SAT

ESSAY TEST

rSATEssayGuidelines

TherSATEssay:whatisit,exactly?

TheSATEssayisanoptionalsectionthatresemblesatypicalcollegeessayassignmentor

anAPEnglishessayinwhichyou’reaskedtoanalyzeapassageoftext.Itgivesyouthe

opportunitytoshowcollegesthatyouarepreparedtotaketheircoursesandwrite

effectively,persuasively,andefficiently.

Youwillhave50minutestoanalyzeanargumentpresentedinapassage.Thepassageis

twopageslong,andinthesamplematerials,istakenfrompersuasivespeechesbyMartin

LutherKing,Jr.andJimmyCarter,andop-edsfromdifferentnewspapers,allofwhichare

fullofreferencestostudiesandstatistics.

Youareaskedto“demonstratethatyouhavereadthepassagecarefully,presentaclearand

logicalanalysis,anduselanguageprecisely”inordertoidentifyandcommentuponthe

author’suseofevidence,logic,andemotiontobuildanargument.

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TheNutsandBolts:Optional:theredesignedSATisoptional.Sofar,mostcollegesareneitherrequiringnor

recommendingthatstudentstaketheessaysection.However,ifstudentsskiptheessay

sectionthenapplytoaschoolthatrequiresit,they’llhavetoretaketheentireexam.For

thatreason,it’sbesttojustplanontakingtheessay.

• Positionedattheendofthetest/afterbothmultiple-choicesections

• Thepassageincludedislong(650-750words)andisdesignedtobethemainfocus

ofthetask

• Numberofprompts(questions)andresponses(answers):1each

• Natureoftheprompt:Analyzeanargument

• Promptdoesnotvary:Thegeneralformatandthepromptstaythesamebutthe

readingwillchangefromtesttotest

• Supportingevidencetobeused:Onlyincludetextualevidencethatisincludedinthe

readingpassagethatisgiventoyou

• Scoresarecomplex:Eachtest-takerreceivesthreeanalyticEssayscores(2-8each):

Reading,Writing,andAnalysis.ScoresareNOTcombinedwithanyotherscoreson

thetestgiventheEssayisnowoptional.Each2-8scoreiscomprisedoftwodifferent

readers’/graders’scores(eachona1-4scale).

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HowdoIdowellontheEssay?HowdoIprepare?

TodowellontheEssay,youwillneedtobothunderstandwhatthepromptisaskingyouto

do,aswellasdemonstratestrongreading,analysis,andwritingskillsasyoucomposea

responsetotheEssayprompt.

Sincethepassageisquitelong(aboutthesamelengthasthelongestpassageontheSAT

ReadingTest),youmustannotatethepassageandspendadecentamountoftimereading,

selectivelyrereading,analyzing,andfindingtheevidencefortheauthor’sargument.

Remember:theEssaypromptwillneverchange.Thus,youmustfamiliarizeyourselfwitha

methodicalapproachtoanalyzingandcommentingupontheauthor’sargumentanduseof

evidence.Practice,practice,practice,andgetfeedbackfromawritingcoachoryour

academicmentor.

Notethatyouarenotaskedtopresentyourownopinion;instead,youareaskedto

evaluatethepersuasivenessandrhetoricoftheauthor’sargument.Youressayshouldnot

explainwhetheryouagreewiththeauthor’sclaims,butratherexplainhowtheauthor

buildsanargumenttopersuadehis/heraudience.Stickwiththestandardfive-paragraph

essay:introductionwithastrongthesis,threebodyparagraphswithintroductory

sentencesandtransitions,andaconclusion.

Youshouldspendthefirst10minutesreadingandannotatingthepassage,thenabout5

minutesoutliningwhatyouaregoingtowrite.Thenspendtherestofthetimewritingand

proofreading.

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ThePromptThepromptisnearlyidenticaloneverysingleadministrationoftheSAT.Thus,students

mustreaditcarefullynowandbesurethattheyunderstandwhatit’saskingthemtodo.

