[CliffsTestPrep] American BookWorks Corporation - CliffsTestPrep PCAT_ 5 Practice Tests (2006, Cliffs Notes)

Part I: Introduction
If your interest is in the information that a source conveys rather than in the author’s expression, consider paraphrasing
(putting the information in your own words) rather than quoting, particularly if the relevant passage is long and includes
material you do not need. The question to ask is, “Why am I choosing to include this quotation?” If you have a good
reason—an author’s language or tone, for example, or a particularly apt expression—go ahead. But often you are after
only the information or part of the information.
The Writing Assignment
After finding and generating ideas for the content of your writing, formulate a preliminary or working thesis for the
piece. The material you have found will provide the support for your thesis.
All assignments are not identical, and you can use different strategies as you approach each writing task. The main purpose
of your project may be research, argument, analysis, or narrative. In each of these areas, you can learn some basic
skills that will make the work easier.
Argument or Problem-Solving Essays
If your assignment is to take a position on an issue, determine the strongest and weakest arguments. Decide what evidence
you will use to support your position on the issue. If you are asked to agree or disagree with a particular issue or
respond to a specific problem, read it more than once. When you write your paper, you should provide a brief, fair summary
of the author’s position, whether you agree with it or not. In an argumentative essay, you must support your own
viewpoint and answer the opposition.
III. Organizing and Drafting
On the actual PCAT exam, you will not have time to write a draft, but it is important to understand the basic concepts
of writing a draft and use it as your starting point for the final essay. A common misconception about writing is that the
first draft will need only small changes. If the writer is prepared and organized, there will be fewer revisions, but most
writers create multiple drafts before they are content with their writing.
Working from a Thesis Statement
One way to begin when you are ready to organize your paper is with your main idea or thesis statement. Putting yourself
in a reader’s place, imagine how you would expect to see the main idea developed. Then look at the notes you have
taken. If you used your thesis statement as a guide in gathering information, you should see a pattern.
Look at the following thesis statement:
Imposing sanctions on China would be a mistake because it would hurt the American economy, because sanctions
are notoriously unsuccessful as a way to force change, and because the United States should not interfere
in the internal policies of other countries.
This statement suggests that the paper will be divided into three main parts; it even indicates an order for those sections.
When you go through your notes, decide where each note most logically fits. For example, a note about U.S. clothing
manufacturers’ increasing use of Chinese labor would fit into the first section, and a note about the failure of sanctions
in the Middle East in the second section.
Of course, things are not always this neat. Your thesis statement might not be this precise, or the kind of essay you are
writing might not lend itself to such an easy division. But starting from the moment you look at your topic and decide on
your main idea, you should be thinking about ways to develop it. This thinking leads you to your organizing principle.
A review of some common methods of organization will help you. Remember, however, to avoid an overly rigid approach.
After you begin to write, you may realize that your plan needs to be changed. Writing itself often generates new ideas or
suggests a different direction.
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