GRE Premier 2017 with 6 Practice Tests
Part IV. ANALYTICAL WRITING
Chapter 17. The Issue Essay
Introduction to the Issue Essay
The first of the Analytical Writing essay tasks is the Issue essay. On the Issue essay, you will be given a point of view about which you’ll have to form an opinion, and then you’ll need to provide a well-supported and justifiable case for that opinion.
The Issue essay requires you to construct your own argument by making claims and providing evidence to support your position on a given issue. The directions will ask you to take a position on the issue, and they’ll instruct you to explain your position convincingly, using reasons and/or examples to back up your assertions.
For the assignment topic, expect about one to two sentences that discuss a broad, general issue, sometimes presenting only one point of view and sometimes presenting two conflicting points. Either way, the test will present a statement that could reasonably be either supported or argued against. Your job is to form an opinion on the topic and make a case for that opinion.
The directions for Issue essays will look like this:
· You have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response in which you evaluate the argument passage that appears below. A response to any other argument will receive a score of zero. Make sure that you respond according to the specific instructions and support your evaluation with relevant reasons and/or examples.
An Issue essay will always begin with a statement. It will look something like this:
“The drawbacks to the use of nuclear power mean that it is not a long-term solution to the problem of meeting ever-increasing energy needs.”
The second part of the directions, the prompt, will give specific directions for how to approach the essay. An Issue essay prompt will look something like this:
· Write a response in which you examine your own position on the statement. Explore the extent to which you either agree or disagree with it and support your reasoning with evidence and/or examples. Be sure to reflect on ways in which the statement might or might not be true and how this informs your thinking on the subject.
The Issue essay prompt may vary. Other prompts you may see for the Issue essay look like this:
· Write your own response to the recommendation in which you discuss why you either agree or disagree with it. Support your response with evidence and/or examples. Use a hypothetical set of circumstances to illustrate the consequences of accepting or rejecting the recommendation and explain how this informs your thinking.
· Develop a response to the claim in which you discuss whether or not you agree with it. Focus specifically on the most powerful or compelling examples that could be used to refute your position.
· Write a response in which you determine which view bears the closest resemblance to your own. In justifying your reasoning and supporting your position, be sure to include your reaction to both of the views presented.
· Develop a response to the claim in which you discuss whether or not you agree with it. Focus specifically on whether or not you agree with the reason upon which the claim is based.
· Write a response discussing your reaction to the policy stated above. Justify your reasoning for the position you take. Explain the potential consequences or implications for implementing such a policy and how this informs your position.
The Kaplan Method for Analytical Writing
1. STEP 1Take the issue/argument apart.
2. STEP 2Select the points you will make.
3. STEP 3Organize, using Kaplan’s essay templates.
4. STEP 4Type your essay.
5. STEP 5Proofread your work.
HOW THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR ANALYTICAL WRITING WORKS
Now let’s discuss how the Kaplan Method for Analytical Writing works for the Issue essay:
1. STEP 1
Take the issue apart.
Read the assignment and consider both sides of the issue. Use your scratch paper throughout Steps 1–3. Restate the issue in your own words. Consider the other side of the issue and put that into your own words as well.
2. STEP 2
Select the points you will make.
After you consider what both sides of the issue mean, think of reasons and examples for both sides and make a decision as to which side you will support or the extent to which you agree with the stated position.
3. STEP 3
Organize, using Kaplan’s Issue essay template.
Organize your thoughts by outlining what you want to say so that you will be able to approach the actual writing process confidently and focus on expressing your ideas clearly. In the introduction, restate the prompt in your own words, state whether you agree or disagree, and give a preview of the supporting points you plan to make. In the middle paragraphs, give your points of agreement (or disagreement) and provide support. Determine what evidence you will use to support each point. Be sure to lead with your best argument. Think about how the essay as a whole will flow. Conclude by summing up your position on the issue.
· Paragraph 1: Paraphrase the issue (the statement, claim, recommendation, or policy); state your position. Summarize the goal of your essay, according to the specific instructions.
· Paragraph 2: State and elaborate upon the strongest point in support of your position, within the scope of the specific instructions.
· Paragraph 3: State and elaborate upon another point in support of your position, within the scope of the specific instructions.
· Additional paragraphs, as time permits: State and elaborate upon other points in support of your position, within the scope of the specific instructions. (Time valve #1: skip if need be.)
· Next-to-last paragraph: Address an opposition to your position and refute it with relevant detailed support. (Time valve #2: combine with conclusion if need be.)
