Prep Expert New Sat Essay Shaan Patel

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. What Is The Format? 2. How Is It Different? 3. How Is It Scored? 4. Is It Harder? 5. Should I Take The Sat Essay? EXPERT STRATEGIES 1. Skip The Directions 2. Exploit Vocab 3. Fill 3–4 Pages

4. Create a Plan 5. Write 5 Paragraphs 6. Thesis First 7. POP Last 8. Repeat Thesis 9. Stay Active 10. Link & Connect 11. Stay Objective 12. Find PKP 13. First Pass – PS 14. Second Pass – CREW SAID 15. QIS Analysis 16. Introduction Template 17. Body Paragraph 1 Template 18. Body Paragraph 2 Template

19. Body Paragraph 3 Template 20. Conclusion Template PRACTICE SAT ESSAY

SAT ESSAY INTRODUCTION

Introduction Welcome to the SAT Essay portion of the Prep Expert Course! The New SAT Essay on the 1600-version of the SAT is different than the old SAT Essay on the 2400-version of the SAT. Here are a few of the major changes: Optional The essay is now optional. However, I expect every Prep Expert student to

take the essay portion of the new 1600-version of the SAT. I will explain why later. Analytical The previous version of the SAT Essay required students to write a persuasive essay. You had to convince the reader that your position on a particular topic was the correct one. The new version of the SAT Essay requires that students write an analytical essay. You now need

to analyze how the author of a passage develops an effective argument. 50 Minutes You now have much more time to write the SAT Essay. On the previous version of the SAT Essay, students were limited to 25 minutes to write a full twopage essay. You now have double that time, but must also read and analyze a passage, which you didn’t

previously have to do. But the good news is that we will teach you how to analyze the passage methodically so that you have plenty of time to write a compelling essay. Despite these changes, there are still lots of effective strategies to tackle the SAT Essay. Previously, at 2400 Expert, students loved our strategies for the prior version of the SAT Essay that allowed them to get perfect, or near-perfect, scores

every time. And this is still true for the New SAT Essay! Many of the strategies that were applicable to the old SAT Essay are still applicable to the New SAT Essay. And the New SAT Essay is more formulaic than ever. Even though the College Board tried to change the essay so that students could not game it anymore, we have gamed it again. So get ready to learn some powerful strategies to ace the New SAT Essay!

SAT ESSAY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. WHAT IS THE FORMAT? 2. HOW IS IT DIFFERENT? 3. HOW IS IT SCORED? 4. IS IT HARDER? 5. SHOULD I TAKE THE SAT ESSAY?

SAT ESSAY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What Is The Format? Time 50 minutes Passage Type Argumentative. The author of the passage will try to persuade the reader of a particular position. Your job is to analyze how effectively the author develops his or her argument.

Passage Length 650 – 750 words. Passage Content Topic for a broad audience. You will not need to have prior knowledge of the topic in order to write a compelling SAT Essay. Passage Complexity High school level (grades 9 -12). Last Section Unlike the previous 2400-version of the SAT Essay that was always the first section of the SAT, the 1600-version of the SAT Essay is always the last section of

the SAT.


How Is It Different? 2400 SAT Essay 1600 SAT Essay Required

Optional

Persuasive

Analytical

25 Minutes

50 Minutes

First Section

Last Section

Required vs. Optional On the

2400-version of the SAT, the essay was required and part of your SAT Writing score. On the new 1600version of the SAT, the essay is optional and a completely separate score outside of your SAT Evidenced-Based Reading & Writing score. Persuasive vs. Analytical On the 2400-version of the SAT, the essay was persuasive. While you may believe that it’s easier to write a persuasive essay because you are able to write about your opinion, it was actually a difficult task because

of the academic evidence you had to provide in order to back up your claims. On this 1600-version of the SAT Essay, all of the evidence you need can be found in the passage. Therefore, the New SAT Essay actually requires even less outside knowledge than before. Your opinion on the topic no longer matters whereas on the previous version of the essay, your opinion on the topic was all that mattered. So you should stay as objective as possible when writing your essay – do not let your opinion on the

topic creep into your essay. 25 Minutes vs. 50 Minutes You have double the time to write the New SAT Essay compared to the old SAT Essay. While this may seem like good news, it all depends on how long it takes you to read the SAT Essay passage. If you spend 25 minutes analyzing the passage, then you don’t really have any extra time at all. However, I will show you how to take much less time to read the passage as well as specific items to look for in your analysis. This should reduce the

reading/analysis portion of your SAT Essay section so that you have more time to diligently write a welldeveloped SAT Essay. First Section vs. Last Section On the previous version of the SAT, I used to say that the SAT Essay is the most important section of the SAT because it is the first section. How well you did on the SAT Essay used to affect how well you would do on the rest of the exam. If you were frantic and unorganized while writing your SAT Essay, then you would be frantic and unorganized

during the rest of the SAT. But if you were confident and organized while writing your SAT Essay, then you would be confident and organized during the rest of the SAT. Because the New SAT Essay is now the last section of the SAT, it no longer has to an impact on the rest of the SAT. However, you still want to finish strong so that you aren’t anxious after the exam.


How Is It Scored? The New SAT Essay is scored out of 24. You will be given three subscores of out of 8: Writing, Reading, and Analysis. Two separate graders will read your essay. Each grader will give your essay a score between 1 – 4 for Writing, Reading, and Analysis. Here is an example:

Grader 1

Grader 2

Writing

4

3

Reading

3

4

Analysis

2

3

Score Report Writing – Final Score 7 Reading – Final Score 7 Analysis – Final Score 5 *Although your score report will not explicitly give you a score out of 24, it’s clear here that the total score is 19/24

Subscores Writing – Your writing subscore indicates how well you are able to use proper grammar, transitions, sentence structure, and organization in your essay. Many of the grammar rules from the SAT Writing multiplechoice section of this course will be applicable here. Reading – Your reading subscore indicates how well you comprehended the passage. You must fully understand a passage in order to score well here. Many of the strategies from the SAT Reading section of this course will be applicable here.

Analysis – Your analysis subscore indicates how well you evaluated the author’s ability to develop an argument. Many of the strategies for the SAT Essay will cover how to synthesize the best analysis possible. What You Really Need to Know

While the above scoring details are important, what you really need to know is how the SAT Essay is scored. The College Board trains high school English teachers to grade SAT Essays. The teachers are given strict instructions as to how

to grade SAT Essays using standardized criteria. This means that if your essay is very similar to an essay that has gotten a perfect score in the past, then you too should get a perfect score on the essay. This is essential in order to keep the scores standardized and avoid subjectivity. Even more important than the standardized way by which your essay is scored is how much time your essay graders are given to score your essays. In high school, English teachers might have hours

to grade a handful of essays. But on the SAT, English teachers only have a few minutes to grade each essay…because they have thousands to grade! With so little time to actually read your essay, English teachers cannot scrutinize essays to look for brilliant insights and subtle connections. Therefore, we need to use this time constraint that English teachers have to our advantage. If an English teacher is only going to look at our essay for a couple minutes and our essay is on the same topic as

hundreds of other essays that he or she has read that day, then we need to figure out a way to stand out. Not only do we need to stand out, but we need to stand out quickly. You must give that English teacher clear, quick, tangible clues that you are a smart high school student who deserves a high score on the SAT Essay. The Essay Expert Strategies you learn in this course will teach you exactly that!


Is It Harder? Students, especially those who prepared for the 2400-version of the SAT Essay previously, might be wondering whether the New SAT Essay is easier or harder to write than before. The old SAT Essay was very easy to write. The topics were broad and allowed students to essentially prepare their examples ahead of time before seeing the

topic. In addition, we gave students essay templates that made the previous version of the SAT Essay very formulaic. Because SAT Essay topics were so general, we could write an almost identical essay for any topic. While the above may sound good, I have even better news! The New SAT Essay is actually the easiest version of the SAT Essay ever. The College Board eventually caught on to SAT prep companies like Prep Expert that were giving students preformed templates to write SAT

Essays. Therefore, it changed the format of the SAT Essay. Instead of having general topics that students could create their own examples for (which were typically prepared beforehand…at least for Prep Expert students), the College Board decided to change the SAT Essay to an analysis format so that students would not be able to have preset examples ready to write about. While you may think that this was smart move by the College Board to prevent gaming the SAT Essay, we’ve actually gamed the New SAT

Essay again! Here’s how. Largely Same – The College Board has stated that the prompts for the New SAT Essay are “largely the same.” This is great news for Prep Expert students. Whenever prompts are “largely the same,” that means that responses can be the “largely the same.” In fact, I have created a New SAT Essay Template that will help you write a very similar essay for just about any passage you analyze. Formulaic – The New SAT Essay is

more formulaic than ever. Because there are only so many ways that an author can develop an argument, there are also only so many ways you can analyze that argument. Therefore, I have developed a very formulaic way to analyze author arguments for the New SAT Essay. Although formulaic may be a bad thing in your high school English class, it’s actually a very good thing on the SAT. Time – Students who took the 2400-version of the SAT always used to complain 25 minutes

wasn’t enough time to write a full SAT Essay. But now you have double the time to write your SAT Essay: 50 minutes. I recommend dedicating 15 minutes of your 50 minutes to reading and analyzing the passage. This leaves you with 35 minutes to compose your essay. Compared to the meager 25 minutes that students used to have, 35 minutes will seem like an eternity!


Should I Take The Sat Essay? Yes. All Prep Expert students should take the New SAT Essay. Although many students may have been excited to learn that the SAT Essay is now optional, the truth is, it really isn’t. For students who are applying to competitive universities, these institutions will almost always require the “New SAT

with Essay” when submitting standardized test scores. Because most Prep Expert students will be applying to the top 100 universities in the United States, I expect every student taking this course to take the New SAT Essay. In addition, the New SAT Essay is easy to prep for. Although the essay may seem intimidating right now, after you learn the Essay Expert Strategies you will find that the New SAT Essay is perhaps your favorite portion of the SAT. We will give you tangible strategies that will

make it easy to write an essay that is articulate, organized, and compelling. Our strategies are not only easy to implement, but also very standardized so there isn’t a lot of creativity needed. Because this portion of the SAT is so easy to prepare for, students should not fear it. The only exception to this rule of having to take the New SAT Essay is if you know for certain that you are not applying to any university that requires the essay portion of the SAT. Some students taking this

course may be applying to just 2 or 3 universities. After you confirm with those few universities that they do not require the essay portion of the SAT, then and only then can you skip out on taking the SAT Essay. However, if you are at all uncertain about exactly which universities you are going to be applying to, then I recommend taking the New SAT with Essay. You don’t want to be in a situation in which you take the New SAT without Essay and then decide later that you want to

apply to a university that requires the New SAT with Essay. Now, let’s get started on learning Essay Expert Strategies to Ace the SAT Essay!

