Does the excerpt in the SAT essay matter?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>As you all would know, the SAT essay prompt consists of firstly an excerpt that gives a general idea of the concept, followed by a specific "assignment" or question. My question is: must this excerpt be incorporated into the essay? (in order to get a good grade)</p>

<h2>For example, this is the essay prompt for practice test no.4 in the blue book:</h2>

<p>Technology promises to make our lives easier, freeing up time for leisure pursuits. But the rapid pace of technological innovation and the split second processing capabilities of computers that can work virtually nonstop have made all of us feel rushed. We have adopted the relentless pace of the very machines that were supposed to simplify our lives, with the result that, whether at work or play, people do not feel like their lives have changed for the better.</p>

<h2>Assignment: Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily make them better?</h2>

<p>What I mean is, do I have focus on technology in my essay, even though the assignment doesn't mention it at all? (Since the excerpt very much focusses on technology)</p>

2

<p>The only thing you need to do is answer the question. The excerpt just gives background to a related subject</p>

3

<p>The question is the only thing that truly matters in your essay. Perhaps the small excerpt may give you an idea or two on word choice or topics, but I generally find that it’s a waste of valuable time to read that excerpt. Those excerpts take at least 10 seconds to read, but those 10 seconds are much better to spend by concocting a thesis or examples.</p>

<p>The first SAT I took I didn’t even look at the excerpt, and I got a 12, so you don’t need to incorporate it into your essay.</p>

4

<p>Thanks VaCollegeGirl and allenplay. :)</p>

<p>Does anyone else have any other thoughts?</p>

5

<p>I found to be not that helpful but if you have no clue what the prompt is asking, then it’ll help i guess.</p>