October 2013

If you took the October 2013 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Most people think that contentmentbeing happy with the way things areis the perfect state of affairs. After all, what could be better than being so satisfied with how things are that you don't want anything else? But contentment has disadvantages: if we are content with the way things are, we are not motivated to change things, to improve ourselves, or to do better. We must therefore always choose between being content and pushing ourselves to do better. Assignment: Does being content with the way things are prevent people from improving themselves and doing better? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Privacy was once valued and protected. Diaries came with locks to keep the writers privately recorded thoughts from being read by others. Public telephones were enclosed in booths so that conversations would not be overheard. But now people feel free to post information about themselves on social networking Web sites and carry on cell phone conversations in public places. We would be much better off if we valued privacyour own and that of othersfar more highly than we do. Assignment: Do we place too little value on privacy? 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.

Prompt 3

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Nobody wants to be called old-fashioned or be considered out of touch with current trends and thinking. But there's something to be said for holding on to old ideas and customs even if they may not be in fashion at the moment. People are too easily impressed by anything new and trendythe latest television show, or music group, or technological gadget. They place too much emphasis on newness without bothering to look at something's real value. Assignment: Do people place too much value on newness? 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. Prompt 4 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Everything a public figure or celebrity says or does is likely to turn up on an internet site or a television show. The great appeal of these sites and shows is that they help us learn as much as possible about public figures. The more we know about political candidates, for example, the more informed we are as voters. Much of the information, however, is irrelevant and actually prevents us from focusing on the issues that matter. Assignment: Does having too much information about public figures distract us from the important issues? 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.

June 2013
If you took the June 2013 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Our cherished notions of what is equal and what is fair frequently conflict. Democracy presumes that we are all created equal; competition proves we are not, or else every contest would end in a tie. We talk about a level playing field, but it is difficult to make conditions equal for everyone without being unfair to some. Adapted from Nancy Gibbs, "Cool Running"

Assignment: Is it possible for a society to be fair to everyone? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Many colleges now offer courses in which students study television programs, comic books, magazines, advertising, and other aspects of popular culture. Critics complain that schools should not replace serious literature and history courses with such fluff. They claim that courses in popular culture present material that is trivial and inconsequential. But the study of popular culture can be just as important, demanding, and instructive as the study of traditional subjects. Assignment: Can the study of popular culture be as valuable as the study of traditional literary and historical subjects? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Many voters think that integrity and character are the most important qualifications for political office. I disagree. Integritythe quality of standing up for the same values in every situationis not a good qualification for getting people to work together. Strongly held morals may make a candidate too inflexible and incapable of negotiation. And if character were really so important, candidates would be judged by their personal relationships rather than by their ability to deal with a community's or a nation's problems. Adapted from Stanley Fish, "Integrity or Craft: The Leadership Question" Assignment:

Is strong moral character the most important qualification for a leader? 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.

May 2013
If you took the May 2013 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People use the term "wisdom" to mean many things. They describe someone as wise if that person is intelligent, well-informed, or capable of making good decisions. These descriptions, however, are not really useful in distinguishing wise people from unwise ones. Happiness is a better measure of wisdom: a wise person is a happy person. Even the most intelligent people should not be called wise if they are not happy. Assignment: Is it best to determine how wise people are by how happy they are? 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. Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. We live in an era of individualism. The individual is celebrated and praised in every wayfor being special and creative, for making an original contribution, for competing with others to be the best. Nowadays individualism is a guiding idea for many people and has many benefits. But focusing on individuals has caused us to neglect our sense of community, our feeling that we are part of a harmonious group. The importance of belonging to a community has been forgotten. Adapted from Piero Ferrucci, The Power of Kindness Assignment: Has the emphasis on individualism in our society caused people to forget the importance of belonging to a community? 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.

