<p>Prompt: A colleague of the great scientist James Watson remarked that Watson was always “lounging around, arguing about problems instead of doing experiments.” He concluded that “There is more than one way of doing good science.” It was Watson’s form of idleness, the scientist went on to say, that allowed him to solve “the greatest of all biological problems: the discovery of the structure of DNA.” It is a point worth remembering in a society overly concerned with efficiency. </p>
<p>Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to do things in their own way? </p>
<p>People accomplish more if they do it their own way, without contention or negative influences. People have their own ways to deal with problems. Some people would want help from others, asking for advice before that person decides on how to act. However, this free will of being able to ask for help or not lets each of us accomplish more than solely relying on someone else. I experienced this in a club of which I'm a member. It is a philosophy club that deals with epistemology and other such matters. We were tasked with discussing about the nature of knowledge, and I, of course, had my own opinion about such a subject. To everyone's benefit, I provided them with my prior knowledge, elaborating on how knowledge can be obtained and the types of knowledge, but I did not include my own thoughts. Doing so would provide the other members with information that could have been false, leading people to conclude similar conclusions. Because I refrained from expressing my thoughts, the club was able to conclude different conclusions and were able to justify their conclusions adequately. Moreover, the philosophy club was able to accomplish more by not having any unwarranted influence. The members concluded differing conclusions, allowing other members to have other point of views, and from that aspect, we all concluded which was most accurate, for that was the goal. If I had expressed my opinion, the potential for varying answers would have been decreased. This "potential" for varying answers applies to all the members. They realized their potential by concluding their own conclusions, accomplishing more individually. As Mr. Watson said, "There is more than one way of doing good science." The science being philosophy and the ways of which one can accomplish being the members' justified conclusions.</p>
<p>SAT Essay Scoring Rubric
Score of 6
An essay in this category is outstanding, demonstrating clear and consistent mastery, although it may have a few minor errors. A typical essay
• effectively and insightfully develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates outstanding critical thinking, using clearly appropriate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its position
• is well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas
• exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate, and apt vocabulary
• demonstrates meaningful variety in sentence structure
• is free of most errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>Score of 5
An essay in this category is effective, demonstrating reasonably consistent mastery, although it will have occasional errors or lapses in quality. A typical essay
• effectively develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates strong critical thinking, generally using appropriate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its position
• is well organized and focused, demonstrating coherence and progression of ideas
• exhibits facility in the use of language, using appropriate vocabulary
• demonstrates variety in sentence structure
• is generally free of most errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>Score of 4
An essay in this category is competent, demonstrating adequate mastery, although it will have lapses in quality. A typical essay
• develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates competent critical thinking, using adequate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its position
• is generally organized and focused, demonstrating some coherence and progression of ideas
• exhibits adequate but inconsistent facility in the use of language, using generally appropriate vocabulary
• demonstrates some variety in sentence structure
• has some errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>Score of 3
An essay in this category is inadequate, but demonstrates developing mastery, and is marked by one or more of the following weaknesses:
• develops a point of view on the issue, demonstrating some critical thinking, but may do so inconsistently or use inadequate examples, reasons, or other evidence to support its position
• is limited in its organization or focus, but may demonstrate some lapses in coherence or progression of ideas
• displays developing facility in the use of language, but sometimes uses weak vocabulary or inappropriate word choice
• lacks variety or demonstrates problems in sentence structure
• contains an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>Score of 2
An essay in this category is seriously limited, demonstrating little mastery, and is flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
• develops a point of view on the issue that is vague or seriously limited, demonstrating weak critical thinking, providing inappropriate or insufficient examples, reasons, or other evidence to support its position
• is poorly organized and/or focused, or demonstrates serious problems with coherence or progression of ideas
• displays very little facility in the use of language, using very limited vocabulary or incorrect word choice
• demonstrates frequent problems in sentence structure
• contains errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics so serious that meaning is somewhat obscured </p>
<p>Score of 1
An essay in this category is fundamentally lacking, demonstrating very little or no mastery, and is severely flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
• develops no viable point of view on the issue, or provides little or no evidence to support its position
• is disorganized or unfocused, resulting in a disjointed or incoherent essay
• displays fundamental errors in vocabulary
• demonstrates severe flaws in sentence structure
• contains pervasive errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that persistently interfere with meaning </p>
<p>Score of 0
Essays not written on the essay assignment will receive a score of zero</p>