Everything you ever wanted to know about: Defend, Challenge, Qualify essay writing

Overview: With this type of essay, you need to persuasively agree, disagree or qualify a stated quotation through a well-reasoned presentation of evidence developed from observations, experience, or reading. HAVING detailed development of evidence is crucial.

Step one: Interpreting the meaning of the assertion

a. Make sure you understand what the prompt (assertion) is asking.
b. State the meaning in your own words.
c. Decide your initial position
d. *BEWARE* of any prejudicial attitudes, sentiments, or stereotypes you have, these are not reasons to agree or disagree.
e. Have specific and accurate evidence: 1. be specific and accurate ---named and factually correct 2. avoid using movies, tv shows and other more informal aspects of society as evidence 3. reflect a well-educated, widely-read, mature individual’s thoughtful reaction 4. be unified, specific, accurate, adequate, relevant, and representative 5. avoid evidence that everybody will cite.

Step two: Organizing the Essay

1. Begin by writing a meaningful opening sentence or two which makes a personal observation about the focus of question that reveals your thinking. DON’T write flowery, general beginnings…this is NOT TAKS! a. get to the point, use the first sentence or two to begin to define the meaning of the assertion. b. Allude to something here that will be finished in the conclusion. c. End with the thesis you wrote while Brainstorming. d. KEEP TRACT OF YOUR TIME…if you are running out of time at the end, skip part of the body and write a strong, “I know everything and I am King/Queen of the world” conclusion!!!

2. Agree or disagree with an assertion by explaining your stance. a. NEVER, NEVER, AND I MEAN NEVER SAY: “I think, or I feel…you either agree or disagree. b. Acknowledge both sides of the argument. c. A con/pro paragraph works immediately after the introduction. d. Address every issue raised in the passage. e. Your evidence should be specifically named examples that support your claim. d. Having two unrelated examples is wonderful (personal observation, experience, and or reading) f. Each paragraph should end with an interpretation of the similar conclusion that can be reached after examining differing types of evidence.

Step three: The rest of the very interesting information

3. State your thesis in the form of a conclusion resulting from the evidence previously examined. Tie up loose ends established in the intro by making a conclusion about how the assertion just explored applies to the overall human experience.

* Make sure you take a paragraph to clearly summarize what the assertion.
* Use a variety of evidence. Try to include at THREE different examples with at least one of them being a novel of literary merit.
* In your intro. You must clearly state if you agree or disagree.
* Use examples that support your thesis. Don’t claim you disagree and then give examples that prove the assertion is true.
* Read the ASSERTION carefully, you can’t make a passing score if you misread the prompt.
* Fully explain your examples. A paragraph for each specific example.
* At some point make a connection between the prompt and real life.
* If you know the author’s names, state them
* Try to use evidence that is unique, not one that everyone will be using.

Paragraph structure

1. Topic sentence – refers to thesis found in the introduction

2. Concrete detail sentence