TEST PREP SERIES

2021 Edition

SAT
®

ESSAY WRITING:
GUIDE WITH SAMPLE PROMPTS
Fifth Edition

16 sample
prompts

Passages
from high-quality
published sources

Pre-writing guidance
Sample responses
essay
 ®
SAT Essay Writing:
Guide with Sample Prompts
Fifth Edition

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 Table of Contents
1 SAT Overview 5
What is the SAT 6
Preparing for the SAT 6
Words to Know 7
Who takes the SAT 8
Who administers the SAT 8
What is tested? 9
Scoring 11

2 The SAT Essay: Introduction 13

3 Solved Essays 29
Essay 1 - 31
Essay 2- 39
Essay 3- 49
Essay 4- 58
Essay 5- 67
Essay 6- 75
Essay 7- 83
Essay 8- 92
 Essay 9- 100
Essay 10- 110
Essay 11- 118
Essay 12- 126
Essay 13- 135
Essay 14- 143
Essay 15- 151
Essay 16- 159
 Chapter 1
SAT Overview
6 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

S
o, you’ve decided to take the SAT. At this point in your life you probably have a lot of important decisions
looming in front of you. What college would I like to attend? What do I need to get in? What classes should
I be taking? What’s a good GPA? Of course, you are also wondering about the SAT. This chapter provides
an overview of the SAT as one of the data points considered for college entrance standards. It also provides the
outline of the test, grading overview and some helpful hints to get you started. The most important first step is
to know what to expect, so you can make the best-informed choices as you look forward to your exciting future.
Congratulations on taking that first step.

What is the SAT?

The SAT (Standardized Aptitude Test) is one of the two primary tests which colleges use to gauge whether
or not you might be ready for college. It is a test that reflects the things you should have learned in high school
and relies on strategic questioning to actively represent those skills and knowledge that are essential as you enter
the world of college. But what is it really? The SAT is a measure of how well you can take what you learned and
apply it to a timed testing environment. It shows how well you take tests and how well you do in a stressful
situation. It does not however, measure your intelligence. In fact, once you learn the tips and tricks of the test, one
might argue it measures your testing ability more than what you know.

If that’s what it is, why do colleges use it for a standard for admission? Colleges use this as a predictive an-
alytic tool to try to figure out if you have the basic abilities required of a college freshman. They want to make
sure you can comprehend reading at a level that is expected in your classes. Same with math: do you have a basic
understanding of mathematical concepts, so you can succeed not just in math class but in other required classes
such as economics. Many colleges also want to see if you can write in a way that is conducive to the college class-
room. Again, they are not testing whether or not you CAN write but whether or not you can follow instructions
and apply what you read to create an essay that would be appropriate for the college classroom. Finally, they
are assessing your ability to take lengthy, timed tests. This testing situation mirrors what you might encounter in
your college classes. They want to make sure, when they check that box for YES, they will be admitting someone
with the tools to succeed. Colleges and universities must report their success rates with students and if all their
students drop out, because they are not prepared to succeed, then the college itself cannot succeed. That is one
reason why the admission process is so rigorous.

Preparing for the SAT

Knowing all that, it is essential to understand the tips and tricks of this assessment. The SAT is a great vehicle
to show what you know. It has recently been realigned with the current high school college readiness curricu-
lum, so it does reflect what you have seen in your classroom. But like any other test, it requires preparation and
planning to do your best. It is important to note that you can take the test more than once. It won’t count against
you to try again, and in the end, you can choose the test you would like to send. Some schools super score, which
means you can combine the best sections into one final score. (You can read more about that in the “Words to
Know” section). All these options are handy, especially if test taking isn’t one of your strengths, but the real goal

