Answering Essay Questions
Supplemental Instruction by Ms. Andrea Haymond-Tang
The information available through this site is inteded to assist students in becoming effective and efficient learners. The pages were adapted from material presetned at two websites: www.academictips.org and www.studygs.net. If you are interested in obtaining additional help, you might visit either of those two sites or perhaps two others:www.studyguidezone.com/resource_tips.htm and www.studytips.org.
General Exam TipsAnswering Multiple Choice Questions
Answering True-False Questions
Answering Essay Questions
Answering Short Answer Questions
Taking Open Book Exams
Preparing for Emergency Exams
Coping with Test Anxiety
Note Taking Strategies
Active Listening
Answering Essay Questions
These kind of exams are often very intimidating to students. Unlike multiple-choice or true-false questions in which the student knows the correct answer is there somewhere, this kind of exam requires students to pull the answer completely out of their own memory. Thankfully, there are strategies to help you out.
Before you start writing:
1. Set up a time schedule that allows for answering each question and reviewing/editing all questions.
- if there are five questions to be answered in sixty minutes, allow nine or ten minutes to write each answer.
- if the questions are weighted, prioritize the questions and your time.
- when time is up for a particular question, stop writing, leave space, and begin the next questions. You can go back and finish incomplete answers during the time reserved for review.
- keep in mind that instructors usually give partial credit for incomplete answers. This means that you will probably get a better score if you have five incomplete answers rather than two or three complete answers.
2. Read through all the questions once and take note if you have any options for answering the questions.
- if there are five questions and you only have to answer four, determine which ones you can provide the best answers for.
- attend to how the question is phrased, looking for words like "compare, contrast, criticize". These words require specific things from your answer.
- for some questions, the answer will come to mind right away.
-first, write down the key words while they are still fresh. This helps against ideas being blocked later, which could lead to anxiety. Then collect your thoughts so you can write the answer in a more coherent way.
3. Before you try to answer the question, rephrase it in your own words. Then compare you version with the original question. Is it asking the same thing? If not, you're reading the question wrong.
4. Think before you write. Make a short and quick outline for each question. Number the items in the order you will discuss them.
Writing the Essay:
Just because the exam is an essay does not mean you should throw out the normal writing process. Use it: brainstorm first, then organize, outline, add supporting information, write, revise, and edit.
The classic five-paragraph essay:
Paragraph 1: the first sentence should be a strong one that states the main idea of the essay. The remainder of the paragraph should be an overview of the rest of the essay in which other key points that support your main idea are presented.
Paragraph 2, 3, and 4: each paragraph should state and support one key point from the first paragraph. Develop each point into a complete paragraph. Use transitions to connect your points from paragraph to paragraph.
Paragraph 5: this paragraph should be a summary of the essay. Answer the question again, but use different words than you did in the first paragraph. Indicate why your main point is important.
Review: if you have any incomplete answers, try to finish them, but give yourself time to review all of the questions. If you still have time left, edit - correct misspellings, incomplete words and sentences, mis-written dates and numbers, correct punctuation, etc.
- use specific information, examples, or quotes from your readings and notes to back up your points.
- be concise, complete, and clear - an organized answer will look favorable for you when the instructor is reading it.
- be aware of the time remaining for each question and overall.
- stay away from definite statements like "always, never, must".
- qualify answer if in doubt. Unless you know for certain that it did, don't say an event happen in 1996 when it might have happened in 1998. Use something like "toward the end of the 20th century" instead. Typically, an approximate is all that is needed.
- writing aimlessly without knowing the answer takes time and typically does not give very good results.
- keep this in mind - with essay exams, you have two main options:
a. know a little bit of information but present it in a well-written fashion.
or b. know a lot of information but present it in a poorly-written fashion.
When you instructor is reading through a mass of essays, the short but well-written one will be more likely to receive a better grade.