Below are some samples of previous writing prompts for
the ACT and SAT writing portions of these college entrance exams.
1. In this country, most people see and hear
advertising for many different products every day. Some people think
advertising is useful because it provides important information about many
different products. Other people think advertising is not useful because it
tries to persuade people to buy products they do not really need. In your
opinion, does advertising serve a useful purpose in our society?
In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one
of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view
on the question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. In some high schools, students are required
to complete a certain number of community service hours prior to graduation.
Some people think community service is a good requirement because they think
students will benefit from this experience. Other people think schools should
not require community service because students will resent the requirement and,
as a result, will not benefit from the experience. In your opinion, should high
schools require students to complete a certain number of hours of community service?
In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one
of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view
on the question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. "Discipline"
is a negative word for many people because it is associated with rigorous
training, strict rules, and strong self-control. But we fail to realize that
freedom comes only through discipline. Discipline compels us to sacrifice
immediate rewards and pleasures, but it also gives our lives structure and
prevents us from making costly mistakes. It keeps us from being subject to our
impulses and weaknesses and thus frees us to achieve our true goals.
Assignment: Do people need discipline to achieve freedom? 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Although most
of us do not like being criticized, it is said that we can always benefit from
being told what we are doing wrong. We may lose a valuable learning opportunity
if we do not listen to the criticisms expressed by others. Yet criticism, even
when honest and well-intended, can be more harmful than helpful. We have more to
gain by ignoring or shielding ourselves from the criticisms of others.
Assignment: Are people better off if they do not listen to
criticism? 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. A school board is concerned that the state’s
requirements for core courses in mathematics,
English, science, and social
studies may prevent students from taking important elective
courses like music, other
languages, and vocational education. The school board would like
to encourage more high school
students to take elective courses and is considering two
proposals. One proposal is to
lengthen the school day to provide students with the opportunity
to take elective courses. The
other proposal is to offer elective courses in the summer. Write
a letter to the school board
in which you argue for lengthening the school day or for offering
elective courses during the
summer. Explain why you think your choice will encourage
more students to take
elective courses. Begin your letter: “Dear School Board:”
6. Many successful adults recall a time in life
when they were considered a failure at one
pursuit or another. Some of
these people feel strongly that their previous failures taught them
valuable lessons and led to
their later successes. Others maintain that they went on to achieve
success for entirely
different reasons. In your opinion, can failure lead to success? Or is failure
simply its own experience? In
your essay, take a position on this question. You may write
about either one of the two
points of view given, or you may present a different point of
view on this question. Use
specific reasons and examples to support your position.
Source:
www.sparknotes.com, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Educators debate extending high school to
five years because of increasing demands on students
from employers and colleges
to participate in extracurricular activities and community service
in addition to having high
grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years
because they think students
need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other
educators do not support
extending high school to five years; they think that students
would lose interest in school
and that attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your
opinion, should high school
be extended to five years?
Source:
www.actstudent.org, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. In some high schools, many teachers and
parents have encouraged the administration to adopt
a dress code that sets
guidelines for what students can wear in the school building. Some
teachers and parents support
a dress code because they think it will improve the learning
environment in the school.
Other teachers and parents do not support a dress code; they
think it restricts an
individual student’s freedom of expression. In your opinion, should high
schools adopt dress codes for
students?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.
Educators debate extending high school to five years because of
increasing demands on students
from employers and colleges to
participate in extracurricular activities and community service
in addition to having high grades. Some
educators support extending high school to five years
because they think students need more
time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other
educators do not support extending high
school to five years; they think that students
would lose interest in school and that
attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your
opinion, should high school be extended
to five years? Source:
www.actstudent.org, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. In some high schools, many teachers and
parents have encouraged the administration to adopt
a dress code that sets
guidelines for what students can wear in the school building. Some
teachers and parents support
a dress code because they think it will improve the learning
environment in the school.
Other teachers and parents do not support a dress code; they
think it restricts an
individual student’s freedom of expression. In your opinion, should high
schools adopt dress codes for
students?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
requires all school libraries receiving certain
federal funds to install and
use blocking software to prevent students from viewing material
considered “harmful to
minors.” However, some studies conclude that blocking software in
schools damages educational
opportunities for students, both by blocking access to Web pages
that are directly related to
the state-mandated curriculums and by restricting broader inquiries
of both students and
teachers. In your view, should the schools block access to certain
Internet Web sites?