· Last paragraph: Conclude by summarizing your position in a way that addresses the specific instructions.
4. STEP 4
Type your essay.
You shouldn’t proceed with this step until you’ve completed the three preceding ones. Graders have a limited amount of time in which to read your essay, so start out and conclude with strong statements. Be emphatic and concise with your prose and link related ideas with transitions. This will help your writing flow and make things easier on the grader. Furthermore, you’ll save time and energy by preparing your essay before you start typing it.
5. STEP 5
Proofread your work.
Save enough time to read quickly through the entire essay. Look for errors you can address quickly: capitalization, paragraph divisions, double-typed words, general typos, and small grammatical errors.
HOW TO APPLY THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR ANALYTICAL WRITING TO THE ISSUE ESSAY
Now let’s apply the Kaplan Method for Analytical Writing to an Issue prompt:
“The drawbacks to the use of nuclear power mean that it is not a long-term solution to the problem of meeting ever-increasing energy needs.”
· Write a response in which you examine your own position on the statement. Explore the extent to which you either agree or disagree with it and support your reasoning with evidence and/or examples. Be sure to reflect on ways in which the statement might or might not be true and how this informs your thinking on the subject.
1. STEP 1
Take the issue apart.
Your first step is to dissect the issue. Take notes on your scratch paper. Start by restating the issue in your own words: “Although we have a need for alternate sources of energy, we cannot count on nuclear energy as a solution because of its major drawbacks.”
Now, consider the other side of the issue—in your own words, this might be “Nuclear power is safe and effective and does not have such serious drawbacks as this statement would suggest.”
2. STEP 2
Select the points you will make.
Your job, as stated in the directions, is to decide whether or not you agree with the statement and then to explain your decision. Some would argue that the use of nuclear power is too dangerous, while others would say that we can’t afford not to use it. Which side do you take?
Remember, this isn’t about showing the graders what your deep-seated beliefs about energy policy are—it’s about showing that you can formulate an argument and communicate it clearly. The position you choose to take for the Issue essay does not have to be one you actually believe in.
Quickly jot down on your scratch paper the pros and cons of each side and choose the side for which you have the most relevant things to say. For this topic, that process might go something like this:
Arguments for the use of nuclear power:
· It is inexpensive compared to other forms of energy.
· Fossil fuels will eventually be depleted.
· Solar power is still too problematic and expensive.
Arguments against the use of nuclear power:
· It is harmful to the environment.
· It is dangerous to mankind.
· Safer alternatives already exist.
· Better alternatives may lie undiscovered.
Again, it doesn’t matter which side you take. There is no right answer as far as the testmaker is concerned. Let’s say that in this case, you decide that you have more relevant disadvantages than advantages on your list. In that case, you would choose to argue against nuclear power, irrespective of what your genuine beliefs might be.
3. STEP 3
Organize, using Kaplan’s Issue essay template.
You should have already begun to think out your arguments—that’s how you picked the side you did in the first place. Now’s the time to write your arguments out, including those that weaken the opposing side. This step involves your own note taking, so feel free to use abbreviations.
Paragraph 1: Nuclear power is not a viable alternative to other energy sources.
Paragraph 2: Nuclear power creates radioactive waste.
Paragraph 3: Nuclear energy is an industry with related costs to consumers.
Paragraph 4: There are other, more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Paragraph 5: Further investment in nuclear power would be a waste of time and money.
4. STEP 4
Type your essay.
Remember, open up with a general statement indicating that you understand the issue and then assert your position. From there, make your main points. Note: As a basis for comparison, we’ve included an outstanding essay that deserves a score of 6. The second prompt will include an adequate essay that deserves a score of 4.
Sample Issue Essay 1
Proponents of nuclear energy as “the power source for the future” have long touted its relative economy, “clean-burning” technology, and virtually inexhaustible fuel supply. However, a close examination of the issue reveals that nuclear energy proves more problematic and dangerous than other forms of energy production and thus is not an acceptable solution to the problem of meeting ever-increasing energy needs.
First and foremost, nuclear power production presents the problem of radioactive waste storage. Fuel byproducts from nuclear fission remain toxic for thousands of years, and the spills and leaks from existing storage sites have been hazardous and costly to clean up. This remains true despite careful regulation and even under the best of circumstances. Even more appalling is the looming threat of accidents at the reactor itself: Incidents at the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl power plants and at other production sites have warned us that the consequences of a nuclear meltdown can be catastrophic and felt worldwide.
