ENGL1010 Composition IThe approach to an essay question is basically the same approach as what someone should use to respond to a math word problem. Take the following math word problem:
John lives near Knoxville. His aunt lives 220 miles away near Atlanta. A safe driver, John averages 55 mph when he travels to his aunt's. John plans to visit his grandmother this weekend. He will leave at 8 a.m. When will he arrive?
Step 1 - Identify the givens: The first thing to do when working a math word problem is to identify the givens, the mathematical data that can be manipulated to find the answer. Notice that as a rule, the givens are provided in the statements in the word problem. In this word problem, the following information is given:
220 miles = distance he will travel
55 mph = rate at which he will travel
8 a.m. = departure time
Step 2 - Determine the unknown: The second thing to do is to determine what is to be found, that is, the unknown. Notice that the question part of the word problem indicates what is unknown. In this word problem, the student is supposed to find John's arrival time.
Step 3 - Decide how to manipulate the givens to get the unknown: Because mathematics is about relationships and patterns, if enough information of the right sort has been give, the information can be manipulated mathematically to determine what is not known. In mathematics, formulas are patterns for manipulating data. For instance, for any rectangle, no matter how large or how small, the area can be determined if the value of the length and the width are known because a pattern exists that relates lengths and widths to areas. The formula is A=lw. In this problem, two sets of formulas apply
d=rt (the distance travelled is equal to the rate travelled multiplied by the time travelled)
TA=TD+t (the arrival time is equal to the departure time plus the total time travelled)
Step 4 - Solve for the unknown: These two formulas can be solved by inserting the givens and working through the mathematical procedures:
220 miles = 55mph(t)
220 miles ÷ 55 mph = t
4 hours = t
8 a.m. + 4 hours = 12 p.m.
The procedure followed is the same for an essay. Take the following essay question:
The stereotypical American family, in the tradition of Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver, was characterized by a working father, a homemaker mother, and several well-behaved children. How is your family similar to or different from this once typical American family?
Step 1 - Identify the givens: In an essay question, the writer is given the topic of the essay. In this essay the topic identified is the stereotypical American family.
Step 2 - Determine the unknown: In an essay question, the essay asks us to focus on a particular idea in relation to the topic. This focus is the purpose for our essay or the reason we are writing about this topic. Our purpose will determine our thesis. In this essay, the focus or purpose for writing is to demonstrate how the writer's family is similar to or different from the stereotypical family.
Step 3 - Decide how to manipulate the givens to get the unknown: Formulas in mathematics reveal the relationships between numbers. In writing, writers explore the relationships between concepts or ideas. In writing, these various relationships are referred to as modes: narration, description, example, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, classification/division, and so on. These modes determine how writers manipulate information in the essay. In this essay question, the writer is asked to find similarities or differences, calling for the comparison/contrast mode.
Step 4 - Solve for the unknown: Once the writer has determined from the essay question what to write about, why to write about it, and how to manipulate the information in order to write about the topic, the writer can formulate a thesis statement and brainstorm ideas to fit. In a timed essay, brainstorming and clustering are the best methods for gathering details because because brainstorming allows the writer to gather a large number of details quickly and clustering can be used to group those details into clusters to be developed into paragraphs.
ENGL1010 Composition I