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SAT Overview 7

should be to go into your first testing situation with a plan to succeed. Here are some tips to prepare for that first
testing day:

a) Learn strategies, tips and tools

b) Practice, practice, practice. The more questions you see; the better you will do

c) Learn math and reading formulas

d) Practice the essay

e) Create a study group and learn from your friends

You also need to:

a) Understand the purpose of the test

b) Outline the standards and requirements of each section

c) Learn strategies and practices that will help you do your best on the test

d) And above all, know what to expect and develop a plan to succeed

On the day of the test he re are some things to remember:

a) Get a good night’s sleep and relax. Remember it is not the end of the world if you don’t have your best test-
ing day. You can always take the test again.

b) Gather your testing supplies. Take several sharpened number 2 pencils, pencil you feel comfortable writing
with, if you are taking the essay section, and your calculator (make sure it follows the guidelines set forth
by the College Board).

c) It is always smart to take a snack with you for your breaks. This will help energize you and keep you going.

d) Don’t forget your picture ID and your testing ticket. Make sure to double check all the requirements on the
College Board site. They will give you a detailed account of all the documents you need to bring.

Words to Know

‰‰ College Board: The College Board is the manager of the SAT. This organization provides great resources to
better understand the application process, the meaning of your score, and the components of the test.

‰‰ Standardized: Standardized means the same for all. Everyone taking the SAT will be tested on standard-
ized material. There is no truth in the old myth that a red cover is a harder version, or if you take the test in
June, it’s easier than if you take it in January. Whenever you take it, regardless of the color of your test, the
content is the same.

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8 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

‰‰ ACT: This is a test similar to the SAT. When the SAT was redesigned, it became more aligned with the
content of the ACT. Now the two tests are pretty similar. Both tests are equally important, and you should
consult your colleges of choice to see which they prefer.

‰‰ Data Point: You might hear the SAT mentioned as a data point. This means it is just one measure, one point
of data that is used to predict whether or not you will be a good fit for the college or university. Remember,
they are using a predicative analysis formula to find the best fit for their programs and campus mission.
You’ll notice that every institution rates data points differently so that those skills they value most will be
the biggest data points to consider.

‰‰ Old SAT vs. New SAT: In 2016, the SAT made some major changes to its format, grading formula and es-
say. For the first year that these changes were in place, students could choose which format they would like
to take. However, now there is just one SAT. When you sit for the exam, you can be assured that everyone
else sitting for the exam that day is receiving a similar version of the test.

‰‰ Super score: A Super score is when after taking the SAT multiple times, you combine the best scores for
each section to create the Super score that you send to your school. For example, if you rocked the first
math test but just bombed the reading, if you chose to take it again, and did great on the reading, your
score could be composed of the math from the first test and the reading from the second. This sounds great,
right? However, this is not a College Board thing. This is a school to school decision. You need to check
with the schools you intend to apply to and see if they Super score. If they do not, then you will use the
total scores from each individual test. This is an important distinction.

Who takes the SAT?

The typical test taker is a student planning to enter a undergraduate program in the United States or Canada.
The SAT may be a requirement for admission, but it is important to check with your colleges of choice to see if
they prefer the SAT or ACT. It is also essential to see if they require the essay. Typically, this test is taken in the
11th and 12th grade.

Who administers the SAT?

On the day of the test, your exam will be administered by trained proctors. They are employees of the College
Board and they specialize in test security. They are not able to answer questions about the test but can answer
your logistical questions such as where to take a break and when the test starts. They read their instructions from
a script, so the College Board can ensure that every test taker is receiving the same information. They are also
responsible for watching for testing anomalies or misadministration issues.