12. New laws are being proposed that would
require schools to accommodate students who wish
to transfer to a different
school if the school falls below a certain level on statewide standardized
tests. Supporters of this law
believe that it is a student’s right to transfer to a new school if his
or her current school is not
fulfilling its duties. Opponents argue that this law is impractical
— what would happen if all
the students requested transfers? — and unfairly weighs test scores
without considering other
factors at a school. In your opinion, should students be allowed to
transfer if schools score
below a certain level on standardized tests?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. College professors who have significant
research and teaching experience are often rewarded
with “tenure.” Once tenured,
a professor holds his or her job without review and with little
danger of being fired or
replaced. Some people believe that high school teachers should be
tenured as a reward for
dedicated service. These people argue that tenure will attract highly
qualified candidates to the
profession and also allow teachers to do their jobs without fear of
losing them. Opponents of
this plan believe that tenure only leads to poor teaching. Without
any fear of losing their
jobs, teachers will not care as much about their students. In your
opinion, should high school
teachers receive tenure?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Many communities are considering adopting
curfews for high school students. Some educators
and parents favor curfews
because they believe it will encourage students to focus more on
their homework and make them
more responsible. Others feel curfews are up to families, not
the community, and that
students today need freedom to work and participate in social activities
in order to mature properly.
Do you think that communities should impose curfews on high
school students?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. In
response to articles examining sensitive topics such as dating and partying,
many schools
are considering censoring
their newspapers. Some schools believe that these topics are not
appropriate for student-run
papers, while others believe that, as long as what is printed is true,
student papers should have
the same freedoms as regular newspapers do. What is your opinion
on this topic?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. In some
states, legislators have debated whether teenagers should be required to
maintain a
“C” grade average in school
before receiving a driver’s license. Some people think this would
be a good policy because having
passing grades shows that students are responsible enough to
be good drivers. Other people
think such a policy would not be appropriate because they see
no relationship between
grades in school and driving skills. In your opinion, should teenagers
be required to maintain a “C”
average in school before receiving a driver’s license?
Source: The Real ACT Prep
Guide, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. In some high
schools, students are required to complete a certain number of community
service
hours prior to graduation.
Some people think community service is a good requirement
because they think students
will benefit from this experience. Other people think schools
should not require community
service because students will resent the requirement and, as a
result, will not benefit from
the experience. In your opinion, should high schools require
students to complete a
certain number of hours of community service?
18. Some
high schools in the United
States have considered creating separate
classrooms for male
and female students in
subjects such as mathematics and science. Some educators think separate
classes will be beneficial
because students will be less distracted from learning. Other educators
think having separate classes
for females and males will not be beneficial because it will seem
to support stereotypes about
differences in ability between males and females. In your opinion,
should high schools create
separate classes for male and female students?
Source: The Real ACT Prep
Guide, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. In
recent years, many schools have adopted a curriculum based on “great books.”
These
schools require students to
study certain classic books of Western civilization, arguing that
familiarity with these “great
books” is essential to education. However, opponents of this
curriculum argue that forcing
teachers and students to use only the “great books,” most of
which are written by white,
European authors, results in a biased view of the world. In your
opinion, should schools adopt
a curriculum based on “great books”?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. Schools
in some states have changed their school calendars so that they are now
year-round
schools. Advocates of
year-round schooling argue that the traditional summer break is a waste
of students’ time that could
otherwise be spent learning. Opponents charge that today’s students
are already overburdened with
the stresses of school, and need the summer to get a muchneeded
break. In your view, should
the traditional three-month summer vacation from school
be maintained?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21. Most
schools have established honor codes or other rules to prevent students from
cheating on
exams and other school
assignments. Many students admit to cheating, arguing that the practice
has become so common — and is
so rarely penalized — that it is the only way to survive in
today’s competitive academic
world. Educators, however, feel that such behaviors only hurt
the students, and that
cheating in school is just the first step to more academic dishonesty,
professional misconduct, and
unethical business practices in the future. In your view, should
high schools become more
tolerant of cheating?
Source: The Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.
Fast-food franchises are installing outlets in some high schools, selling
hamburgers, fried chicken,
tacos, fries, and sodas. Many
soda companies already pay a great deal of money to be allowed
to install soda machines in
high schools. The money from these commercial ventures helps
pay for athletic equipment,
field trips, and audio-visual equipment. On the other hand, fast
food is greatly contributing
to the epidemic of obesity among America’s youth. Placing
fast-food outlets in schools
encourages students to eat food that is high in salt, fat, and empty
calories. In your opinion,
should fast-food franchises be allowed in high schools?
Source: Peterson's Master
the ACT Assessment, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23. In this
country, most people see and hear advertising for many different products every
day.
Some people think advertising
is useful because it provides important information about many
different products. Other
people think advertising is not useful because it tries to persuade
people to buy products they
do not really need. In your opinion, does advertising serve a
useful purpose in our
society?
