3.9 SAT Essay - Not the Luck of the Draw: Think Universal Examples

Not the Luck of the Draw: Think Universal Examples: Though it is obvious that the variety of quotes and questions may vary, it is undeniable that you can develop an arsenal of possible examples that may fit the writing prompt.  The fixed portion of the SAT prompt suggests that you may develop your ideas through use of your "reading, studies, experience, or observations."  The general nature of the support actually works in your favor.  Without any reservation, I say that it is possible to score a 5 and 6 using experience, yet as I suggested in a bullet point above, the experience must be insightful such as a moment of dramatic change or a period of adversity. SAT Graders love anecdotes that mark incessant struggle with the finish line of victory or learning something new about yourself since these experiences demonstrate critical thinking and insight.  More importantly, if the experience is dressed in lucid language, the essay has all the traits for success.  But, if you do not have a wealth of experience to choose from, you may always count on universal examples to fill the void.   I refer to the universal example as a distinction of your learning- it simply showcases how well read you may be, and at some point graders look for this showcase to justify higher scores.  So what are some universal examples that you may use?  Though the list below certainly does not exhaust all the possibilities, the theme is to find your own arsenal and make sure these examples are waiting in your dugout, ready to use given ANY writing prompt.  This method, however, entails that you have some level of expertise with the example.  Simply forcing the example into the essay without development or sentences that manifest your knowledge will earn no points- maybe a three, but no score higher!  Consider the following SAT Essay topics:

• American History
• Revolutionary War
• The Civil War
• The Great Depression
• World War I and II
• Vietnam War
• Cold War
• Women's Suffrage
• Civil Rights Movement
• Great Figures in American History such as T. Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Frederick Douglass, etc.
• Landmark Supreme Court Decisions, e.g., Brown V. Board of Education
• Literature
• The Catcher in the Rye
• Julius Caesar
• Call of the Wild
• Of Mice and Men
• The Old Man and the Sea
• 1984
• Brave New World
• Current Observations
• Ecological Problems
• Political Change
• Economic Struggle
• Current Conflicts

The aforementioned list is only to give you some ideas to work with, but feel free to examine any of these ideas and to develop a level of expertise.  In this sense, you will be preparing a toolbox for any occasion.  Of course, the more universal examples that you develop, the stronger likelihood that one will fit the occasion perfectly.