Practice Exam 1 ❮ 203- The writer properly integrates transitions.
- Varied sentence structure is evident in the analysis.
- The development is organized into an orderly presentation.
- The essay presents a clear thesis in the next-to-last paragraph: “Money is what drives
us to work extra hours, but what will that money buy us? Not happiness, but simply
objects—objects that may bring us happiness for a day or so, but will never satisfy us in
the long run.” - The analysis of the writer’s sources is brief, leaving the reader looking for more
development.
Sample Student Essays
Rubrics for Seattle Passage
High-Range Essay- Clearly identifies Seattle’s purpose and attitude
- Successfully and effectively analyzes the rhetorical strategies used to accomplish the
author’s purpose - Effectively cites specifics from the text to illustrate rhetorical devices and their meanings
and effects on the oration - Indicates a facility with organization
- Effectively manipulates language
- Few, if any, syntactical errors
Mid-Range Essay- Correctly identifies Seattle’s purpose and attitude
- Understands the demands of the prompt
- Cites specific examples of rhetorical devices found in the text and effects on the oration
- Ideas clearly stated
- Less well-developed than the high-range essays
- A few lapses in diction or syntax
Low-Range Essay- Inadequate response to the prompt
- Misunderstands, oversimplifies, or misrepresents Seattle’s purpose and attitude
- Insufficient or inappropriate use of examples to develop the demands of the prompt
- Lack of mature control of elements of essay writing
Students apparently found the question quite accessible. Most recognized the figurative
language used in the passage and were able to incorporate examples into their essays. They
were able to recognize the purpose and emotional appeal of Seattle’s oration. The more
perceptive writers recognized the subtleties of Seattle’s manipulation of the situation—his
implied sarcasm and his subtle threatening predictions.
KEY IDEA