Hereitis:

HowistheEssayscored?Youwillreceive3separatescoresontheessay(eachwillbeona2-8scale):

• Reading:Howwellyoudemonstratedyourunderstandingofthepassage

• Analysis:Howwellyouanalyzedthepassageandexplainedhowtheauthor

buildshis/herargumentinordertopersuadethereader

• Writing:Howskillfullyyouwroteyourresponse

Sincetheessayisnowoptional,theEssayscoresarenolongercombinedwiththemultiple-

choicewritingquestions.TheEssayscorewillonlybegivenseparatelyfromtherestofthe

test.

“Asyoureadthepassagebelow,considerhow[theauthor]uses

• evidence,suchasfactsorexamples,tosupportclaims.• reasoningtodevelopideasandtoconnectclaimsandevidence.• stylisticorpersuasiveelements,suchaswordchoiceorappealsto

emotion,toaddpowertotheideasexpressed.

Writeanessayinwhichyouexplainhow[theauthor]buildsanargumentto

persuade[his/her]audiencethat[author’sclaim].Inyouressay,analyzehow[the

author]usesoneormoreofthefeatureslistedabove(orfeaturesofyourown

choice)tostrengthenthelogicandpersuasivenessof[his/her]argument.Besure

thatyouranalysisfocusesonthemostrelevantfeaturesofthepassage.Youressay

shouldnotexplainwhetheryouagreewith[theauthor’s]claims,butratherexplain

howtheauthorbuildsanargumenttopersuade[his/her]audience.”

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Exampleswithscoresandscoreexplanations:

SampleEssay1:

Prompt1:

Asyoureadthepassagebelow,considerhowPaulBogarduses:

1.Evidence,suchasfactsorexamplestosupportclaims

2.Reasoningtodevelopideasandtoconnectclaimsandevidence

3.Stylisticorpersuasiveelements,suchaswordchoiceorappealstoemotion,

toaddpowertotheideasexpressed.

AdaptedfromPaulBogard,“LetThereBeDark.”©2012byLosAngelesTimes.

OriginallypublishedDecember21,2012.

Atmyfamily’scabinonaMinnesotalake,Iknewwoodssodarkthatmyhandsdisappeared

beforemyeyes.Iknewnightskiesinwhichmeteorsleftsmokytrailsacrosssugaryspreads

ofstars.Butnow,when8of10childrenbornintheUnitedStateswillneverknowasky

darkenoughfortheMilkyWay,Iworrywearerapidlylosingnight’snaturaldarkness

beforerealizingitsworth.Thiswintersolstice,aswecheerthedays’gradualmovement

backtowardlight,letusalsoremembertheirreplaceablevalueofdarkness.

Alllifeevolvedtothesteadyrhythmofbrightdaysanddarknights.Today,though,when

wefeeltheclosenessofnightfall,wereachquicklyforalightswitch.Andtoolittle

darkness,meaningtoomuchartificiallightatnight,spellstroubleforall.

AlreadytheWorldHealthOrganizationclassifiesworkingthenightshiftasaprobable

humancarcinogen,andtheAmericanMedicalAssociationhasvoiceditsunanimous

supportfor“lightpollutionreductioneffortsandglarereductioneffortsatboththe

nationalandstatelevels.”Ourbodiesneeddarknesstoproducethehormonemelatonin,

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whichkeepscertaincancersfromdeveloping,andourbodiesneeddarknessforsleep.

Sleepdisordershavebeenlinkedtodiabetes,obesity,cardiovasculardiseaseand

depression,andrecentresearchsuggestsonemaincauseof“shortsleep”is“longlight.”

Whetherweworkatnightorsimplytakeourtablets,notebooksandsmartphonestobed,

thereisn’taplaceforthismuchartificiallightinourlives.