Prompt 3

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. We live in a world that values action over thought. The idea of taking time to reflect and think things through is out of favor. Our most popular movies and novels focus on action, not reflection, and our most admired public figures are praised for what they do, not for what they think. While there is something to be said for taking action instinctively and without hesitation, the fact is that people put too much emphasis on action. Assignment: Is it a mistake to value action over thought? 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. March 2013 If you took the March 2013 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People often focus on "the details," those seemingly minor features and elements that often have major effects or consequences. Whether they are making ordinary, everyday decisions, analyzing historical events, or enjoying the plot of a novel, many people consider the details to be allimportant. Others, however, argue that paying attention to details distracts people from the big pictureperceiving an idea, goal, or plan in its entirety. Assignment: Is it a disadvantage to pay attention to details? 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. Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Whatever their goalsto be the best at something, to solve a difficult problem, to have a rewarding careermost people anticipate that reaching those goals will bring them contentment. When people are working toward a goal, they imagine that achieving it will bring an end to their struggles and put them at ease. But the opposite is more likely to occur. Rather than bringing contentment, achievement often brings dissatisfaction. Assignment:

Are people likely to be dissatisfied rather than content once they have achieved their goals? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Even on unimportant matters, many people so fear conflict with those in positions of leadership or authority that they willingly suppress or deny their own thoughts and ideas. We cannot criticize people who feel this way. After all, in most cases, those in leadership positions are entitled to some respect in their decision-making role. More likely, however, people remain silentthey do not oppose people in authoritysimply because they do not want to be considered "troublemakers." Adapted from Derrick Bell, Ethical Ambition Assignment: Are people too willing to agree with those in charge? 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.

November 2012 If you took the November 2012 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in thed the assignment below. Stories about the great achievements of others, from athletic championships to scientific or artistic breakthroughs, often inspire people to make great achievements of their own. Such stories, however, do not reflect the fact that real progress is more often a gradual process consisting of many small improvements than the direct result of a single great act. People would probably achieve more if they were encouraged to aim for small accomplishments rather than for great achievements. Assignment:

Is it better to aim for small accomplishments instead of great achievements? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Most of us value sincerityopen, honest communication and behavior. We try hard to be sincere with others, and we expect others to be just as open and honest with us. Sincerity can be a problem, however, when by expressing our true thoughts and feelings we might offend others. At such times, it is often better for us to pretend to agree with others rather than take the risk of provoking feelings of anger or resentment. Assignment: Is it better for people to agree with others, even if doing so means being insincere? 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. June 2012 If you took the June 2012 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. We would like to think that progress causes problems to be solved completely, and sometimes that happens. For example, some diseases that once posed a serious threat are no longer a problem, thanks to modern medicine. Some problems can be solved, and they go away. But as often as not, problems exist in a chain of cause and effect: for each problem solved, a new one develops. Adapted from Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse Assignment: Does progress reduce the number of problems in the world, or does solving old problems just lead to new ones? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Too often, people fail to solve problems because they focus only on the problems, thinking that if they study a problem, it will eventually suggest its own solution. Instead, they should remember their past successes and retrace their steps by analyzing what they did or did not do in similar situations in the past. It is often said that there is no formula for success, but if people would only focus on repeating the specific actions that worked for them before, they would surely succeed again. Assignment: Are people likely to succeed by repeating actions that worked for them in the past? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. The word "uncompromising" is often used as a compliment, especially when it describes someone who is completely dedicated to certain principles and values. Uncompromising people have indeed recorded great achievements. But being uncompromising is not always a virtue. People who are uncompromising tend not to consider other people's views, seeing themselves as right and everyone else as wrong. All in all, it is better to be flexible and make compromises. Assignment: Are people more likely to achieve their goals by being flexible or by refusing to compromise? 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.

Prompt 4 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Most people try to be fair to others and respect their opinions. It is sometimes difficult, however, to be open to and accepting of all opinions, especially when the people expressing them are obviously uninformed or mean-spirited. It is more important to point out to others what they are doing and saying wrong than to try to tolerate every opinion. Assignment: Should people respect and tolerate everyone's opinions, or should people take a stand against opinions they consider to be wrong? 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. May 2012 If you took the May 2012 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People talk too much about their feelings. They share their deepest secrets and innermost thoughts on television talk shows. They write revealing autobiographies. They buy books that advise them ubheading"> Assignment: Should people accept unfairness and find ways to make the best of it? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. No amount of wealth can help humanity move forward and make progress, even under the management of the most dedicated and socially conscious workers. Money leads only to

selfishness and becomes an irresistible temptation to its owners to abuse it. The only thing that can lead people to praiseworthy ideas and noble deeds is to follow the example of those great individuals who put other factors before money. Adapted from Albert Einstein in Alice Calaprice, The New Quotable Einstein Assignment: Does money lead to selfishness? 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.

