490 McGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Sample Essays: Practice Essay 4
Consider carefully the issue discussed in the following passage, then write an essay that answers the
question posed in the assignment.Communicating technology was supposed to turn the world into a “global village,”
enhancing our relationships with others and our understanding of other cultures. Yet
I fear it has rendered us more polarized and less articulate. Instant communication
allows us to proclaim what is on our minds before we’ve analyzed it, substantiated it,
or rendered it coherent, let alone eloquent.Assignment: Do modern means of communication make our society better or worse?Write
an essay in which you answer this question and explain your point of view on this
issue. Support your position logically with examples from your reading, current
events, or your experience or observation.Sample: 6 points out of 6
Communication technology has made the world a “global village,” enhancing our understanding of other cul-
tures as never before. Technology has made this possible by granting instant access to a variety of international
popular cultures. The internet has allowed people worldwide to sample music, read literature and peruse news
items from other cultures, exposing them to artistic ideas and perspectives previously too obscure to find by
chance. Before such advances in technology, cross-cultural understanding was more difficult to achieve.
As recently as the early 1990s, a college student might need to spend days in the library, or take an expen-
sive trip, to begin to understand another culture. Not everyone had access to these resources and, as such, the
gap was often too vast to bridge. Although technology has not made multi-national enlightenment universal, it
has allowed millions to take a more active role in the world around them. MP3s have played a pivotal part in
this transition from ignorance to semi-enlightenment. By exposing listeners to artists such as Ireland’s Damien
Rice, the Internet took control out of the hands of record companies, allowing consumers to decide what should
be in demand. People were given insight into a world beyond their own.
We are a global village in more than just music and pop culture. The internet has greatly enhanced our un-
derstanding of people in foreign lands—their concerns, their religious views, their political status—and we have
become more aware of how similar we are even though we may be thousands of miles apart. Without commu-
nication technology, many people have no access to the world outside of their own towns and, as such, have no
opportunity to explore other cultures by themselves.
Because of communication technology, the world is now, literally, at our fingertips. With the proper amount
of initiative and curiosity, anyone can now delve into the volumes of information available on topics previously
locked away in library towers and distant cities. While the internet does not offer the personal feel of a firsthand
encounter, it still manages to bring the world together and provide limitless amounts of information. Commu-
nication technology has enhanced the average understanding of the world as a whole, creating a less ignorant
and provincial lifestyle for millions of people worldwide.
Evaluation:This well-reasoned and traditionally organized essay supports the point of view that “communication
technology has... [enhanced] our understanding of other cultures as never before.” It discusses not only the issue
of communication but also those of research, entertainment, social development, and political awareness. It avoids
the redundancy so common to such discussions by examining the aspects and implications of its claims. The au-
thor uses vocabulary effectively and shows facility with sentence variation.