.<br />

2 Score Essay<br />

Susan B. Anthony said that "Failure is impossible" and<br />

I agree with it, very much so. Because you might fail at<br />

something, like getting a good <strong>SAT</strong> score, but you can take<br />

it again if that happens and study harder this time. The only<br />

real failure is stopping be<strong>for</strong>e you have accomplished what<br />

it is you set out to do.<br />

This is exactly what happened to me when I tried out <strong>for</strong><br />

cheerleading first semester my freshman year and I didn't<br />

make it. I was really really disappointed that I failed to make<br />

<strong>the</strong> squad, but I decided to improve my skills so I could<br />

show <strong>the</strong>m I could do it. So I took gymnastics and went to<br />

a cheerleading camp over <strong>the</strong> summer. Sophomore year,<br />

I tried out again and this time I made it. Two of my best<br />

friends who tried out with me freshman year and also didn't<br />

make it didn't try out again. But to me, it's not like <strong>the</strong>y<br />

failed. To me, <strong>the</strong>y quit, not failed.

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