SAT ESSAY

SAMPLE QUESTION 1 As you read the passage below, consider how Bobby Braun uses  • evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.  • reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.  • stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. Adapted from Bobby Braun, “Space Technology: A Critical Investment for Our Nation’s Future.” ©2014 by Capitol Hill Publishing Corp. Originally published in the Hill, October 27, 2011.  Aerospace remains a strong component of our national fabric and is the largest positive contributor to our nation’s trade balance. However, this technological leadership position is not a given. To remain the leader in aerospace technology, we must continue to perform research and invest in the people who will create the breakthroughs of tomorrow, preserving a critical component of our nation’s economic competitiveness for future generations. For NASA,1 past...

SAMPLE ESSAY 8 Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:           Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.           Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.           Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument.   Adapted from Dana Gioia, “Why Literature Matters” ©2005 by The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005. [A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past quarter century. While income rose to unforeseen levels, college attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously, the interest young Americans showed in the arts—and especially literature—actually diminished. According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, a population study designed and commissioned by the National Endowment for th...

SAMPLE ESSAY 7 Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:           Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.           Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.           Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument.   Adapted from Dana Gioia, “Why Literature Matters” ©2005 by The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005. [A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past quarter century. While income rose to unforeseen levels, college attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously, the interest young Americans showed in the arts—and especially literature—actually diminished. According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, a population study designed and commissioned by the National Endowment for th...

SAMPLE ESSAY 6 Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:           Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.           Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.           Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument.   Adapted from President Harry S. Truman’ s Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union, January 7, 1948, Washington, DC. We are here today to consider the state of the union. On this occasion, above all others, the Congress and the President should concentrate their attention, not upon party but upon party but upon the country; not upon things which divide us but upon those which bind us together- the enduring principles of our American system, and our common aspirations for the future welfare and security of the people of the United States. The Uni...

SAMPLE ESSAY 5 Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:           Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.           Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.           Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument.   Adapted from Adam B. Summers, “Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment.” 2013 by The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. Originally published June 13, 2013.         Californians dodged yet another nanny-state regulation recently when the state Senate narrowly voted down a bill to ban plastic bags statewide, but the reprieve might only be temporary. Not connect to tell us how much our toilets can flush or what type of light bulb to use to brighten our homes, some politicians and environmentalists are now focused on deciding for us what kind of contai...

SAMPLE ESSAY 4 Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:           Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.           Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.           Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument.   Adapted from Peter S. Goodman, “Foreign News at a Crisis Point.” By the HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Originally published September 25, 2013. Peter Goodman is the executive business and global news editor at TheHuffingtonPost.com.         Back in 2003, American Journalism Review produced a census of foreign correspondents then employed by newspapers based in the United States, and found 307 full-time people. When AJR repeated the exercise in the summer of 2011, the count had dropped to 234. And even that number was significantly inflated by the in...

SAMPLE ESSAY 3 Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:           Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.           Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.           Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument.   You Get What You Pay For Finding a job directly out of college is, for many, a catch-22. Employers want experience and graduates are hard-pressed to gain the experience needed to, well, gain experience. As a remedy, universities are encouraging internships, opportunities to enter the workforce temporarily and train in a position of interest. The idea is that both sides will come out the better– the intern strengthening his or her resume and building a strong social network, the employer expanding its workforce and investing in a prospective employee. But now, more stude...