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滚吧肥汤圆
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16楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:09:02 |只看该作者

16. Kaplan: Practice Test #6
“Failure is impossible.”
--Susan B. Anthony

Assignment: Is it really impossible to fail? Are some failures simply unsuccessful attempts to accomplish what we set out to do, or do all failures ultimately provide some benefit, even if we can’t see it right away? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Sample Essay
If I had been asked this question a month ago, I would have said “Of course, failure is possible.” Whenever we embark on a project, we have a picture in our minds of what the “successful” result will be. And, if things don’t turn out that way, we usually define that attempt as a failure. The answer seems obvious and simple, right?

Maybe not.

All my life, I have wanted to become a writer. For my birthday last year, my best friend gave me a book called No Plot? No Problem. The premise of this book is that you can write a novel in one month. I read the entire book, cover to cover, in one night, and was convinced there was no way I would not succeed. All you have to write is 1,667 words a day and, at the end of one month, you will have a novel approximately the length of The Great Gatsby. This didn’t seem like an excessive amount of writing to me--I probably write than many words in e-mails to my friends every night, anyway.

For the first week I met, and even exceeded, my daily writing quota. My story, which was about a young girl who didn’t get into any of her first-choice colleges and thought her life was over until she met the love of her life at a community college, was going very well. I had a large amount of interesting writing. F. Scott Fitzgerald, watch out!

Then, all of a sudden I hit the wall. A big wall. I couldn’t think of 67 words to write, let alone 1,667. My story, which I had loved, became a symbol to me of the fact that I would probably never achieve my dream of writing professionally. I had “failed” to complete a novel in thirty days.

About six weeks ago, however, u saw an ad in the newspaper for a summer course at a college nearby. The course, which is called “Discovering Your Inner Writer,” is being taught by members of the college’s creative writing faculty, and is open to all ages. To apply, you had to submit five pages of original writing. I submitted the first five pages of my “failed” novel, and I got accepted in to the class!

So, yes, I “failed” to complete my novel in the time frame I had set for myself. But this “failure” has resulted in my getting into a class that may benefit my future as a writer, even more than finishing that novel would have. My “failure” turned into a very exciting success! It is impossible to fail, I now know, because each and every event that happens has the possibility of opening a new and interesting door that you might not have even considered!

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滚吧肥汤圆
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17楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:09:36 |只看该作者

Assignment: Do you agree with Maya Angelou that it’s pointless to complain? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Sample Essay

Nobody likes a whiner, the person who sits back and points out what is wrong with everything but does nothing to change things. However, complaining can be the first step toward making a change. Simply expressing dissatisfaction with a situation is a way of recognizing an injustice. One person’s complaint can help others voice their frustration or anger, and this “complaining” can build to a movement for change. The inverse, accepting a bad situation and learning to live with it, can help perpetuate injustice. This is especially true for deeply rooted injustices-those that permeate an entire society. To the individual such injustice can seem impossible to change.

For example, an African American living in the South of the 1950s might have felt that segregation was something that was part of life. In response she might-believing that she could not change Southern society and being without the means to move to a less hostile place-have decided to change her attitude toward segregation. She might have decided to look for the positive side of this injustice, perhaps seeing how segregation helped build a strong African American community. While this sort of “grin-and-bear-it” attitude can help a person cope on a day-to-day basis, it demonstrates to the community that the unjust society works. The white Southerners who supported segregation could point to this sort of coping to prove that both communities, white and black, were happy living apart.

The same situation, another African American might have decided not to look for the positive side of having to eat in separate restaurants, attend separate schools, and ride in the back of the bus. Instead, she might have complained to her relatives and friends about how unfair Southern society was. By simply complaining, this person would have been making a small protest against injustice. And, her friends and family might have agreed with her. This complaining has the potential to gather momentum and develop into something larger, something more than complaining.

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18楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:14:27 |只看该作者

18. Kaplan: Practice Test #9
“If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others. One who ceases to learn cannot adequately teach.”
--Tryon Edward, Dictionary of Thoughts

Assignment: Do you think that teaching something to another person can help you to learn or master a subject or process? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Sample Essay

Many of us are familiar with the expression, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” However, this phrase neglects the essential role of teachers. To teach a subject, you have to know the subject and figure out how to pass on that knowledge to others, and this process improves your own mastery of the subject that you teach. Thus, teaching a subject does enhance your knowledge of that subject, as I discovered from personal experience.