But beyond the enormous long-term environmental problems and short-term health risks, the bottom-line issue for the production of energy is one of economics. Power production in our society is a business just like any other, and the large companies that produce this country’s electricity and gas claim they are unable to make alternatives such as solar power affordable. Yet—largely due to incentives from the federal government—there already exist homes heated by solar power and cars fueled by the sun. If the limited resources devoted to date to such energy alternatives have already produced working models, a more intensive, broadly based and supported effort is likely to make those alternatives less expensive and problematic.
Besides the benefits in terms of both cost and safety, renewable resources such as solar and hydroelectric power represent far better options in the long run for development: these options require money only for the materials needed to harvest the renewable resources. While sunlight and water are free, the innovative technologies and industrial strategies devised to harness them have created a geometric progression of spin-offs affecting fields as diverse as agriculture, real estate, space exploration, and social policy. These options also repeatedly produced secondary economic and social benefits, such as the large recreational and irrigation reservoirs created in the American Southwest behind large hydroelectric dams like the Hoover and Grand Coulee.
While it may now be clear that the drawbacks to the use of nuclear power are too great, it should also be apparent that the long-term benefits of renewable resources would reward investment. If these alternatives are explored more seriously than they have been in the past, safer and less expensive sources of power will undoubtedly live up to their promise. With limited resources at our disposal and a burgeoning global population to consider, further investment in nuclear power would mark an unconscionable and unnecessary waste of time and money.
5. STEP 5
Proofread your work.
Be sure to allot a few minutes after you have finished writing to review your essay. Though you do not have to write a grammatically flawless essay to score well, you will want to review so that you can catch some of the standout mistakes. You can practice your writing skills in Chapter 16: Analytical Writing Foundations and Content Review.
ASSESSMENT OF SAMPLE ISSUE ESSAY 1: “OUTSTANDING,” SCORE OF 6
Now we’ll look at how this essay would have been scored on the actual GRE Analytical Writing section:
This essay is carefully constructed throughout, enabling the reader to move effortlessly from point to point as the writer examines the multifaceted implications of the issue. The writer begins by acknowledging arguments for the opposing side and then uses his thesis statement (“a close examination of the issue reveals that nuclear energy proves more problematic and dangerous than other forms of energy production”) to explain his own position on the issue. He proceeds to provide compelling reasons and examples to support the premise, and he then takes the argument to an effective conclusion. The writing is clean, concise, and almost error-free. Sentence structure is varied, and diction and vocabulary are strong and expressive.
HOW TO APPLY THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR ANALYTICAL WRITING TO ANOTHER ISSUE ESSAY
Now let’s apply the Kaplan Method for Analytical Writing to a second Issue prompt:
“People who hold high expectations for others are rewarded with high performance and respect.”
· Develop a response to the claim in which you provide specific reasons why you do or do not you agree with it. Focus specifically on the most powerful or compelling examples that could be used to support your position.
1. STEP 1
Take the issue apart.
Begin by putting the issue in your own words, “If you expect people to do well, they will, and they will respect you for it.” Next, consider the other side of the issue, and do the same: “If you expect too much of people, they may get frustrated and perform at a lower level, or you may lose their respect.”
2. STEP 2
Select the points you will make.
Your job, as stated in the directions, is to decide whether or not you agree with the statement and then to explain your decision. Some would argue that high expectations yield high results, while others may think that unrealistic high expectations may destroy confidence. Which side do you take?
Quickly think through the pros and cons of each side and choose the side for which you have the most relevant things to say. For this topic, that process might go something like this:
Arguments for holding people to high expectations:
· Without expectations, people don’t know how they will be measured or to what level they should perform.
· High expectations convey confidence and trust.
· Striving to meet high expectations improves people’s skills, and when these individuals succeed, their success leads to increased confidence and higher performance.
Arguments against holding people to high expectations:
· People could give up or lose confidence if they are unable to meet the expectations.
· You may be thought of as someone who is unyielding or only concerned with performance.
Remember, it doesn’t matter which side you take. Strictly speaking, there is no right answer.
3. STEP 3
Organize, using Kaplan’s Issue essay template.
Now’s the time to write those arguments out, including counterarguments that weaken the opposing side.
Paragraph 1:
High expectations yield high performance and respect in every case, whether the expectations are met or unmet.
Paragraph 2:
Without expectations, people don’t know how they will be measured or to what level they should perform. 2nd graders design skyscrapers; retirees train for Olympics.