24. The discovery that someone we admire has done
something wrong is always disappointing and
disillusioning. Yet even when
people we consider heroes have been tarnished by their faults, they
are no less valuable than
people who appear perfect. When we learn that an admired person, even
one who is seemingly perfect,
has behaved in less than admirable ways, we discover a complex
truth: great ideas and great
deeds come from imperfect people like ourselves.
Assignment: Do we benefit from learning about the flaws of people
we admire and respect?
Source:
www.collegeboard.com, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25. Some people say you should be content with
what you have and accept who you are. But it is
possible that too much
self-acceptance can turn into self-satisfied lack of ambition. People should
always strive to improve
themselves and to have more in their lives — friends, things, opportunities.
After all, where would we be
if great people, both in history and in our own time, did not try to
have more and to improve
themselves?
Assignment: Is it best for people to accept who they are and what
they have, or should people
always strive to better
themselves?
Source:
www.collegeboard.com, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26. So-called common sense determines what people
should wear, whom they should respect, which
rules they should follow, and
what kind of lives they should lead. Common sense is considered
obvious and natural, too
sensible to question. But people’s common sense decisions may
turn out to be wrong, even if
they are thought to be correct according to the judgment of vast
majorities of people.
Adapted from Alain de Botton,
The Consolations of Philosophy
Assignment: Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it
be questioned?
Source:
www.collegeboard.com, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27. Winning does not require people to be against
someone else; people can reach their goals through
cooperation just as well as
they can through competition. Winning is not always the result of selfish
individualism. People achieve
happiness by cooperating with others to increase the happiness of
all, rather than by winning
at others’ expense. Ours is not a world in which the price of one person’s
happiness is someone else’s
unhappiness.
Adapted from Gilbert Brim, Ambition
Assignment: When some people win, must others lose, or are there
situations in which everyone
wins? 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.
Source:
www.collegeboard.com, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28. Knowledge is power. In agriculture, medicine,
and industry, for example, knowledge has liberated
us from hunger, disease, and
tedious labor. Today, however, our knowledge has become so powerful
that it is beyond our
control. We know how to do many things, but we do not know where,
when, or even whether this
know-how should be used.
Assignment: Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
29. A mistakenly cynical view of human behavior
holds that people are primarily driven by selfish
motives: the desire for
wealth, for power, or for fame. Yet history gives us many examples of
individuals who have
sacrificed their own welfare for a cause or a principle that they regarded as
more important than their own
lives. Conscience — that powerful inner voice that tells us what
is right and what is wrong —
can be a more compelling force than money, power, or fame.
Assignment: Is conscience a more powerful motivator than money,
fame, or power?
Source: The Official SAT
Study Guide, The College Board, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30. Many people believe that our government
should do more to solve our problems. After all, how
can one individual create
more jobs or make roads safer or improve our schools or help to provide
any of the other benefits that
we have come to enjoy? And yet expecting that the government —
rather than individuals —
should always come up with the solutions to society’s ills may have
made us less self-reliant,
undermining our independence and self-sufficiency.
Assignment: Should people take more responsibility for solving
problems that affect their
communities or the nation in
general?
Source: The Official SAT
Study Guide, The College Board, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31. 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.
Adapted from Karen Finucan, Life
in the Fast Lane
Assignment: Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily
make them better?
Source: The Official SAT
Study Guide, The College Board, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
32. A better understanding of other people
contributes to the development of moral virtues. We
shall be both kinder and
fairer in our treatment of others if we understand them better. Understanding
ourselves and understanding
others are connected, since as human beings we all have
things in common.
Adapted from Anne Sheppard, Aesthetics:
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Art
Assignment: Do we need other people in order to understand
ourselves?
Source: The Official SAT
Study Guide, The College Board, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33. The old saying “be careful what you wish for”
may be an appropriate warning. The drive to
achieve a particular goal can
dangerously narrow one’s perspective and encourage the fantasy that
success in one endeavor will
solve all of life’s difficulties. In fact, success can sometimes have
unexpected consequences.
Those who propel themselves toward the achievement of one goal
often find that their lives
are worse once “success” is achieved than they were before.
Assignment: Can success be disastrous?
Source: The Official SAT
Study Guide, The College Board, 2009
34. There is, of course, no legitimate branch of
science that enables us to predict the future accurately.
Yet the degree of change in
the world is so overwhelming and so promising that the future, I
believe, is far brighter than
anyone has contemplated since the end of the Second World War.
Adapted from Allan E.
Goodman, A Brief History of the Future:
The United States
in a Changing World Order
Assignment: Is the world changing for the better?
Source: The Official SAT
Study Guide, The College Board, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
35. Some people believe that there is only one
foolproof plan, perfect solution, or correct interpretation.
But nothing is ever that
simple. For better or worse, for every so-called final answer there is
another way of seeing things.
There is always a “however.”
Assignment: Is there always another explanation or another point
of view?
Source: The