SAT ESSAY EXPERT STRATEGIES 1. SKIP THE DIRECTIONS 2. EXPLOIT VOCAB 3. FILL 3–4 PAGES 4. CREATE A PLAN 5. WRITE 5 PARAGRAPHS 6. THESIS FIRST 7. POP LAST 8. REPEAT THESIS

9. STAY ACTIVE 10 .LINK & CONNECT 11. STAY OBJECTIVE 12. FIND PKP 13. FIRST PASS – PS 14. SECOND PASS – CREW SAID 15. QIS ANALYSIS 16. INTRODUCTION TEMPLATE 17. BODY PARAGRAPH 1 TEMPLATE 18. BODY PARAGRAPH 2 TEMPLATE 19. BODY PARAGRAPH 3 TEMPLATE 20. CONCLUSION TEMPLATE

SAT ESSAY EXPERT STRATEGIES

Skip The Directions In order to save time on test day, do not read the SAT Essay directions. For most students, the Saturday morning that they take the SAT is often the first time they have ever taken the SAT. Therefore, they waste a lot of time reading the directions.

This is true for SAT Math directions, SAT Reading directions, SAT Writing directions, but especially true for SAT Essay directions. SAT Essay directions are lengthy and take a long time to read. Because they are always the same, you should familiarize yourself with the directions before test day. Not only will this save you a few minutes of time that other students would waste reading the directions, but you will also already have a clear idea of what is required. On the next page is a reproduction of the

SAT Essay directions you will encounter on test day.

As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] 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. [Source Text Will Appear Here]

Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an a rgument to persuade [his/ her] audience that [author’s claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the

features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant aspects of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how the author builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience.

The first box is especially useful because it gives you examples of certain items that you can analyze in the passage. The SAT suggests that you examine how the author uses evidence/examples, reasoning, and stylistic elements to develop his or her argument. After the first box, the source text that you are expected to read and analyze will appear. But before we discuss how to breakdown this passage, let’s examine the second

box. The first sentence of the second box is the most important part of all of the directions:

Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [author’s claim]. This is the key point: your essay must explain how the author builds his or her argument.

In the second sentence, the SAT is giving you permission to analyze elements other than evidence, reasoning, and stylistic techniques. Finally, I believe the College Board put the last sentence of the directions in for students who are accustomed to writing the 2400version of the SAT Essay. On the old version of the SAT, students wrote persuasive essays on their own opinions. The SAT explicitly states in these new directions that students should stay objective and not let their own opinions interfere

with the content of the essay.


Exploit Vocab Use scholarly, intellectual vocabulary words throughout your SAT Essay.

Your SAT Essay grader does not know you. He or she does not know whether you are typically a good writer or not. Unlike your high school English teacher who may know how well you normally write, the SAT Essay grader will have no

bias. Therefore, you need to signal to the SAT Essay grader that you are a smart high school student who deserves a high score on the SAT Essay. One way to alert your grader is through your vocabulary. By using big vocabulary words in your essay, readers will immediately get the impression that your essay is different from the hundreds of other essays they have read that day. Although many high school English teachers would cringe if they heard me say that you should inflate your vocabulary in

order to score higher on an essay, it’s the truth for the SAT Essay. Bigger vocabulary words lead to higher SAT Essay scores. Using scholarly vocabulary words early on in your essay is especially important. I once heard that people make a first impression about you 7 seconds after they first meet you. I believe this is also true for the SAT Essay. After about 7 seconds of reading your SAT Essay, graders will form an initial impression of what score they will give your SAT Essay. They will then

spend the next couple of minutes reading through the rest of your essay confirming their initial opinion. Typically, their grades don’t change by more than 1 point on each subscore from their initial impression. Therefore, using large vocabulary words early on in your essay when graders are forming that first opinion is especially important. You must use vocabulary correctly in order to positively impact your SAT Essay score. I purposely say “correctly” because using large

vocabulary words incorrectly can actually work against you. You will appear as though you are trying too hard if you use large, scholarly vocabulary words without really understanding what they mean. Therefore, I don’t encourage students to use large vocabulary words simply for the sake of using large vocabulary words. Instead, use big vocabulary words throughout your essay but only when absolutely appropriate. Vocabulary is a tangible measure. Remember that the SAT is a

standardized test. This means that essay graders cannot be subjective in the way that they grade your test. They cannot score your essay higher just because they agree with your analysis. Instead, they have to look at objective measures that convey your writing, reading, and analysis abilities. One tangible, unbiased measure that essay graders cannot argue is your vocabulary. Including intellectual vocabulary words in your essay will have the following benefits: Showcase a command of language –

this will positively impact your Writing Subscore Better expression of ideas – this will positively impact your Reading Subscore because you will be able to convey your exact understanding of the passage Create more advanced insights – this will positively impact your Analysis Subscore

Interestingly, the College Board has stated that memorization of obscure vocabulary words is no longer needed to score well on the New SAT. This is true for the SAT

Reading section because Sentence Completions, which used to directly test vocabulary, have been eliminated from the exam. But it is not true for the New SAT Essay. Therefore, rather than stating that obscure vocabulary is no longer needed for the New SAT, it would be more accurate to state that obscure vocabulary is not needed as much for the New SAT. For the New SAT Essay portion, you still need to know scholarly vocabulary words that you probably wouldn’t use in everyday language. The good

news is that you don’t need to know nearly as many big vocabulary words for the SAT as previous students did. To help you use large, intellectual vocabulary words, I have come up with a list of some common words that you will likely use in your SAT Essay. I have then put scholarly synonyms for these common words in the tables that follow. While you are writing your SAT Essay, you can switch out these common words for larger synonyms. For example, instead of using the common word

“argument,” you can replace it with the scholarly synonym “polemic.” These tables should only be a starting point. You should create your own tables of common words that you typically use in your SAT Essay. Then, look up some more academic synonyms for your common words.

Common Nouns On the New SAT Essay, you will commonly use the following nouns: argument, society, article, and result. Instead of always using

these words throughout your essay, you can replace them for some of the more scholarly synonyms listed in the tables below. Argument Polemic Contention Criticism Stance Society Civilization Citizenry

Democratic Public Humankind Article Essay Passage Editorial Critique Result Consequences Repercussions Ramifications Fallout

Common Verbs On the New SAT Essay, you will commonly use the following verbs: persuade, create,support, and take advantage. Instead of always using these words throughout your essay, you can replace them for some of the more scholarly synonyms listed in the tables below. Persuade Convince Sway Prompt

Influence Create Synthesize Engender Construct Manufacture Support Advocate Bolster Reinforce Fortify Take Advantage

Capitalize Exploit Manipulate Employ

Common Adjectives On the New SAT Essay, you will commonly use the following adjectives: good, bad, necessary, and clear. Instead of always using these words throughout your essay, you can replace them for some of the more scholarly synonyms listed

in the tables below. Good Exceptional Commendable Virtuous Idealistic Bad Dreadful Deficient Deleterious Detrimental

Necessary Indispensable Fundamental Imperative Compulsory Clear Lucid Coherent Cogent Explicit

Common Adverbs

On the New SAT Essay, you will commonly use the following adverbs: intentionally, skillfully, masterfully, and carefully. Instead of always using these words throughout your essay, you can replace them for some of the more scholarly synonyms listed in the tables below Intentionally Purposely Willfully Consciously

Calculatedly Skillfully Adroitly Dexterously Adeptly Deftly Masterfully Expertly Convincingly Ingeniously Succinctly Carefully

Prudently Judiciously Scrupulously Meticulously


Fill 3–4 Pages You must fill up 3-4 pages of the test booklet for the SAT Essay.

Longer SAT Essays get higher scores. It’s simply not up for debate. Imagine that you are an SAT Essay grader. You probably would not give an essay that is only half a page in length a higher score than one that is three pages in

length. Natural human inclination simply favors essays that are longer in length. Of course, this once again goes against traditional wisdom. High school English teachers often stress that writing is about quality over quantity. While I do agree that the 3-4 pages of information that you write should not be substandard insights, the physical length of your SAT essay is immensely important. Most students who take the SAT on Saturday morning have never practiced an SAT Essay before.

Having never been confronted with a passage that they need to read, analyze, and compose an essay about in under an hour, many become flustered. They end up writing half-page essays that are disjointed, disorganized, and incoherent. The average student does not know what he or she needs to look for in the passage, how to organize his or her essay, and to have prepared SAT Essay templates. Don’t let this be you. Learn and practice the Expert Essay Strategies so that you can

write a logical, organized, and coherent essay. Essay length is a tangible measure just like vocabulary. I mentioned earlier how vocabulary is one tangible way an essay grader can get a sense of how “smart” you are. Another objective measure the essay grader can use is essay length. Typically, smarter students have more to say. A long essay shows that you have thoughtfully analyzed the essay and that you are not just trying to skate by with minimal effort. If you remember

nothing else about the SAT Essay section, remember that you need to use scholarly vocabulary words and fill 3-4 pages of your essay answer booklet. These two simple strategies will significantly raise any student’s SAT Essay score. The notion that longer SAT Essays receive higher scores is not just something I made up. There is actually scientific evidence that proves this hypothesis. In 2005, MIT conducted a study that found that longer SAT essays receive higher scores. Lead investigator, Dr.

Perelman stated, “It appeared to me that regardless of what a student wrote, the longer the essay, the higher the score.” Now I know you might be thinking, “well this is for the old 2400 SAT, not the new 1600 SAT.” However, this concept of longer essays getting higher scores also applies to the New SAT Essay. The proof actually comes directly from the College Board. The sample essays that the College Board has released for the New SAT show a direct correlation between length and scores. The

essays that receive the lowest Writing, Reading, and Analysis Subscores are the shortest in length. The essays that receive the highest Writing, Reading, and Analysis Subscores are the longest in length. In addition to the evidence from MIT and the College Board, thousands of students who have used Prep Expert have found that the longer their essays, the higher their scores. The evidence is clear: longer SAT Essays get higher scores. To read a full passage you’ve never

seen before, analyze the author’s persuasive techniques, and write a 3-4 page essay on it is not an easy task. Although you have more time than on the previous version of the SAT, you will still need to work expediently. There is no time to waste. You should be very efficient about reading and analyzing the passage in 15 minutes. Then, give yourself approximately 35 minutes to fill 3-4 pages of the SAT Essay answer booklet. This is most similar to a surprise in-class essay you may get in your high school English class

(which I used to despise by the way). However, unlike your in-class high school English essay, you will be fully prepared for anything the SAT throws at you after you learn all of the Expert Essay Strategies.


