Sat Essays How To Take A StandOn the SAT, it’s possible you’ll be requested to decide on sides in an argument and defend your place.
Steadily, the essay immediate asks college students whether or not they agree or disagree with a given quote or thought. For instance, here is an actual query from a earlier SAT check:
“Nothing requires extra self-discipline than freedom.”
Project: In your essay, focus on your view of the assertion above. Be sure you use examples to elucidate your view. Examples could be from literature, the humanities, politics, historical past, science, expertise, commentary, or present occasions.
For the needs of the essay, you need to both agree or disagree with the given assertion.
Many college students are wishy-washy, maybe as a result of they’re afraid of giving the flawed reply. For instance, an indecisive pupil would possibly write:
Generally freedom requires nice self-discipline, however typically it would not.
This place assertion is dangerous, as a result of it doesn’t take a transparent and decisive stand. These sorts of openings are inclined to result in essays that wander and are unfocused. In addition they are inclined to get low scores.
In the event you agree with the assertion within the essay immediate, you would possibly start with a easy however efficient affirmation of the thought, like this:
Freedom requires nice self-discipline.
In the event you disagree with the assertion, you would possibly start by turning the thought on its head:
Freedom is the absence of self-discipline.
Each of those statements make a transparent level, and would result in utterly totally different essays, partially as a result of they interpret the phrase freedom in radically alternative ways. The primary strategy would possibly go on to debate political freedom, whereas the second strategy is more likely to concentrate on private freedom. Both argument may work because the launching level for a powerful essay.
On the SAT essay, there isn’t any “flawed” reply within the regular sense. If the essay is concerning the assertion “crime would not pay,” it’s possible you’ll determine to argue that crime does pay. The judges aren’t going to grade your opinions. As an alternative, they’re taking a look at how nicely you’ll be able to defend them.
In instances like this, you need to both agree with the assertion and defend your place, or disagree with the assertion and defend your place.
By no means attempt to argue each side.