The SAT is administered by the College Board. The College Board is an organization which writes, evaluates
and manages the registration for the exam. They are your one stop shop for anything you need to know about
actually taking the test. You can register through their site as well as receive your final score. Once you register

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 Chapter 2
The SAT Essay: Introduction
14 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

Essay Overview

T
he SAT is a tool that helps colleges and universities better understand your skills and knowledge to pre-
dict whether they will fit in with the expectations of their academic programs. It is one data point that is
used in a holistic analysis to understand who you are as a student. The SAT Essay is an optional section
of the test. In 2016, the SAT underwent several format and function changes. One of the changes was to align
the essay task with the ACT by changing its status to optional. Additionally, the score of the essay is no longer
calculated as a part of the writing and language score. While the total score of the SAT can measure up to 1600,
the 24 points you can receive on the essay, now act as a separate calculation and don’t add into your total score.
The essay section assesses your reading comprehension and writing skills. It also measures your ability to analyti-
cally think as you work through the essay task. The task analyses your reading, analysis and writing abilities with
three distinct scores. Each score is outlined through a rubric provided to the highly trained scorers.

Not only was the essay status and scoring changed, but its content also received a facelift. Before the 2016
change, the essay section was much different. There was a heavier emphasis on the writing portion of the task
and the ability of the student to craft an opinionated piece, focusing on a provided prompt. This essay task was
changed because it did not embody the real tasks that are representative of expected college-level work. The new
essay format allows students to demonstrate skills that are much better aligned with not only what you will be
expected to do in college, but also with what you were taught in high school. Remember, the point of the SAT
is to offer a predictive analysis of your skills and knowledge to ensure that you can be successful in the college
environment.

Why the Essay Matters?

Now that the essay is optional, there is a definite debate regarding why it might be a good decision to take it.
The first step is to look at the colleges you are considering and ask about their essay policy. If you are absolutely
sure their policies won’t change, and you are absolutely sure that you won’t be considering any other schools,
then perhaps you might choose not to take it. But remember, if there are any last-minute changes, it means that
you might have to take the entire SAT again. If your school doesn’t Super score, it may also mean taking a lower
score overall just so that your score includes the essay.

Here are some other reasons to take the essay section:

a) By taking the essay, you have ensured that any last-minute decisions are already covered. Once you sit for
the SAT, it’s daunting to go back. Even though it does add time to your test, it makes sure you are covered
for any situation that might later arise.

b) The cost makes sense. To take the essay with your SAT, it is only an additional eleven dollars. If you have to
retake the whole thing it costs over $50. From a cost perspective, it just makes sense to take it all together.

c) Sometimes when you are applying to college, every bit matters. Even if a college doesn’t require the SAT

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The SAT Essay: Introduction 15

essay, showing them that you not only took it, but you did a great job may give you a bit of a boost. Espe
cially if you consider yourself a good writer, it really can’t hurt. Also, it can’t hurt your overall score. That
provides another reason to check it out and take a chance.

d) The breakdown of the score, offers you a picture of what you did well and those areas that might need more
practice. It’s a great way to get feedback on your writing before writing for the college environment. Writ-
ing for your college professors is a completely new thing from what you have been doing in high school.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses through this writing is a good place to start before you are
faced with doing it for real.

Essay Prompt

Your journey through the essay begins with a prompt. Even though they are fairly standardized, it is essential
to understand each component of the task. Here is the text of the writing prompt that comes with the reading
passage:

As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses

‰‰ evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

‰‰ reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.

‰‰ stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

<Reading Passage>

Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [author’s
claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice)
to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant
features of the passage.

Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how the author builds an
argument to persuade [his/her] audience.

Let’s take it apart and consider the different elements you can choose to include:

a) Consider how the author uses evidence. You want to look for facts, statistics or quotes.

b) Analyze how the author uses reasoning devices to connect claims and evidence. You will want to connect
your writing through the author’s use of ethos, pathos and or logos. The best essays show how each of
these are used to strengthen the overall work.

c) Think through how the author uses stylistic elements such as choice of words, appeal to emotions or power
of ideas. Look for the use of literary devices such as humor, repetition, analogies or metaphors. Focus on
the basic craft of writing.