Create a Plan Create a plan for your SAT Essay before you start writing.

The essay portion of the SAT can be intimidating. On test day, you may see many students open their essay test booklet and immediately start writing. You might be worried and think, “How come I’m not able to immediately start writing?” Well,

it’s actually a good thing that you are not just bursting out the gate into your essay composition. Students who start writing without thinking first will get stuck. Without a concrete plan that helps organize how the student will navigate his or her thoughts, the essay will end up being a series of disjointed thoughts without a central thread. Therefore, you must spend a few minutes at the beginning to organize your thoughts. After you have read the passage, you should create a plan about

what your essay will cover. This will give you a concrete structure to organize your thoughts around. Your SAT Essay plan should not take longer than 2 or 3 minutes to write and it will have tremendous benefits. If you ever get writer’s block while writing your SAT Essay, you can refer back to your plan to recalibrate and get inspiration for your next sentence. In addition, your plan helps you organize your ideas around a central thesis. So what needs to go in your plan? The primary items that you need to

include in your plan are the three tools. “Tools” are the argumentative techniques that the author uses to develop his or her argument. We will discuss the tools in another Expert Essay Strategy. But for now, let’s say that the three tools you think the author uses well in order to develop his or her argument are authoritative sources, diction, and emotional appeal. Simply writing out these three tools gives immediate structure to your essay. These tools are what you will discuss in your body paragraphs. In

addition to writing which 3 tools you are going to discuss in your essay, you want to reference 2-4 paragraphs in the passage that the author uses those 3 particular tools very well. Here is an example of a quick plan you could create before writing your SAT Essay: Plan (1) Authoritative Sources – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 6 (2) Diction / Word Choice –

Paragraph 1, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 5 (3) Emotional Appeal – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 5


Write 5 Paragraphs Write your SAT Essay in a 5-paragraph format.

For the purposes of the SAT Essay, a standard 5-paragraph format is perfect: Introduction Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion

Each paragraph should be approximately 3/4 of a page in length so that you can Fill 3-4 pages. The conclusion may be shorter since you are likely running out of time at this point in your SAT Essay. This structure works well for the SAT Essay primarily because of the body paragraphs. Each body

paragraph will be filled with an analysis of an argumentative tool that the author uses. In addition, the introduction and conclusion are necessary because the College Board actually subtracts points from students who do not have an opener and closer to their essay. By adhering to the same format every time, the less time you waste thinking of essay structure, and the more time you spend writing great content.


Thesis First Begin every SAT Essay with your thesis.

Similar to the structure of the 2400-version of the SAT Essay that we previously taught at Prep Expert, you should begin every New SAT Essay with your thesis. However, unlike the previous version of the SAT Essay in which your thesis was essentially your

own opinion, the thesis for this New SAT Essay is fundamentally different. Instead, this new thesis will always be a positive one: the author develops a great argument. Before we can start our SAT essay with a thesis though, we need to understand exactly what a thesis is. My high school English teacher had a really good explanation of what a thesis is that has stuck with me all these years. He said that a thesis is a statement that you can place after, “In this essay, I will prove that __[insert thesis here]__.” If this

statement makes sense, then you have a thesis. If this statement does not make sense, then you do not have a thesis. Essentially, a thesis is the argument you are trying to prove in an essay. For the purposes of the SAT, we will use a standard template for the first-sentence thesis that you will open every SAT Essay with: In “[Title of Article],” [Author Name] synthesizes a compelling dissertation that [Passage’s Key Point].

Here is an example of how you

would use it on an actual SAT Essay: In “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education,” Jane Smith synthesizes a compelling dissertation that knowledge relating to the humanities is indispensable to the progress of society.

Not a bad way to start an SAT Essay right? Knowing exactly what you are going to write for the first sentence of your SAT Essay is especially powerful. One of the hardest parts about writing is simply getting started. For some reason, the act of

initially putting words to paper is particularly difficult. But once you get started, writing the rest of the sentences becomes easier. By having a standard opener for every SAT Essay, we have solved the problem of getting initial writer’s block!


POP Last Okay so now that I have given you the first sentence of every SAT Essay introduction, let me give the last sentence. If you start with your thesis, you should end with your POP – or Plan Of Procedure. A Plan of Procedure outlines exactly what you will be discussing in the forthcoming body paragraphs. For the SAT Essay, a POP is essential

because it helps organize the essay both for the reader and you. The SAT Essay grader is likely reading your essay at lightning speed. Therefore, it’s helpful if you give him or her some guide posts as to what you will be discussing your essay. In addition, the POP will help you remember what you need to discuss in your body paragraphs. For the purposes of the SAT, we will use a standard template for the last-sentence POP to end every SAT Essay introduction with:

[Author Last Name] deftly delivers a cogent argument to sway [his/her] readers by [Insert 3 Argumentative Tools].

Here is an example of how you would use it on an actual SAT Essay:. Smith deftly delivers a cogent argument to sway her readers by citing prominent authorities, implying broad repercussions, and using stark contrast.

Don’t worry if you don’t know what I mean by “3 Argumentative Tools.” We will discuss exactly what

argumentative tools are soon. For now, you should only understand that the first body paragraph of our essay will discuss how Smith uses prominent authorities to strengthen her argument, the second body paragraph will discuss how Smith uses broad repercussions to better her argument, and the third body paragraph will discuss how Smith uses stark contrast to improve her argument. Using a clear POP such as this will help your essay achieve a level of organization that most

students’ essays lack.


Repeat Thesis Repeat your thesis throughout the SAT Essay.

It’s not enough to only state your thesis at the beginning of your SAT Essay. You must repeat your thesis in the body paragraphs and conclusion as well. Remember, your thesis is that the author has developed a strong argument using

certain tools and techniques. This should be clear to the reader no matter what paragraph of your essay he or she is reading. Make sure to repeat your thesis at least once in every paragraph of your essay. Of course, you don’t want to repeat your thesis in the exactly the same manner each time. Instead, try to say it in different words. Here are some examples of how you can restate your thesis in body paragraphs: Throughout the article, Smith highlights several influential sources

in order to persuade readers to give credence to her claim that a humanities education is essential for both personal and societal success. Similar to many adept editorial writers, Smith attempts to continually expound the magnitude of her argument by asserting the farreaching negative consequences of a lack of a humanities education. Smith further thoughtfully supplements her argument by highlighting significant differences between a technology-focused education and a humanities-focused education.

Repeating your thesis throughout your essay will bring coherency to your composition. Many high school students struggle to stay on topic and tend to venture off on tangents, especially when they are writing fast under the timed conditions of a standardized test. However, by connecting your paragraphs with the central thesis, your reader will be able to follow your arguments easily. Organization is key on the SAT Essay and repeating your thesis often is yet another way to achieve

a high level of organization.


Stay Active This Essay Expert Strategy relates to your SAT Essay Writing Subscore from 2 – 8. Although most of the grammar that you need to know for the SAT Essay will be taught in the SAT Writing section, one item that many students struggle with is the active vs. passive voice. Therefore, we make it a point to teach students the difference here.

Active Voice – The subject is actively doing the verb. Passive Voice – The subject is passively receiving the verb. Here are some examples that illustrate the difference between subjects doing the action of a verb versus subjects receiving the action of a verb. Active Voice

Passive Voice

I aced the SAT.

The SAT was aced by me.

She plays tennis.

Tennis is played by her.

They love to eat.

Eating is loved by them.

The dog fetched the bone.

The bone was fetched by the dog.

I use two tricks to recognize the difference between active voice vs. passive voice. The first is that the passive voice often uses the word “by.” The second is that that the passive voice often uses verb forms of “to be” (i.e. is, was, been, etc.).

Knowing these two “tricks” will help you recognize if you start writing in the passive voice rather than the active voice. This strategy is not only useful for the SAT Essay, but also for the multiple-choice SAT Writing section.


Link & Connect You must link and connect your SAT Essay in order to organize a coherent composition.

Organization of the SAT Essay is essential to getting a high score. One of the ways to make sure that your essay is coherently organized is to link and connect. Link means to make sure that your essay flows well. Connect means to tie different

concepts in your essay together. Although the SAT Essay templates will do much of this for you, you should still actively think about how to link and connect your essay as you are writing. Transitions Perhaps the best way to link your essay together is to use transitions. Transitions will help your reader know where you are going in your essay. Although you do not need to use a transition in every sentence, transitions used every few

sentences will help show that you have mastered the art of linking ideas. Here are some examples of transitions that you will commonly use on the SAT Essay. Common Transitions Furthermore However Although In Addition For Example Nevertheless Consequently

Transitions also have another major benefit other than improving the flow of your SAT Essay: transitions can cure writer’s block. Undoubtedly, under the pressure of test-day, you will run out of things to say during your SAT Essay. But there is a simple strategy you can use to get out of this situation. Write down a transition – any transition – and you will suddenly be able to write your next sentence. You don’t need to know what you are going to write about before you

write down a transition. Simply put down “for example,” and you will think of an example to discuss. Write down “however,” and you will think of a contrasting concept to discuss. Transitions are a terrific way to get your mind thinking when you are stuck and don’t know what to write about next. Key Ideas A skilled writer is able to recognize common themes in the author’s passage and connect those key ideas. Being able to find

commonalities among seemingly disparate concepts is not an easy task. But with practice, you will become better accustomed to coming up with ways to connect key ideas. For example, take the following sentence that I wrote for an essay about a humanities education: “Switching from successful businessmen to venerated philosophers, Smith continues to refer to authorities when…” What were the key ideas I connected here? Well I recognized the

difference between “successful businessmen” and “venerated philosophers,” but was also able to connect them to the theme of referring to authorities. This is what I mean by connecting key ideas in your SAT Essay. This will take practice, but the better you get at this, the higher your SAT Essay Analysis Subscore will go. Thesis Although we discussed repeating your own thesis at length, you also need to repeat the author’s thesis

from time to time. Remember the difference between the two: Your Thesis – The author built a great argument using tools/techniques. Author’s Thesis – Whatever the author’s argument is.

For example, in our example essay about Jane Smith’s “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education,” here is the difference between the two theses: Your Thesis – In “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education,” Jane

Smith synthesizes a compelling dissertation that knowledge relating to the humanities is indispensable to the progress of society. Author’s Thesis – Knowledge relating to the humanities is indispensable to the progress of society.

