Elements of an Effective Argument: Evidence
No matter what your parents thought, “Because I said so,” doesn’t make for a valid argument, though it may be a persuasive one. A claim, no matter how forcefully asserted, demands evidence. In fact, the more absolute the claim, the more compelling the evidence must be. Otherwise, all you have is an assertion. Evidence, often referred to as grounds or data, turns an unsupported assertion into a persuasive argument. Evidence makes a claim true or valid. Fortunately for those of us who like to make grand claims, evidence can be found everywhere. FACTUAL Facts are certainly persuasive… who can argue with hard data or cold reality? All of history, science, and art lie waiting to support the right claims. Quantitative data can be especially compelling, as well as malleable. But avoid depending entirely on factual evidence; a truly effective argument appeals not only to the head but also to…
Elements of an Effective Argument: The Claim
The classic argument—meaning the persuasive framework of statements and evidence as opposed to the kind where you argue with some jerk in the street over a parking spot that was clearly yours—often comes across as a tangle of premises and conclusions, syllogisms and fallacies. These rhetorical constructs often obscure the fundamentals of just getting a point across. Fortunately, British philosopher and educator Stephen Edelston Toulmin offered a simple way to describe the elements of arguments. Touliman’s model distills a practical argument down to three essentials: claims, evidence, and warrants. Every argument must start with a claim. Call it a proposition, position, or hypothesis, but the claim is a definitive statement that underlies the thesis of the argument and demands support. “Summer is the best season of the year.” This claim, free of qualifiers or exceptions, stakes a strong but surely disputable position. This is important, because any claim…
Meet The New SAT: ESSAY
Most adults today can remember an SAT that had no written essay portion, since that section wasn’t added until March 2005. One wonders if the folks at the College Board wish they could return to that carefree era, back when the SAT dominated the college admissions landscape and before their rivals in Iowa City seemed to outflank them at every turn. Yet, given the chance to minimize the role of a writing sample or excise from the SAT entirely, the College Board instead appears to be doubling down on the essay. To date, the essays on both the SAT and ACT have been exercises in persuasive writing. The redesigned SAT moves into uncharted territory by requiring students to produce a cogent and clear written analysis, based on both critical reasoning and evidence drawn from the source, of a provided text. No more will students be asked to manufacture evidence on…
2015-16 Common Application Essay Prompts
Anyone who works with us knows that we are big fans of getting that extremely important Common App written early. Specifically, the summer between junior and senior year is typically the best time to write your essay. (Just like the summer between sophomore and junior year can be the best time to prep for the SAT & ACT!) If you’d like to write an AMAZING college essay, be sure to select the right prompt. The 2015-16 Essay Prompts have just been released, so consider your options carefully: Instructions. The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than…
What ACT Essay Comments Teach Us About Writing
Almost a decade ago, the creators of both the SAT and ACT introduced essays to their previously pristine multiple-choice exams. Each organization charted a different course, differing in what the essays are written on, how long students have to write, and, perhaps most importantly, whether students are even required to write the essay. Considering that the College Board is moving towards a longer optional essay, it’s fair to say the ACT model won that particular competition. That said, one more aspect of the ACT essay infrastructure deserves recognition and further consideration from that other testing authority. While both organizations assign students 2-12 essay scores through a similar grading process, ACT provides additional context for performance in the form of stock essay comments. These essay comments, derived from the ACT scoring rubric, are selected by one of the two essay readers for inclusion on the student score report. Code numbers corresponding…
2014-15 Common Application Essay Prompts
Basking in the hot sun to get a deep golden tan may have been discredited by doctors, but summer still has its uses. For example, summer is just about the best time for most high school students to prep for the SAT & ACT. But that’s not all: summer is also the best time for rising seniors to work on that all-important admissions essay! One of the keys to an AMAZING college essay is selecting the right prompt. Fortunately, the prompts and directions haven’t changed from last year, so here are your options for the 2013-14 Common App: Instructions. The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer…