College Writing

College Writing Study Guide

Chapter 6: The Analysis and Response

Learning Objectives This chapter will discuss the second of the two essay questions on the test. You’ll learn: 1. The parts of the Analysis and Response Essay 2. The kinds of writing you’ll need 3. Three exercises to become a better reader 4. An introduction to the study of logic The second essay question on the exam is an Analysis and Response Essay. You will be presented with two texts about a controversial issue, and after reading the two texts, you will have to write a response to the arguments. In order to be successful, you will �irst have to master the skills of close reading and analysis. 6.1 The Kinds of Writing You’ll Need In addition to argumentative writing, which we discussed with regard to the Proposal, you will likely need two more kinds of writing to successfully respond to the Analysis and Response prompt. Expository writing “exposes” information by clearly de�ining what a subject is. Careful de�initions allow you to avoid misunderstandings and disagreements, and expository writing is necessary in es- tablishing those de�initions. Descriptive writing uses salient details and �igurative language (when necessary) to render experi- ences for the reader. Descriptive writing puts the reader in the writer’s shoes so that the reader feels what the writer felt and consequently understands the world from the writer’s perspective. The writing portion of this task is only half of what you’re required to accomplish. You also have to read critically in order to generate the ideas necessary for the paper. Most people read for compre- hension; they read to understand what the text is trying to communicate. However, college-level reading requires a deeper understanding of the texts you encounter. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that you will be asked to uncover a text’s “hidden” meaning because there are no hidden meanings; if good writing is about successfully communicating ideas, thoughts, feelings, and experiences, then why would good writers hide what they’re trying to communicate? Instead, critical reading is about asking questions that challenge the author’s arguments while at the same time being open to chal- lenging your own deep-seated beliefs about the subjects being discussed. To do this, there are several methods of critical reading that you should employ while writing the Analysis and Response Essay. The SQ3R method is a systematized way of reading a text. While it doesn’t probe as deeply as some other methods and focuses more on comprehension than we might prefer, SQ3R’s strengths lie in its simplicity and feasibility.

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