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16 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

Getting Started on the Essay

The new essay can be divided between the following three tasks:

a) Reading: Reading and comprehending the main idea of the text

b) Analysis: Explaining how the author used argumentative elements within the passage to craft his/her writ-
ing. Supporting your argument with evidence from the text

c) Writing: Writing your response in a concise and comprehensive method that reflects the abilities and vocab-
ulary of a college-ready student

The first step of the essay task is to read the provided passage and prompt and demonstrate your understand-
ing of the main idea, supporting details and elements of author’s argument. You want to craft an understanding
of how all these elements work together to form a cohesive idea. You also want to understand how the piece is
organized and how it works as an overall passage.

The next step is analysis. Your explanation should include your analysis of the author’s use of argumentative
details in the passage. It should also reflect the understanding of literary devices and their application within an
argument. These concepts include main ideas, details, text organization and author’s purpose. You might also
reference tools of logic such as pathos, logos and ethos. Be aware of the author’s use of language and evidence to
define stylistic elements. These components will help you weave the story of the passage into a compelling analy-
sis of the author’s work.

Once you get your ideas together, think about the craft of writing and your use of language. It is very import-
ant that you choose words which fit your task. Just using advanced vocabulary is not enough to score well. You
need to learn to use the words purposefully and correctly. You also need to vary sentence structure, use proper
sentence construction and develop a logical argumentative flow.

The biggest challenge of the essay section is the timing. You have 50 minutes to read, write and edit your
work. To be fair, that is 25 more minutes than the old essay where you were only required to write about a pro-
vided topic. Often, it is the reading which throws off the timing of even the most prepared student. That is why
practicing not only the reading and the writing, but also practicing the timing is essential. You need to understand
how you should divide your time to read, write and edit the work. It is important that you work toward creating
a finished essay, complete with an introduction and conclusion. The essay scorers want to see a completed, well-
formed and properly supported argument.

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 Chapter 3
Solved Essays
30 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

This chapter covers 16 Solved Essay prompts. Each essay is broken into three parts:

‰‰ Prompt: includes the prompt and the passage

‰‰ Pre-Essay Writing: includes the strategies to be used to develop a top-scoring essay

‰‰ Sample Essay: includes a sample essay written for reference

Based on the strategies explained in the Pre-Essay writing and the sample essay, write your own essay in the
space provided after the Sample Essay. The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can read
and comprehend a passage and write an essay analyzing the passage. In your essay, you should demonstrate that
you have read the passage carefully, present a clear and logical analysis, and use language precisely. Remember
that people who are not familiar with your handwriting will read what you write. Try to write or print so that
what you are writing is legible to those readers.

You have 50 minutes to read the passage and write an essay in response to the prompt provided.

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Solved Essays 31

Essay 1 1

Prompt
As you read the passage below, consider how Chandler uses

‰‰ evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

‰‰ reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.

‰‰ stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the
ideas expressed.

Adapted from Adam Chandler, “Nothing Can Replace the Bodega” ©2017 by The New York
Times. Originally published September 13, 2017.

1. Like solar eclipses and bipartisan legislation, moments of near-universal consensus are extremely rare. One
such event took place on Wednesday, when a start-up named Bodega stated its intention to put its name-
sake - real-life, neighborhood corner stores - out of business by replacing them with unmanned pantries.

2. “Eventually, centralized shopping locations won’t be necessary, because there will be 100,000 Bodegas
spread out, with one always 100 feet away from you,” one of its co-founders told Fast Company. The start-
up, run by two ex-Googlers, was widely savaged across social media on the grounds that its name and
business mission are culturally insensitive, morally dubious, and, perhaps worse of all, lack personality.

3. Few things make a New Yorker defensive like an assault on bodegas. Largely immigrant-owned, they are
the ultimate frills-free symbol of consumer access and gritty mini-embodiments of both the city’s diversity
and its 24/7 ethos. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches in the morning, basic groceries and oversized heroes
in the afternoon, and, inevitably, all three of these things at 3 a.m.

