A.C.E. SHORT ANSWER PARAGRAPH RESPONSE
This is a way to organize your response to questions about what you have read. However, at
the heart of it, this is really about a different way of thinking. This kind of thinking will prepare
you for the future.
Imagine that you are a lawyer proving someone is responsible for a crime. As you begin your
presentation to the jury, you will begin with opening arguments letting the jury know what you
intend to prove. Then you will provide evidence to prove the person did in fact commit that
crime. If you just show the jury the evidence without explaining it though, the jurors might be
confused. You must explain to the jury how this evidence proves your point. An A.C.E. short
answer paragraph does all of this in writing.
A.C.E. (Short Answer)
A-Answer- In one sentence, state your answer to the question or what it is you are trying to
prove.
C- Cite evidence to support your answer – Include an example of textual evidence to support
your answer.
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Use quotation marks and give the author credit.
o "Textual Evidence" (Lastname 5).
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Author’s last name and page number
Include a “lead-in” to the quote to introduce it. (Make it a part of the sentence so that it
"flows." See the back of this handout for examples.)
E- Explain- Explain how the evidence proves your point. (Be specific.
Explain it clearly.)
Note: At times you might be required to include multiple examples of textual evidence to
support your answer. Anytime you include textual evidence, there should be explanation
included with it.
Think of evidence and explanation like peanut butter and jelly. The two always go together in
short answer paragraphs.
Embedding Quotes
Working quotes naturally into your writing helps the ideas to flow for readers. This makes
them easier to understand, and it makes your writing more interesting. This is what it means to
"embed" your quotes in your sentence. The quote becomes enclosed within your sentence.
Here are a few important reminders about choosing quotes to use in your writing.
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Choose specific quotes that directly support the point you want to make. This does not
mean that they need to be lengthy quotes.
Always cite sources.
If you use a quote that stretches across two pages, include the numbers in parentheses
like this (2-3).
If you want to use information from the first and third sentences in a paragraph for
instance, you can use ellipses to show where that information was left out. Ellipses look
like this:
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...
If you need to change a word (to make it fit the verb tense, etc.), you do so by putting
brackets [ ] around the word you changed.
Examples of How to Embed Quotes in Your Sentences
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(author's name) states "___________________________" (Name 17).
An example of this is seen when (character's name) says, "____________________"
(Name 1).
This is shown by the author's statement " _________________________" (Name 3).
This is seen when (author's name) writes, "___________________" (5).
The author's statement " ____________________" (Name 1) shows that (your words
here).
Examples with a Real Quote
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EXAMPLE: This can be seen when Ponyboy “stepped out into the bright sunlight from
the darkness of the movie theater” (Hinton 1).
EXAMPLE 2: This can be seen when Hinton describes how Ponyboy “stepped out in the
bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie theater” (1).