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Some Common Essay Question Terms

In exam and essay questions you are likely to come across a number of different"process words". These words are the key to what is required of you in answering these questions and you should pay particular attention to them.

Despite what these words suggest, it is fairly safe to say that, in most cases, you will be expected tooffer a critical analysis of the topic in question. It is rare to find an essay question at H le!el that onlyrequire description, e!en if the process words sound as though it might.

isted below are a number of key process words together with a description of what these wordsgenerally mean.

Account for - explain, clarify, give the reasons for. (Quite different from "Give an

account of..." which is more like "Descri e in detail".!

Analyse - reak an issue down into its component parts, discuss them and showhow they interrelate.

Argue - make a case, ased on appropriate evidence and logically structured forand or against some point of view.

Assess - consider the value or importance of something, paying attention to positive,negative and disputa le aspects, and citing the #udgements of any known authoritiesas well as your own.

Comment on - it is fairly safe to assume this means something more than "descri e"or "summarise" and more likely it implies "analyse" or "assess".

Compare - identify and discuss the characteristics or $ualities two or more thingshave in common ( ut pro a ly pointing out their differences as well!.

Contrast - %oint out and discuss the differences etween two things ( ut pro a lyidentifying their similarities as well!.

Criticise - spell out your #udgement as to the value or truth of something, indicatingthe criteria on which you ase your #udgement and citing specific instances andarguments as to how the criteria apply in this case.

Define - make a statement as to the meaning or interpretation of something, givingsufficient detail as to allow it to e distinguished from other similar things.

Describe - &pell out the main aspects of an idea or topic, or the se$uence in which aseries of things happened.

Discuss - pro a ly the most common word to appear in essay titles and usuallyre$uiring analysis and evaluation of evidence as well as weighing up arguments anddrawing conclusions.

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Evaluate - like assess in that you need to consider the value and importance ofsomething and weigh up its different aspects, citing evidence and argument insupport of your case.

Explain - tell how things work or how they came to e the way they are, including

perhaps some need to descri e and to analyse.

To what extent - explore the case for a stated proposition or explanation, much inthe manner of assess and criticise, pro a ly arguing for a less than total acceptanceof the proposition.

Identify - pick out what you regard as the key features of something, perhapsmaking clear the criteria you use in doing so.

Illustrate - similar to explain ut pro a ly re$uesting you give specific examples orstatistics to support your case.

Interpret - clarify something or explain it, perhaps indicating how the thing relates tosome other thing, or explaining a particular way of looking at it.

Justify - express valid reasons for accepting a particular interpretation or conclusion,pro a ly including the need to argue a case.

Outline - indicate the main features of a topic or se$uence of events, possi lysetting them within a clear structure or framework to show how they interrelate.

eview - survey a topic with the emphasis on assess rather than descri e.!ummarise - give the main points riefly, omitting details and illustrations

Trace - descri e in narrative form the progress, development or se$uence of eventsfrom some particular point.

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