Share your 11's & 12's Essays [December 2013 SAT]

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Please share your responses to the December Essay prompts so we can all learn what it takes to get 11's and 12's</p>

<p>Copy the pictures of the essay from the college board site and paste it here.</p>

<p>Prompt 1
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.</p>

<p>Being unwilling to change is often seen as a limitation. For example, a common accusation people often make in arguments is that the other person refuses to even consider taking new positions on issues. But being consistent is not always a bad thing. In fact, firmly supporting a position or point of view shows that one is stable and constant and does not change one's position whenever circumstances change. This consistency is far more important than a willingness to adjust one's thinking.</p>

<p>Assignment: Is it more important to remain consistent than to change one's mind when circumstances change? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>

<p>Prompt 2
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.</p>

<p>Getting people to work well in teams is crucial to accomplishing ambitious goals. Teams work a kind of magic in developing important ideas and getting hard work done, and they give us the close human contact and shared purpose that we all need. But there’s a dark side to teams too: group identity can be too powerful. The desire to be an accepted member of a group can prevent individuals from forming their own moral judgments.</p>

<p>Adapted from Peter S. Temes, The Power of Purpose</p>

<p>Assignment: Are teams or groups beneficial for individuals, or does group membership prevent individuals from forming their own moral judgments? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>

<p>Prompt 3
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.</p>

<p>Modern society values convenience. From disposable napkins to the personal computer, from fast-food restaurants to cell phones, it seems that nearly everything we buy or use has been designed to maximize convenience. Unfortunately, instead of saving time and energy and minimizing frustration, many of the so-called conveniences in our lives turn out to be nuisances or have a negative impact on our health, the environment, or our emotional well-being.</p>

<p>Assignment: Does society place too much value on convenience? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>

<p>Prompt 4
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.</p>

<p>When we go shopping, most of us do not think about the impact our spending has on other people. However, if we buy products from companies or individuals that mistreat their employees or the environment, or that otherwise do harm, we indirectly approve or even encourage such behavior. On the other hand, it may be unrealistic to assume that anything would prevent people from buying a good product at the right price.</p>

<p>Assignment: Do consumers have a responsibility to purchase goods only from companies and people whose actions are beneficial to others? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>

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<p>PROMPT- 1
ESSAY SCORE- 11 (I don’t know if my essay really deserved an 11)
OVERALL WRITING SCORE- 700
LENGTH- 1.75 pages</p>

<p>It is indeed important for one to remain consistent in his or hers beliefs. However, one should be open to change.</p>

<p>An example of how too much change the story of Mitt Romney in his 2012 campaign for President of the United States. When he commenced his campaign, Mitt Romney was seen by many as a center-right politician. He shared views with liberals such as abortion, illegeal immigration, and socialized medicine. As the campaign rolled on, Mitt Romney began to change his views to appease the growing far-right wing in America. He changed his stances on the aforementioned issues many times throughout the 2012 election. He was derisively named the “flip-flopper” for his tendency to change stances on almost a monthly basis. Unfortunately, this issue is what may have cost him the presidency. One of the qualities that an electorate looks for in a politician is integrity. If an electorate perceives a candidate as someone who is easily changed mentally and morally, he will likely not be the winner.</p>

<p>An example of a political group that is so resistant to change that it actually does harm to itself and the country is the Republican Party. For the past three years, the GOP has been on a doomed crusade in opppsition to the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). It has attempted to repeal dozens of times a law that has been passed my the executive branched, passed by the legislature, and approved by the judiciary branch. The Affordable Care Act was the main issue in the October government shutdown crisis. Republicans had threatened to shutdown the government unless the ACA was repealed. The demands of the GOP were not satisfied and consequently, the goverment was shutdown for a week. This is an example of how a group can be too resistant to change. It is generally accepted that the GOP is becoming irrelevant as the party strays more to the right. It is unwilling to compromise with the Democratic Party and has actually done harm to the American people because of its unwillingness to compromise.</p>

<p>Political candidates must find a balance between steadfast beliefs and openness to change. If they are easily changed, they will go the way of Mr. Romney. If they are to narrow-minded, they will go the way of the GOP. Politicians must find a balance to remain relevant in the modern political battlefield.</p>