Thursday, November 15, 2012

Sample SAT ESSAY ANSWER test 2 college board blue book


Kweller Prep Tutoring

Do this and you will get a 15 not a 12!!!!!

Practice essay 2 model answer – College Board Blue Book

Knowledge as a Burden/Destructive Force

SAT SAMPLE ESSAY

For centuries, society has placed great value on the attainment of knowledge as a means of understanding the world. As a result, many have made it their life’s goal to attain as much information as possible, assuming that this will bring them status and admiration, and therefore, contentment. However, the pursuit of knowledge does not always coincide with the pursuit of happiness; a universal desire. In fact, the common saying, “Ignorance is bliss,” indicates that often times, it is those who the least that are happiest. This notion has been illustrated throughout centuries of great literature, becoming timeless in the process. “Oedipus Rex,” is a poignant example of just how lethal knowledge can be. When Oedipus learns of his fulfillment of a tragic prophecy, this knowledge drives him mad and ultimately ruins his life. A similar concept is introduced in Aldous Huxley’s masterpiece, “Brave New World,” which tells the story of a boy who grows up alienated from his community, dreaming of a better world into which he might fit in. However, when he visits and finds it utterly repellant, the knowledge that he doesn’t in fact, fit in anywhere, drives him to suicide.

                  Sophocles’ notorious play, “Oedipus Rex,” tells the story of a King, Oedipus, who comes to learn that the chaos prevalent throughout his kingdom is the result of a tragic prediction; one that prophesized that he would murder his father and sleep with is mother. Although at first, the prophecy seems absurd, he gradually comes to realize that it is true and has in fact, come to pass. The knowledge of this ruins his once contented existence, as he comes to the realization that the blood of his father is on his hands, that his dear wife, Jocasta, is in fact his mother, and that his children are the products of incest. Perhaps even worse is the awareness that the curse that the people of his beloved Thebes have been suffering from was in fact, his own doing. This knowledge tears his life and his family apart. Jocasta takes her own life and Oedipus gouges out his own eyes and is exiled from Thebes, leaving their two daughters on their own.

                  In “Brave New World,” Aldous Huxley fashions a utopian society within which everyone and everything has its place. Those who do not fit in are excluded, resulting in the formation of an alternate society on the Savage Reservation, one that is deemed backward and barbaric. The protagonist, John, however, is the product of both worlds, and because of this, doesn’t quite fit in to either. The child of a “civilized” mother who was stranded on the Reservation, John grows up alienated from his community as a result of his different upbringing. The only thing that keeps him going is the idea of another, distant world that his mother has instilled within him, a beautiful world into which me might fit in. However, when he gets the chance to visit this other, better world that he has always dreamed of, he finds himself more alienated than ever. The values and beliefs of this new world completely go against his own, and the knowledge that he has no place in either society takes away his will to live.

                  As has been demonstrated by scores of literary works, knowledge can often be more of a burden than a benefit. “Oedipus Rex,” and “Brave New World,” particularly, provide moving illustrations of this concept. Although these tales were written thousands of years apart, they nevertheless share the same central theme: that of the deadly nature of knowledge. Each of these protagonists shared a similar fate; the very fabric of their lives was torn apart and rendered unlivable, all because they simply couldn’t bear to live in ignorance. 

SAT ESSAY Sample Answer


Kweller Prep Tutoring

Do this and you will get a 15 not a 12!!!!!

Practice essay 2 model answer – College Board Blue Book

Knowledge as a Burden/Destructive Force

SAT SAMPLE ESSAY

For centuries, society has placed great value on the attainment of knowledge as a means of understanding the world. As a result, many have made it their life’s goal to attain as much information as possible, assuming that this will bring them status and admiration, and therefore, contentment. However, the pursuit of knowledge does not always coincide with the pursuit of happiness; a universal desire. In fact, the common saying, “Ignorance is bliss,” indicates that often times, it is those who the least that are happiest. This notion has been illustrated throughout centuries of great literature, becoming timeless in the process. “Oedipus Rex,” is a poignant example of just how lethal knowledge can be. When Oedipus learns of his fulfillment of a tragic prophecy, this knowledge drives him mad and ultimately ruins his life. A similar concept is introduced in Aldous Huxley’s masterpiece, “Brave New World,” which tells the story of a boy who grows up alienated from his community, dreaming of a better world into which he might fit in. However, when he visits and finds it utterly repellant, the knowledge that he doesn’t in fact, fit in anywhere, drives him to suicide.