One of my favorite subjects in high school has always been English. I love words and writing. My freshman English teacher noticed my enthusiasm, so she recruited me to work in an after-school program as a tutor for middle school students who needed to improve their writing before getting to high school. At first, I was nervous about taking on this responsibility. After all, I didn’t really know how I managed to write well or why I liked doing it so much. But my teacher convinced me to join the program, and I soon realized how teaching someone else to write could improve my own writing.

My seventh-grade student had a wonderful imagination, but she couldn’t put her ideas together on paper in a way that made sense. She was very frustrated by low grades on her creative essays, and after reading one of her compositions, I could understand both her frustration and her teacher’s low evaluation. This student’s problem was primarily a result of poor narrative flow. Her ideas were wonderfully interesting, but she jumped from one topic to another so quickly that it was very difficult to understand what she was trying to say. As she and I discussed her essays, I had to find ways to explain to her what was missing and how to improve her writing. I was obligated to put into words certain parts of the writing process that I hadn’t really though about before. As we continued our meetings, I realized that not only was I learning from her but that my own writing was also improving. My advice to my student led me to re-evaluation and refine my compositions. If I hadn’t had the opportunity to teach this student, I would not have gained this knowledge and insight about my own writing.

Truly, then, my personal experience shows that teaching a subject to someone else can help you to more thoroughly know the subject in question. In this life, we all have certain skills. When we choose to share these skills with others, we become teachers and increase our own understanding and mastery of the skill we pass on.

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19楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:14:53 |只看该作者

19. Kaplan: Practice Test #10
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”
--Albert Einstein
“There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste.”
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Assignment: Do you believe that fantasy or imagination is more important than knowledge? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Sample Essay

It may be hard to know whether the imagination or facts is most important, because we need them both. Without facts, scientists and inventors would have nothing to think about. But then again, being able to see things in your mind seems crucial to making new discoveries and inventing new products.

To conduct even a basic experiment requires an imagination. Scientists begin with what they know. Then they have to imagine a result so they can state a hypothesis or theory. Then, if experimenting can’t prove the theory, the scientist has to combine the same facts or new ones and use his or her imagination again to make another educated guess.

In 2003, a robot was invented that could be controlled by a monkey’s mind. Someone had to imagine the robot and to believe it was possible to build it. I believe that many people must have also been imagining this machine for a long time. For example, paraplegics might have dreamt of a useful invention like this. Some lazy people who have no handicaps might also fantasize about a machine that makes it so they never have to lift a finger.

Most inventive people are always using their imaginations. The man who invented the microwave oven was doing radar research, testing a new vacuum tube and noticed that the candy bar in his pocket melted. So he put a few popcorn kernels near the tube and they popped. Art Fry invented the post-it because he was irritated when his bookmark kept falling out of his hymnal at church. He worked with adhesives, and suddenly realized one of them would make a removable but secure bookmark.

I think most inventions are a result of facts and imagination. Perhaps that’s what an imagination is, to combine facts in a unique and surprising way. In this way the imagination and information are partners in discovery.

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20楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:15:12 |只看该作者

20. Kaplan: Practice Test #11
“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you, and be a loser. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.”
--Mary Kay Ash
Assignment: What is your view of the idea that every obstacle can be turned into an opportunity? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Sample Essay

Every obstacle can be turned into an opportunity, if one has the right attitude or perspective. People with this attitude are buoyant, not easily discouraged, and welcome challenges and adversity. One personal example took place in sixth grade, when I broke my hand by falling off my bicycle. The doctor had to put it into a cast.

The cast was a real obstacle. It was on my right hand, the one I write with. It looked like homework would be impossible! But I learned to type with one hand, and I did my English and social studies work on the typewrite. My mom helped me by writing out my math homework based on answers I gave her. The experience sure helped my typing! It also made me learn the value of work, and gave me a chance to really learn
to appreciate my mother.

In addition, having the cast was an excuse to improve my basketball game. I was a decent player, but most comfortable with my right hand. But with the cast on I was forced to practice dribbling with my left hand, and now I can go either way.
Finally, there was one other unexpected benefit. In art class, I was never good. But one day, with my hand still in the cast, I tried drawing with my left hand. To my surprise, I was much better at it than before! The cast is long gone, but I still draw left-handed and am really quite good at it. Maybe I’d never have know about this ability if hadn’t made my obstacle in to my opportunity.