Therestoftheworlddependsondarknessaswell,includingnocturnalandcrepuscular

speciesofbirds,insects,mammals,fishandreptiles.Someexamplesarewellknown—the

400speciesofbirdsthatmigrateatnightinNorthAmerica,theseaturtlesthatcome

ashoretolaytheireggs—andsomearenot,suchasthebatsthatsaveAmericanfarmers

billionsinpestcontrolandthemothsthatpollinate80%oftheworld’sflora.Ecological

lightpollutionislikethebulldozerofthenight,wreckinghabitatanddisrupting

ecosystemsseveralbillionyearsinthemaking.Simplyput,withoutdarkness,Earth’s

ecologywouldcollapse....

Intoday’scrowded,louder,morefast-pacedworld,night’sdarknesscanprovidesolitude,

quietandstillness,qualitiesincreasinglyinshortsupply.Everyreligioustraditionhas

considereddarknessinvaluableforasoulfullife,andthechancetowitnesstheuniverse

hasinspiredartists,philosophersandeverydaystargazerssincetimebegan.Inaworld

awashwithelectriclight...howwouldVanGoghhavegiventheworldhis“StarryNight”?

Whoknowswhatthisvisionofthenightskymightinspireineachofus,inourchildrenor

grandchildren?

Yetallovertheworld,ournightsaregrowingbrighter.IntheUnitedStatesandWestern

Europe,theamountoflightintheskyincreasesanaverageofabout6%everyyear.

ComputerimagesoftheUnitedStatesatnight,basedonNASAphotographs,showthat

whatwasaverydarkcountryasrecentlyasthe1950sisnownearlycoveredwitha

blanketoflight.Muchofthislightiswastedenergy,whichmeanswasteddollars.Thoseof

usover35areperhapsamongthelastgenerationtohaveknowntrulydarknights.Even

thenorthernlakewhereIwasluckytospendmysummershasseenitsdarknessdiminish.

Itdoesn’thavetobethisway.Lightpollutionisreadilywithinourabilitytosolve,using

newlightingtechnologiesandshieldingexistinglights.Already,manycitiesandtowns

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acrossNorthAmericaandEuropearechangingtoLEDstreetlights,whichofferdramatic

possibilitiesforcontrollingwastedlight.Othercommunitiesarefindingsuccesswith

simplyturningoffportionsoftheirpubliclightingaftermidnight.EvenParis,thefamed

“cityoflight,”whichalreadyturnsoffitsmonumentlightingafter1a.m.,willthissummer

starttorequireitsshops,officesandpublicbuildingstoturnofflightsafter2a.m.Though

primarilydesignedtosaveenergy,suchreductionsinlightwillalsogofarinaddressing

lightpollution.Butwewillnevertrulyaddresstheproblemoflightpollutionuntilwe

becomeawareoftheirreplaceablevalueandbeautyofthedarknesswearelosing.

WriteanessayinwhichyouexplainhowPaulBogardbuildsanargumentto

persuadehisaudiencethatnaturaldarknessshouldbepreserved.Inyouressay,

analyzehowBogardusesoneormoreofthefeaturesinthedirectionsthatprecede

thepassage(orfeaturesofyourownchoice)tostrengthenthelogicand

persuasivenessofhisargument.Besurethatyouranalysisfocusesonthemost

relevantfeaturesofthepassage.

YouressayshouldnotexplainwhetheryouagreewithBogard’sclaims,butrather

explainhowBogardbuildsanargumenttopersuadehisaudience.

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Essayresponse(receivedaperfect4/4/4score):

Inresponsetoourworld’sgrowingrelianceonartificiallight,writerPaulBogardargues

thatnaturaldarknessshouldbepreservedinhisarticle“LetTherebedark”.Heeffectively

buildshisargumentbyusingapersonalanecdote,allusionstoartandhistory,and

rhetoricalquestions.