In Essay Expert Strategy 8, we stressed the importance of repeating your thesis often throughout the essay. But now I am stressing the importance of repeating the author’s thesis throughout the essay. However, you may want to state the author’s

thesis in different words. Instead of stating “knowledge relating to the humanities is indispensable to the progress of society” multiple times throughout your essay, you may want to state “a humanities education is essential for both personal and societal success.” Essentially, this is just the author’s thesis restated in different words. Introduction & Conclusion Finally, the last piece of advice I have about linking and connecting your SAT Essay relates to your

introduction and conclusion. Make sure that your introduction and conclusion echo each other. In your conclusion, you may want to restate your thesis and summarize the importance of the argumentative tools you outlined in your Plan of Procedure (POP). I will show you exact templates for both the introduction and conclusion soon that will have a lot of this linking and connecting baked right into the templates.


Stay Objective On your SAT Essay, you need to stay neutral.

You should not have an opinion about the topic the author is discussing. Instead, your only opinion should be that the author has built a strong argument. This is the exact opposite of what was required of students on the 2400-

version of the SAT Essay. On the old SAT Essay, you needed to have an opinion about a particular topic and then defend your opinion. Students used to write persuasive essays. Now, students are required to write analytical essays. Why did the SAT make this change? Students learned how to game the system. When the College Board let students write about their own opinions, many students took advantage of this by writing about whatever they wanted. Some students would write about stories

from their lives, use examples from popular culture, and some would even go so far as to make up fake books and poems. Therefore, to prevent students from using fictitious and unprofessional examples, the College Board decided to revamp the New SAT Essay so that students would have to analyze a piece of text. This means that you can no longer make up stories or examples for your SAT Essay. The College Board solved this problem well. However, there was another

problem that the College Board intended to solve by assigning students an analytical essay. SAT test writers thought that if they assign students a text to analyze, students could no longer use templates to write their SAT Essay. Templates were infamous on the 2400-verison of the SAT Essay. Essentially, test prep companies like Prep Expert would give students SAT Essay Templates that would work for almost any SAT Essay they would encounter since the topics were often so general. By

no longer having general topics, but instead specific passages that students are required to read, College Board test writers thought they have solved the problem of test prep essay templates. However, I have good news: I have developed an even better template for the New SAT Essay! Although the passage you see on test day will not to be one you have seen before, you can still have a prepared skeleton for most of your SAT Essay.

Finally, you should avoid using any personal pronouns on the SAT Essay such as "I", "me", and "you." Instead, try to keep your SAT Essay as academic as possible. Talk about society or civilization. Once in a while, you may use pronouns such as “we” or “us,” but I would try to keep this to a minimum. Try not to insert your own personal opinions into the SAT Essay. Instead, stay objective while analyzing the author’s argumentative techniques to build a powerful essay.


Find PKP Anytime you encounter a passage on the SAT, the first step should be to find the PKP.

PKP stands for Passage’s Key Point. This is the core message of the passage. The PKP is typically found in the first paragraph of standardized test passages. Therefore, you should read the first paragraph of a passage and try to

identify its PKP. If the PKP is not apparent to you after reading the first paragraph, you have two options. First, you could continue reading into the second paragraph. You should do this when the first paragraph is very short or gives you information unrelated to the rest of the passage. Second, you could reread the first paragraph. You should do this when the passage is difficult to understand. We will also use this strategy of finding the PKP on the SAT Reading and SAT Writing sections when we are dealing with

passages. It is not enough to simply think of a PKP – you must write it down. Synthesizing your own PKP is a powerful exercise. It assures that you really understand what the passage is about. If you only think about the PKP without taking the time and expending the mental energy to write one down, you may in fact have no idea what the passage is about. However, the PKP you write down does not need to be complex. Your PKP is for your eyes only – so it can be simple. But

you should have a PKP written down. To illustrate how simple a PKP can be, let’s use the following passage. Adapted from “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education” by Jane Smith. ©2015 by Prep Expert Times. Originally published January 1, 2015. Malcolm Forbes, the owner and founder of Forbes magazine, once proclaimed that “education’s primary purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one” – and no other curriculum better exemplifies this than the humanities. Similar to other broad disciplines such as mathematics or science, the humanities is an all-inclusive

discipline that incorporates five essential fields of thought: art, history, literature, music, and philosophy. As a result of exposure to the diversity of these fields, a student of the humanities is able to savor and attain knowledge from a cornucopia of subjects, and in so doing joins the ranks of the most versatile and educated individuals in his or her walk of life. The very definition of the humanities degree – that it is one that comprises a study of the deepest human emotional qualities – proclaims its authority over other disciplines like an army general presiding over his troops.

After reading the first paragraph of this passage, I would write down my

PKP. In my mind, I think that the PKP is “A humanities education is vital to society.” However, I would not physically write this down in my test booklet. In order to save time, I would be more likely to write down something such as: PKP: Hum. Edu = Important Notice how simple my PKP is. I would write this down in the margin next to the first paragraph. While this may sound simple, knowing the author’s argument is actually a very powerful technique.

By writing down the PKP, you will better understand the rest of the passage. You will also have a better idea of how to focus your essay because you understand the author’s main idea.


First Pass – PS You will read the SAT Essay passage twice. On the first pass, create Paragraph Summaries.

One of the biggest struggles students have when reading standardized passages is determining how to begin. Should you read the passage thoroughly first? Should you skim the passage? Should you take notes? Although

this isn’t as big of a problem for the SAT Essay section as it is for the SAT Reading section, we should still have a strategy for reading an SAT Essay passage. I have developed a two-pass approach for the SAT Essay. In the first pass, you will create paragraph summaries of each of the paragraphs in the SAT Essay passage. In the second pass, you will identify argumentative tools that the author uses in order to strengthen his or her argument. However, each pass is done

paragraph by paragraph. This means, you read the first paragraph, then come up with the paragraph summary. Then you reread the first paragraph and identify specific argumentative tools that the author uses in that paragraph. But for now, we will only focus on the first pass. On your first pass of each paragraph in a passage, you want to write down a paragraph summary. The good news is that you have already done one paragraph summary – your PKP.

The Passage’s Key Point that you identified after reading the first paragraph of the SAT Essay passage is also your paragraph summary. Similar to a PKP, paragraph summaries should be simple. Remember, paragraph summaries are for your eyes only. However, you must create paragraph summaries because they increase comprehension. The better you understand a passage, the higher your SAT Essay Reading Subscore will be. While the SAT Essay templates that we will cover very

soon will help you with your SAT Essay Writing Subscore and SAT Essay Analysis Subscore, they will not help you much with your SAT Essay Reading Subscore. Therefore, your paragraph summaries will be absolutely essential to increase your SAT Essay Reading Subscore. Let’s try out an example. Read the following SAT Essay passage. As you read each paragraph, come up with a paragraph summary. Try to create a simple summary that captures the essence of the paragraph, but is still succinct

enough that it doesn’t take up too much of your time to write down. After you have created paragraph summaries, compare your answers to the paragraph summaries that I came up with that follow the passage. You will notice that your paragraph summaries do not match mine exactly. That’s okay. There is no one correct answer for how a paragraph summary should look. As long as your paragraph summaries are short and accurate, you’re good to go. If you are having a hard time coming up with

paragraph summaries, don’t worry! We’ll work with lots of passages in this course so that you will eventually get the hang of it. Adapted from “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education” by Jane Smith. ©2015 by Prep Expert Times. Originally published January 1, 2015. 1. Malcolm Forbes, the owner and founder of Forbes magazine, once proclaimed that “education’s primary purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one” – and no other curriculum better exemplifies this than the humanities. Similar to other broad disciplines such as

mathematics or science, the humanities is an all-inclusive discipline that incorporates five essential fields of thought: art, history, literature, music, and philosophy. As a result of exposure to the diversity of these fields, a student of the humanities is able to savor and attain knowledge from a cornucopia of subjects, and in so doing joins the ranks of the most versatile and educated individuals in his or her walk of life. The very definition of the humanities degree – that it is one that comprises a study of the deepest human emotional qualities – proclaims its authority over other disciplines like an Army

general presiding over his troops. 2. In one sense, the 21st century – with its zealous focus on technology in our quest to enhance our control over the world – has undermined the humanities. No longer is it as fascinating to study human beings and their mortal accomplishments; more emphasis and interest is bestowed on machines and their industrious capabilities. A 2013 Wall Street Journal article cited a study from the Harvard Humanities Project that found the percentage of humanities degrees among college graduates has dropped by 50% since the 1960s. The advent of technological innovations, and

society’s emphasis to further improve those systems, has led many students to major in these fields at the grave expense of the humanities. 3. This is a shame, because in many ways the subjects that comprise the humanities represent the very crucible of civilization. They honor such men as Socrates, Herodotus, and Bach, who were considered by many to be the pioneers of their fields and fathers of their trades. By denying themselves education in the humanities, many students are denying the very elements that make us human. If nothing else, the humanities can help us recognize

and avoid the mistakes of the past. Philosopher George Santayana once pointed out that, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”? When students remove humanities from their education, they are severing the only remaining ties that connect us with the past. 4. By ignoring the humanities, students are deprived of a body of knowledge so plentiful, so rich, and so powerful that the lack impedes and impairs their versatility in speech and thought. Furthermore, a lack of appreciation of the humanities would be woefully detrimental to society as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences points out in a report

entitled The Heart of the Matter: The Humanities and Social Sciences for a Vibrant, Competitive, and Secure Nation. Overspecialization in one field (or, worse, a subfield) is insufficient to saturate the human mind with the essential intellectual criteria needed for an adequate analysis of the world – and would by no means engender the sort of “Renaissance man” who has advanced science and society throughout most of Western history. The Humanities are, for good reason, considered by many scholars to be the backbone of academia – and without them, a scholar is severely paralyzed, academically and socially.

Therefore, we must further educate people in this magnificent constellation of related fields, so that they can bestow the traditions of a well-rounded education upon themselves, and upon their posterity. 5. In the words of Andre Gide, “as long as we live among men, let us cherish their ingenuity and humanity, for it would lead to greatness.” With a humanities education, one is prepared for a diversity of roles, whereas specialization limits one’s options. With the humanities, one has the opportunity to understand the human role in society, and to be able to learn from previous human achievements and inanities. Only

through such an education can we appreciate and savor the continuity of human progress. Therefore, unlike other specialized degrees that focus mainly on a part of the human mind (e.g., psychology), the human system (physiology), or human technology (engineering), the humanities provide an enlightening and multilateral view of human existence.

