SYNTHESIS
PROMPT
YOU ARE THE POLICY MAKER
THREE TYPES OF SYNTHESIS PROMPTS
1) PROBLEM SOLVING
2)
ARGUMENT
(Criteria-based response)
EX. Museum Prompt
(Take a position and support it with reasons)
EX. Space Exploration
3) ARGUMENT-PROBLEM SOLVING
(Examine implications of key issues AND
take a position that you support with
reasons)
DECONSTRUCT THE PROMPT
1) UNDERLINE THE ISSUE
2) EXAMINE THE EXIGENCE (See the introduction. Ask yourself, “Why did the
College Board pick this issue? Note that synthesis topics will not reflect issues
that are extremely controversial, yet the issues may have arisen from some
related recent political issue. For example, the Locavore prompt could have spun
off of the GMO debate.
3) BRACKET THE TASK beginning with a “command” verb.
EX. [synthesize the information that identifies the key issues and
examines their implications)
4) CIRCLE THE KEY TERMS that must be understood or defined
ORGANIZING AND WRITING
A POSITION-DRIVEN ESSAY
CONSIDER THE ISSUE BEFORE LOOKING AT THE SOURCES.
Ask yourself, “What do I already know about this topic? Can I think of any related
topics.
READ THE SOURCES AND ANNOTATE FOR SPECIAL FEATURES OF EACH
Note the types of implications/criteria (economic , social, political, destructive,
constructive, etc.)
What is the point of view? Is there more than one? If so, label them X and Y.
Note the types of appeals each author uses to make his/her argument (factual, emotional,
credible)
Bracket material that directly counters the opposition (to use to your benefit) SPANK IT!
Summarize in one sentence the central argument of charts, graphs, visuals.
Visuals that are cartoons : Consider tone, argument, purpose, audience, irony,
paradox, satire (gentle or caustic), language, allusion
Which sources present similar arguments? (The author of Source C provides
corroborating information to support the idea that….) ENTER THE CONVERSATION!
Make notes in the margin: “supports A” or “refutes A”
TACTICS FOR WRITING
A POSITION-DRIVEN ESSAY
Avoid using long quotations. Limit quotes to 6 consecutive words.
Use the Quotation Sandwich method
TOP SLICE
Introduce the claim (You may quote a source here, too.)
MEAT
Embed the quote in your own sentence that supports the claim.
Do not begin any sentence with quotation marks!!
BOTTOM SLICE
Provide an analysis. Put some flesh on the bones!
Enter the conversation.
Create compelling link between the sources and your position.
Consider proposing an alternative solution.
Address any underlying problem.
Present an argument that reflects a global view.
ENTERING THE CONVERSATION
INCORPORATING THE SOURCES
DIRECT QUOTATIONS
INDIRECT QUOTATIONS
PARAPHASING
COMMENTARY
The author of Source B offers a short-sighted view of….because he has not considered….
To a point, the author of Source is correct; however, he does not carry the argument
far enough. To strengthen his case, he should have included….
In Source B, the author says that…, an assertion that supports the idea that (your position).
However, to add to his point, ….
Clearly the author of Source B has a bias against…, a failing that weakens her argument.
WAYS TO RESPOND:
Disagree – and explain why
You need to do more than simply assert that you disagree with a particular view; you also have to
offer persuasive reasons why you disagree. After all, disagreeing means more than adding
“not” to what someone else has said.
Agree -- but with a difference/qualification
As you are agreeing, it is important to bring something new and fresh to the table. You may point
out some unnoticed evidence or line of reasoning that supports X’s that X herself had not
mentioned. You may cite some corroborating personal experience, etc. Whatever mode of
agreement you choose, the important thing is to open up some difference between your
position and the one you’re agreeing with rather than simply parroting what it says.
Agree and disagree simultaneously
This move in academic writing produces a reader-friendly response that can be tipped more
toward agreement or disagreement. You may also express ambivalence in an intelligent
manner – “I am of two minds.” Although you never want to be merely evasive, leaving your
ambivalence thoughtfully unresolved can demonstrate your integrity as a writer, showing that
you are not easily satisfied with viewing complex subjects in simple yes-and-no-terms
TEMPLATES FOR DISAGREEING (WITH
REASONS)
•
X is mistaken because she overlooks ____________
•
X’s claim that ________ rests upon the questionable assumption that ______.
•
X’s view is incorrect because, as recent research has shown, __________.
•
X contradicts herself. On the one hand, she argues _______. But on the other
hand, she also says _______.
•
By focusing on ________, X overlook s the deeper problem of _______.
•
X claims that ________, but anyone familiar with ______ has long known that
___________.
TEMPLATES FOR AGREEING (WITH A
DIFFERENCE)
•
X is correct in her belief that _______ because recent studies have shown that
________.
•
X’s theory of _____ is extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult
problem of _______.
•
X’s point that ______ is one that needs emphasizing since so many people
believe __________.
•
Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that its
stance, in its most simplified form, is that ____________.
TEMPLATES FOR AGREEING AND DISAGREEING
SIMULTANEOUSLY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Although X’s beliefs are valid up to a point, one cannot accept his overall conclusion
that ___________.
Although much of what X says is incorrect, one may find some common ground in the
author’s conclusion that ___________.
Though the issue of _________ may be conceded, the reader will still insist that
_____________.
X is right that __________, but she seems on more dubious ground when she claims
that ________.
Whereas X provides ample evidence that __________, Y and Z’s research on ________
and _________ convince the reader that __________ instead.
The reader may be of two minds about X’s claim that _________. On the one hand, he
may agree that _________. On the other hand, he may be unsure if _________.
X’s position that ______________ is viable, but Y’s argument about _______ and Z’s
research about _________ are equally persuasive.
SYNTHESIS ESSAY POSITIONS
--Eating locally can bring back diversity to a land that has been destroyed, provide
jobs at the local level, and help rebuild a community.
--Eating locally benefits the consumer, the local farmer, and the community.
--Issues to consider in adopting a locavore culture include the expense of food,
access to the food, and the reliability of the food source.