4. In other words, a bodega has crucial provisions whenever you need them, judgment-free and generally at
a small-to-medium markup. Alka-Seltzer, regular seltzer, Gatorade, and Advil. Toilet paper and deodorant.
Tampons and condoms. Last winter, a bodega on the Lower East Side gained a small measure of fame or
notoriety when it was reported that customers could order Plan B pills online and have them delivered to
their apartments.

5. But in addition to their convenience, what make bodegas beloved are their personalities. It seems like every
one of them is oddly curated: prayer candles sit next to jarred olives which are sidled up next to boxes or-
ganic mac-and-cheese. There is no Silicon Valley algorithm clever enough to come up with those crumbly,
shrink-wrapped date bars that are inevitably piled up by the cash registers.

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 32 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

6. Michael Silber is a graphic designer who has documented over 1,200 New York City bodegas over the past
1 three years for Deli Grossery, a project whose name is a nod to the iconic and idiosyncratic food signage
outside of corner stores. “For me, bodegas and deli groceries really encapsulate the character and culture
of a neighborhood,” Mr. Silber noted in an email. “Each has its own delicacies or quirks, whether it be a
famous chopped cheese sandwich, unfamiliar Polish specialty foods, or a friendly bodega cat.” (Further
fanning the flames for Bodega is that the company logo is a cat, an unlawful fixture and unofficial mascot
of many corner stores.)

7. Of course, the most meaningful difference between Wi-Fi-enabled vending machines and family-run
corner stores is the human being. Corner stores aren’t just a small compensation for living in a dense city.
They also enable countless New Yorkers to begin their day with routines that are both rote and reassuring,
whether it’s a buttered roll, a cup of coffee, or a sane, friendly encounter.

8. A well-cultivated, strategic relationship with your bodega can mean that you might have a safe place for
your spare keys and packages. If you’re really lucky, the clerks will share their life stories with you, tell you
about all the ways you’re screwing up your romantic life, and remember that you add American cheese to
everything.

9. My first bodega in New York was on 8th Avenue, where I was known as “Houston” by the staff because,
well, I’m from Houston. Of course, it was pronounced like the nearby street in Lower Manhattan rather
than the city in Texas. At first, it irritated me to no end. Then I realized, it was a way of letting me know that
I had arrived.

10. Many years later, my current bodega opened on my block in Brooklyn a year after I had moved in. Their
shelves were still half-stocked at their grand opening. When I asked if there would be date bars, they told
me to come back tomorrow. It doesn’t get more high-tech than that.

Write an essay in which you explain how Chandler builds an argument to persuade his audience that
bodegas can never be replaced. In your essay, analyze how Chandler uses one or more of the features
listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argu-
ment. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.

Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Chandler’s claims, but rather explain how the
author builds an argument to persuade his audience.

Pre-Essay Writing

Read the essay prompt before you read the provided text. Make sure you have a firm grasp on what the
prompt is asking you to analyze in your essay. In this case, the prompt specifically says, “explain how Chandler
builds an argument to persuade his audience that bodegas can never be replaced”. A keyword here is “how”.

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Solved Essays 33

How does Chandler persuade his audience? Recall the bullet points already given to you, asking you to notice ev
idence such as facts, statistics, or reliable experience, reasoning that connects ideas through logic and explanation, 1
and stylistic or persuasive elements such as word choice, emotional appeal, building credibility, etc. Chandler’s
techniques will show up in his body paragraphs. As you read, take note of Chandler’s use of these things and
begin to mentally map out your essay.

