GO APE! Writing Strong Paragraphs
One of the best ways to be sure that your paragraph is
actually saying something and proving what you’re saying is to
remember the acronym APE.
A=
Assert your answer/opinion.
Whatever the prompt is asking, make sure that you
provide a specific, relevant sentence that reflects
your “take” on the prompt.
P=
Prove your answer with evidence from the text.
In order to substantiate your answer, you need to cite
specific quotations or paraphrases from the passage.
Make sure the evidence you select is relevant and strongly
supports your assertion.
E=
Explain your evidence.
Providing quotations is not good enough all by itself. You
need to explain why you chose the quotations you did and
how these particular quotes confirm your assertion.
NOTE: To add more evidence of your answer, repeat the P and the E together. (APEPE…)
EXAMPLE:
Explain the significance of the setting of “The Most Dangerous Game.”
A=
“Ship-Trap Island” plays an important role in the story in two ways: its isolation permits
Zaroff to play his murderous game in secret, and its varied terrain provides an obstacle course
for his suspenseful hunting of Rainsford.
P=
Zaroff describes the island as “perfect for [his] purposes” but sailors think of it as a “Godforsaken” and “forbidden” place.
E=
Sailors have heard rumors of this terrible island, and they want nothing more than to avoid it,
which provides Zaroff with the isolation he seeks to play his murderous game.
P=
Another part of why the island is perfect for Zaroff is that it “has jungles with a maze of trails
in them, hills, [and] swamps.”
E=
The island’s varied terrain presents more of an obstacle for both Zaroff and his human prey,
and it creates suspense in the story, since the reader never knows what Rainsford will
encounter next.
Your Turn to GO APE!
Explain how Rainsford changes from the beginning to the end of the story.
Hint: In your “A”, describe in your own words how Rainsford is in the beginning and in the end of
the story. In your first “PE”, prove and further explain how he is in the beginning. In your
second “PE”, prove and further explain how he has changed by the end of the story. (If you
are having trouble with your explanations, it might help to start with the words, “This shows
that…”)
A: _______________________________________________________________________________
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P: _______________________________________________________________________________
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E: _______________________________________________________________________________
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P: _______________________________________________________________________________
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E: _______________________________________________________________________________
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