Prompt 4 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Advertisements provide information about available products and services. Many people argue, however, that something else is going on: advertisements try to convince people that when they buy things, they are also buying satisfaction and happiness. Advertisements merely fool people into believing that the next "new and improved" product will make their lives better, and the result is that people are even more unhappy and dissatisfied than they would have been without the advertisements. Assignment: Do advertisements contribute to unhappiness and dissatisfaction? 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. March 2012 If you took the March 2012 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Mistakes we have made in the past are supposed to make us wiser, stronger, and better able to deal with the future. This approach suggests that we should continue to focus on our mistakes, that we should remember them, no matter how painful or embarrassing to us they may be. But

nothing is to be gained by concerning ourselves with old mistakes. We should forget them as soon as possible. Assignment: Is it best to forget about past mistakes as soon as possible? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. We all have "authorities"experts and specialists, from authors to doctors to politicianswho seem to dictate our lives and determine our futures. In the best of circumstances, these authorities can make us feel safe. They make our decisions for us. They look out for our interests. Or so we hope. But not everyone we consider an authority is deserving of our trust. Adapted from Douglas Rushkoff, Coercion: Why We Listen to What "They" Say Assignment: Do people put too much trust in the guidance of experts and authorities? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. The word "tradition" seems innocent enough; we associate it with holiday observations and customs practiced by our ancestors. But tradition, or at least the belief in it, is a trap. At every level, from the individual to the national, tradition is simply an excuse for doing things the way they have always been done, even if that way makes no sense or causes harm to others.

Assignment: Does tradition prevent people from doing things in new or more sensible ways? 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. January 2012 If you took the Jaunary 2012 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Most people tend to trust others too readily. To avoid being taken advantage of, however, it is generally wise to be doubtful and suspicious of others' motives or honesty. Many people would agree that if you find yourself doubting other people's sincerity or questioning their intentions, your instincts are probably correct. You are less likely to regret being cautious than being too trusting. Assignment: Is it wise to be suspicious of the motives or honesty of other people, even those who appear to be trustworthy? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People who complain about progress and change expose themselves to criticism. Yet there is always a subtle danger in life's improvements and refinements, a drawback or disadvantage that occurs along with the benefits of progress. It sometimes seems that we devote half of our time to making what we call "improvements"in our lives, our work, our relationshipsbut so often the original conditions had some quality that is lost in the process of change. Adapted from E.B. White, "Progress and Change"

Assignment: Does improvement or progress usually involve a significant drawback or problem of some kind? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Learning and doing are their own rewards. No external rewards are required. Yet when external rewards are introducedwhether attention and praise from parents or prizes from teachers these rewards exert a substantial influence. Instead of reading books to find out about the world, kids will read to win prizes. Kids will produce for rewards, but the quality of their activity and their interest in it will be dramatically altered. Adapted from Barry Schwartz, The Costs of Living Assignment: Is it wrong or harmful to motivate people to learn or achieve something by offering them rewards? 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. SAT Essay Prompt December 2011 If you took the December 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. The pressures to conform in a modern free society are not as drastic as they were in the past, when failure to conform meant imprisonment or worse. Such influences are, however, more dangerous because they are hard to detect. These are the pressures to live like our neighbors, to think like our community, to reshape ourselves in the image of someone else. The appeal of belonging to a group is attractive, but doesn't such conformity destroy our individuality?

Adapted from Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn By Living Assignment: Is it always harmful for an individual to think and live as other people do? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." However, it is hard to believe that just a few people can make a significant difference. Given the many great challenges that the world faces, it seems impossible to change anything for the better unless one can attract a lot of people and spend a lot of money. Assignment: Can a small group of concerned individuals have a significant impact on the world? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. We all know idealistspeople who have goals that are noble but often impractical. We also know realistspeople who limit their goals to achievements that they are likely to accomplish and who only make plans that are practical and manageable. While it is true that practical people often accomplish their individual goals, humanity as a whole has more to gain from the idealistic dreamers.

