X-ray of a Typical Writing Sample Prompt
Take a look through this sample essay prompt so that we can establish some
terminology. Don’t worry about formulating a response just yet—you’ll have a chance
to do that soon enough.
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Acadia Stevens, an environmental activist, is weighing her
publishing options for her first book, EcoBalance:
Sustainability in the 21st Century. She has received a
publishing offer from a medium-size publisher, Second City Press,
but is considering publishing the book herself as an e-book
distributed via Internet downloads. Write an essay in which you
argue for one option over the other, keeping in mind the following
two criteria:
- Acadia wants EcoBalance to have an impact
on the environmental movement.
- Acadia wants EcoBalance to generate
sufficient profits to subsidize her research and conservation
activities.
Second City Press, located in Chicago, publishes mainly poetry
and short fiction stories but has published nonfiction books as
well. Its “How-To” series on gardening and home improvement has sold
upward of 45,000 copies in the last year and ranks among the most
popular of its kind. Second City’s readership is based mainly in the
Midwestern United States. Acadia’s friend Laurel, who is the
sister-in-law of Second City’s editor in chief, introduced
EcoBalance to Second City. Second City
publishes the works of ten to fifteen new authors each year and
sponsors extensive book tours for its most popular writers. For
exclusive rights to the book, Second City has offered Acadia a
$10,000 flat fee plus royalties amounting to 5 percent of retail
sales. Second City plans to sell the book for $19.95 in bookstores
and does not offer books for sale online.
Acadia is an active and well-known participant in many
environmental websites, including a site called OnePlanet.net, to
which she contributes a weekly column on conservation efforts
worldwide. OnePlanet receives roughly 25,000 page views per week and
is linked to over 20 other websites devoted to social issues. Acadia
lectures widely on conservation issues in the United States and
abroad and is a frequent guest on public access television and radio
programs. An e-commerce research company indicates successful
e-books selling in the $30 to $40 price range in popular subjects
such as investing and financial management but insignificant sales
for fiction e-books even at a price point as low as $2.50. There are
no financially successful environmental e-books currently offered on
the Internet. Acadia would offer her e-book at a price point of
$5.99.
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The first paragraph contains the “situation,” which describes a decision that
needs to be made by a person, organization, or any other decision-making entity. The
decision will be between two possible courses of action, also mentioned in the
situation.
The situation is followed by two “criteria”—considerations that you need to
take into account when making your argument for the option you select. The criteria
are offset by bullet points. These are followed by in-depth descriptions of the two
competing alternatives, which provide you with evidence to make your case.
Let’s now take a look at exactly what the test makers tell us to do with all
this information. First they provide “General Directions,” which describe the
overall purpose and specifications of the writing task. Then they provide specific
directions directly preceding the essay prompt you’ll respond to. These specific
directions are called simply “Directions.” Let’s take a look at the general
directions first. Since they’re fairly long, we’ll comment en route.
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General Directions:
You will have 35 minutes in which to plan and write an essay
on the topic inside. Read the topic and the accompanying directions
carefully. You will probably find it best to spend a few minutes
considering the topic and organizing your thoughts before you begin
writing.
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Translation: You’re up the creek if you don’t think a bit about
the topic and get your thoughts in order before putting pen to paper. (The
“accompanying directions” they refer to are the specific directions discussed
separately on the next page.)
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General Directions (continued):
In your essay, be sure to develop your ideas fully, leaving
time, if possible, to review what you have written. Do not write on
a topic other than the one specified. Writing on a topic of your own
choice is not acceptable.
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Translation: Don’t invent and defend your own alternative in
order to be clever, and don’t write about how you spent your summer vacation.
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General Directions (continued):
No special knowledge is required or expected for this writing
exercise.
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Translation: We’re not going to ask you to explain the mechanics
of photosynthesis or choose between a structuralist and post-structuralist
interpretation of history. The choice presented is one that any literate person on
the planet should be able to understand.
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General Directions (continued):
Law schools are interested in the reasoning, clarity,
organization, language usage, and writing mechanics displayed in
your essay. How well you write is more important than how much you
write.
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Translation: Your position should be backed by evidence and
should be clear and well structured. Your writing style will be taken into account.
Merely filling up space doesn’t win you any points. An excellent response need not
take up every available line.
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General Directions (continued):
Confine your essay to the blocked, lined area on the front and
back of the separate writing sample response sheet. Only that area
will be reproduced for law schools. Be sure that your writing is
legible.
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Translation: You have a front and back of a piece of paper to
work with. Don’t write more than that, and try to keep it neat.
That does it for the general directions. Here are the specific directions they
provide:
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Directions: The scenario presented
below describes two choices, either one of which can be supported on
the basis of the information given. Your essay should consider both
choices and argue for one and
against the other, based on the two
specified criteria and the facts provided. There is no “right” or
“wrong” choice: a reasonable argument can be made for
either.
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Translation: Either choice is defensible, and you should write
about both alternatives when arguing your case. In other words, don’t just say why
your choice is best; also say what it is that you believe makes the other choice
inferior.
Okay, that’s a fairly good amount of background information. Let’s now take a
look at a method for constructing your essay.
