Regional Seminar, 2011, Pre-Session Task - task 1
Task 1: Analysing Assignment Questions
Introduction to Task 1
As will be discussed and practised in the regional seminar, it is very important
to be able to analyse assignment questions so you are able to identify what to
base your argument around and how to structure your assignment.
The following task previews some content that will be covered in the seminar
through stepping you through some exercises by asking you to analyse
current questions in use in three different colleges at Massey that are
examples of long involved questions.
Instructions
Task 1: Look at the explanation and example below and apply the same
strategies to the questions 1, 2 and 3 below.
Most assignment questions have 3 identifiable features
1. Topic – the subject of the assignment, often quite broad
2. Focus – the direction you need to take, the aspect of the topic to
focus on
3. Command – how to address the question; discuss, compare and
contrast, review, report on etc. Go to OWLL link for a
comprehensive list of commands:
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/academic-writing/assignmentcommand-words.htm
• Getting focus on the topic right is fundamental to writing a good answer
to the question
• Keep checking to make sure you are not ‘going off in the wrong
direction’!
Example Question
Are Guerrilla marketing techniques appropriate for 21st century New
Zealand? Discuss
Regional Seminar, 2011, Pre-Session Task - task 1
Question 1 (OPTION 1)
179.101 Social Policy: An Introduction. Assignment 3
Choose one area of social policy (for example, health, welfare, social
services, education, housing, disability issues, social policy for Maori, children
or women). Write an essay in which you describe significant changes in your
chosen area of social policy over the 20th Century and to the present day, in
terms of the roles and functions of the state, the voluntary sector, and the
market. In your essay you should identify the main reasons for significant
changes, and provide examples of specific policies that reflect those
changes/reforms.
Question 2 (OPTION 2)
110.209 Intermediate Financial Accounting. Essay Question 2.
Using essay format:
1) Explain and discuss the differences between the decision usefulness and
accountability objectives of general purpose financial reporting with reference
to the nature of the users of financial information and their perceived
information needs.
2) Include a discussion of the qualitative characteristics information needs to
have in order to meet the decision usefulness and accountability objectives.
3) State your opinion on whether financial statements do actually have an
accountability role, or whether their only role is that of providing information
for decision making.
Question 3 (OPTION 3)
Information Technology. Report Question
Your manager is gathering information on IT equipment. Write a report
discussing the “state of the art” and predicted advances in one on the
following areas of computer technology:
- primary memory, including cache
- touch screens
- hard disk drives
- scanners
CHOOSE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ABOVE AND DO ADDITIONAL TASKS IN OPTION
1, OPTION 2 OR OPTION 2 ATTACHED TO THE EMAIL.