Paragraph Summaries Paragraph 1

Hum. Edu. = Important

Paragraph 2

Technology

Takeover Paragraph 3

Hum. Have a Rich History

Paragraph 4

Hum. Make You More WellRounded

Paragraph 5

Hum. Opens Many Doors


Second Pass – CREW SAID You will read the SAT Essay passage twice. On the second pass, identify CREW SAID argumentative tools.

After you have gone through the first pass of a paragraph, your next job is to do a second pass of the paragraph. However, this time instead of focusing on what the

paragraph is about like in the first pass, focus on the argumentative tools that the author uses to develop his or her argument. By separating what we need to zero in on in each pass, we can focus our mental energy. Multitasking simply does not work! Reading a passage both for comprehension and identification of argumentative tools at the same time is very difficult. Instead, focus on one task at a time. Although we do spend some extra time reading each passage twice (compared to most

students who are only reading the passage once), we will make up for this lost time when we have excellent material to write about because of our two passes. In addition, the SAT Essay templates will help us save an enormous amount of time. I have identified 8 argumentative tools that authors of SAT Essay passages commonly use to strengthen their argument. You can remember these 8 tools using the acronym CREW SAID:

Contrast

Similarity

Repercussions

Authority

Emotion

Imagery

Word Choice

Data

Recall from Essay Expert Strategy #7 POP Last that the Plan of Procedure requires that we identify only 3 argumentative tools that an author uses to build his or her argument. So why do I have 8 listed above? Because every passage is not going to use all 8 of the CREW SAID argumentative tools. Instead,

an author will likely only use a 4-5 of the 8 tools frequently. It is up to you to decide which 3 that you would like to discuss in your SAT Essay body paragraphs. For example, you may decide that the author uses Word Choice, Authority, and Data the best in order to develop his or her argument. Therefore, you would talk about these three argumentative tools in your SAT Essay. Deciding which three argumentative tools you want to

discuss in your SAT Essay is really up to you. But I would suggest selecting the CREW SAID tools the author uses frequently so that you have more to talk about. Let’s now discuss what each of these CREW SAID argumentative tools means. Contrast Contrast refers to when an author highlights differences between two items. These items could be people, things, ideas, etc. Using

stark contrast to compare the positive aspects of one item against the negative aspects of another item is a powerful argumentative technique. Here is an example of contrast from our example humanities passage:

With a humanities education, one is prepared for a diversity of roles, whereas specialization limits one’s options.

The author contrasts the benefits of a broad humanities education against the drawbacks of a specialized education. Repercussions Repercussions refer to when an author points out the far-reaching consequences of his or her argument. Typically, we think of repercussions as being negative; however, repercussions can also be positive. Highlighting the broader implications of an idea can really help strengthen an author’s

argument. You can identify when an author is using repercussions as an argumentative technique because he or she is making the argument a really big deal. Here is an example of repercussions from our example humanities passage:

Only through such an education can we appreciate and savor the continuity of human progress. The author implies the far-reaching

repercussions of a humanities education by citing that it is essential to “human progress.” Note: This is a common argumentative tool that authors of SAT Essay passages will use! Emotion Emotion refers to when an author attempts to make an emotional appeal to the reader. For example, if a heartfelt topic such as childhood is brought up, the author is likely attempting to tug at

the heartstrings of the reader. Here is an example of emotional appeal from our example humanities passage:

When students remove humanities from their education, they are severing the only remaining ties that connect us with the past. The author uses emotional appeal by referring to how the past might

be lost if the youth do not value the humanities. Word Choice Word choice refers to when an author purposefully uses certain language in order to build his or her argument. Using specific diction can help an author enhance his or her point. When certain words, expressions, or terms really stick out to you, the author is likely using Word Choice as an argumentative tool. Here is an example of word choice from

our example humanities passage:

By ignoring the humanities, students are deprived of a body of knowledge so plentiful, so rich, and so powerful that the lack impedes and impairs their versatility of speech and thought. The author uses royal diction such as “plentiful,” “rich,” and “powerful,” to describe the humanities as

influential. Similarity Similarity refers to when an author highlights similarities between two items. These items could be people, things, ideas, etc. Using similarities to compare the positive or negative aspects of another item is a powerful argumentative technique. Here is an example of similarity from our example humanities passage:

The very definition of

the humanities degree – that it is one that comprises a study of the deepest human emotional qualities – proclaims its authority over other disciplines like an army general presiding over his troops. The author uses a metaphor – a common type of similarity – to clarify her argument to the reader.

Note: You can also argue that this sentence uses imagery as an argumentative technique because the author paints a picture of the general presiding over troops. Every sentence does not have to fit neatly into one bucket. Often times, one sentence will use two argumentative techniques. Authority Authority refers to when an author cites an expert or influencer in order to add clout to his or her argument. Citing authorities is a

powerful argumentative technique that can really strengthen an argument. When you see a wellknown publication, organization, or public figure cited by an author, you can be fairly certain he or she is using authority to add weight to the argument. Here is an example of authority from our example humanities passage:

Philosopher George Santayana once pointed out that, “those who cannot remember the

past are condemned to repeat it. ” The author cites philosopher George Santayana to add credibility to her argument. Note: Citing authorities is one of the most commonly used argumentative techniques that authors of SAT Essay passages use to enhance their arguments. Therefore, this can be one of your go-to CREW SAID argumentative tools that you discuss in your SAT Essay.

Imagery Imagery refers to when an author paints a picture with words. This tool is related to word choice because the specific words an author chooses can dictate the vividness of the image. Here is an example of imagery from our example humanities passage:

The Humanities are, for good reason, considered by many scholars to be the

backbone of academia – and without them, a scholar is severely paralyzed, academically and socially. The author uses the imagery of a “backbone” being “paralyzed” to paint a clear picture in the mind of the reader. Data Data refers to when an author uses statistics or numerical evidence to

support his or her argument. Data is typically the easiest argumentative technique to spot in a passage because numbers stick out like a sore thumb. Data is also related to authority because statistics that a passage cites often come from an authoritative source. Using data can bring a lot of validity to an author’s argument. Here is an example of data from our example humanities passage:

A 2013 Wall Street Journal article cited a

study from the Harvard Humanities Project that found the percentage of humanities degrees among college graduates has dropped by 50% since the 1960s. The author not only uses data from a study to support her argument, but also the authority of the Wall Street Journal and the Harvard Humanities Project.

That’s it! Those are the 8 argumentative tools that you need to know for the SAT Essay. Of course, these 8 tools are not comprehensive. There are other techniques that authors can use to enhance their arguments. You can certainly identify other tools if you are so inclined. But unlike other students, you won’t have to try to come up with new argumentative tools off the top of your head if you don’t want to. If you decide that there is another argumentative technique that the author uses

that is not a part of CREW SAID, feel free to discuss it if you are confident. But I would suggest that before you start your SAT Essay, write down the following in your test booklet: Contrast

Similarity

Repercussions

Authority

Emotion

Imagery

Word Choice

Data

This will remind you of the 8 argumentative techniques you

should be looking for as you read the SAT Essay passage. Remember, you should look for CREW SAID argumentative tools during your second pass. On your first pass, you read a paragraph and write down a paragraph summary. This will assure understanding. On your second pass, you read the same paragraph and identify CREW SAID argumentative techniques that are used in each sentence. Let’s practice the second pass now.

Adapted from “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education” by Jane Smith. ©2015 by Prep Malcolm Forbes, the owner and founder of Forbes magazine, once proclaimed that “education’s primary purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one” – and no other curriculum better exemplifies this than the humanities . Similar to other broad disciplines such as mathematics or science, the humanities is an all-inclusive discipline that incorporates five essential fields of thought: art, history, literature, music, and philosophy . As a result of exposure to the diversity of these fields, a student of the humanities is able to savor and attain knowledge from a

cornucopia of subjects, and in so doing joins the ranks of the most versatile and educated individuals in his or her walk of life . The very definition of the humanities degree – that it is one that comprises a study of the deepest human emotional qualities – proclaims its authority over other disciplines like an army general presiding over his troops . Sentence 1 – The author uses authority by citing the founder of Forbes magazine. Sentence 2 – The author uses similarity by finding a parallel between math/science and the humanities.

Sentence 3 – The author uses repercussions by stating that a student can become one of the most important individuals in society through a humanities education. Sentence 4 – The author uses similarity by using the metaphor of an army. In one sense, the 21st century – with its zealous focus on technology in our quest to enhance our control over the world – has undermined the humanities . No longer is it as fascinating to study human beings and their mortal accomplishments; more emphasis and interest is bestowed on machines and their industrious capabilities . A 2013 Wall Street

Journal article cited a study from the Harvard Humanities Project that found the percentage of humanities degrees among college graduates has dropped by 50% since the 1960s . The advent of technological innovations, and society’s emphasis to further improve those systems, has led many students to major in these fields at the grave expense of the humanities . Sentence 1 – The author uses contrast by highlighting how technology despite its benefits has actually had a negative effect on the humanities. Sentence 2 – The author uses word choice by selecting words such as

“mortal” to describe humans and words such as “machines” and “industrious” to describe technology. Sentence 3 – The author uses authority when she cites The Wall Street Journal and the Harvard Humanities Project. The author also uses data by citing the 50% statistic. Sentence 4 – The author uses repercussions by citing the broader negative implications of technological advancement. This is a shame, because in many ways the subjects that comprise the humanities represent the very crucible of civilization . They honor such men as Socrates, Herodotus, and Bach, who were

considered by many to be the pioneers of their fields and fathers of their trades . By denying themselves education in the humanities, many students are denying the very elements that make us human . If nothing else, the humanities can help us recognize and avoid the mistakes of the past. Philosopher George Santayana once pointed out that, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”? . When students remove humanities from their education, they are severing the only remaining ties that connect us with the past .

Sentence 1 – The author uses

repercussions by citing the major significance of the humanities. Sentence 2 – The author uses authority by citing ancient philosophers. Sentence 3 – The author uses repercussions by stating that humanities make us human. Sentence 4 – I could not identify a particular CREW SAID argumentative tool in this sentence. Sentence 5 – The author uses authority by citing a prominent

philosopher. Sentence 6 – The author uses emotional appeal by stating that the youth can lose the past if they lose a humanities education. By ignoring the humanities, students are deprived of a body of knowledge so plentiful, so rich, and so powerful that the lack impedes and impairs their versatility in speech and thought . Furthermore, a lack of appreciation of the humanities would be

woefully detrimental to society as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences points out in a report entitled The Heart of the Matter: The Humanities and Social Sciences for a Vibrant, Competitive, and Secure Nation . Overspecialization in one field (or, worse, a subfield) is insufficient to saturate the human mind with the essential intellectual criteria needed for an adequate analysis of the world – and would by no means engender the sort of “Renaissance man” who has advanced science

and society throughout most of Western history . The Humanities are, for good reason, considered by many scholars to be the backbone of academia – and without them, a scholar is severely paralyzed, academically and socially . Therefore, we must further educate people in this magnificent constellation of related fields, so that they can bestow the traditions of a well-rounded education upon themselves, and upon their posterity .