Bogardstartshisarticleoffbyrecountingapersonalstory–asummerspentona

Minnesotalakewheretherewas“woodssodarkthat[his]handsdisappearedbefore[his]

eyes.”Intellingthisbriefanecdote,Bogardchallengestheaudiencetorememberatime

wheretheycouldfullyamassthemselvesinnaturaldarknessvoidofartificiallight.By

drawinginhisreaderswithapersonalencounteraboutnightdarkness,theauthormeans

toestablishthepotentialforbeauty,glamour,andawe-inspiringmysterythatgenuine

darknesscanpossess.Hebuildshisargumentforthepreservationofnaturaldarknessby

reminiscingforhisreadersafirst-handencounterthatprovesthe“irreplaceablevalueof

darkness.”Thisanecdoteprovidesabaselineofsortsforreaderstofindcredencewiththe

author’sclaims.

Bogard’sargumentisalsofurtheredbyhisuseofallusiontoart–VanGogh’s“StarryNight”

–andmodernhistory–Paris’reputationas“TheCityofLight”.Byfirstreferencing“Starry

Night”,apaintinggenerallyconsideredtobeundoubtedlybeautiful,Bogardestablishes

thatthenaturalmagnificenceofstarsinadarkskyisdefinite.Aworldabsentofexcess

artificiallightcouldpotentiallyholdthekeytoagrand,gloriousnightskylikeVanGogh’s

accordingtothewriter.Thisurgesthereaderstoweighthedisadvantagesofourworld

consumedbyunnatural,vapidlighting.Furthermore,Bogard’salludestoParisas“the

famed‘cityoflight’”.HethengoesontostatehowParishastakenstepstoexercisemore

sustainablelightingpractices.Bydoingthis,BogardcreatesadichotomybetweenParis’

traditionallyalluded-tonameandtherealityofwhatParisisbecoming–nolonger“thecity

oflight”,butmoreso“thecityoflight…before2AM”.Thisfurthershislineofargumentation

becauseitshowshowstepscanbeandarebeingtakentopreservenaturaldarkness.It

showsthatevenacitythatisliterallyfamousforbeingconstantlylitcanpractically

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addresslightpollutioninamannerthatpreservesthebeautyofboththecityitselfandthe

universeasawhole.

Finally,Bogardmakessubtleyetefficientuseofrhetoricalquestioningtopersuadehis

audiencethatnaturaldarknesspreservationisessential.Heasksthereaderstoconsider

“whatthevisionofthenightskymightinspireineachofus,inourchildrenor

grandchildren?”inawaythatbrutallyplaystoeachofouremotions.Byaskingthis

question,Bogarddrawsoutheartfeltponderancefromhisreadersabouttheaffecting

powerofanuntaintednightsky.Thisrhetoricalquestiontugsatthereaders’heartstrings;

whilethereadermayhaveseenanunobscurednightskylinebefore,thepossibilitythat

theirchildorgrandchildwillnevergetthechanceswaysthemtoseeasBogardsees.This

strategyisdefinitivelyanappealtopathos,forcingtheaudiencetodirectlyfacean

emotionally-chargedinquirythatwillsurelyspursomekindofresponse.Bydoingthis,

Bogarddevelopshisargument,addinggutthralpowertotheideathattheissueof

maintainingnaturaldarknessisrelevantandmultifaceted.

Writingasareactiontohisdisappointmentthatartificiallighthaslargelypermeatedthe

prescenceofnaturaldarkness,PaulBogardarguesthatwemustpreservetrue,unaffected

darkness.Hebuildsthisclaimbymakinguseofapersonalanecdote,allusions,and

rhetoricalquestioning.

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Thisresponsescoreda4/4/4.

Reading—4:

Thisresponsedemonstratesthoroughcomprehensionofthesourcetextthroughskillful

useofparaphrasesanddirectquotations.Thewriterbrieflysummarizesthecentralideaof

Bogard’spiece(naturaldarknessshouldbepreserved;wemustpreservetrue,unaffected

darkness),andpresentsmanydetailsfromthetext,suchasreferringtothepersonal

anecdotethatopensthepassageandcitingBogard’suseofParis’reputationas“TheCityof

Light.”Therearefewlongdirectquotationsfromthesourcetext;instead,theresponse

succinctlyandaccuratelycapturestheentiretyofBogard’sargumentinthewriter’sown

words,andthewriterisabletoarticulatehowdetailsinthesourcetextinterrelatewith

Bogard’scentralclaim.Theresponseisalsofreeoferrorsoffactorinterpretation.Overall,

theresponsedemonstratesadvancedreadingcomprehension.

