In Class Timed-Essay Practice Exam

In Class Timed-Essay Practice Exam

In “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff argues that students would “be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do so at first on subjects that interest them.” He supports this claim by recounting that he learned the “rudiments of intellectual life: how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the views of others, and enter a conversation about ideas” from reading sports books and magazines. Describe how a personal interest of yours – cars, fashion, music, video games – might be incorporated into a curriculum and seen through “academic eyes.” Do you think using this material would be as effective at teaching students how to be literate, reflective, and analytical as discussing “the classics?”

You will have 1 hour to write your response. You response must be at least 5 paragraphs in length and should include a thesis statement, evidence, and analysis. I suggest that you spend at least 10 minutes planning or prewriting, 40 minutes writing, and 10 minutes to look over your paper and make any necessary corrections.

When you are finished, you may leave. Before you leave, please show your draft to me. You will take your draft with you. You must do two things with your draft before Monday. 1.) Type up what you wrote in class without making any revision. Save and print this document. 2.) Revise your draft: expand your examples, refine your analysis, adjust your structure and organization, polish your transitions, and correct any errors in grammar, diction, or syntax. Save this version as a new document and print it out. On the print out of your revision, underline or highlight all of the changes and revisions that you made. Bring your handwritten draft, the typed transcription of your draft, and your highlighted revision to class on Monday.