Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sample ACT and SAT Writing Prompts

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.

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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