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21楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:15:45 |只看该作者

21. Kaplan: Practice Test #12
“In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.”
--Walter Cronkite
Assignment: Do you agree with Walter Cronkite that it’s necessary to see both sides of an issue in order to discover the truth? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Sample Essay

Seeking both sides of the story is the foundation of our legal system. It takes both prosecution and defense to discover the truth in a courtroom. I volunteer as a prosecuting attorney for the mock court in my town. The mock court is part of the family court and we try juvenile cases with the help of local attorneys. In my work with the mock court I have discovered how important it is to get both sides of the story.

This fall I worked on a case prosecuting “Jack” who had been arrested for spray painting the wall of a local elementary school. The evidence in the case seemed overwhelming. The police caught Jack with a can of spray paint at the school; the paint was on his shoes; and he had already done community service for damaging a park bench. I felt very confident of my case going into the courtroom, and I became even more convinced of Jack’s guilt when saw how he acted in the court. He seemed hostile and uncooperative.

However, the defense made a case that Jack had not done the actual spray painting. The defense attorney asserted that Jack had been at the school with some older boys who ran when the police arrived, leaving Jack and the empty can of paint. According to Jack’s testimony, he had not run with the others because he know that if he was caught leaving the scene he would be in even more trouble, especially as he already had a record with the police. I was very surprised when the defense was able to produce two witnesses who backed-up Jack’s story. He was cleared of all charges.

This case taught me how easy it is to be prejudiced by one set of facts. With just one side of the story, the evidence the police gathered and my own impression of Jack, I was completely convinced that he was guilty. Had it been up to me, I would have sentenced him without a second thought. However, through the process of the trial I heard Jack’s version of the events. With the new evidence, I was forced to reevaluate
my impression of Jack. Behavior that I had initially interpreted as hostility, I came to see as fear and anxiety.

In our legal system, the prosecution and defense each represent one side of the story, and it is their job to tell that the story as convincingly as the can. However, the judge or the jury listens to both sides in order to determine the truth of the case. The court is built around the principle of hearing both sides of a story, but it is not the only place where this idea applies. In journalism, personal arguments, and any situation in which it is necessary to make a judgment, a person who only has one set of facts can easily be led astray by prejudice and preconceived notions. It is always important to gather all the facts before deciding on the truth of the matter.

Assignment: Is the opinion of the majority-in government or in any other circumstances-a poor guide?
The entire idea of democracy centers around “majority rule”, where laws and standards are put into effect if most of the citizens support it. However, if people concentrate on only the majority in each circumstance, they often forget the voices and rights of the minorities. Simply because a person is in the minority of an opinion does not mean he can be ignored, for in a true democracy all the citizens are guaranteed the same rights. Thus in some circumstances strictly following the opinions of the majority is a poor guide to determining what actions to take.

The days before America’s Civil War, when slavery was prevalent, demonstrate that following majority rule often fails to respect people’s moral rights and liberty. The majority of white people in the early 1800’s supported slavery because of the benefits they received from the suppressed blacks. Thus, the government reluctantly allowed slavery to be legal in America, despite the terrible sufferings of the slaves. The degraded slaves underwent uncountable terrifying experiences-they were beaten, separated from their families, and forced to toil laboriously in fields their entire lives. And because the government believed “majority ruled”，the slaves lived in such conditions until the Emancipation Proclamation was written during the bloody Civil War. Had the government not followed the opinions of the clamoring whites, slavery could have been abolished much sooner, and much suffering could have been avoided. Thus, in this circumstance of freedom vs. suppression, the opinion of the majority served as a poor guide to follow by the U.S. government.

Furthermore, the effects of majority rule impact Americans today, for there are many unsolved, controversial issues such as abortion, stem-cell research, and homosexual marriages. In the case of “gay rights”， the majority of Americans oppose people of the same sex marrying, and most of the states’ laws reflect this opinion. However, ignoring the wishes of gays and lesbians by enacting these laws will leave many of them unhappy because they cannot legally “tie the knot” with the person they love. The U.S. Constitution declares that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, but by banning gay marriages, some may be barred from the happiness of marriage. In addition, many oppose stem-cell research because they are angered by the fact that embryos are created and then destroyed. Once again, though, if the government passes a law banning such research, the minority may suffer. Stem-cell research may save lives by using the cells to specialize in a certain area. Those who would benefit from the discoveries of stem-cell research may die

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滚吧肥汤圆
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22楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:16:34 |只看该作者

