The following prompts are good practice for the speed dating exercise for persuasion/synthesis essays.
Prompt 1
Critics of the United States government suggest that it has failed to meet the needs of its poorest citizens as the gap between the wealthiest few and the poor has grown in the past few decades. Defend, refute, or qualify the argument that the US government must act to reduce income inequality.
Prompt 2
Some have suggested that students should be required to perform community service to graduate from high school. In a well-developed essay, identify the negative and positive implications of such a policy and argue whether it should be adopted.
Prompt 3
Christina Hoff Sommers writes about how boys are struggling to keep up with girls in school. She writes that “boys score as well as or better than girls on most standardized tests, yet they are far less likely to get good grades, take advanced classes or attend college.” Hoff Summers contends that boys are less likely to succeed because school rules, discipline, and academics are built for girls. In a well-developed essay, defend, refute, or qualify her contention that boys achieve less in school because of gender bias.
Prompt 4
Ashley Merryman argues that our society gives too many trophies. Writing in the New York Times, she argues:
As children return to school this fall and sign up for a new year’s worth of extracurricular activities, parents should keep one question in mind. Whether your kid loves Little League or gymnastics, ask the program organizers this: “Which kids get awards?” If the answer is, “Everybody gets a trophy,” find another program.
Trophies were once rare things — sterling silver loving cups bought from jewelry stores for truly special occasions. But in the 1960s, they began to be mass-produced, marketed in catalogs to teachers and coaches, and sold in sporting-goods stores.
Today, participation trophies and prizes are almost a given, as children are constantly assured that they are winners.
In a well-developed essay, defend, refute, or qualify Merryman’s assertion that our culture gives too many rewards to our children.