Assignment: Do idealists contribute more to the world than realists do? 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. SAT Essay Prompt November 2011 If you took the November 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. It has been said that "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." This statement suggests that people should do more than merely think about themselves and a few others, that they should feel responsible for issues and concerns that affect the larger society or community. But aren't most people already doing a lot more than "nothing" by taking responsibility for their own well-being and that of their families and friends? Assignment: Should individuals take responsibility for issues and problems that do not affect them directly? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. All communities and groups have reliable rules of right and wrong in the form of laws, values, and social standards. It is therefore generally assumed that most people know the difference between right and wrong and that they usually know the right thing to do. This view is simplistic, however. People often find themselves in complex situations for which no rule provides adequate guidance and the right course of action is unclear. Assignment:

Is it often difficult for people to determine what is the right thing to do? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. When judging ourselves, we tend to consider our motives as well as our actions. If we mean to do something that will benefit others but our actions have hurtful consequences, we may feel that our good intentions are just as important as the effects of our actions. But we give our intentions too much credit. Actions can and should be judged on their own merits, regardless of what motivated someone to take them in the first place. Assignment: Are the consequences of people's actions more important than the motives behind the actions? 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.

Prompt 4 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. It is often observed that some sense of unease or dissatisfaction with oneself or one's circumstances, some self-criticism, is absolutely necessary for people to move forward and make any kind of progress or change. But optimisma feeling of confidence that one's actions will be successful and will pay off in the futureis even more important. If people are not optimistic, what motivation will they have to change? Adapted from Richard B. McKenzie, The Paradox of Progress Assignment:

Are optimistic, confident people more likely than others to make changes in their lives? 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. SAT Essay Prompt October 2011 If you took the October 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Discipline is a negative word for many people because it is associated with rigorous training, strict rules, and strong self-control. But we fail to realize that freedom comes only through discipline. Discipline compels us to sacrifice immediate rewards and pleasures, but it also gives our lives structure and prevents us from making costly mistakes. It keeps us from being subject to our impulses and weaknesses and thus frees us to achieve our true goals. Assignment: Do people need discipline to achieve freedom? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. We are often encouraged to stop worrying about making mistakes and advised not to dwell on those we have already made. But without analyzing mistakesdecisions and actions that made a project fail, for instancehow can anyone be successful? Besides, there are some well-known mistakes others have made that seem worth studying carefully. Perhaps these mistakes could have been prevented if those responsible had been more concerned about making mistakes in the first place. Assignment:

Do people have to pay attention to mistakes in order to make progress? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. The making of illusionsmisleading images or ideas that appear to be authentic or truehas become the primary business of our society. Included in this category are not only the false promises made by advertisers and politicians but all of the activities which supposedly inform, comfort, and improve us, such as the work of our best writers and our most influential leaders. These promises and activities only encourage people to have unrealistic expectations and to ignore facts. Adapted from Daniel J. Boorstin, The Image Assignment: Are people overly influenced by unrealistic claims and misleading images? 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.

Prompt 4 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Although most of us do not like being criticized, it is said that we can always benefit from being told what we are doing wrong. We may lose a valuable learning opportunity if we do not listen to the criticisms expressed by others. Yet criticism, even when honest and well-intended, can be more harmful than helpful. We have more to gain by ignoring or shielding ourselves from the criticisms of others. Assignment:

