Preparing for Essay Tests
Why do teachers give essay tests? What do they want the students to be able to do?
During essay tests, teachers are seeking evidence of: Understanding information in context Ability to evaluate and synthesize information Demonstrate knowledge with complete thoughts
A good place to get hints about how to answer a response question could be a. Your teacher c. Both of these b. The rest of the test d. None of these
C
If you have a choice of questions to answer on an essay test, which questions should you answer first? a. The questions that you know a lot about so you can then focus on the more difficult ones c. The ones that are worth the fewest points because you can finish those quickly b. The questions which call for a 5 paragraph essay because those are easiest to outline d. Any of these
A
The directive of an essay question a. Guides the essay response c. Identifies how to start each paragraph b. Describes what the essay should be about d. Guides the teacher in grading the essay
A
In order to have plenty of time to answer all required essay questions, a student should a. Write as many essays as quickly as possible, then go back and revise each one c. Decide which questions are more difficult or will take longer, then answer the easy questions first b. Spend equal amounts of time on each question to ensure each questions gets the same amount of attention d. None of these
C
Which type of test focuses on debate and discussion of key content and main topics? a. Compare and contrast tests c. Essay tests b. Short answer tests d. Any of these
C
Provide examples which support your argument, either for or against, raising the driving age to 18. The directive which fits the above essay question is a. Discuss c. Describe b. Explain
D
Essay tests do not require students to present information in context.
F
Essay tests tend to focus on facts and information recall.
F
If you have a choice of questions to answer on an essay test, always pick the most difficult questions because those will earn you the most points.
F
Setting up a meeting with your teacher will not present an opportunity to find out what types of questions will be on an essay test.
F
To summarize means to give three examples and several supporting details for each.
F
During the test, simply writing down one or two key words from your practice outline may help you to remember the rest of the outline.
T
Essay tests require students to present information with complete thoughts.
T
Free association involves writing down one or two key terms to help you remember more key terms.
T
Planning for an essay test is just as important as how you write the essays during the test.
T
Using information in context is a skill teachers are looking for on essay tests.
T
Prepare a quick practice outline for the following essay question: Describe the process of preparing for an essay test.
Essay exams challenge you to come up with key course ideas and put them in ... Don't just memorize aimlessly; clarify the important issues of the course and .... As with planning, your strategy for writing depends on the length of your answer: .... so check your essays thoroughly before you hand them in to make sure they ...
The purpose of creating a practice outline is to a. List all possible key terms to be used in your outline c. Memorize vocabulary words and their definitions b. Organize and learn information d. All of these
B
Thomas is writing practice outlines for his upcoming essay test. His practice outlines should a. Be fully detailed with supporting evidence so he doesn't have to create them from scratch when he takes the test c. Either of these b. Be short and simple so he can elaborate on them in the actual test d. None of these
B
Which word identifies the purpose of the essay? a. Direction c. Defectiveness b. Directive d. None of these
B
Christine is writing practice outlines to study for her next essay test. What should she focus on when creating practice outlines? a. Christine should focus on learning the vocabulary words in the chapters so she can use them correctly in the essay c. Christine should focus on potential questions that may show up in the actual test b. Christine should focus on memorizing facts so she will know what to write about on the actual test d. Christine has gotten As on all previous essay test, so she shouldn't spend too much time worrying about this one
C
List the similarities and differences among American settlers and Native Americans. Which directive fits the above essay question? a. Describe c. List b. Explain d. Compare and contrast
D
When it comes to essay tests, understanding the relationships among concepts is more important than memorizing facts and details.
T
