Exam Instructions

Read the article, "Do Academically Gifted Young Students Who Go to College Early Fare Better in Life?" by Lynn Brezosky (Associated Press, May 17, 2001). As you read the article, you may want to underline key words, take notes in the margins, etc. Then respond to the items below (1a = 20%; 1b =30%; 2 = 50%). Write your summaries and analysis so that they would fit smoothly into a longer academic critique of the article. Write in complete sentences, use appropriate paragraph form, and check your writing carefully for grammatical correctness, punctuation, and spelling. Be sure your sentences are connected smoothly and that there is a logical flow of ideas in your paragraphs. You may want to use the space below to organize your ideas or write rough drafts of your answers, but write your final drafts on separate sheets of paper. (You may use the paper that is attached or your own paper.) You may use your textbook and dictionaries, but no other materials.

1a. Write a thesis in the form of a one- or two-sentence summary of the article. Be sure your thesis expresses the central idea of the entire article.
 
 

1b. Write a one-paragraph summary of the article using guidelines we discussed in class for developing a concise (but complete) summary.
 
 

2. Write an analysis of the author’s presentation in the article. This should be distinct from your own views on the topic or your reaction to what the author says about the topic. Instead, comment on the author's success in achieving her purpose for writing the article. Review at least three specific points. Your analysis should be one paragraph long.
 
 

Sample Answers

Part 1a: Thesis (one- or two-sentence summary)

Student's thesis:

        In "Do Academically Gifted Young Students Who Go to College Early Fare Better in Life?" Lynn Brezosky tries to clarify whether academically gifted students who start college earlier than their peers fare better in life or not. Brezosky provides examples of people in both categories of the argument.   (48 words)

Points to consider:

• Mentions the title and full name of the author of the article.
• Explains the main idea of the entire article objectively without going into too much detail or giving specific examples.

Part 1b: One-paragraph Summary

Student's summary:

        In her article, "Do Academically Gifted Young Students Who Go to College Early Fare Better in Life?" Lynn Brezosky is primarily examining whether or not students who decide to go to college at an early age, due to high levels of intellect, are more likely to succeed in their futures as opposed to those who drop out or do not attend. She claims that many students find favorable careers by staying in their institutes and conducting research. As Brezosky writes, "Many have stayed in academia and are now teaching and researching at universities scattered across the country." On the other hand, Brezosky also deals with the other side of the topic, talking about those who drop out. She gives an example of Jonathan Edwards who abandoned his chance of studying at Johns Hopkins and MIT, but still enjoys a life of happiness and success as "chief technology officer for Intranet," a company he helped to start.   (156 words)

Points to consider:

• Mentions the title and full name of the author of the article the first time only. After that, the article is referred to only by the author's last name.
• Explains the main idea of the entire article objectively in the first sentence or two, but then goes on to mention some of the most important details from the article.
• May include a short summary of one or more important examples given in the article.
• Often includes a few relevant quotes from the article. (In a longer article, you would include a page number in parentheses after each quotation, if available.)
• Is substantially shorter than the original article. (Remember, one of the ways that a paraphrase is different from a summary is that a paraphrase is usually about the same length as the original, and you don't usually paraphrase an entire article.)

Part 2: Analysis of the Author's Presentation

Students' analysis:

        In my opinion, Brezosky delivered her points clearly to the audience. First, the information she gave was accurate. In other words, she had information about a survey that was made and knew the exact number of students who were surveyed and what happened to them later on. Another reason I believe she was successful in reaching out to her audience was that the information she gave was significant and relevant. Brezosky gave the example of Jonathan Edwards and pointed out that he was a college dropout but, despite that, managed to succeed professionally. Also, she clearly defined the terms she mentioned. She supported her thesis by facts and figures and gave the audience an example of the case she was trying to explain. By using Edwards as an example, Brezosky managed to interpret fairly that not all dropouts tend to be unsuccessful in the future.   (145 words)

Points to consider:

• Since this paragraph would come later in a critique, the author is referred to only by her last name (not full name), and the title of the article is not needed.
• Focuses on the author's presentation, not on the topic of the article. That is, did the author develop and support her points well?
• Begins with a general statement that explains what you think about the author's presentation overall, and then goes on to talk about a few specific strengths and/or weaknesses of the author's presentation.
• May include a few paraphrases or quotations to support your argument, but should be mainly your opinion.