Are people better off if they do not listen to criticism? 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. SAT Essay Prompt June 2011 If you took the June 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People assume that every accomplishmenteach step in what we call progresswill lead to the solution to a problem and will help them reach the goal of understanding themselves and the world around them. In reality, however, each new answer provokes additional questions and each fresh discovery uncovers further complications. Every accomplishment leads to further problems, added responsibilities, more complications, and new challenges. Assignment: Does every achievement bring with it new challenges? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Loyalty is a virtue that is encouraged and rewarded in every aspect of our lives. We are, therefore, loyal to our families, our teams, our schools, and our countries. But too often loyalty is blind: by automatically identifying ourselves with a group and accepting its values as our own, we avoid taking responsibility for our own thoughts and actions. Assignment: Does accepting the values of a group allow people to avoid taking responsibility for their own thoughts and actions? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. A requirement for membership in any group is conformity. Members must agree on such vital issues as how decisions will be made, who will serve as leaders, and how much freedom group members will have. The quality of decision making, however, is better when groups encourage nonconformity and disagreement among their members. Although it sometimes creates disorder and conflict, disagreement may prevent powerful majorities from making mistakes. Assignment: Do groups that encourage nonconformity and disagreement function better than those that discourage it? 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. May 2011 If you took the May 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Most of us tend to find rules, limits, and restraints irritating. We want to be free of anything that limits our choices. But limitations protect us. Without limitations on our behavior, too many of us will act without regard to the consequences for ourselves, for others, and for the future. Limitations contribute to, rather than take away from, our overall happiness. Assignment: Do rules and limitations contribute to a person's happiness? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People today seem to spend most of their free time being passively entertained: they just sit on the couch and watch movies or television or sporting events. This is mainly because they use up all their energy at work or at school. If they had more time and energy to devote to activities outside of work or school, you can be sure they would enjoy more creative and active pursuits during their free time. Assignment: If people worked less, would they be more creative and active during their free time? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. While serious thinking about important matters may disturb people in the short term, it benefits them immeasurably in the long term. Only by confronting unpleasant truths and by weighing both sides of complex issues can people understand the factswhether in history, politics, literature, or their own livesand make appropriate decisions. People may find it difficult, or uncomfortable, to think seriously about important matters, but not doing so means that they are leading lives without meaning or purpose. Assignment: Does every individual have an obligation to think seriously about important matters, even when doing so may be difficult? 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.

Prompt 4 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Many people think that success is impossible without help and support from others. They believe that even the strongest and most successful leaders need advisers to define their goals, and followers to carry out their plans. Real success, however, cannot be claimed by those who need others to solve their problems and help them confront obstacles. Only those whose accomplishments are truly their own can claim to be successful. Assignment: Is real success achieved only by people who accomplish goals and solve problems on their own? 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. March 2011 If you took the March 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Reality television programs, which feature real people engaged in real activities rather than professional actors performing scripted scenes, are increasingly popular. These shows depict ordinary people competing in everything from singing and dancing to losing weight, or just living their everyday lives. Most people believe that the reality these shows portray is authentic, but they are being misled. How authentic can these shows be when producers design challenges for the participants and then editors alter filmed scenes? Assignment: Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms of entertainment harmful? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Photographs are very much a part of our daily lives. They show us faraway places, things to buy, important people and happenings, and sometimes just the ordinary. These pictures seem like frozen moments of real life. Cameras do copy what is in front of the lens, and so, in that sense, photographs show us what is real. They are at the same time, however, creations of the artist's intentions and unconscious mind. Adapted from Leslie Sills, In Real Life: Six Women Photographers Assignment: Are photographs straightforward representations of real life, or are they artistic creations reflecting the photographer's point of view? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. When we are young, we learn from parents and teachers that we should wait patiently for what we want. Few people would dispute the wisdom or truth of this teaching. Our society, however, with its mad rush and hurry and its insistence on instant gratification and quick responses, encourages and rewards impatience. Experience teaches us that we should not and do not have to wait. Assignment: Is it better for people to act quickly and expect quick responses from others rather than to wait patiently for what they want? 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. January 2011

If you took the Jaunary 2011 SAT, you would have been given one of the essay prompts below: Prompt 1 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Idealistic people, people who pursue great ideas in hopes of changing the world, often have ambitious plans that are difficult or even impossible to carry out. These people can claim few solid accomplishments. In contrast, practical people concentrate on workable ideas and goals, even though these may not meet an idealist's high standards. Their approach is likely to be more valuable than the approach of idealistic people. Assignment: Is an idealistic approach less valuable than a practical approach? 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.

Prompt 2 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. People generally put more trust in what they have learned for themselves than in what they learn from others. Few people, however, are really motivated to learn anything on their own. They are much more apt to learn when others are willing to teach them. Even though learning from others means occasionally learning things that are not useful or important, people are still better off when they learn from others Assignment: Is it better for people to learn from others than to learn on their own? 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.

Prompt 3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Too many people do not consider their task or project complete or acceptable until every detail has been done right. Fortunately, such people have not always had their way, since nothing would ever be completed if we had to check every detail before we could consider our work done. In fact, none of the world's greatest accomplishments would have been made, because none of them is perfect in every detail. Assignment: Do people put too much importance on getting every detail right on a project or task? 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.