Writing Essay Exam



You will choose one of the following prompts as the focus the writing essay exam.



 Choice one:  Understanding pollution is important.

Choice two:  Interacting with people from other cultures is important.

(I choose understanding pollution is important)



 You will write a 5 paragraph essay that is well-developed, organized, specific, unified and uses transitions for coherence.  It must be typed and follow all format rules.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO ATTACH AN OUTLINE.



 NOTE:  You will be required to use information and examples from the articles in your reading text to provide quotes as detail for the body paragraphs. You may also use online sources as well. 



NOTE:  I suggest you also use new vocabulary from the articles (or on your vocabulary cards) in the essay.

(Vocabulary words: construct, gallery, excursion, scenery, approach, predict, significant, obviously, explore, unique, architecture, appreciate, souvenir, destination, evaluation, complex ,revelant, memories, interaction, traditional, distinct, excursion, Check-in)

 

NOTE:  You should be using sentence variety as well.  Your writing should include simple, compound, and complex sentence structures with appropriate punctuation. 



SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS for the writing essay exam:

 

INTRODUCTION:

   Why do so many people fear going on strange or different types of vacations?  They are cautious about so much money and planning and so feel the safer trip is better.  In fact, many people would never take a vacation like Karen and Paul Anderson who traveled on their honeymoon to the Arctic Circle in Finish Lapland to an ice hotel.  They ate on ice tables, slept on ice beds and went ice swimming. It had to be cold and wet most of the week they spent on that vacation! Undoubtedly, they insisted the trip was very special and memorable.  Even so, most people would resist booking into an ice hotel, yet at least once in a lifetime, it can be rewarding to take a unique journey.  Therefore, taking an unusual vacation is important. 



BODY PARAGRAPH:    

    Socially, taking an unusual vacation is important because it provides an opportunity to meet and interact with diverse people and truly understand the contrasts between people.  To illustrate, in the article, “Traveling Chef,” Andrew Zimmern, an American chef with a television show, experienced coffee in a village on a trip to Ethiopia.  It states, “Every day when friends or family visit, they have coffee ceremonies that can last up to three hours.” This would probably never happen in the United States!  Time is obviously not an issue as it is in the United States, so people can relax and be more intimate. Being a foreigner, like Mr. Zimmern having a three-hour coffee break, has to allow him to meet many people; consequently, it can be exciting as he talks to friendly strangers sharing stories and opinions with people who have such a different life like in Ethiopia. Similarly, I remember traveling to Greece one summer; I noticed many outside coffee cafes where different people sat for long hours conversing constantly and passionately about all kinds of topics. They were bonding as they laughed and shared very personal experiences. They would talk about the music and other individuals around them, and these crowded groups of colorful people generated energy and excitement. Those cafes were not about drinks or food but about many different people coming together to simply connect, interact and have fun. 



CONCLUSION:

 Taking a chance in life shows great courage, and it can be true of a vacation which is so unique that it leaves a person with such great memories of the people and the trip. Vacations should be about new experiences and excitement.  I recommend that people find the most unusual places to go and just have a great time because it is a significant way to make life have more value. It is Paul and Karen Anderson who visited an ice castle, and they know that experiencing such a place has changed in a positive way and that is most important. 



NOTE:  The words in italics are personal commentary.





These are the instructions my teacher gave me!