To prepare for this "Mid-Term" exam, you need to have read, re-read, and taken notes on "The Value of Writing Well" by Dustin Wax. This essay can be found in our READINGS section. A longer version of the essay can be found via Google.
This mid-term is an ESSAY exam designed to resemble our Final Exam. It requires you to choose a single question and write an essay that answers your question. Here is some advice:
Choose the EASIEST Question- Whichever question is easiest for you to understand (easy vocabulary, very clear what the question wants you to do) is the one you should choose.
Respond with YOUR answer – The questions want to know what YOU think, not what Dustin Wax or anyone else thinks. Your answer to the question should be YOUR opinion. (Do NOT write what you think the teacher wants to hear).
Use Dustin Wax ("The Value of Writing Well") to back up your ideas – You do not need to summarize "The Value of Writing Well" or tell me every single thing that Wax says in the essay. All you need to do is find a couple of sentences from Wax’s essay that serve as evidence/support for YOUR ideas. For example: if you were talking about how you didn’t learn anything in high school English class, you could back that up with Wax’s quote about schools doing a "piss-poor job" (Wax 1) teaching writing. REMEMBER: Most of this essay should be your own ideas/analysis – IF THE MAJORITY OF THE ESSAY IS JUST A BOOK REPORT OF "THE VALUE OF WRITING WELL" (SUMMARY), THEN IT WILL NOT RECEIVE A GOOD GRADE. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
RULES
COVER PAGE: On your Cover Page, you must have your name; the question you’ve chosen to answer (1, 2, or 3); and your thesis statement (when you’ve finished writing your essay, simply go back to the introduction, copy your thesis, and paste it here)
MID-TERM EXAM: Your essay should begin on page 2 of your document. Do not waste time with any heading information. Just jump right into the essay. Your essay must have:
A thesis.
An introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
At least two quotes from "The Value of Writing Well." These quotes should follow MLA Format. If you are unfamiliar with MLA Format, you should Google "Purdue OWL" and search for the MLA guide to learn the ins and outs of the style. Here is a basic example:
"Writing well is not a gift" (Wax 1). (Basically, after putting the exact words in quotes, you put the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses and then you punctuate the sentence.
**Beyond these requirements, you may also use personal experience, common knowledge/common sense, and your own analysis to support your claims. This is not required but is often helpful when strengthening your argument.**
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MID-TERM EXAM QUESTIONS (CHOOSE ONE!!)
Wax believes that improving as a writer helps you improve as a thinker and communicator. Where do you stand on this argument?
A British communications consultant named Liam Fitzpatrick once said, "I don’t think being a good writer matters" in the professional world. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Take a position and explain.
Is being a good writer more or less important in the age of digital and social media? Take a position and explain.
**Keep in mind: when we talk about "writing" or "being a good writer," we are NOT talking about handwriting and we are NOT talking about grammar (though this could be part of it) – we are talking about the ability to compose a written piece of communication, to get a point across clearly and effectively, etc.**