Paragraph 3:
Challenges from teachers: high expectations convey confidence and trust.
Paragraph 4:
Higher performance improves people’s skills and confidence once they meet the expectations. (Challenge office interns example)
Paragraph 5: (opposition)
People fail because others do not value them enough and believe they are capable of less than they actually are.
Paragraph 6: In all cases, high expectations are worth the risk.
4. STEP 4
Type your essay.
Sample Issue Essay 2
High expectations yield high performance and respect in every case, whether the expectations are met or unmet. Setting expectations allows people to know how they will be measured and to what level they should perform. They also convey confidence and a sense of trust. Once the expectations are met, people feel bolstered by their achievement and have a much stronger sense of self-confidence, leading to even higher performance. These results hold up in a variety of contexts, including in educational, business, and political realms.
The purpose of expectations is often lost in the assignment of a task. The expectations themselves may take the form of the actual tasks to be done, but really, the expectation is the ownership, resourcefulness, and skill of the person assigned the task. Expecting someone to do something overly challenging, such as asking second-graders to design a skyscraper or challenging a retiree to train for the Olympics, may seem egregious, but the stories that intrigue us most are usually about people rising to the challenge. Our own expectations are recalibrated when we learn of people exceeding the expectations we set ourselves to. We look to where the bar is set to see how we measure up. Given a bar, people will usually do what it takes to measure up.
Good teachers are often described as “hard, but fair.” This is a good description of someone who holds high expectations for his or her students, and is rewarded by that assessment. A hard but fair teacher is one who challenges the students to exceed their own expectations of themselves, and often others’ expectations of them. These are the teachers who assign fourth grade students research papers or ask eighth graders to take a 100-question math test in 100 minutes. Students take up the challenge because it feels good to succeed. They gain confidence and look at tasks unrelated to the classroom in new ways.
High performance breeds higher performance. Once someone has been resourceful or learned a new skill to achieve a task, the person feels empowered to be similarly resourceful achieving different tasks. In fact, a high performer may take on more challenges without prompting. This bears out in business: the neophyte office intern who pulls together a critical report through resourcefulness, skill, and a little luck is a familiar story, but for good reason. This intern with his or her fresh ideas stands out among the drones and is challenged further, rocketing to the proverbial top of the company. If the same expectations were put on the rest of the workforce, would other employees be as resourceful to achieve the expectations? Most likely, as long as the employee is motivated enough by the challenge.
Some people may be frustrated by high expectations, and some may simply ignore those expectations, but being presented with a challenge ultimately builds a person’s confidence. No one ever failed because he or she was fairly challenged by a daunting task and supported while tackling it. People fail because others do not value them enough and believe they are capable of less than they actually are. In fact, just being challenged is often enough to shake up people’s self-expectations and make them reconsider what they are actually capable of.
In all cases, high expectations are worth the risk. The challenge bolsters self-esteem and self-confidence, and yields high performance. It improves performance in classrooms, on the job, and in other areas where challenges present themselves.
5. STEP 5
Proofread your work.
Take the last couple of minutes to catch any glaring errors.
ASSESSMENT OF SAMPLE ISSUE ESSAY 2: “ADEQUATE,” SCORE OF 4
Now we’ll look at how this essay would have been scored on the actual GRE Analytical Writing section:
This essay is, on the whole, well constructed and laid out. The reader can systematically move from point to point as the writer examines the implications of the issue. The writer begins by agreeing with the statement and presenting specific reasons for agreeing. She gives examples to illustrate her point and organizes her essay well. The author’s analysis is generally cogent. She asks the reader to take a bit of a leap with some of her claims. For example, claiming that “people will usually do what it takes to measure up” when given a bar is a conclusion not really supported by the paragraph leading us to that conclusion. She asserts that people are inherently encouraged, rather than discouraged, by daunting challenges, but never really justifies that assertion. However, the writing is clean and concise and includes only a few errors. Sentence structure is varied, and the author’s diction is strong and expressive. For all these reasons, this essay receives a score of 4.
Kaplan’s Additional Tips for the Issue Essay
Don’t Overcomplicate Your Prose
The types of issues that the essays use as their subject aren’t supposed to be too abstruse or esoteric. Don’t worry if you’re not extremely familiar with a subject. Similarly, your responses shouldn’t be too convoluted. Try to be as clear and linear in your writing as possible when supporting an argument. Bombastic flourishes of rhetoric may seem impressive when you first write them, but the point here is to assert and defend a position, not impress the graders with your vocabulary or wit. Substance will easily outweigh style.
