School of Literature, Communication, and Culture
The
Regents' Testing Program
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Writing the Essay
Topic Analysis & Pre-Writing Techniques
Step One : Identify the key words of the question
Step Two: Identify the type of question and what it asks
Although essay topics vary, they do fall into general categories. Some topics ask you to draw upon personal experience while others ask you to draw upon objective knowledge. Choose the type you feel best suits your writing abilities and the type you believe will help you write a persuasive, fully developed essay.
The following are samples of different types of questions. Review the types and use them to help you identify the information you'll need to supply when you write an essay.
- Should something (x) be done?
Questions of this type often resemble these Regents' topics:
Should all students be required to take a course in computer science some time during their education? Explain why or why not.
Should the death penalty be abolished? Discuss.
Should children be disciplined by physical punishment? Discuss.
To successfully answer these sorts of questions, take the following steps:
- Briefly explain the pros and cons of doing x.
- Explain who would benefit or be hurt by doing x.
- Explain the economic, social, or political costs or advantages of doing x.
- Provide an example of a relevant situation, if possible. Has your school considered the issue recently? Have you encountered a situation which convinced you that x should or should not be done?
- By the end of your essay, make sure you have answered the question with a yes or no, even if you are somewhat ambivalent (you can explain your ambivalence in the essay but by your conclusion, you should have a fairly definitive answer).
- Explain the characteristics of x.
Questions of this type often resemble these Regents' topics:
Discuss the most important characteristics an elected official should have.
What are the characteristics of a good college student? Explain.
To successfully answer these sorts of questions, take the following steps:
- Identify relevant characteristics based on the duties and activities of the category being filled (good college student, elected official, etc.).
- Explain why these characteristics are important and why they are more important than other possible characteristics.
- Provide examples of situations in which these characteristics are necessary for the stated position.
- What should be/can be done?
Questions of this type often resemble these Regents' topics:
What steps should be taken to reduce the number of drunk drivers? Discuss.
What can be done to prevent violence and crime in public schools? Discuss.
How can the individual citizen reduce the probability of his or her home's being burglarized? Explain.
To successfully answer these sorts of questions, take the following steps:
- Briefly outline the situation.
- Explain what specific steps can or should be taken, and by whom.
- Explain how these steps will remedy the problem and why they should be done.
- If possible, explain why these strategies are better (morally, economically, socially, etc.) than other choices.
- In general, answer "should" questions by explaining how the problem could be solved in an ideal world.
- Answer "can" questions by explaining what is currently feasible.
- Why does a situation occur or why do people do x?
Questions of this type often resemble these Regents' topics:
What are the chief causes of shoplifting? Discuss.
Why do Americans watch so much television? Discuss.
What are some of the possible reasons for the recent decline in the reading skills of high school students? Discuss.
Why do people play practical jokes? Explain.
To successfully answer these sorts of questions, take the following steps:
- Explain the causes of the situation, being sure to consider both immediate causes and long-range causes, psychological, economic, moral, and social causes.
- Provide examples of people you know or you have heard about who have participated in the situation (shoplifting, TV-watching, etc.)
- You might start your essay with an example of someone in the situation of with relatively simplistic causes and then expand your focus.
- Explain which you prefer, x or y (or which of several choices do you prefer).
Questions of this type often resemble these Regents' topics:
Which of the four seasons of the year appeals to you the most? Why?
What type of music do you prefer? Why?
Given the choice, would you rather live in the mountains or near the beach? Discuss.
To successfully answer these sorts of questions, take the following steps:
- Briefly (no more than one paragraph) explore the positive aspects of each of the choices.
- Then choose one option and explain your choice.
- Provide examples from your own experience, including memorable occasions which relate to your choice (a summer spent with your grandparents, music you listen to while studying, relaxing walks at the beach or in the mountains), BUT be sure to explain why this occasion is typical and representative (why walks at the beach make you want to live there).
- Compare x and y.
Questions of this type often resemble these Regents' topics:
Is it better to have brothers and sisters than to be an only child? Explain.
What is the difference between good and bad stress? Explain.
Apart from chronological age, what are the major differences between an adolescent and an adult?
To successfully answer these sorts of questions, take the following steps:
- When a question asks you to compare two things, remember that comparison involves similarities as well as differences.
- Briefly explore both the similarities and the differences and then focus primarily on one or the other.
- For a contrast question, briefly explain the similarities and then move on to the differences.
- Be sure to compare/contrast several different aspects of x and y, including the consequences or effects (psychological, behavioral, economic, etc.) of each.
- Use examples from your own and your friends' experience to support your point.
The strategies listed above can be used for other question types as well. For example, if the question asks you to explain the advantages and disadvantages of something (being single or robots in the labor force), start with the strategies for comparison (being single in comparison with being married). If the question asks what type of students you like having in classes, begin by considering the strategies for defining important characteristics.
Regardless of which strategies you choose, always be sure that you directly answer the question being asked.
Step Three: Re-read the question
Re-read the question and consider the details provided in the question itself. For example, if the question asks whether contact sports are appropriate for children under twelve, don't explain why sports are good for high school students. Make sure your overall focus answers the question directly and that the evidence and examples you use apply to the specifics of the question.
Step Four: Decide what kinds of evidence you should use in your answer
Decide what kinds of evidence you should use in your answer. As you develop your points and consider the kinds of examples and reasons you want to include, and make sure your evidence is appropriate to the question. In answering the contact sports question, don't use your own high school experiences as examples of why contact sports are good for children under twelve -- use childhood experiences (your own and those of other people you know or have heard about) but always be sure to generalize out from those experiences if the question requires it.
Does the question ask for you to refer to your own experiences?
Consider your personality, your reaction to previous situations, your values, and your interests as you come up with examples.
Does the question ask you to discuss the situation of students?
Examples from your own experience and the experiences of your friends are certainly relevant here and can constitute your primary support. Remember to consider other points of view, however.
Does it ask you to discuss a more general phenomenon?
Use evidence and examples from information you learned in courses in high school or college, from things you've heard on the news, from the situations of famous people or people you know, and from comparisons to other similar situations.
Does the question remind you of any situation you have faced personally?
If so, you can use your own experiences as examples then generalize from your own experience. Be sure to consider, however, whether your situation was typical of others.
Step Five: Think about how to explain your answer
Almost every question asks you to discuss or explain your answer. This means you should directly answer the question and then explain why you think so or why the things you say are so. This means you need to provide reasons as well as examples for your main points. If you provide an example (do so if you can), make sure you explain what your example has to do with your point and with the overall question.
Additional Information and Resources:
Essay Section
Organizing the Essay
Developing a Thesis Statement
Writing the Essay Introduction Part I
Writing the Essay Introduction Part II
Developing the Body Paragraph
Writing the Conclusion
Reading Section
Description
Practice Reading Test with explanation of the answers
General
Commonly Asked Questions & Answers
Georgia State University: Regents' Exam Program General Info
Please direct any other questions regarding the Regents' Exam or RGTR 1098/RGTE 1099 to
Dr. Scott Banville or Dr. Shannon Dobranski.
© 2006 LCC at The Georgia Institute of Technology