Interpreting the Prompt AICE English General Paper Review

Interpreting the Prompt AICE English General Paper Review Session

Correct interpretation of the prompt is VITAL! When choosing your prompt for your essay, it is IMPERATIVE that you understand EXACTLY what it is asking you, and cover the prompt IN ITS ENTIRETY in your essay, or you will FAIL. Sorry for all the doom and gloom, but I don’t want this to happen to you and I’ve seen MANY examples of prompt misinterpretation.

Prompts are asking you to look at the ‘Big Picture’ Prompt: Should there be any limits to freedom of expression? What is this asking you? What are the KEY WORDS in this prompt? This prompt is NOT asking about facial expressions, or if students should have to wear uniforms or not. These interpretations are too literal or too limited to cover what should be addressed in an essay covering this particular topic.

Key Words - Freedom of expression Prompt: Should there be any limits to freedom of expression? Let’s figure out what we’re talking about here. What is ‘freedom of expression’? ‘Freedom of expression’ is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 19 of the UDHR states that "everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice". Source: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech

Key Words - Freedom of expression Now, let’s narrow the scope. What does ‘freedom of expression’ mean in America? The First Amendment guarantees our right to free expression and free association, which means that the government does not have the right to forbid us from saying what we like and writing what we like; we can form clubs and organizations, and take part in demonstrations and rallies. Source: https: //www. aclu. org/other/your-right-free-expression

Key Words- Limits Now what does the prompt mean by ‘limits’? What limits are there already on freedom of expression? You’re not allowed to threaten someone- that is a crime. You’re not allowed to yell “fire” in a crowded theater -that is a crime. Technically, you’re not allowed to lie about other people. You could be sued for libel, which is a crime. Lying on the stand in court is the crime of perjury. But SHOULD there be limits? If so, on what? And who decides?

Protected by freedom of expression. But should it be?

What about in other countries? Remember, you are supposed to be demonstrating your knowledge of GLOBAL issues, so you REALLY should consider other countries as well. What limits on freedom of expression are there in other countries? In your essay, you should be comparing America to other places. Think about Russia, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Deconstructing essay questions This is just one example of a prompt and how to interpret it. There are certain steps you can take to deconstruct (break down and analyze) any prompt to make sure you are answering it correctly and completely. It is SO IMPORTANT that you practice this skill! Remember, this is a timed exam and the more you practice the quicker this part will go! You CAN’T just skim the questions and start writing; you HAVE to ANALYZE the questions and PLAN your essay.

Deconstructing essay questions Beyond the command words we have discussed, there are other important key words in each questions that you need to pay attention to, especially if the question deals with a broad topic. You may have to define the scope of your essay. The scope is the extent or range of possible ideas. Defining the scope refers to determining how broad or narrow your essay’s coverage will be. Prompt: Assess the ability of technology to ensure human happiness in the present society. To break this down (or deconstruct it) let’s look at the nouns first, so we can define the scope. What is “technology”? What different kinds of technology are out there that you could discuss?

Prompt: Assess the ability of technology to ensure human happiness in the present society. What about the word ‘happiness’? What kind of happiness do you want to cover in your essay? What are some kinds of happiness? ● ● ● Economic/financial? Social? Political? Spiritual? Emotional? Romantic?

Kinds of Terms When looking at your prompt, try to pick out the broad and limiting terms. Broad terms: any words in an essay question that can be broken down into more specific subcategories; these terms broaden the possibilities of the essay’s scope. Limiting terms: any words in an essay question that restrict the response; these terms shrink the possibilities of the essay’s scope. Prompt: Assess the ability of technology to ensure human happiness in the present society. Pick out the command word and the broad and limiting terms in this prompt.

Deconstructing essay questions Prompt: Assess the ability of technology to ensure human happiness in the present society. Command word: Assess (Make an informed judgement) Broad terms: Technology, happiness Limiting terms: human, present society The limiting terms restrict your essay to humans, so you cannot consider the well-being of animals or the Earth, for example. The phrase ‘in the present society’ means you can’t talk about the past or the future.

Deconstructing essay questions It is important to analyze your prompt in this way because if you miss a single word like ‘present’ your essay may become too broad, or if you don’t see the range of possibilities in a word like ‘technology’ your response may address only the obvious, thus leading to a dull discussion. You may also want to define your scope in your introduction, so your reader understands exactly what you mean by ‘technology’ and ‘happiness. ’ There can, at times, be other important words in the prompt that you’ll need to be aware of. Let’s practice with a few more prompts.

To what extent is technology more of a blessing than a curse in the workplace? After carefully reading the question, identify the following: ● ● Command words or phrases Broad terms Limiting terms Any other words that could improve the focus of your response

To what extent is technology more of a blessing than a curse in the workplace? Here a few things you may have noticed: ● The question: ○ ○ Asks you to assess the value of technology at a job site Uses the phrase ‘to what extent’ to suggest an analysis of multiple views (discursive) ● The question is broader than it looks because it includes the following words: ○ ○ ○ ‘Technology, ’ which can be broken down further into several subcategories ‘Blessing’ and ‘curse’, which can include any kind of benefit or drawback as long as it relates to the workplace (e. g. economic benefit, social benefit, financial risk) ‘Workplace’, which can include any kind of job or career (e. g. medical field, social work, politics, labor, fast food) ● The question is limiting because it includes ‘in the workplace, ’ so conversation about technology is restricted to this setting (e. g. it would not be appropriate to talk about technology in the home)

Practice 1. To what extent should money play a role when deciding on a career? 2. How far do you agree that women enjoy the same rights as men in today’s world? 3. ‘Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best. ’ What is your view? 4. Assess the moral value of today’s political media coverage.

Complex Essay Questions Some of the essay questions you will see will be more complex and more difficult to break down because they ask for more than one task to be carried out as part of a single response. Prompt: How effectively are traditional buildings maintained and supported in your society? Which word makes the prompt more complex? ‘AND’ makes it more complex. This coordinating conjunction tells you that you need to discuss BOTH how the architecture is maintained AND how it is supported by your society. That means you’ll have to address two separate points in your essay.

Complex Essay Questions Prompt: To what extent are politics influenced by science and/or technology? What are some key terms here that will affect how you deconstruct this prompt? ‘To what extent’ suggests an analysis of multiple views (discursive) Broad terms: science, technology Limiting terms: Politics (You should not discuss the influence of science and/or technology on any other topic The ‘and/or’ means you can discuss either science AND technology or science OR technology. When options like this are presented it allows you to control how complicated the content of your essay is going to be. If you know about technology but not much about politics, you can just discuss what you know.

Complex Essay Questions In addition to coordinating conjunctions, essay questions will sometimes contain phrases like ‘such as’, which introduce optional points for discussion; but, as the phrase indicates, it does not require them to be discussed. Prompt: Should computer education such as coding be compulsory in schools? If you choose this prompt, you may talk about coding as a form of computer education, but you do not have to talk about it and you are not limited to this category alone. There are plenty of other computer courses that you may have done at school (for example, Mr. Symond’s class, or Mr. Leff’s). In that case, you would be free to choose anything you are familiar with to argue your point.

Practice For each of the essay questions work with a partner to identify: ● ● ● 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The command words or phrases Broad and limiting terms and potential parameters Words that add complexity to the question To what extent can individuals today function effectively without modern conveniences such as the internet? Evaluate the impact of one social activist, one scientist, or one religious leader in your society. What is more important for your society to spend its money on: education, research, or technological progress? To what extent do human beings of all ages find technology a struggle? What are the main environmental problems in your part of the world and how effectively are they being tackled by local advocacy groups?