Don’t Worry about Whether or Not Your Position Is “Correct”
The purpose of the Issue essay is to develop an argument and defend it. You’re going to be scored on how well supported your position is, not on whether it is the “right answer.” Indeed, by design most of the topics chosen for this task are not black-and-white issues; they can be argued successfully from very different points of view.
Think about the Issue from Different Perspectives
An important skill you’ll need in graduate school (as in life) is the ability to understand an issue or problem from someone else’s point of view. Removing your own personal biases from the equation can be a great help, as it will force you to think about an issue logically and not just go with your gut reaction.
Issue Essay Practice Set
1.
2. Directions:
You will be given a statement that presents an issue you need to respond to, along with detailed instructions on how to respond to the statement. You have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response in which you develop an argument according to the instructions. A response to any other issue results in a score of zero.
3.
1. ISSUE ESSAY 1
30 Minutes
Length: 1 essay
2. “The perceived greatness of any political leader has more to do with the challenges faced by that leader than with any of his or her inherent skills and abilities.”
Write a response in which you examine your own position on the statement. Explore the extent to which you either agree or disagree with it and support your reasoning with evidence and/or examples. Be sure to reflect on ways in which the statement might or might not be true and how this informs your thinking on the subject.
4. Directions:
You will be given a statement that presents an issue you need to respond to, along with detailed instructions on how to respond to the statement. You have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response in which you develop an argument according to the instructions. A response to any other issue results in a score of zero.
5.
1. ISSUE ESSAY 2
30 Minutes
Length: 1 essay
2. “Progress should be the aim of any great society. People too often cling unnecessarily to obsolete ways of thinking and acting because of both a high comfort level and a fear of the unknown.”
Write a response in which you examine your own position on the statement. Explore the extent to which you either agree or disagree with it and support your reasoning with evidence or examples. Be sure to reflect on ways in which the statement might or might not be true and how this informs your thinking on the subject.
Answers and Explanations
1. ISSUE ESSAY SAMPLE ESSAYS AND ASSESSMENTS
What follows are top-scoring sample essays for each of the practice prompts. Note how the authors adhere to the Kaplan Method for Analytical Writing.
Issue Essay 1: “Outstanding,” Score of 6
Perceptions of greatness in national and political leaders are largely determined by the seriousness of the problems that they face during their terms in office. Most national histories principally highlight individuals in the context of significant events in which the leaders played important roles. Most political leaders need to have large stores of inherent skill and ability just in order to become a political leader. However, history remembers those who lived in great times more fondly than those who did not. Examples of this are numerous and include the histories of Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Winston Churchill—all men who are perceived as great leaders largely because of the times in which they lived.
Abraham Lincoln is often considered the greatest of all the American Presidents. He graces two units of the currency and has one of the largest monuments built in his honor in Washington D.C. However, Lincoln is considered great largely because he faced a great challenge—the civil war between the North and the South in the 1860s. Lincoln led the United States to victory over the rebels and reunited the country and is therefore considered great. This is not to say that Lincoln was not skilled. Many know that he was born in a log cabin and progressed to law school and eventually to the presidency. He was also a skilled orator. However another man, James Buchanan, also was born in a log cabin, went to law school, gave good speeches and ascended to the presidency. However there are no monuments to Buchanan in the capital or pictures of his face on the five-dollar bill.
Woodrow Wilson was another talented man who ascended to the presidency of the United States. However his talents are not what make his perceived greatness. In this age, few remember if Wilson was particularly smart, a very good speechmaker, or a good arbitrator. Most remember that he led the United States to victory in the first World War and therefore perceive him as great. At the time, however, Wilson was rather unpopular. In fact, he had so little sway with Congress that he was unable to get the United States to join the League of Nations—a fact that many claim helped lead to the second World War.
Winston Churchill was another man that history views favorably because of the incredible challenges that he faced. However, Churchill was not very popular before the war. When Franklin Roosevelt first met Churchill before either was the leader of his respective country, Roosevelt wrote in his diary that Churchill was full of himself and far too talkative. Early in his term as Prime Minister, Churchill even faced a no-confidence vote in Parliament. However, the events of World War II accorded him the perception of greatness in the eyes of history.
