Essay Prompt Reminders:
• Read the prompt carefully. Make sure you answer the key question being asked in the prompt.
• Read and annotate the given passage carefully.
• Spend 5–7 minutes planning your response before you begin the actual essay in order to organize your ideas efficiently.
• Craft a well-organized and well-developed essay. Your essay must have a strong introduction with a solid thesis; a body that uses topic sentences, transitions, and relevant textual evidence to support the thesis; and a meaningful conclusion.
• Analyze—do not summarize. For example, do not simply identify a metaphor and summarize what it means. Explain why the author chose to use it and how it achieves the author’s purpose.
• Use precise diction and active voice for clarity.
• Vary your sentence structure to add interest and show a command of language.
• Stick to an objective, scholarly third-person point of view (unless the use of first-person or second-person point of view is a rhetorical strategy on your part).