Analysis—4:

Thisresponseoffersaninsightfulanalysisofthesourcetextanddemonstratesa

sophisticatedunderstandingoftheanalyticaltask.InanalyzingBogard’suseofpersonal

anecdote,allusionstoartandhistory,andrhetoricalquestions,thewriterisabletoexplain

carefullyandthoroughlyhowBogardbuildshisargumentoverthecourseofthepassage.

Forexample,thewriteroffersapossiblereasonforwhyBogardchosetoopenhis

argumentwithapersonalanecdote,andisalsoabletodescribetheoveralleffectofthat

choiceonhisaudience(Intellingthisbriefanecdote,Bogardchallengestheaudienceto

rememberatimewheretheycouldfullyamassthemselvesinnaturaldarknessvoidof

artificiallight.Bydrawinginhisreaderswithapersonalencounter...theauthormeansto

establishthepotentialforbeauty,glamour,andawe-inspiringmysterythatgenuinedarkness

canpossess....Thisanecdoteprovidesabaselineofsortsforreaderstofindcredencewiththe

author’sclaims).Thecogentchainofreasoningindicatesanunderstandingoftheoverall

effectofBogard’spersonalnarrativebothintermsofitsfunctioninthepassageandhowit

affectshisaudience.Thistypeofinsightfulanalysisisevidentthroughouttheresponseand

indicatesadvancedanalyticalskill.

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Writing—4:

Theresponseiscohesiveanddemonstrateshighlyeffectiveuseandcommandoflanguage.

Theresponsecontainsaprecisecentralclaim(Heeffectivelybuildshisargumentbyusing

personalanecdote,allusionstoartandhistory,andrhetoricalquestions),andthebody

paragraphsaretightlyfocusedonthosethreeelementsofBogard’stext.Thereisaclear,

deliberateprogressionofideaswithinparagraphsandthroughouttheresponse.The

writer’sbriefintroductionandconclusionareskillfullywrittenandencapsulatethemain

ideasofBogard’spieceaswellastheoverallstructureofthewriter’sanalysis.Thereisa

consistentuseofbothprecisewordchoiceandwell-chosenturnsofphrase(thenatural

magnificenceofstarsinadarkskyisdefinite,ourworldconsumedbyunnatural,vapid

lighting,theaffectingpowerofanuntaintednightsky).Moreover,theresponsefeaturesa

widevarietyinsentencestructureandmanyexamplesofsophisticatedsentences(Bydoing

this,BogardcreatesadichotomybetweenParis’traditionallyalluded-tonameandthereality

ofwhatParisisbecoming–nolonger“thecityoflight”,butmoreso“thecityoflight…before

2AM”).Theresponsedemonstratesastrongcommandoftheconventionsofwritten

English.Overall,theresponseexemplifiesadvancedwritingproficiency.

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Sampleessay2:Promptisthesameasin#1

Essayresponse(receiveda2/2/2score):

InPaulBogard’sessay“LettherebeDark”heemphasizestheimportanceofnatural

darkness.Bogardbeginshisargumentbyfirstprovidingastoryfromhispersonal

experience,appealingtothereaderbyaddingimagery.“Iknewnightskiesinwhich

meteorsleftsmokytrailsacrosssugaryspreadsofstars.”Inthissentence,Bogarddepicts

thebeautyofnaturaldarknessusingdetail.Bogardcontinueswithcomparinghispersonal

perspectiveofnaturaldarknessinthepasttosociety’sperspectiveinthepresent.“Today,

though,whenwefeeltheclosenessofnightfall,wereachquicklyforalightswitch.”