Many might argue that these men and other men and women were already great before history gave them great challenges. While it is impossible to definitely disprove this assertion and it may be true that they had great skill and ability, otherwise they would not have been political leaders, most examples point to the fact that the times make the man or woman. If the presidencies of Buchanan and Lincoln were switched, we would very likely have the Buchanan memorial instead. In summary, it is true that the perceived greatness of a political leader is more due to great challenges than great inherent ability. The historical examples of Lincoln, Wilson, and Churchill bear this out. All were talented, but so too are all political leaders. Only the leaders that live in eventful times are remembered as great.
Assessment of Essay 1
This essay is particularly well constructed; the author begins by acknowledging the arguments for how famous historical leaders should be judged. He asserts his position, “men are perceived as great leaders largely because of the times in which they lived” clearly and effectively. He proceeds to support his position with compelling evidence, drawing on his knowledge of three historical figures who are, by consensus, regarded as great. He contrasts the example of Lincoln with that of Buchanan, who had a similar background but lived under less trying circumstances. The writing is largely clear and direct, with skillful use of diction and few errors. For all these reasons, this essay receives a score of 6.
2. Issue Essay 2: “Outstanding,” Score of 6
Keeping up with global progress is, doubtless, a desirable attribute of any society. However, to purport that the reasons certain societies may not progress at the same rate as “great” societies are their reluctance to break from their comfort zones and a fear of the unknown is to present an overly simplistic view. Such a view does not take into consideration the set of economic, political, and cultural constraints that affect every society’s ability to progress on a global scale.
Before exploring these constraints, it would be useful to examine the use of the word “great” in the above context. The concept of what makes a society great is highly subjective; some may equate greatness with military might or economic dominance, while others would emphasize cultural achievement or progress in care for less privileged citizens. Whatever one’s definition of greatness, however, it is ludicrous to suggest that any society actively rejects the desire to be great. Many societies face the seemingly insurmountable struggle to maintain societal structure in the face of economic need and/or political upheaval; the desire for greatness can only come when a society’s basic structure is intact.
Societies facing severe economic challenges are virtually unable to progress in areas like medicine, militia, and agriculture even if they want to do so. Countries like Bolivia use a majority of their limited resources to maintain an agricultural status quo. Bolivian farmers are not afraid of the unknown or passively content with their current situation, but are using all of their resources to maintain a functional economic climate and structure. Given this situation, the luxury of advancements in medicine, economics and military power is simply not possible.
Also, societies embroiled in political upheaval, such as Bangladesh, are unable to send its young and talented members to university where they can spearhead progress; the most viable sectors of the population are required to serve in the military and/or to care for their families through difficult economic and political times. Maintaining a societal structure amid chaotic conditions engenders a lack of globally accepted progress, but as we have seen throughout time, episodes of great drama in any given society can yield important works of art, one such example being Albert Camus’ The Stranger, written during the French Resistance.
Another point to consider is that, in some cases, an entire society’s cultural history, including its artistic contributions, is preserved only through its living members’ rich oral tradition and their active rejecting of progress in the worlds of technology, medicine, and science. This is evident when considering such so-called “primitive” societies as the African Masai or certain Native American tribes. The introduction of technology into the world of the Masai would inarguably lead to the demise of the entire society.
In conclusion, to devalue a society that isn’t among the most progressive in the world is to discount the contributions a so-called “unprogressive” society can provide, such as artistic and cultural phenomena unique to a given society. Progress is a valuable tool for the advancement of a society, but blindly reaching for greatness can lead to a society’s downfall just as much as ignoring it altogether can. The balance between accepting a society’s constraints and highlighting its strengths is what will ultimately lead to a society’s greatness.
Assessment of Essay 2
This is a particularly insightful essay. The author goes deeper with her argument than you might expect based on the prompt. The argument developed in this essay asks the reader to question his presuppositions and preconceived notions about what constitutes “greatness” as the term is applied to a society. Instead of merely answering the question of whether or not the progress of society is hindered by clinging to traditional views and obsolete ways of thinking, the reader is forced to reconsider what progress actually entails. This elicits the cultural bias of the reader and forces him to confront it. The author challenges the received notions of “great” and “progress” as “an overly simplistic view.” From there, she proceeds to defend her position. She examines different cultural contexts and how we might understand “greatness” within those contexts. The essay is well constructed; the author begins by providing examples of how greatness must be understood contextually. She then adds several examples, such as the publication of Camus’ The Stranger, to illustrate greatness produced under conditions we might think of as making progress impossible. The writing is clear and direct, contains few errors, and reveals skillful use of diction. For all these reasons, this essay receives a score of 6.