Sentence 1 – The author uses word choice by using regal diction such as “plentiful,” “rich,” and “powerful” to emphasize the importance of the humanities. Sentence 2 – The author uses authority by citing a report conducted by a recognized organization. Sentence 3 – The author uses repercussions by implying that overspecialization can be detrimental to society. Sentence 4 – The author uses

imagery by using words such as “backbone” and “paralyzed” to paint a clear picture for the reader. Sentence 5 – The author uses repercussions by instilling urgency in the reader. In the words of Andre Gide, “as long as we live among men, let us cherish their ingenuity and humanity, for it would lead to greatness” . With a humanities education, one is prepared for a diversity of roles, whereas specialization limits one’s options

. With the humanities, one has the opportunity to understand the human role in society, and to be able to learn from previous human achievements and inanities . Only through such an education can we appreciate and savor the continuity of human progress . Therefore, unlike other specialized degrees that focus mainly on a part of the human mind (e.g., psychology), the human system (physiology), or human technology (engineering), the humanities provide an enlightening and

multilateral view of human existence . Sentence 1 – The author uses authority by quoting an author. Sentence 2 – The author uses contrast by differentiating between the benefits of a humanities education versus specialization. Sentence 3 – The author uses repercussions by stating the broader benefits of a humanities education. Sentence 4 – The author uses

repercussions by asserting how essential a humanities education is to “human progress.” Sentence 5 – The author uses contrast by contrasting specialized education with humanities education. I hope that you now understand how to identify CREW SAID argumentative tools as you go through your second pass of each paragraph. Note that classifying every sentence as an argumentative tactic is not

necessary. Some sentences will simply not fall neatly into one of the 8 CREW SAID categories. If this is the case, continue reading and leave the sentence unlabeled. After you have completed your second pass of every paragraph in the SAT Essay passage, you are ready to start writing. To figure out which 3 CREW SAID argumentative techniques that you are going to write about, simply count up how many of each tool appeared in the passage. For example, for our passage about the Humanities,

here is the count: 3 8 1 2 2 6 1 1 As you can see, the most used CREW SAID argumentative techniques in the humanities

passage were Repercussions (8 times), Authority (6 times), and Contrast (3 times). Therefore, the three body paragraphs that we will write for our SAT Essay will likely discuss how the author implied broad repercussions, cited authorities, and used stark contrast to fortify her argument. You do not have to choose the most frequently used CREW SAID argumentative tools to be the ones that serve as your body paragraphs. While using the most frequently used ones may give you more content to write

about, you may opt to discuss the ones that are most interesting to you in your body paragraphs. Going through the motions of identifying CREW SAID argumentative tools is also useful because it allows you to stay in analysis mode. Many students make the mistake of going into summary mode i.e. recapping what the passage said. The essay graders already know what the passage is about. They do not want a summary. Instead, they want to know what your analysis of the

passage is. By identifying CREW SAID argumentative tools within the passage, you are analyzing every line of the passage. This will make it easier for you to write a compelling analysis essay.


QIS Analysis To write your analysis essay, use the Quote, Interpret, Significance (QIS) format.

QIS, which I pronounce as “kiss,” is the technique we will use to develop a stellar analysis in the body paragraphs of our SAT Essay. QIS stands for Quote, Interpret, and Significance. When you are analyzing the passage, you will

quote an excerpt, interpret that quote, and state the significance of how this CREW SAID argumentative tool helps build the author’s argument. For example, you may quote how the author cites an authority in the passage, interpret what the authority said, and write about how citing this particular authority adds credibility to the author’s argument. Essentially, QIS is a formulaic way of conducting an analysis with CREW SAID argumentative tools. Let’s go over an example of how we

would use QIS on the humanities passage we have been working with. Quote The essay opens with a quote from Malcolm Forbes, the founder of Forbes magazine, which illustrates the importance of education (Smith 1). Start by quoting the passage. But notice how I don’t actually quote the passage here. Instead, I paraphrase. This is perfectly okay, but you should still cite the part of the passage you are referring to. To

do this, put the author’s last name along with the paragraph number in parenthesis after your quote or paraphrase. The SAT will number the paragraphs of the passage for you. Interpret Although Forbes does not specifically mention the humanities, Smith makes a connection for the readers. After you have quoted/paraphrased a particular CREW SAID argumentation, you should interpret it. In this case, I do

not mention how the quote relates to authority or how it enhances the author’s argument. Instead, I interpret the quote itself. Significance Smith capitalizes on the prominence and fame of the Forbes name to lay the groundwork for her argument from the very beginning. Finally, clarify the significance of the author’s use of the CREW SAID argumentative tool by stating how it contributes to the author’s overall argument. In this case, I

make particular mention of how it helps initiate a strong argument from the very beginning of the passage. That’s it! This is how you effectively conduct your analysis when writing your SAT Essay. Simply do QIS two to four times in your body paragraphs and you will have an essay full of powerful insights. However, there is one more part of QIS that is not part of the acronym: Connect. Remember Essay Expert Strategy #10 Link & Connect. In order to transition between your

QIS analyses, you should try to link and connect them smoothly. Here is an example of how I would connect the previous QIS analysis with the next quote: Connect Switching from successful businessmen to venerated philosophers, Smith continues to refer to authorities when she mentions “Socrates, Herodotus, and Bach,” as well as “Philosopher George Santayana” (Smith 3). Notice how I was able to identify that Smith uses both businessmen

and philosophers as authorities to strengthen her argument. Making connections such as this will really impress your readers because it shows depth of thought about the passage. The beauty of the CREW SAID argumentative tools is that you have already made many of these connections! You already know all the places in the passage that the author has cited authorities, implied broad repercussions, relied on statistical data, etc.


Introduction Template To write a compelling SAT Essay, use the Prep Expert Introduction Template.

We are finally at every student’s favorite part of the SAT Essay section – templates! Essay templates are fill-in-the-blank skeletons that allow you to use the same basic format to structure

every SAT Essay. This saves a tremendous amount of time because you do not have to come up with your own writing format. In addition, templates will help raise your score because many of the Essay Expert Strategies we have discussed (i.e. Exploit Vocab) are built into the essay templates. Of course, you don’t have to use the essay templates if you don’t want to. But most students choose to because they are not that difficult to memorize (especially after you’ve practiced the SAT Essay dozens of

times). You can also customize templates to your own writing style, and I encourage you to do so. Before I teach you Prep Expert Essay Templates, let me first address two concerns that students have: plagiarism and bias. If you use an essay template, why isn’t it considered plagiarism? The answer is simple: I am giving you permission to use my essay template. Okay, but won’t SAT Essay graders score your essay lower if you are using a template? No! Because the SAT is a standardized

test, essay graders must give standardized scores. This means that if you write an essay that is very similar to a perfect score essay, then you too must get a perfect score. Otherwise, the scores would no longer be comparable, which would ruin the whole point of a standardized exam. In addition, creativity is not a grading criteria. In fact, creativity can never be a grading criteria on a standardized exam because it is not an objective measure. Finally, thousands of students have used

our essay templates to score exceptionally high on the SAT Essay, so you should too! Now that your concerns about essay templates have been allayed, let’s take a look at the Introduction Template. In [Article Title], [Author Name] synthesizes a compelling dissertation that [Passage’s Key Point]. Although some detractors may believe [What Detractors Believe], the arguments set forth in the article dismiss such romantic critics as excessively dogmatic in their provincial ideology. One of the broader

notions presented in the essay is that [Major Idea in Article]. [Author’s Last Name] deftly delivers a cogent argument to sway his/her readers by [3 CREW SAID Tools]. Here are a few key features of the Introduction Template: 4 Sentences Sentence 1 – Thesis Sentence 2 – Shows depth of thought by showing the reader that you have thought about the other side of the argument Sentence 3 – Identifies one of the

broader themes of the passage Sentence 4 – POP Large Vocabulary Words Using scholarly vocabulary words early in the essay helps create a strong first impression Customization You may want to customize your introduction template to be 5-6 sentences or even change some of the sentence sequencing.

Now let’s see how to use this Introduction Template on our

example Humanities passage: In “The Enduring Value of a Humanities Education,” Jane Smith synthesizes a compelling dissertation that knowledge relating to the humanities is indispensable to the progress of society. Although some detractors may believe the advancement of education strictly focused on technology is key to national development, the arguments set forth in the article dismiss such romantic critics as excessively dogmatic in their provincial ideology. One of the broader notions presented in the essay is that an education in the humanities magnifies a person’s versatility to be a productive member of society. Smith deftly delivers

a cogent argument to sway her readers by citing prominent authorities, implying broad repercussions, and using stark contrast.


Body Paragraph 1 Template To write a compelling SAT Essay, use the Prep Expert Body Paragraph 1 Template.

Throughout the article, [Author’s Last Name] highlights several influential sources in order to persuade readers to give credence to [his/her] claim that [Repeat Author’s Thesis]. Quote

Quote

Quot

Interpret

Interpret

Interpr

Significance Significance Significa Connect

Connect

Here are a few key features of the Body Paragraph 1 Template: Authority We are going to assume that the passage you see on test day is going to use multiple authorities in order to help backup the author’s argument. Therefore, citing authorities will be the initial body paragraph every time.

QIS Structure Every body paragraph will have essentially the same structure: Quote, Interpret, Significance. You will do this 2 – 4 times with connections in between. Customization You may want to customize the QIS structure. For example, sometimes you may skip the interpretation of the quote, you may combine the Interpretation and Significance parts of QIS into a single sentence, or use 4-5 QIS Analyses in order to have an extra long body paragraph. In

addition, sometimes the author will not use Authority as an argument technique. In this case, you will have to choose a different CREW SAID tool to discuss in body paragraph 1.

