Argument essay
Thoreau on inventions and convenience
- Units 4 and 5
- 6 points
- About 40 minutes
You get a short introduction to an issue or idea, often with a quotation, and write an argument for your own position, backed by evidence such as examples from history, current events, reading, observation or your own experience. On the exam: Question 3 of 3, required. Section II has 3 essays in 2 hours 15 minutes, including a 15-minute reading period, and is 55% of the score; each essay is worth 6 points on the same analytic rubric (thesis 1, evidence and commentary 4, sophistication 1). The exam is fully digital in Bluebook. About 40 minutes recommended.
The question
Suggested time: 40 minutes. There are no sources: support your argument with evidence you know from your reading, studies, experience or observation.
Suggested time: 40 minutes
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The essay
6 pointsIn Walden (1854), Henry David Thoreau, writing about the new technologies of his time, such as the railroad and the telegraph, observed: “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.” (“Are wont to be” means “tend to be.”) Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Thoreau's claim applies to modern inventions designed to make life more convenient. In your response you should do the following: • Write a thesis that takes a defensible position on the question. • Use specific evidence to support your line of reasoning. • Explain how that evidence supports your line of reasoning. • Use grammar and punctuation that make your argument clear.
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