Should I Use Direct Quotes in My SAT Essay?

We received a question from Josh M about using quotations on SAT essays:

My English teacher loves quotes. She says that almost every paragraph in our papers needs to include at least one quote. It doesn't matter if it is from literature or a movie, just as long as it relates to the topic. So my question: Is adding quotes on the SAT a mistake? And if you misquote a piece of "classic literature," will the graders never let you forget it?

First, I want to comment on your teacher's fondness for quotes. I suspect she's emphasizing quotations in order to hammer home a very important rule of essay writing: Every point you make needs to be supported in some way. While direct quotes can provide effective support, you can also use facts, statistics, personal anecdotes, and historical examples. And you can paraphrase, which is a very important method for condensing your direct quotes. In fact, many teachers prefer paraphrasing to using direct quotes because it requires you to do more work: You're taking a little part of the quote and interpreting it, as opposed to filling up lots of space with a quote and leaving the reader to interpret its meaning.

This brings me to Josh M's big question: Is it a mistake to use direct quotes on the SAT essay? You might have already guessed my answer, but I think paraphrasing is preferable to using direct quotations in this case. You won't have the source material in front of you when you're writing your SAT essay, so you have a 99% chance of getting the direct quote wrong. Plus, SAT readers are far more interested in how you apply the source material than in how well you can memorize quotes.

Let's look at an example. The thesis of your SAT essay is that fulfillment must come from within a person. For support, you decide to discuss the scene in The Great Gatsby in which the narrator, Nick, contemplates his 30th birthday. Here's what your essay might look like with a direct quote:

Toward the end of the novel, the glamor and excitement Nick has experienced as a result of his association with Gatsby is starting to wear thin. He says about his birthday, "Thirty—the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair." This quote shows that he dreads aging, losing work prospects, and the isolation that comes with being an unmarried man surrounded by married friends.

SAT readers might be impressed that you were able to memorize that quotation. But they will be equally impressed if you paraphrase it in a way that seamlessly weaves in the support with your bigger point. For example:

Toward the end of the novel, the glamor and excitement Nick has experienced as a result of his association with Gatsby is starting to wear thin. He is becoming tired and somewhat jaded, as evidenced by his reflection that his 30th birthday promises a decade of loneliness, fewer single friends, and thinning hair. Clearly, his introduction to high society has left him unfulfilled.

Here’s the bottom line: If you want to incorporate a small quote that you have memorized into your SAT essay, that's fine, but for the most part, paraphrasing is your best bet.

How about it, Sparklers? Did you use quotes in your SAT essay?

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