Implyingthatthetimeshavedefinitelychangedandnaturaldarkness’svaluehasbeenlost

insociety,replacedwithartificiallight.ThisexamplegivesBogardasenseofvoiceandhis

useofcomparisonisdefinitelyeffective.

Bogardsupportshisclaimsaboutnaturaldarkness’sunderratedvaluebyprovidingthe

readerwithevidenceofhealthproblemsthattheoppositereplacement,artificiallight,can

cause.“Ourbodiesneeddarknesstoproducethehormonemelatonin,whichkeepscertain

cancersfromdeveloping.”Oh,no!Notcancer!Rightthereisaquickattentiongrabberto

anyreaderpreviouslyboredbyBogard’sconstantopinionsbecausenowtherearefacts,

andafactrelatingtothereaderisthebestpersuasion,especiallywhenitrelatestothere

healthorwell-being.Cancer,becausewhowantsaterminalillnessoveranactionassimple

asflippingaswitchonanightlightwhenit’stoodarkforyourcomfort?

Thisresponsescoreda2/2/2.

Reading—2:Thiswriterdemonstratessomecomprehensionofthepassage.Inthefirst

paragraph,thewriterconveysthepassage’sbroadcentralpoint—theimportanceofnatural

darkness.ThewriteralsoshowsanunderstandingofthecomparisonBogarddraws

betweenhisownpastandthepresentday(thetimeshavedefinitelychangedandnatural

darkness’svaluehasbeenlostinsociety,replacedwithartificiallight).Intheparagraphthat

follows,thewriterbrieflycitesBogard’spointaboutthenegativehealthimplicationsoftoo

muchartificiallight.However,thisisthelastevidenceofunderstandingthewriter

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provides,astheessayendsalmostimmediatelyafterward.Overall,thewriterhas

demonstratedpartialunderstandingofthesourcetext.

Analysis—2:Theresponseofferssomelimitedanalysisofthesourcetext,demonstrating

partialunderstandingoftheanalyticaltask.ThewriteridentifiesBogard’suseofimageryin

thestoryofmeteorsinthenightskyandthenassertsthatthisimageryappealstoreader,

butthewriteroffersnofurtherdiscussionofBogard’suseofimageryorhowimagery

contributestohisargument.ThewriteralsoreferstothecomparisonBogardmakes

betweenhisyouthandcurrenttimesandsaysthatthecomparisongivesBogardasenseof

voice,butthewriterdoesn’texplainwhythiscomparisoncontributestoanauthorialvoice

orhowestablishingaparticularvoiceservesBogard’sargument.Thewriteroffersone

additionalpointofanalysis,assertingthatBogard’sreferencetocancerisaquickattention

grabberandthattheuseofafactrelatingtothereaderisthebestpersuasion,especially

whenitrelatestotherehealthorwell-being.However,thewriterdoesnotelaborateonthis

point.Ineachinstanceofanalysisinthisshortresponse,thewriteridentifiestheuseof

evidenceorrhetoricalfeatures,butassertsratherthanexplainstheimportanceofthose

elements.Overall,thisresponsedemonstratespartiallysuccessfulanalysis.

Writing—2:Thisresponsedemonstrateslimitedcohesionandsomeskillintheuseof

language.Althoughthewriteroffersacentralclaimthatguidestheessay,thereisno

indicationofanintroductionorconclusiontoframeideas.Overall,sentencesareclearand

thewritergenerallyobservestheconventionsofstandardwrittenEnglish.However,bythe

endofthisshortresponse,thewriterhasdeviatedfromaformalstyleandobjectivetone

(Oh,no!Notcancer!Rightthereisaquickattentiongrabbertoanyreaderpreviouslybored

byBogard’sconstantopinions).Theessayabruptlyconcludeswitharhetoricalquestion

thatalsosomewhatstraysfromaformaltone(Cancer,becausewhowantsaterminalillness

overanactionassimpleasflippingaswitchonanightlightwhenit’stoodarkforyour

comfort?).Onthewhole,thisresponseofferssomeevidenceofcohesionandcontrolof

language.