The most ridiculous essay prompt ever

[desperatechaos]

<p>

Educator William Morris once said to parents of high school students, “The true test of a person’s character lies in what he or she chooses to do when no one is looking.” Others believe that character is constantly being formed and refined by the series of choices a person makes during his or her lifetime. Yet it is often very challenging to decide between two options that seem equally valuable.

</p>

<p>Assignment: In your opinion, what two options are the most difficult to choose between? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>

<p>Okay, is this a ridiculous prompt or what? What two options are the most difficult to choose between? The blurb that precedes the prompt barely even has anything to do with the prompt itself. The prompt itself doesn’t talk about character at all, whereas the blurb does. And the most infuriating thing with this prompt is that the question is so vague. What two options are the most difficult to choose between? What the hell kind of question is that?</p>

<p>And besides ranting about the stupid prompt (which comes from Princeton Review’s 11 Practice Tests for the New SAT & PSAT, 2006 Edition), I’d like to see what you guys would write for such a prompt. I was frankly out of ideas for a good five minutes.</p>

[Eloquence]

<p>I would choose these two - treating the ridiculous prompt seriously or like a joke.</p>

[INVENIAMVIAM]

<p>^ Me too.</p>

<p>That prompt is pretty terrible, you could say - copying the guy next to you, or thinking of your own bad answer :]</p>

[lolilaughed]

<p>I remember writing on that prompt a few weeks ago: integrity vs desire…actually had some really good examples of that one. Although, sometimes, the SAT DOES ask for your personal experience (but rarely).</p>

[INVENIAMVIAM]

<p>You could do… shooting yourself or ODing or jumping off a building.</p>

<p>OD is the obvious choice ;]</p>

[desperatechaos]

<p>

@lolilaughed

I remember writing on that prompt a few weeks ago: integrity vs desire…actually had some really good examples of that one. Although, sometimes, the SAT DOES ask for your personal experience (but rarely).

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<p>lolilaughed, I did almost exactly the same thing! I wrote about choosing between doing what’s right and doing what’s easy. And I used The Crucible and Raisin in the Sun, which were alright examples.</p>

[liebenasuka]

<p>Question: When the prompt itself is open to interpretation and the blurb offers one way of interpreting it, can you write an essay that has nothing to do with the blurb?</p>