440 McGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Focus on the Key Terms in the Question
Answer the Question
Below are some examples of SAT essay questions and approaches that students could take that are offthe
mark (that is, they don’t answer the question) and others that are onthe mark. Read these carefully and think
about why the second set of responses is better than the first set.
Assignment OFF the mark ON the mark
Lesson 2:Analyzethe Assignment Closely
Who is your hero and why?
Has technology mostly benefited
humankind or harmed it?
Vince Lombardi said, “Winning
isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”
Do you agree or disagree?
“Every cloud has a silver lining.”
Agree or disagree?
Discuss your belief that pro
athletes shouldn’t be heroes and
that we don’t value true heroism
anymore.
Discuss how internet companies
have made so much money on
IPOs, and explain why technology
stocks are a good investment.
Describe how important the arts
and music are to a good educa-
tion, and argue that they are more
important than sports.
Explain how “clouds” represent
difficult times. Show how some
people, for instance the poor, have
more “clouds” than do other
people, and this isn’t fair.Pick a person you admire; define
what a hero is to you and show
how he or she exemplifies heroic
qualities.
Discuss the cost vs. benefits of
technology through many eras
with three examples.Describe an experience with an
out-of-control father at a soccer
match to show how focusing on
winning alone harms kids.
Describe a difficult situation in
your life that made you stronger
for having endured it.Always take a minute to read the assignment question very carefully. Focus on the questionfirst, not the
quotation. Usually this question asks you to consider the relationship between two concepts. For instance,
the assignment in Lesson 1 asks you to consider the “value” of “losing.” Circle these words in the ques-
tion, and begin by definingthem: What islosing,really, and what does it mean for an experience to have
value? This focus helps you to establish your point of view. Does losing only apply to contests? Can you
win a game but lose in a bigger sense? Is the thrill of victory the only value in winning, or are there more
important values associated with competition?One of the most common mistakes that students make on the SAT essay is simply not focusing on the
question. Rather than taking a stance that answers the question, they talk about how silly or difficult tak-
ing a stance is. Don’t do it! Your job is to take a stance. If you’re asked, “Can a loss ever be more valuable
than a victory?” don’tspend all your time talking about how hard it is sometimes to achieve victory. That
would miss the point. Your job is to discuss lossand whether or not it can be valuable.