ENG 101: College Composition ILaGuardia Community College
Final Exam Practice: In-Class EssayBrian T. Murphy
Practice Essay 1 (In-Class Essay): Thursday, May 22
In her essay, “In Groups We Shrink” (227-230), Carol Tavris suggests that group pressure can be strongly negative, leading to inaction, passivity, or “groupthink” (230). Write an essay of at least three hundred (300) words in which you argue in favor of or against the author’s claims or assertions; that is, argue either in favor of or in opposition to acting as a member of a group. Before you begin to write, take time to plan your essay carefully. Essays should focus on the selected topic and contain a clear beginning (an introduction, with a thesis), a middle (the body paragraph or paragraphs), and end (conclusion), and use appropriate topic sentences and transitions to guide the reader. Be sure to include evidence, examples, or other support for your assertions; the more support you include, the stronger and more convincing your essay will be. You may include your own ideas or examples, but you must include evidence from the text you are discussing, as well. Remember that you are not summarizing the essay, but responding to it in a critical manner, and do not copy directly from the textbook unless quoting.
ENG 101: College Composition ILaGuardia Community College
Final Exam Practice: In-Class EssayBrian T. Murphy
Practice Essay 2 (In-Class Essay): Tuesday, May 27
In “Three Ways of Meeting Oppression” (237-244), Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., writes in favor of a “nonviolent mass movement” (240) as an agent of social change. Write an essay in which you argue that mass movements, such as marches, grassroots organizing, et cetera, can still effect social change, or that it can not; that is, argueeitherin favor of or in opposition to acting as a member of a group. Before you begin to write, take time to plan your essay carefully. Essays should focus on the selected topic and contain a clear beginning (an introduction, with a thesis), a middle (the body paragraph or paragraphs), and end (conclusion), and use appropriate topic sentences and transitions to guide the reader. Be sure to include evidence, examples, or other support for your assertions; the more support you include, the stronger and more convincing your essay will be. You may include your own ideas or examples, but you must include evidence from the text you are discussing, as well. Remember that you are not summarizing the essay, but responding to it in a critical manner, and do not copy directly from the textbook unless quoting.