                  Sophocles’ notorious play, “Oedipus Rex,” tells the story of a King, Oedipus, who comes to learn that the chaos prevalent throughout his kingdom is the result of a tragic prediction; one that prophesized that he would murder his father and sleep with is mother. Although at first, the prophecy seems absurd, he gradually comes to realize that it is true and has in fact, come to pass. The knowledge of this ruins his once contented existence, as he comes to the realization that the blood of his father is on his hands, that his dear wife, Jocasta, is in fact his mother, and that his children are the products of incest. Perhaps even worse is the awareness that the curse that the people of his beloved Thebes have been suffering from was in fact, his own doing. This knowledge tears his life and his family apart. Jocasta takes her own life and Oedipus gouges out his own eyes and is exiled from Thebes, leaving their two daughters on their own.

                  In “Brave New World,” Aldous Huxley fashions a utopian society within which everyone and everything has its place. Those who do not fit in are excluded, resulting in the formation of an alternate society on the Savage Reservation, one that is deemed backward and barbaric. The protagonist, John, however, is the product of both worlds, and because of this, doesn’t quite fit in to either. The child of a “civilized” mother who was stranded on the Reservation, John grows up alienated from his community as a result of his different upbringing. The only thing that keeps him going is the idea of another, distant world that his mother has instilled within him, a beautiful world into which me might fit in. However, when he gets the chance to visit this other, better world that he has always dreamed of, he finds himself more alienated than ever. The values and beliefs of this new world completely go against his own, and the knowledge that he has no place in either society takes away his will to live.

                  As has been demonstrated by scores of literary works, knowledge can often be more of a burden than a benefit. “Oedipus Rex,” and “Brave New World,” particularly, provide moving illustrations of this concept. Although these tales were written thousands of years apart, they nevertheless

share the same central theme: that of the deadly nature of knowledge. Each of these protagonists shared a similar fate; the very fabric of their lives was torn apart and rendered unlivable, all because they simply couldn’t bear to live in ignorance. 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Regents Exam Prep



Regents Exam Essay Sample Answer


Thematic Essay for Global Regents
JUNE 2011 SAMPLE ANSWER

Theme: Technology
Throughout history, societies have developed significant technological innovations. These technological innovations have had both positive and negative effects on society and humankind.

Task: Select two technological innovations and for each
-       Discuss why the technological innovation was important during a specific time period.
-       Discuss the positive and/or negative effects this technological innovation had on society or on humankind.

Throughout history, mankind has grown constantly, developing several beneficial technologies and advances in the process. The effects that these accomplishments have had on society, whether positive or negative, have nevertheless all succeeded in moving humanity forward: onto the next frontier of innovation. One of the most significant inventions was that of the printing press, whose introduction changed the fabric of society in ways yet unprecedented. Of similar consequence was the invention of the light bulb. Both advancements worked to light the way for a period of even greater human thought and achievement.  

The impact of the printing press on society was colossal, as it ushered in an era of mass communication, and beckoned the widespread circulation of ideas. Prior to its invention, society, for the most part, lived in a state of unawareness, devoid of the printed word and unfamiliar with concepts that they did not have an immediate concern for. Once it was introduced, however, the printing press became an invaluable means of spreading literature, cultivating thought, and even inspiring discontent and sparks of revolution in the hearts of many. Thanks to the printing press, society was, at long last, liberated from a long, dark period of ignorance and catapulted into a period of flourishing culture and thought; the Renaissance.

The invention of the light bulb too, served as an enormous historical milestone. Undoubtedly, its significance lies in that it greatly expanded the hours of one’s day. Having a means of artificial light, people were no longer forced to govern their lives by the hours during which the Sun shone, but were able to expand their day for as long as they wished. The increased productivity that light bulbs allowed helped spur further advancements, as well as provide time for leisure and for the exercise of the mind. Unmistakably, it had a very significant, very lasting change in the lives of many.

The introduction of the printing press and the light bulb into society was as revolutionary as any war. With the invention of the printing press, the Middle Ages were effectively over, as culture was able to blossom as a result of the dissemination of ideas through the written word. The period that ensued, the Renaissance, brought with it an era of significant human achievement. The light bulb, too, served to light the way for further societal advancement, as people were no longer bounded in the hours in which they worked by the confines of day and night. These inventions have clearly had a multitude of effects, drastically altering the course of mankind. For better or for worse, these human accomplishments have launched us into ages of even greater innovation and achievement.  


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