Examples of a Great SAT Essay Introduction In his article “Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment,” Adam B. Summers argues that proposed legislation to ban single-use plastic bags is not only bad for personal liberty, but also unintentionally detrimental to the environment. To do so, he employs a number of rhetorical devices, most notably logos, statistics and data, and humor. Here’s another example: In his foreword to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter argues that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be protected from the encroachment of oil drilling that we might preserve the refuge for future generations of Americans. To do so, he employs a number of rhetorical devices, most notably rich imagery, personal anecdote, pathos, and ethos. What do you notice about the introduction?? Names the author. Names the title. Paraphrases the author’s argument. And previews the devices and strategies we’re going to analyze! That’s it - 4 things to make your introduction solid and effective. Your turn: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ SAT CONCLUSION The conclusion is the least important part of your SAT essay. You are merely recapping what you already said. In other words, you don’t want to say anything you haven’t already said in your essay. Can it really be that simple? Yes and no. Yes, if you are running out of time and can barely knock out a sentence. As long as that sentence gives the essay a sense of finality (this is the conclusion after all), you should be fine—fine, in the sense that the essay grader’s mind is mostly made up by the time he or she gets to your conclusion. Of course, if you have more time, add some polish to your conclusion. But don’t feel like you have to write a long paragraph. Indeed, if you have that much time left, you should have spent it developing your body paragraphs. Because it is better to have at least a couple of sentences for your conclusion, here is a good format to follow.: Sentence #1 – Reintroduce the topic Sentence #2 – Reword the thesis Sentence #3 – End with a parting thought Example: Introduction of the essay: Knowledge is power. In agriculture, medicine, and industry, for example, knowledge has liberated us from hunger, disease, and tedious labor. Today, however, our knowledge has become so powerful that it is beyond our control. So let’s say you’ve written some nice body paragraphs showing how knowledge has run amuck. Now it’s time for your conclusion. You don’t really have to bring up specific points from your body paragraphs— though you can. To give you an example, here’s a conclusion, broken up sentence by sentence, the format above. Sentence #1 Knowledge can liberate us, but it can also limit us. Sentence #2 Yet, today knowledge has become so vast as to become unmanageable, and ultimately beyond our control. Sentence #3 Unless, we can find a way to once again ensure that knowledge works for us, it will inevitably work against us. Conclusion (combining the three sentences above) Knowledge can liberate us, but it can also limit us. Yet, today knowledge has become so vast as to become unmanageable, and ultimately beyond our control. Unless, we can find a way to once again ensure that knowledge works for us, it will inevitably work against us. Restating Your Thesis You've already spent time and energy crafting a solid thesis statement for your introduction, and if you've done your job right, your whole paper focuses on that thesis statement. That's why it's so important to address the thesis in your conclusion! Many writers choose to begin the conclusion by restating the thesis, but you can put your thesis into the conclusion anywhere—the first sentence of the paragraph, the last sentence, or in between. Here are a few tips for rephrasing your thesis: Remind the reader that you've proven this thesis over the course of your paper. For example, if you're arguing that your readers should get their pets from animal shelters rather than pet stores, you might say, "If you were considering that puppy in the pet-shop window, remember that your purchase will support 'puppy mills' instead of rescuing a needy dog, and consider selecting your new friend at your local animal shelter." This example gives the reader not only the thesis of the paper, but a reminder of the most powerful point in the argument! Revise the thesis statement so that it reflects the relationship you've developed with the reader during the paper. For example, if you've written a paper that targets parents of young children, you can find a way to phrase your thesis to capitalize on that—maybe by beginning your thesis statement with, "As a parent of a young child…" Don’t repeat your thesis word for word—make sure that your new statement is an independent, fresh sentence! One of the most important functions of the conclusion is to provide context for your argument. Your reader may finish your essay without a problem and understand your argument without understanding why that argument is important. Your introduction might point out the reason your topic matters, but your conclusion should also tackle this questions. Here are some strategies for making your reader see why the topic is important: Tell the reader what you want him or her to do. Is your essay a call to action? If so, remind the reader of what he/she should do. If not, remember that asking the reader to think a certain way is an action in itself. (In the above examples, the essay asks the reader to adopt a shelter dog—a specific action.) Explain why this topic is timely or important. For example, the animal-shelter essay might end with a statistic about the number of pets in shelters waiting for adoption. Remind the readers of why the topic matters to them personally. For example, it doesn’t matter much if you believe in the mission of animal shelters, if you're not planning to get a dog; however, once you're looking for a dog, it is much more important. The conclusion of this essay might say, "Since you’re in the market for a dog, you have a major decision to make: where to get one." This will remind the reader that the argument is personally important!