Time has a doomsday book, on whose pages he is continually recording illustrious names. But as often as a new name is written there, an old one disappears. Only a few stand in illuminated characters never to be effaced.
---Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Assignment：Are there some heroes who will be remembered forever? Or are all heroes doomed to be forgotten one day? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Essay Sample
One of the memorable images from Eisenstein’s classic silent film on the Russian Revolution is the toppling of a statue. The destruction of the statue symbolizes the throwing out of the old order along with its heroes and replacing it with a new. Considering this human tendency to ‘ring out the old and ring in the new’ it is surprising that any heroic figures from the past survive in the history books, but they do. There are some heroes who do not get erased from the pages.
One of my personal all-time heroes is Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. At a time when women were not allowed to enter the University of Warsaw, her home city, Marie worked as a governess before getting the opportunity to enroll in the Sorbonne in Paris. She graduated at the top of her class and became the first woman to take a degree in physics from the Sorbonne.
But it is not simply for her breaking out of traditional molds that she is remembered. Her scientific work on radiation led to her two Nobel Prizes: the first joint with her husband, the second alone, after Pierre Curie’s death. She nearly did not get the second prize because of rumors of ‘misconduct’ in her private life. But she bravely went to Stockholm, despite opposition, and said that she believed that there was no connection between her private life and her scientific work. She died of cancer caused by exposure to radium, one of the elements that she discovered.
Many great people from the past have had their reputations destroyed by exposure of their human frailties. But some, like Marie Curie, achieve such greatness that they will be remembered for their achievements. She symbolizes the human quest for knowledge and the capacity to sacrifice self for a higher goal. Women everywhere will gain strength from seeing one woman who could not be suppressed by outdated conventions.
We need our heroes for the inspiration they offer to us and to future generations. Names such as Curie should not, and in fact cannot, be erased from the History books: they tell us so much about the human capacity to strive for excellence.

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23楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:17:05 |只看该作者

23. Many people believe that our government should do more to solve our problems. After all, how can one individual create more jobs or make roads safer or improve the schools or help to provide any of the other benefits that we have come to enjoy? And yet expecting that the government—rather than individuals—should always come up with the solutions to society's ills may have made us less self-reliant, undermining our independence and self-sufficiency.

Assignment: Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.
Though America has suffered through times of massive economic distress where government intervention was necessary in maintaining the people’s spirit, America was founded by individuals at town meetings, behind their ploughs, or in peaceful petition. In today’s relatively stable society, people should feel empowered to make changes and solve problems because countless reforms began at the grassroots level. If people need inspiration or proof, they need only to look to the progressives or the Steimetz twins, who rid the beaches of cigarette butts with their activism.
In the early 1900’s, American government had been congealed into a state of corruption and inaction by the powerful lobbyists of the industries. In this Gilded Age, the disparity between rich and poor were astonishing—while Vanderbilt became a millionaire, millions of factory workers—mostly immigrants—lived in squalor and ate insalubrious food. At this same time, the progressive movement sought to rectify these injustices. Jane Addams, for example, started a settlement house for women workers, where she not only provided child care and financial support, but also campaigned for the abolition of child labor and the creation of laws to protect workers’ safety. The actions of hundreds of others like her eventually led to reforms in city government—the referendum, the city council ran by experts, not lobbyists, etc. All these reforms originated at the movement of the individual.
However, movement by individuals does not have to spread nationwide to be effective. In the state of Connecticut, two teenagers who passionately cared for the environment effected state laws to make littering of cigarette butts illegal on beaches. The teens began with simple cleanup campaigns with friends and family but realized that more action could—and should—be taken. Thence, they began to make trips to state legislature in addition to trips to the beach—instead of collecting butts, they rallied support. Eventually, a law was passed to make their sentiments permanent—however, the impetus started in the minds of two teenagers.
Government is powerful and well-intentioned, but the sordid mechanics of politics often obstruct problem solving. Individuals, however, are not so hampered. In a country where rights not enumerated (explicitly given to the federal government) are for the people, people should see individual action as a right and responsibility.

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24楼

发表于 2012-7-2 19:17:34 |只看该作者

24. Even scientists know that absolute objectivity has yet to be attained. It's the same for absolute truth. But, as many newspaper reporters have observed, the idea of objectivity as a guiding principle is too valuable to be abandoned. Without it, the pursuit of knowledge is hopelessly lost.

