ENG3U – Mr. Go - Exam Essay Review 2011
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Grade 11 EXAM Review
Practical Tips:
- Get a good night’s rest the night before (it’s always better to be writing with a
clear head)
- Bring extra pens and pencils, highlighter
- Read the questions before attempting to read and analyze the essay
#1. Review all notes in the essay package and be familiar with:
#2.
“Peeling Away the Essay”, how to analyze an essay handout (h/o)
(know punctuation for composition only and not the paragraph functions)
sheet on Tone h/o
Analyzing Rhetorical Devices (strategies chart) h/o
Rhetorical (and poetic) devices (also see the supplementary glossary of terms
for examples of each device).
List of Methods of Development (chronological, spatial, et al1),
When finding and stating an implied (not outrightly stated) thesis, write it in
the the form O(pinion) + a, b, and c (reasons or subarguments) in your own
words, not using the original essay (this is the only time where you do NOT
use quotations from the text). Remember to brainstorm Opinions and
Subarguments before attempting to compose a draft of the thesis (revisit the
thesis later to see if your understand has changed).
For example:
Technology is killing the educational experience [opinion] because [reason a] it stunts
students’ social development, [b] disregards the variety of learning styles, and [c]
overlooks the value of extracurricular activities.
**note that no quotations were used from the original essay and parallel structure is
employed in the listing of the three subarguments.
#3.
Describe the essay’s overall tone using two specific adjectives (see list). What is
the writer’s attitude toward a particular subject, and how is this promoted?
What words and phrases give readers this impression?
#4.
Be able to identify and explain how a rhetorical device is used to support an
argument and bolster the thesis (match the direct quotation to the definition,
then connect to thesis). Embed quotations into the analysis here.
1
Et al: latin for “and others”.
ENG3U – Mr. Go - Exam Essay Review 2011
#5.
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Be able to identify and explain how methods of development can support an
argument and bolster thesis.
ESSAY Response
#6.
Be able to formulate a strong, 500-word, well-organized essay response with
reference to original text. Thesis: Opinion & 2 subarguments
Intro, body (2 GERRC ¶s) conclusion.
Responding well to an exam question requires a little bit of planning and a lot
of reflection of how your own reading and experiential past connects to the question
being posed and the themes that arise from the sight passage itself. The more broad
your reading repertoire, the better chance you have of doing well on this section. To
prepare, read and listen to the major print and other media sources: (Star, Globe, Post,
CBC online, CNN, BBC) to stay on top of current events and broaden your knowledge
base. Many good opinion essays can be found in the Opinions section of the Toronto
Star and the Comments section of the Globe and Mail. Practise searching for rhetorical
devices (create a bank of examples for yourself), paragraph functions, and see if you
can identify PATML.
Reread and make notes on these:
-
GERRC paragraph h/o – for body of response (not intro/concl)
Feedback sheet h/o for common errors
Of course, all your arguments should stem right back to the thesis you have
chosen (Opinion + reasons a, b, and c).
Ex:
Torontonians should adopt a more aggressive waste management
system because it reduces the dependency on landfills, it reduces the pollution
to the environment, which in turn
__________________________________________.
(fill in a third example using parallel structure).
Aim for clarity (coherence), depth (sound arguments, range of relevant
examples, and appropriate collection of evidence drawn from the sight passage), and
proficiency of style (use of rhetorical devices, sophisticated diction, variety of
sentence types).
INTRO
 title, author ‘s full name and form (essay to be analyzed)
 Preview of the reasons to your thesis (a, b).
 Thesis: Opinion + a, b (two reasons max) - > USE YOUR OWN OPINION,
not that of the essay writer
ENG3U – Mr. Go - Exam Essay Review 2011

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(e.g., Technology should be used in schools because it enhances learning and it
prepares learners in a variety of ways for the twenty-first century). The idea is
to explore your ideas, not recap or summarize the existing one in the essay
(you can do this without using “I believe” or “I think that” since it is implied
that your words are your thoughts.
BODY
 Use GERRC format and open with a three key ideas for each body paragraph.
 follow GERRC format where Body ¶1=reason a, ¶2= reason b,
 evidence: (at least 2 cited dir. Quotations for each point) relate back to original
article. “_____” (Stoll ¶2).
“___” (¶3)
 transitions between ¶s (incl. Intro to ¶1) should be fluid (avoid basic terms
such as “first, second, third”) Use “just as…. so too” and observe how the
essayists transition from one ¶ to the next.
 avoid too many consecutive rhetorical questions.
CONCLUSION



begins with reworded thesis (often this is better than the first one, so exchange
with the one at the end of intro if this is the case).
open topic up to new insight (what lesson is learned? Or universal truth
explored? Tie to present day – what relevance does the issue have to today’s
audience overall)
end with a clinching statement (memorable).
BUDGET YOUR TIME wisely! Sample time schedule:
Total time:
Read questions & reflect on article
(make notes and underline as you go along)
Complete analysis (7.5%)
(using notes and direct evidence you noted
above)
Plan outline of Essay
(avoid jumping into the draft without
organizing ideas first)
Write Essay (7.5%)
(using the outline as your guide)
Review and proof read
(for use of evidence and depth of arguments
more than mere spelling and grammar)
8:50 – 10:50 (120 mins)
30mins (8:50 – 9:20)
45mins (9:20 – 10:00)
5mins (10:00 – 10:05)
30min (10:05 – 10:40)
10mins (10:40 – 10:50)