How to not be awful at the Short Answer

SectionLove, Mr. Whitehouse

Don’t be Shaq.

• Be Ray Allen! • This is not the Basketball Game. This is not the bigShow. • This is a Free throw. (Pass/Fail)• So don’t be Shaq.

Don’t be Faulkner

• Be Hemingway!• You are not writing long, eloquent prose. • Do NOT write an intense well-developed thesis. • Points will not be deducted if you do. But you lose a lot of time developing

this.

• Do NOT write quotes or excerpts from the passage. • Exception: (if you bring up an interesting portion of an image that may show

some form of symbolism of PoV, this is a good idea)

• HOWEVER – DO write in full sentences. I take off for bullets or fragments.

BIGGEST mistakes…

IT’S SO FLUFFY

• Juxtaposed to your jovial philosophy of the world, few souls on this revolving planet called earth are mesmerized into bonus points due to hyperbolic proliferation of frivolous verbiage,

• “Extra words don’t get extra points”

Frivolousositosirosity

• (adj) not having any serious purpose or value… times 100.• There is more valuable in an incorrect example than

5 introduction sentences. • Fill your writing with examples, with causes and

effects, and as many interpretations of the question as you can. • DO NOT fill it with 4 sentences about your

philosophy of change• DO fill it with useful examples

Let’s look at an example

•Explain ONE development between 1492-1607 that affects the lives of Native Americans…

Which gets points?

• 1.) The native americans didn’t know this, but coming to them soon was a big change. This change came in the form of Europeans. These Europeans brought goods from all over the world which wowed the natives on so many levels. The Natives were very impressed by the Europeans and even thought of them as Gods sometimes. The Europeans loved this and thought of themselves as superior to the Native Americans.

• 2.) The horse is an example of change during 1491-1607. Because of the addition of the Horse the natives could travel farther, hunt more effectively, and trade with other nations more easily.

• 3.) Change is a big deal. If we were to ever get invaded by aliens, which is going to happen eventually, (which I’m super psyched about – I love aliens) we will need to be ready for change. Horses were an example of change for the Native Americans. Aliens brought the horse to the world, but eventually Europeans got it. The Europeans brought the horse over to the Amerindians, who’s societies shifted as they were able to travel farther, trade easier, and hunt much more effectively. I love aliens.

Assume reader knows broad.

• Don’t hit broad over-arching concepts• Native Ameicanan and Europeans meet… yea. We know.

• Hit the details – fill in why the broad idea is there• During interactions they exchanged ideas, crops, and livestock, such as

Christianity, tobacco, and oxen… The effects of this is …

3-levels EXPAND then EXTEND

• It’s asking for a development, or an event, or an idea.• 1.) list the idea• 2.) the immediate effect of that thing• 3.) the extensive broad effect• APPLY ALL OF THESE BACK TO THE QUESTION.

NOW – Try it in your group

- Ex: Explain one development in this period that changed Native American culture and society…

- Level 1: the horse (great, an example, now expand)- Level 2: the horse made it easier to travel farther and faster (great, this might

get you the point, depends on how strict they’re gradind)- Level 3: since they could travel farther and faster the Natives were able to

trade more effectively, hunt easier, and fight with each other more effectively. These led to competition between warring tribes on the plains and the Sotuhwest between who had horses and who did not.

NOW – Try it in your group

• Describe ONE development between 1607 and 1754 that led to the changes in maps that we viewed last class.• Level one – • Level two – • Level three -