460 McGRAW-HILL’S SAT
What a Good Conclusion Does Stronger:
Bullies are often people who don’t like them-
selves. Those who have to pick on the weak
can’t really feel good about themselves.Lesson 12: Finish with a Bang
Your conclusion should do one of the following:- Make a broader connection to your thesis.
Discuss an implication of your thesis by con-
necting it to your own life, society at large, a
particular problem, the future, etc. - Offer a solution.If your essay describes a
problem, offer some ideas of how to fix it. - Refine or clarify your thesis.Address objec-
tions to your point of view, or clarify impor-
tant points.
A conclusion provides closure to the essay and
should leave the reader with something to think
about. A conclusion should not be just a “recap”
of your essay. Don’t merely restate your thesis
in different words. A good conclusion must pre-
sent a newidea. Read good essays in magazines
like the New Yorkerand the Atlantic Monthly,
and in the New York TimesOp-Ed page, and you
will see that good writers never say “In conclu-
sion,.. .” or “As I have proven in this essay,.. .”
So you shouldn’t say that, either.Many writers are distractingly self-conscious.
They say things like It is my opinion that drugs
are dangerousinstead of Drugs are dangerous.
All competent readers know that your essay pre-
sents your opinion. You don’t need to tell them
that you’re giving your opinion; just give it.Similarly, don’t tell your readers that you are
concluding your essay. Just conclude. Don’t
sayIn conclusion,.. .orAs my examples
clearly prove....Don’t Just Summarize
Don’t Tell Us What You’re Doing—
Just Do It
Weak and self-conscious:
I believe that bullies are often people who
don’t like themselves. It’s just my opinion, of
course, but those who have to pick on the
weak can’t really feel good about themselves,
as I can demonstrate with a few examples.Example:As I said in the beginning, every cloud has a silver
lining, and this has been shown in this essay with
the examples of some wars and individual diseases.
Both of these are bad things overall which some-
times can have good things come out of them. This
shows that....This conclusion seems to be saying: “Well, I guess it’s
time for the conclusion. In case you weren’t paying
attention, here’s what I just finished saying.” This is
not what a conclusion should do; it should present
new and interesting thoughts connected to the the-
sis. This conclusion merely repeats the thesis and
doesn’t give the readers anything new to think about.
In fact, it insults the readers by assuming that they
can’t remember what they just read. Compare it to
this revision:Of course, wars are among the most tragic of all
human events. If wars can have beneficial out-
comes, then surely we can see the good in lesser
tragedies. Perhaps if we could take such a positive
perspective on our everyday problems, we would
live happier lives.This conclusion is more effective because it extends
the thesis to a wider sphere, offers a suggestion, and
leaves the readers thinking without insulting them.