Now let’s see how to use this Body Paragraph 1 Template on our example Humanities passage: Throughout the article, Smith highlights several influential sources in order to persuade readers to give credence to her claim that a humanities education is essential for both personal and societal success. The essay opens with a quote from Malcolm Forbes, the founder of

Forbes magazine, which illustrates the importance of education (Smith 1). Although Forbes does not specifically mention the humanities, Smith makes a connection for the readers. Smith capitalizes on the prominence and fame of the Forbes name to lay the groundwork for her argument from the very beginning. Switching from successful businessmen to venerated philosophers, Smith continues to refer to authorities when she mentions “Socrates, Herodotus, and Bach,” as well as “Philosopher George Santayana” (Smith 3). If her earlier use of a business figure did not resonate well with some readers, Smith employs a new strategy to appeal to those who may value the ancient arts

and philosophy. But Smith’s use of authorities to support her argument does not stop with names. She also uses data such as The Wall Street Journal that “cited a study from the Harvard Humanities Project that found the percentage of humanities degrees among college graduates has dropped by 50% since the 1960s” (Smith 2). Mentioning The Wall Street Journal and “Harvard” in the same sentence is sure to suggest authority among her readers. This strategic use of significant businessmen, philosophers, newspapers, and universities adds tremendous credibility to Smith’s position.



Similar to many adept editorial writers, [Author’s Last Name] attempts to continually expound the magnitude of [his/her] argument by asserting the farreaching [positive/negative] consequences of [Repeat Main Idea].

Quote

Quote

Quot

Interpret

Interpret

Interpr


Connect

Here are a few key features of the Body Paragraph 2 Template: Repercussions We are going to assume that the passage you see on test day is going to use multiple far-reaching consequences in order to help backup the author’s argument.

Therefore, emphasizing significant repercussions will be the second body paragraph every time. QIS Structure Every body paragraph will have essentially the same structure: Quote, Interpret, Significance. You will do this 2 – 4 times with connections in between. Customization You may want to customize the QIS structure. For example, sometimes you may skip the interpretation of the quote, you

may combine the Interpretation and Significance parts of QIS into a single sentence, or use 4-5 QIS Analyses in order to have an extra long body paragraph. In addition, sometimes the author will not use Repercussions as an argumentation technique. In this case, you will have to choose a different CREW SAID tool to discuss in body paragraph 2.

Now let’s see how to use this Body Paragraph 2 Template on our example Humanities passage: Similar to many adept editorial writers, Smith attempts to continually expound

the magnitude of her argument by asserting the far-reaching negative consequences of a lack of a humanities education. She even boldly states that society’s focus on technological education actually is “at the grave expense of the humanities” (Smith 2). To use diction such as “grave” when describing the decline in humanities education certainly increases the weight of her argument. Smith may in fact be convincing readers that the repercussions of a lack of humanities is far reaching. For example, she later claims that “by denying themselves education in the humanities, many students are denying the very elements that make us human” (Smith 3). By

equating the “humanities” to being “human,” Smith increases the importance of her argument, and captures the attention of the reader. Ultimately, strategically calling upon a higher purpose of the humanities that appeals to readers builds an even sounder case for Smith.



[Author’s Last Name] further thoughtfully supplements [his/her] argument by [Last Tool]. Quote

Quote

Quot

Interpret

Interpret

Interpr


Connect

Here are a few key features of the Body Paragraph 3 Template: CREW SAID Tool Unlike the first two body paragraphs where I directed you to two specific CREW SAID tools, you can choose any CREW SAID tool you want in Body Paragraph 3. QIS Structure Every body paragraph will have

essentially the same structure: Quote, Interpret, Significance. You will do this 2 – 4 times with connections in between. Customization You may want to customize the QIS structure. For example, sometimes you may skip the interpretation of the quote, you may combine the Interpretation and Significance parts of QIS into a single sentence, or use 4-5 QIS Analyses in order to have an extra long body paragraph.

Now let’s see how to use this Body Paragraph 3 Template on our

example Humanities passage: Smith further thoughtfully supplements her argument by highlighting significant differences between a technologyfocused education and a humanitiesfocused education. She boldly proclaims that “in one sense, the 21st century – with its zealous focus on technology in our quest to enhance our control over the world – has undermined the humanities” (Smith 2). By stating that technology has detracted from the humanities, she is clearly highlighting the contrast between the two. This contrast has a powerful effect because it makes Smith’s argument easy to follow for the reader when she places technology in one bucket and the

humanities in another bucket. But perhaps the most striking use of contrast in her essay comes in the final statement, “Therefore, unlike other specialized degrees that focus mainly on a part of the human mind (e.g., psychology), the human system (physiology), or human technology (engineering), the humanities provide an enlightening and multilateral view of human existence” (Smith 5). Smith deliberately pits humanities against other specialized disciplines and declares that humanities are far superior. This kind of contrast mechanism further bolsters her argument that society would be at a loss without knowledge of the humanities.


Conclusion Template For our final template, let’s tackle the conclusion. The conclusion is often the shortest paragraph of your SAT Essay because you are running out of time. I have tried to make the conclusion as simple as possible. Not only will your hand be hurting at this point, but you will also be anxious to be done with the

SAT. Of course, if you have extra time, feel free to write a longer conclusion. Conclusion Template Undoubtedly, [Author Name] is no amateur author. Not only does [he/she] employ [3 CREW SAID Tools Restated] to build a coherent argument, but [he/she] also does so purposefully and proficiently. [Author’s Last Name]’s adroit use of persuasive literary devices and tactics guarantees that readers will be convinced of [his/her] conviction that [Repeat Author’s Thesis]. Here are a few key features of the

Conclusion Template: 3 Sentences Sentence 1 – This statement is always going to be true because the SAT will not give you a passage written by a novice writer. Sentence 2 – This helps bring everything together by restating the 3 CREW SAID argumentative tools you have discussed in your essay. Sentence 3 – Repeating the author’s thesis one last time at the end of the essay will assure

the reader that you properly comprehended the passage (i.e. this will increase your SAT Essay Reading Subscore). Customization You may want to customize the conclusion. You can include other broad and powerful statements that relate to the particular passage at hand. Extending your conclusion will help lengthen your essay, but should only be done if you have extra time remaining at the end.

Now let’s see how to use this Conclusion Template on our

example humanities passage: Undoubtedly, Smith is no amateur author. Not only does she employ reference to influential authorities, imply broad ramifications, and highlight contrast to build a coherent argument, but she also does so purposefully and proficiently. Smith’s adroit use of persuasive literary devices and tactics guarantees that readers will be convinced of her conviction that an education in the humanities is the crux of a highfunctioning society.

Practice SAT Essay Up until this point we have covered Essay Expert Strategies in silos. You likely still have questions about how to put everything together. This section is especially important to clarify any confusion that is left regarding the SAT Essay. We will now practice an entire SAT Essay together. Not only will we write an SAT Essay together, but we will also read an SAT Essay passage together. This exercise will give you a good idea of how to create paragraph summaries, identify

CREW SAID tools, and use essay templates. Practice SAT Essay Passage Adapted from “Deceiving Education” by Shaan Patel. ©2015 by Prep Expert Times. Originally published August 30, 2006. 1. I believe the federal government is not only uninformative in their depiction of the “progress” of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, but downright illusory. One of the main objectives of NCLB is to bridge the achievement gap on tests between students of diverse ethnic and

economic backgrounds (particularly blacks and whites). But according to The Civil Rights Project conducted at Harvard University, the NCLB has made little progress in accomplishing this goal. Yet, President Bush has claimed that the percentage gap between passing whites and blacks has closed by 25 percentage points in the state of Texas on math tests in the past three years. What could account for this discrepancy in claims? Undoubtedly, it is the Department of Education’s utter failure to recognize the intrinsic problems with the NCLB act and its deliberate distortion of statistics. 2. Before we can discuss how the

government skews statistics, we must first understand it does so. There are so many problems with the NCLB Act that any government attempt to fix them is like a mechanic repairing a car with no engine – it simply won’t work. In Charles Murray’s editorial “Acid Tests” in the Wall Street Journal, he points out that one of the fundamental problems with the NCLB Act is that it undermines the institutions of federalism this country was founded on by nationalizing “elementary and secondary education.” It also eradicates any vestige of a child’s inspiration to have a passion for learning or a career in education by

constantly bombarding them with stressful tests. Furthermore, the act also harms the subject matter that is taught in the classroom and limits teachers to having to spend an inordinate amount of time preparing students on how to pass a test, rather than teaching students how to write. Without any progress in the classroom made, the government has one of two choices: to either admit the flaws of the act or to cover up the flaws by manipulating test score data; and they choose the latter. 3. There is something inherently wrong with a government when it is willfully skewing studies to fit expectations.

The government misrepresents the NCLB Act’s actual progress in closing the racial/economic achievement gap by using what are called “pass percentages.” A pass percentage is hard to lucidly define without getting into complex statistical terminology; however, Murray puts it beautifully when he says that pass percentages tell one “whether someone got over a bar, but not how high the bar was set or by how much the bar was cleared.” In other words, pass percentages allow the government to inform the public that a certain test was passed, but allow it to surreptitiously withhold what the passing score on a test was and by how much students

exceeded that score. 4. However, how the government manipulates statistics to fit its own predictions is trivial compared to the ethical violations it commits when doing so. The federal government’s responsibility is not only to keep peace and order over its citizenry, but also to be true to the society that it governs. Perhaps I am making the federal government sound like an immoral, dishonest tyrant. Even so, when a ruling entity like the government intentionally warps data, it may not be lying, but there is definitely a major trust issue involved. In fact, this kind of distortion reminds me of George

Orwell’s 1984 in which the Party makes sure that all predictions by the Party are never wrong by rewriting all printed articles to match previous forecasts with current times. In the same way, the federal government is misrepresenting figures to match its previous forecast of progress in closing the achievement gap. 5. The issue of the government misleading society is far greater than education; it is a major moral concern. When the governing body over a group of people deliberately attempts to deceive those very people they are suppose to be most truthful to, it says a whole a lot about

the condition of the society we live in as well as the elected officials we vote into office. Ultimately, I hope that the No Child Left Behind Act will be left behind and more beneficial educational reforms will one day be instituted.

Two-Pass Reading Approach Introduction First Pass – Find PKP The first step when tackling an SAT Essay passage (or any passage for that matter) is to find the PKP, or Passage’s Key Point. This entails reading the first paragraph and summarizing what you believe to be the author’s thesis in a short, simple sentence. So let’s take a look at our example passage. I believe the federal government is

not only uninformative in their depiction of the “progress” of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, but downright illusory. One of the main objectives of NCLB is to bridge the achievement gap on tests between students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds (particularly blacks and whites). But according to The Civil Rights Project conducted at Harvard University, the NCLB has made little progress in accomplishing this goal. Yet, President Bush has claimed that the percentage gap between passing whites and blacks has closed by 25 percentage points in the state of Texas on math tests in the past three years. What could account

for this discrepancy in claims? Undoubtedly, it is the Department of Education’s utter failure to recognize the intrinsic problems with the NCLB act and its deliberate distortion of statistics. PKP: The NCLB is ineffective.

