ESSAY QUESTION 3 of 3 on the AP Exam
Typically the prompt asks you to defend, challenge, or qualify an assertion and states that evidence may come from your experience, observation, or reading. However it is worded, it is imperative you learn to read the prompt carefully and do exactly what it says to do.
2019: The term "overrated" is often used to diminish concepts, places, roles, etc. that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a "vastly overrated city," and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has asserted that "[b]eing queen is overrated." Select a concept, place, role, etc to which you believe that the term "overrated" should be applied. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment. Use appropriate evidence from your reading,e experience, or observations to support your argument.
2018: Consider the value Lindbergh places on choosing the unknown, "We tend not to choose the unknown which might be a shock or a disappointment or simply a little difficult to cope with. And yet it is the unknown with all its disappointments and surprises that is the most enriching." Write an essay in which you develop your own position on the value of exploring the unknown. use appropriate, specific evidence to illustrate and develop your position.
2017: Read the passage from Chris Hedges on artifice. Write an essay in which you develop a position on his argument that "the most essential skill...is artifice." Use appropriate, specific evidence to illustrate and develop your position.
2016: Wilde claims that disobedience is a valuable human trait and that it promotes social progress. Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Wilde's claims are valid. Use examples from reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.
2015: An anthropologist studying first-year students at a university in the United States writes that friendly phrases like "How are you?," "Nice to meet you," and "Let's get in touch" communicate politeness rather than literal intent. What, if anything, is the value or function of such polite speech? Develop your position on the value or function of polite speech in a culture or community with which you re familiar. Use appropriate evidence form your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.
2014: [A] possible approach to decline in creativity is to explicitly teach creative thinking in school. Argue for or against the creation of a class in creativity.
2013: For centuries, prominent thinkers have pondered the relationship between ownership and the development of self (identity), ultimately asking the question, "What does it mean to own something?" Write an essay in which you explain your position on the relationship between ownership and sense of self. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.
2012: In a well-developed essay, take a position on the relationship between certainty and doubt. Support your argument with appropriate evidence and examples.
2011 Form B: American essayist and social critic H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) wrote, "The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe." Examine the extent to which Mencken's observation applies to contemporary society, supporting your position with appropriate evidence.
2011: Examine the extent to which Paine's characterization of America (e.g. "the poor are not oppressed...the rich are not privileged") holds true today.
2010: Think about the implications of de Botton’s view of the role of humorists (cartoonists, stand-up comics, satirical writers, hosts of television programs, etc.). Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies de Botton’s claim about the vital role of humorists. Use specific, appropriate evidence to develop your position.
2009: Consider this quotation about adversity from the Roman poet Horace. Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies Horace’s assertion about the role that adversity (financial or political hardship, danger, misfortune, etc.) plays in developing a person’s character. Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation, or experience.
2009b: The passage below is from The Worst Years of Our Lives by Barbara Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich is writing about life in the 1980s. Read the passage carefully and then write an essay in which you support, refute, or qualify Ehrenreich’s assertions about television. Support your argument with appropriate evidence.
2008: Some people argue that corporate partnerships are a necessity for cash-strapped schools. Others argue that schools should provide an environment free from ads and corporate influence. Using appropriate evidence, write an essay in which you evaluate the pros and cons of corporate sponsorship for schools and indicate why you find one position more persuasive than the other.
(2008b): Read the following excerpt from The Decline of Radicalism (1969) by Daniel J. Boorstin and consider the implications of the distinction Boorstin makes between dissent and disagreement. Then, using appropriate evidence, write a carefully reasoned essay in which you defend, challenge, or qualify Boorstin’s distinction.
2007: The practice of offering incentives for charitable acts is widespread, from school projects to fund drives by organizations such as public television stations, to federal income tax deductions for contributions to charities. In a well-written essay, develop a position on the ethics of offering incentives for charitable acts. Support your position with evidence from your reading, observation, and/or experience.
2006: Write an essay in which you take a position on the value of ...public statements of opinion (“talk radio,” “television shows,” “popular magazines,” “Web blogs,” “ordinary citizens,” “political figures,” “entertainers”) supporting your view with appropriate evidence.