PROMPTS, IN GENERAL
An essay prompt does several things:
1. Asks you to carefully read a specific text.
2. Gives you a content task to accomplish (see examples later in this chapter).
3. Gives you a hint about the main theme of a passage or poem or openly states a theme for the open-
ended question (question #3).
4. May, or may not, give you a brief list of literary elements to consider in your argument.
5. Directly tells you to write a well-organized essay.
For example, let’s analyze the prose prompt from the 1994 released exam:
Prompt Analysis
“Read the following passage carefully. Then write an
essay showing how the author dramatizes the young
heroine’s adventure. Consider such literary elements as
diction, imagery, narrative pace, and point of view.”
Content task: “[show] how the author
dramatizes the young heroine’s adventure.
Lit elements to consider are given:
diction, imagery, narrative pace, and
point of view.
Notes:
As you read the passage, you need to
understand the heroine’s adventure. What
is it? Why is it an adventure? How is it
dramatic, or dramatized?
The writers of this prompt suggest that
you also consider the author’s choice of
words, imagery, narrative pace, and point
of view.
These are more than suggestions—they
are strong hints. Don’t ignore them!
In fact, this text includes an interesting
shift in point of view that would be a
mistake to ignore. You will need to
determine the effect of that shift.
Also, it’s not enough to pick out strong
images or great word choices. You must
show how these elements help the author
dramatize the young heroine’s adventure.