Introduction Second Pass – Identify CREW SAID Argumentative Tools Because finding PKP is essentially the same thing as coming up with a paragraph summary for the first paragraph, we do not need to

create a separate paragraph summary for the introduction. Instead, we should now reread the first paragraph and identify CREW SAID Argumentative Tools in each sentence.

I believe the federal government is not only uninformative in their depiction of the “progress” of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, but downright illusory . One of the main objectives of NCLB is to bridge the achievement gap on tests between students of diverse ethnic

and economic backgrounds (particularly blacks and whites). But according to The Civil Rights Project conducted at Harvard University, the NCLB has made little progress in accomplishing this goal . Yet, President Bush has claimed that the percentage gap between passing whites and blacks has closed by 25 percentage points in the state of Texas on math tests in the past three years . What could account for this discrepancy in claims

?

Undoubtedly, it is the Department of Education’s utter failure to recognize the intrinsic problems with the NCLB act and its deliberate distortion of

statistics

.

Body Paragraph 1 First Pass – Create Paragraph Summary Before we can discuss how the government skews statistics, we must first understand it does so. There are so many problems with the NCLB Act that any government attempt to fix them is like a mechanic repairing a car with no engine – it simply won’t work. In Charles Murray’s editorial “Acid Tests” in the Wall Street Journal, he points out that one of the fundamental problems with the NCLB Act is that it undermines the institutions of federalism this country

was founded on by nationalizing “elementary and secondary education.” It also eradicates any vestige of a child’s inspiration to have a passion for learning or a career in education by constantly bombarding them with stressful tests. Furthermore, the act also harms the subject matter that is taught in the classroom and limits teachers to having to spend an inordinate amount of time preparing students on how to pass a test, rather than teaching students how to write. Without any progress in the classroom made, the government has one of two choices: to either admit the flaws of the act or to cover up the

flaws by manipulating test score data; and they choose the latter. Body Paragraph 1 Summary: The NCLB undermines country’s founding principles and limits teachers.

Body Paragraph 1 Second Pass – Identify CREW SAID Argumentative Tools

Before we can discuss how the government skews statistics, we must first understand it does so. There are so many problems with the NCLB Act that any government attempt to fix

them is like a mechanic repairing a car with no engine – it simply won’t work . In Charles Murray’s editorial “Acid Tests” in the Wall Street Journal, he points out that one of the fundamental problems with the NCLB Act is that it undermines the institutions of federalism this country was founded on by nationalizing “elementary and secondary education” . It also eradicates any vestige of a child’s inspiration to have a passion for learning or a career in education by constantly bombarding them with stressful tests . Furthermore, the act also harms the subject matter that is taught in the

classroom and limits teachers to having to spend an inordinate amount of time preparing students on how to pass a test, rather than teaching students how to write . Without any progress in the classroom made, the government has one of two choices: to either admit the flaws of the act or to cover up the flaws by manipulating test score data; and they choose the latter .

Body Paragraph 2 First Pass – Create Paragraph Summary There is something inherently wrong with a government when it is willfully

skewing studies to fit expectations. The government misrepresents the NCLB Act’s actual progress in closing the racial/economic achievement gap by using what are called “pass percentages.” A pass percentage is hard to lucidly define without getting into complex statistical terminology; however, Murray puts it beautifully when he says that pass percentages tell one “whether someone got over a bar, but not how high the bar was set or by how much the bar was cleared.” In other words, pass percentages allow the government to inform the public that a certain test was passed, but allow it to surreptitiously withhold what the passing score on a test was

and by how much students exceeded that score.

Body Paragraph 2 Summary: Pass percentages can misrepresent achievement. Body Paragraph 2 Second Pass – Identify CREW SAID Argumentative Tools

There is something inherently wrong with a government when it is willfully skewing studies to fit expectations . The government misrepresents

the NCLB Act’s actual progress in closing the racial/economic achievement gap by using what are called “pass percentages.” A pass percentage is hard to lucidly define without getting into complex statistical terminology; however, Murray puts it beautifully when he says that pass percentages tell one “whether someone got over a bar, but not how high the bar was set or by how much the bar was cleared” . In other words, pass percentages allow the government to inform the public that a certain test was passed, but allow it to surreptitiously withhold what the passing score on a test was and by how much students exceeded

that score

.

Body Paragraph 3 First Pass – Create Paragraph Summary However, how the government manipulates statistics to fit its own predictions is trivial compared to the ethical violations it commits when doing so. The federal government’s responsibility is not only to keep peace and order over its citizenry, but also to be true to the society that it governs. Perhaps I am making the federal government sound like an immoral, dishonest tyrant. Even so, when a ruling entity like the government intentionally warps data,

it may not be lying, but there is definitely a major trust issue involved. In fact, this kind of distortion reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 in which the Party makes sure that all predictions by the Party are never wrong by rewriting all printed articles to match previous forecasts with current times. In the same way, the federal government is misrepresenting figures to match its previous forecast of progress in closing the achievement gap.

Body Paragraph 3 Summary: Fundamental Ethical Issue w/ Government Misrepresentation.

Body Paragraph 3 Second Pass – Identify CREW SAID Argumentative Tools

However, how the government manipulates statistics to fit its own predictions is trivial compared to the ethical violations it commits when doing so . The federal government’s responsibility is not only to keep peace and order over its citizenry, but also to be true to the society that it governs . Perhaps I am making the federal government sound like an immoral, dishonest

tyrant

. Even so, when a ruling

entity like the government intentionally warps data, it may not be lying, but there is definitely a major trust issue involved. In fact, this kind of distortion reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 in which the Party makes sure that all predictions by the Party are never wrong by rewriting all printed articles to match previous forecasts with current times . In the same way, the federal government is misrepresenting figures to match its previous forecast of progress in closing the achievement gap .

Conclusion First Pass – Create Paragraph Summary The issue of the government misleading society is far greater than education; it is a major moral concern. When the governing body over a group of people deliberately attempts to deceive those very people they are suppose to be most truthful to, it says a whole a lot about the condition of the society we live in as well as the elected officials we vote into office. Ultimately, I hope that the No Child Left Behind Act will be left behind and more beneficial educational reforms will one day be instituted.

Conclusion Summary: NCLB misrepresentation is bigger than education. Conclusion Second Pass – Identify CREW SAID Argumentative Tools

The issue of the government misleading society is far greater than education; it is a major moral concern . When the governing body over a group of people deliberately attempts to deceive those very people they are suppose to be most truthful to, it says a whole a lot about the condition of

the society we live in as well as the elected officials we vote into office . Ultimately, I hope that the No Child Left Behind Act will be left behind and more beneficial educational reforms will one day be instituted .

Now that we’ve gone through each paragraph of the passage twice, we are ready to start writing our essay. We should start by counting up how many times each CREW SAID argumentative tool was used by the author.

1 4 4 7 1 3 2 1 Judging by the above results, I would like to discuss how the author uses word choice, repercussions, and authoritative sources to support his argument.

We can now begin writing our SAT Essay.

Practice SAT Essay In “Deceiving Education,” Shaan Patel synthesizes a compelling dissertation that the government is willfully manipulating achievement statistics of its failed No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Although some detractors may believe the NCLB Act has made progress to the standardization of education, the arguments set forth in the article dismiss such romantic critics as excessively dogmatic in their provincial ideology. One of the broader notions presented in the essay is that misrepresenting the NCLB’s ability to have closed the achievement gap is actually a prodigious ethical concern.

Patel deftly delivers a cogent argument to sway his readers by citing prominent authorities, implying broad repercussions, and using calculated, but powerful diction. Throughout the article, Patel highlights several influential sources in order to persuade readers to give credence to his claim that the No Child Left Behind Act is doing more harm than good. From the outset, Patel refers to a study conducted at Harvard University that “the NCLB has made little progress in accomplishing [bridging the achievement gap]” (Patel 1). Mentioning a university as prestigious as Harvard is likely no coincidence. Patel knowingly uses the

weight of the Harvard name to add credibility to his argument. Continuing this trend of using highly credible sources to further his argument, Patel then quotes a Wall Street Journal editorial that claims the NCLB Act “undermines the institutions of federalism this country was founded on by nationalizing “elementary and secondary education” (Patel 2). Using one of the most well-known papers in the world, The Wall Street Journal, adds even more authority to his stance. In addition, adding that the editorial stated that the NCLB Act is fundamentally in opposition to American ideals likely strikes an emotional cord with many readers. Latching onto the reputations of

authoritative sources is a brilliant strategy that adds significant weight to Patel’s argument against the NCLB Act. Similar to many adept editorial writers, Patel attempts to continually expound the magnitude of his argument by asserting the far-reaching negative consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act. Patel states “the act also harms the subject matter that is taught in the classroom and limits teachers to having to spend an inordinate amount of time preparing students on how to pass a test, rather than teaching students how to write” (Patel 2). By referencing how classroom dynamics will change, Patel extends his argument to go beyond just the

achievement gap. He makes sure every reader is aware that the classroom his or her child learns in will be fundamentally different due to this legislation. But Patel doesn’t let the negative repercussions of the No Child Left Behind Act stop in the classroom. Near the end of the article, he states “When the governing body over a group of people deliberately attempts to deceive those very people they are suppose to be most truthful to, it says a whole a lot about the condition of the society we live in” (Patel 5). This brings Patel’s argument to the very center of society. He masterfully constructs his case to suddenly include all of the ethical and moral issues a society should be concerned with – all stemming from

one piece of government educational legislation. Lastly, Patel further thoughtfully supplements his argument by using powerful diction to resonate with readers. He uses phrases such as “utter failure,” “intrinsic problems,” and “deliberate distortion” in the first paragraph to answer his rhetorical question of “What could account for this discrepancy in claims?” (Patel 1). Certainly, such strong diction makes the Department of Education look far worse than it likely is. But because of Patel’s designated word choice, readers may view the government as malevolent and full of machinations. Patel continues his

admonishment of the government when he says they “surreptitiously withhold” and are “misrepresenting figures” (Patel 2, 3). Depicting the government as a malicious entity with willful intentions to manipulate the public’s mind effectively aids Patel in building his argument that the No Child Left Behind Act has been terrible for our country. Undoubtedly, Patel is no amateur author. Not only does he employ reference to influential authorities, far-reaching implications, and masterful diction decisions to build a coherent argument, but he also does so purposefully and proficiently. Patel’s adroit use of persuasive literary devices and tactics

guarantees that readers will be convinced of his conviction that the No Child Left Behind Act is wholly antiAmerican.

Prep Expert New Sat Essay Shaan Patel

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