Writing the Essay Answer
Most of the classroom tests and answers you have given so far have probably required one-word or very short
responses. As you continue in school, however, you will find that you will be asked to write more in-depth
essay-style responses to questions. While the specific techniques will vary, there are some general techniques that
it will be helpful to learn.
The essay answer is really an impromptu composition written under time pressure about a specific subject. All
that you have learned about writing, therefore, can be applied to writing the essay answer. But, the following
suggestions and guidelines should be helpful.
1. Read the prompt/question slowly, carefully, and multiple
​
times. Watch for key terms used in the
question, and follow them exactly.
Examples​:
Compare: find and point out likenesses
Contrast: find and point out differences
Criticize: find faults and merits
Discuss: examine, analyze carefully, and come to a conclusion
Explain: spell out the how and why
Summarize: condense the main points
Trace: give a description of progress, sequence, or development
2. Plan your time and your answer. ​Calculate on the basis of the point value of the question and total time of the
test/period. Then jot down your ideas in a simple outline with usually not more than three or four major points.
Example​:
Total test time: 40 mins.
Question 1:
(60 points) Allow 6-8 minutes for planning, and the rest for writing
Discuss the question:​ Who is the real tragic
​ hero of ​Julius Caesar--Brutus or Caesar?
Outline Example:
1) Brutus in all five acts; Caesar dies in third.
2) Brutus, not Caesar, is lamented in the end-- “The noblest Roman of them all.”
3) Internal conflict occurs in Brutus, not Caesar
3. Write a good introduction in which you refer directly to the question, and state the main point, or thesis,
of your answer. ​Your thesis statement must assert something about the subject, and convey the writer’s (you!)
purpose.
4. Devote one paragraph to each main point, and begin it always with a topic sentence.​ In this way your main
points will stand out quickly for the reader (teacher, peer) who is reading your answer.
5. Illustrate and ​support what you say by ​specific details, examples, and references. ​Do not provide
unsupported generalities.
6. Summarize what you have asserted/argued in a conclusion paragraph.
7. Allow yourself a few minutes to proofread what you have written, checking carefully for spelling and
usage errors.
Sample Response:
​ There is room for much honest debate as to whether Caesar
​ or Brutus is the real tragic hero of Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar​. In a close reading of the play, however, there are three compelling reasons for believing that Brutus is the
protagonist and the tragic hero.
(Introduction: ​reference to the question, ​statement of answer​)
​ The first​ reason is that Brutus has a much bigger role than Caesar. ​Caesar dies in Act III; Brutus is present in every
act. It has been argued that Caesar’s ghost continues to make his presence and influence felt throughout the rest of
the play. Such an influence is not evident in the number of lines reserved for the ghost, who speaks only three times,
for a total of sixteen words. Even a master dramatist like Shakespeare cannot build a successful final two acts with
the hero offstage. By mere reason of his presence on the stage, it is Brutus’s play.
(First paragraph: ​first main point; ​supporting facts​)
​ The second reason
​
is also concerned with this matter of structure and presence. When the play ends, it is Brutus to
whom Antony and Octavius pay tribute. Antony’s final speech is especially significant here: “This was the noblest
Roman of them all. / ...Nature might stand up / And say to the world, ‘This was a man.’”​ ​Brutus is clearly revered by
others for his honorable reputation.
(Second paragraph: ​second main point; ​specific example with textual evidence​ and ​analysis​)
The most compelling reason of all is found in Brutus’s own nature. I​ t is he in whom the moral issue of the play is fought
out. ​He is the person in the play who experiences the most intense internal conflict -- and internal conflict in the tragic
hero is the essence of all great tragedy. There is little of this in Caesar: ​“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but
in ourselves.” ​H​e is a man with few doubts and uncertainties, a character who undergoes no change.​ Brutus, on the
contrary, is torn with doubt as he wonders about the consequences of Caesar as king, when he wonders ​"How that
might change his nature, / there's the question." ​He is pulled apart by the moral issue, and fearful that Caesar will abuse
his power.​ Thus, the tragedy is the chronicle of Brutus’s rise and fall.
(Third paragraph: ​third main point; ​specific example with textual evidence and ​analysis​)
​By reason of what happens on the stage, and what takes place inside the characters, it is clear that Brutus is the tragic hero
of ​Shakespeare's ​Tragedy of Julius Caesar. It is Brutus who drives the play's emotion.
(Conclusion: ​summary of thesis​)
Checklist for your essay answers:
❏ Does your introductory paragraph make direct reference to the question and state the main thesis of the
answer?
❏ Are the key points referred to in the topic sentence of each paragraph?
❏ Are the main points of the answer supported and illustrated by details and references to the text?
❏ Does the conclusion paragraph summarize what has been said?
❏ Does the answer follow the directions of the question exactly?