Assignment: Are people better at making observations, discoveries, and decisions if they remain neutral and impartial?
Score of 6
Objectivity by researchers has not, and probably never will be attained. People will always have biases; some will be created by cultural values and others by personal views. The search for objectivity lies in the realm of philosophy along with the search for reality. Even though objectivity can never be reached, people are better at making observations, discoveries, and decisions if they attempt to set aside their biases.
As I have learned in my Theory of Knowledge class, perception and thought are intimately connected. While the same rays of light may enter two different peoples eyes, what they see may be very different. The brain takes the input from the eyes and processes it to form an image. That image is not the only thing the brain produces; it also provides extra information based on generalizations and bias. This unconscious addition of information changes the observation of an object. By attempting to reduce the addition of extraneous information being added to the observation, by being objective, a true observation of an object can be more closely approximated.
Discoveries, especially in the scientific realm can be doubly affected by a lack of objectivity. Since scientific discoveries are based on observation, all of the problems associated with observation apply as well to discoveries. Additional problems occur in the analysis of data collected by a scientific experiment. In a recent experiment in physics class, almost all of the students in my class analyzed the data incorrectly. However, armed with the knowledge that zero percent error is never possible, we were satisfied with the results. Our personal belief in the validity of the method of analyzation we chose, and lack of objectivity, led to our incorrect discovery in the field of energy. A lack of objectivity can clearly be seen to be a problem in my last student council election as well. The most popular person was chosen for president, not the objectively best candidate. Since then, the president has done nothing for our school. If the people involved had attempted to set aside their biases and pursue the goal of objectivity, it is less likely that errors would have been made.
Bias will always be a part of human life. It can, however, be limited in how much we let it affect us. The less we allow bias to influence, the more objective we are, the less likely we are to come to false opinions, discoveries, and bad decisions.
Why this essay received a score of 6
This essay effectively and insightfully develops the main idea (Even though objectivity can never be reached, people are better at making observations, discoveries, and decisions if they attempt to set aside their biases) with clearly appropriate reasons and examples, demonstrating outstanding critical thinking. Well organized and focused, the essay shows clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas (While the same rays of light may enter two different peoples eyes, what they see may be very different. ... This unconscious addition of information changes the observation of an object). It also consistently displays skillful use of language and meaningful variety in sentence structure (Objectivity by researchers has not, and probably never will be attained. People will always have biases; some will be created by cultural values and others by personal views. The search for objectivity lies in the realm of philosophy ... ). This outstanding essay exhibits clear and consistent mastery and earns a score of 6.
Score of 5
Objectivity may be an excellant guiding focus when one is writing journalistically, or when one cares for simple knowledge in general. Yet I believe that it is only when you truly throw your heart into something and are able to see things from a larger perspective than what your head can teach you are you really able to live.
Objectivity teaches you not to care, not to get involved, and thus enables you to make more discoveries and gain more knowledge. Yet if you cannot see things from points of view other than the academic, what is the point? The film "The Medicine Man," for example. The characters are torn between using the last amount of a cure for cancer on a sick child or analyizing it to learn how to make more. For the good of the world, they should have chosen the latter. They chose instead to save the child and this choice from a scientific standpoint may have been incredibly wrong. But from a moralistic view, it couldn't have been more right. When you decide not to take aside, not to take a stand; you lose your identity as a person and become a stainless steel labratory—cold and empty.
If you throw your heart into something, and believe in it with all you have in you, you may find something you didn't know you were looking for. In the San Juan Islands, there is a place I care deeply about and have for the past ten years. It was the most beautiful piece of property I'd ever seen, grzed & wooded and placed neatly on the edge of a mountain lake. But others didn't see it the same way and made plans to turn my forest into a casino. However, I gathered friends who felt the same and we stayed in the woods for over a week, protesting. The land was saved. I afterwards discovered that there was an old man who lived there, who would not have budged if it killed him. Had I been a mere objective observer, I would have allowed the destruction of a beautiful forest & a peaceful old man. I have a heart, though, and I can take aside. I can protect those things that mean so much.
So tell me, what is the use of objectivity if it turns you into a lifeless robot? There is so much more than that, so have a heart & take it!
Why this essay received a score of 5
