501 Writing Prompts

1 501. Writing Prompts 501. Writing Prompts . NEW YORK. Copyright 2003 LearningExpress, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: 501 Writing Prompts . 1st ed. p. cm. (LearningExpress skill builder in focus). ISBN 1-57685-438-8 (pbk.). 1. English language Rhetoric Examinations Study guides. 2. Report Writing . Examinations Study guides. I. LearningExpress (Organization) II.

2 Series. PE1408 .A15 2003. 808'.042'076 dc21. 2002151698. Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. First Edition ISBN 1-57685-438-8. For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at: 900 Broadway Suite 604. New York, NY 10003. Or visit us at: The LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team is com- prised of experts in test preparation, as well as educators and teachers who specialize in language arts and math. LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team Lara Bohlke Barbara Fine Middle School Math Teacher, English Instructor Grade 8 Secondary Reading Specialist Dodd Middle School Setauket, New York Cheshire, Connecticut Sandy Gade Elizabeth Chesla Project Editor English Instructor LearningExpress Coordinator of Technical & New York, New York Professional Communication Program Melinda Grove Polytechnic University, Brooklyn Adjunct Professor, Quinnipiac South Orange.

3 New Jersey University and Naugatuck Valley Community College Brigit Dermott Middle School Math Teacher, Freelance Writer Grade 8. English Tutor, New York Cares Dodd Middle School New York, New York Cheshire, Connecticut Darren Dunn Noah Kravitz English Teacher Educational Technology Specialist Riverhead School District Brooklyn, New York Riverhead, New York Kerry McLean Cindy Estep Project Editor Math Instructor Math Tutor South Shore Christian School, Shirley, New York Long Island, New York Linganore High School, Meg Moyer Frederick, Maryland Math Teacher, Vestal Central High Adjunct Professor.

4 School Frederick Community College, Vestal Central School District Frederick, Maryland Vestal, New York v 501 Writing Prompts William Recco Colleen Schultz Middle School Math Teacher, Middle School Math Teacher, Grade 8 Grade 8. Shoreham/Wading River School Vestal Central School District District Math Tutor Math Tutor Vestal, New York St. James, New York vi Contents Introduction ix 1 Persuasive Writing Prompts 1. Rubrics Scoring Explanations 19. Model Persuasive Essays 20. 2 Expository Writing Prompts 51.

5 Rubrics Scoring Explanations 60. Model Expository Essays 61. 3 Narrative Writing Prompts 89. Rubrics Scoring Explanations 102. Model Narrative Essays 103. 4 Literary Response Prompts 131. Rubrics Scoring Explanations 144. Model Literary Response Essays 145. vii Introduction W. elcome to 501 Writing Prompts ! This book is designed to provide you with a variety of Writing topics and model essays. Categories in this book cover many different types of Writing : persuasive, expository, narrative, and literary response.

6 At some point in your life, whether you are trying to pass an academic exam or standardized test, Writing a college placement essay, or vying for a job promotion, you will need to practice the skills used to express yourself clearly. How to Use This Book First, decide on the type of essay you will need to write. There are four types of Writing that are commonly used in a given situation. Persuasive Writing argues a point and is often called argumentation. When you write persua- sively, you are always expressing an opinion.

7 In order to convince your reader, you must be able to present sound reasons and good examples. For instance, instead of explaining the causes of the Civil War, you might be asked to persuade your reader that the Civil War was more about the eco- nomics of the southern plantation system than the social issue of slavery. Per- suasive Writing and language is often found in editorials, letters of complaint, ix 501 Writing Prompts or proposals. Expository Writing is explanatory. You select information from oral, written, or electronic text and organize it to show that you under- stand a concept.

8 Expository Writing is the type of Writing you create for term papers, essays, or letters. Most standardized tests often include an expository prompt. Narrative Writing is a type of Writing that requires you to tell a story that describes an event or relates a personal experience. A good narra- tive should have convincing characters, a plot, and a theme. You may be asked to write a narrative of personal experience on your college placement essay. If you write a literary response essay, you will have to read and ana- lyze a piece of literature and then make comments based on the literal and implied interpretations of the text.

9 If you are taking a state assessment test, you may nd yourself facing a literary response essay. Second, learn how to score your essay. For your reference, there is a scor- ing guide often called a rubric in each chapter of this book. To deter- mine your score, simply refer to the categories on the scoring guide to see how your Writing measures up. If you have dif culty guring out your score, ask someone knowledgeable, like a teacher, counselor, Writing coach, college professor, or even your boss, to help you.

10 And last, check some of the model essays provided in this book. There are sample essays available for all of the bold-faced Prompts throughout the book. The samples provide a look at a top essay, a middle-of-the road essay, and a low-scoring essay. You can use these as benchmarks to compare and contrast your Writing . Make a Commitment If you are willing to practice your Writing skills, you have already taken an important step toward improving your Writing . As you work through some of the Prompts in this book, you may feel con dent in your attempts.