Private Tutor Sat Writing 2013-2014 Prep Course

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Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Assignment: Should people be more proactive about resolving problems that affect their

communities or nation? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your

point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and

examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

There are many who believe that it is up to a country’s government to

solve the problems of its nation. After all, shouldn’t a governing body

deal with large-scale issues, such as the rising homeless population or

unsafe road conditions? And yet, by placing so much of our nation’s fate

in the hands of the government, we have weakened our independence

and self-sufficiency.

Read this. Got it? Now, you never need to

read it again and can ignore it on the test.

The Prompt ............................................................................................

The

Assignment

The

Directions

You have 25 minutes to read a prompt and an assignment, brainstorm ideas, and then write an essay that
consists of a well-supported and reasoned point of view. That’s quite a lot to accomplish in 25 minutes. So
let’s make sure you have all the tools necessary to use that 25 minutes wisely.

Remember: The Essay is always Section 1, so have your mind and pencils sharpened and ready to go.

Essay Essentials:

• You must use a #2 pencil (no pen).


• Use the two lined answer sheets provided.


• Brainstorm on your test booklet.


• Make sure you write on-topic. Otherwise you’ll get a big fat zero.


• Don’t plagiarize.

Note: I just saved you 2 minutes. When you open your test booklet, immediately go to
the box in the middle of the page. No need to read ANY of the directions above it.

The Box ..................................................................................................

Let’s analyze a sample box:

Chapter 7

The Essay