This focused essay demonstrates strong critical thinking in developing its point of view (When you decide not to take aside, not to take a stand; you lose your identity as a person and become a stainless steel labratory—cold and empty). The essay uses reasoning and appropriate examples from the film The Medicine Man and from the writer's own experience to support the idea that one needs "a larger perspective than what your head can teach you." The essay demonstrates coherence and progression of ideas through its series of distinctions: head vs. heart, science vs. morality, objectivity vs. taking sides, destruction vs. life. The essay also uses language effectively (So tell me, what is the use of objectivity if it turns you into a lifeless robot? There is so much more than that, so have a heart & take it!). To achieve a higher score, the essay needs to insightfully explain the limitations of objectivity rather than just announce them. This essay demonstrates reasonably consistent mastery and receives a score of 5.
Score of 4
People who have a neutral perspective, are be able to see much more than those who do not. Neutrality causes one to be unbiased and unjudgemental, thus helping him/her observe much more from his/her surroundings. For example, it is crucial for a judge to remain neutral so that he/she can fairly understand both sides and resolve the conflict. If a judge was biased, then how many court cases would have unfair verdicts? Very many would because one party would have an unfair advantage over the other if the judge was not impartial.
People who only make observations from one point of view are blind to many interesting observations/discoveries that they could have made. My next door neighbor, for instance, is a very stodgy and conservative woman. She dislikes very many people based on their attire, tastes, and careers, but she does not realize that many of them, although not similar to her, are very affluent, and decent people who are worthy of being friends with.
Sometimes people can be decieved into developing a stong perspective on something and it is nearly impossible for them to remain impartial. For instance in Ralph Ellison's novel, Invisible Man, the nameless narrarator is brainwashed by the Brotherhood into developing a purely Communist approach to life. However, in the end, after many problems and dilemmas concerning the party, he finally realizes that he was only developing his principles from one perspective and that he wasted a part of his life being used for the Communist purposes of alienated minds.
The Puritans are another example of limited and biased lives. Most Puritans never realized that they only saw and lived their religious dogmas and they never even had a chance to observe or discover other ways of life, which they might have found more suitable for them.
I think that neutrality opens up many doors to new discoveries, observations and decisions. By having the ability to approach a topic or subject from any side helps one appreciate his/her environment more.
Why this essay received a score of 4
This essay demonstrates adequate mastery in developing its point of view (People who only make observations from one point of view are blind to many interesting observations/discoveries that they could have made). The essay displays competent critical thinking in providing several adequate examples of biased individuals making poor judgments, from a judge and a "stodgy and conservative" neighbor to the narrator of Invisible Man. The essay is adequately organized around these examples "of limited and biased lives" and displays some progression of ideas. The essay also exhibits adequate facility in the use of language (Sometimes people can be decieved ... the nameless narrarator is brainwashed by the Brotherhood into developing a purely Communist approach to life). To achieve a higher score, the essay needs to use language more effectively, make fewer mechanical errors, and provide additional focused evidence relevant to the topic. This essay is competent and earns a score of 4.
Score of 3
People make better observations, discoveries and decisions when they are neutral and impartial to a subject while keeping an open mind.
Better observations are made a point of view is complete and unskiewed. An observer with a complete view can see the whole picture and not leave any aspects out of the drawn conclusion. A skiewed view allows the observer to see the side of a subject that they want to see which can have misleading side effects.
More discoveries are made when people keep an open mind. If Columbus said no this isn't India, and went home to try again, then he wouldn't have discovered America. When people fail at a task, they often find something they weren't looking for, which may be greater than the original task.
Effective decisions are made when leaders look at the whole picture and see an issue from all sides. By seeing different perspectives it is easier to predict accurate reactions to the decision. A close minded leader may make a decision that would help him/herself or one group of people but ignore the needs of many others. A good decision supports as many people as possible.
In conclusion, observations, discoveries, and decisions should be made with a complete view, an open mind and many different perspectives on a topic.
Why this essay received a score of 3
The essay demonstrates some critical thinking in developing a point of view (People make better observations, discoveries and decisions when they are neutral and impartial to a subject while keeping an open mind). Offering three reasons in favor of impartiality (Better observations are made; More discoveries are made; Effective decisions are made), the essay features some organization and coherence. However, these reasons are thinly developed, with support consisting of general and at times unclear ideas (A skiewed view allows the observer to see the side of a subject that they want to see which can have misleading side effects). The essay sometimes uses weak vocabulary and lacks variety in sentence structure (An observer with a complete view can see the whole picture and not leave any aspects out of the drawn conclusion). To achieve a higher score, the essay needs to use more competent critical thinking—the point about Columbus needs to be clarified, for instance—and improved language facility to offer stronger support for its position. This essay is inadequate and is scored a 3.

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