Some examples from Chandler’s text:

Facts

a) “A start-up named Bodega stated its intention to put its namesake - real-life, neighborhood corner stores
- out of business by replacing them with unmanned pantries.”

b) “The start-up, run by two ex-Googlers, was widely savaged across social media on the grounds that its
name and business mission are culturally insensitive, morally dubious, and, perhaps worse of all, lack
personality.”

c) “Michael Silber is a graphic designer who has documented over 1,200 New York City bodegas over the
past three years for Deli Grossery, a project whose name is a nod to the iconic and idiosyncratic food
signage outside of corner stores.”

d) “Last winter, a bodega on the Lower East Side gained a small measure of fame or notoriety when it was
reported that customers could order Plan B pills online and have them delivered to their apartments.”

Reasoning

a) “In other words, a bodega has crucial provisions whenever you need them, judgment-free and generally
at a small-to-medium markup.”

b) “There is no Silicon Valley algorithm clever enough to come up with those crumbly, shrink-wrapped
date bars that are inevitably piled up by the cash registers.”

c) “Of course, the most meaningful difference between Wi-Fi-enabled vending machines and family-run
corner stores is the human being.”

d) “A well-cultivated, strategic relationship with your bodega can mean that you might have a safe place
for your spare keys and packages.

Stylistic Elements

a) Descriptive words: “savaged,” “frills-free,” “gritty,” “beloved,” “oddly,” etc.

b) Fragments: “Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches in the morning, basic groceries and oversized heroes in
the afternoon, and, inevitably, all three of these things at 3 a.m.” “Alka-Seltzer, regular seltzer, Gatorade,
and Advil. Toilet paper and deodorant. Tampons and condoms.” Etc.

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 34 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

c) Clear transitions: “Of course,” “In other words,” “But in addition to their convenience,” “Last winter,”
1 etc.

Persuasive Elements

a) Emotional appeal: “Of course, the most meaningful difference between Wi-Fi-enabled vending machines
and family-run corner stores is the human being. Corner stores aren’t just a small compensation for
living in a dense city. They also enable countless New Yorkers to begin their day with routines that are
both rote and reassuring, whether it’s a buttered roll, a cup of coffee, or a sane, friendly encounter.” etc.

b) Humor: “If you’re really lucky, the clerks will share their life stories with you, tell you about all the ways
you’re screwing up your romantic life, and remember that you add American cheese to everything.” etc.

c) Credibility: “savaged across social media,” ““For me, bodegas and deli groceries really encapsulate the
character and culture of a neighborhood,” Mr. Silber noted in an email,” etc.

Thoroughly read through the entire text given, paying special attention to key points. You will only have time
for one full read through. Key points will be quickly exposed through a thesis-like statement and topic sen-
tences. An author’s thesis statement most often appears in the introductory paragraph and sometimes title. In
Chandler’s case, the title is the only blatant mention of his thesis. Throughout body of the article, his thesis is
strongly implied.

Chandler’s Thesis:

“Nothing Can Replace the Bodega” and “Few things make a New Yorker defensive like an assault on bodegas. Largely
immigrant-owned, they are the ultimate frills-free symbol of consumer access and gritty mini-embodiments of both the
city’s diversity and its 24/7 ethos.”

Chandler’s Topic Sentences:

Topic sentences are the first sentence of every paragraph.

“‘Eventually, centralized shopping locations won’t be necessary, because there will be 100,000 Bodegas spread out, with
one always 100 feet away from you,” one of its co-founders told Fast Company.”

“Few things make a New Yorker defensive like an assault on bodegas.”

“In other words, a bodega has crucial provisions whenever you need them, judgment-free and generally at a small-to-me-
dium markup.”

“But in addition to their convenience, what make bodegas beloved are their personalities.”

Etc.

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Solved Essays 35

The author’s key points will be the structure that your own key points mimic. In this case, Chandler’s key
points are rising convenience and personality, human interaction, and widespread familiarity. Analyze these 1
points for persuasive techniques, and you have a list of reasons, emotional appeal, and agreeing voices/cred-
ibility. These three things are the “how” that the sample essay chooses to focus on, but Chandler uses other
techniques (like those examples given above), as well, to persuade his audience. No two essays will be alike as
you and your peers will analyze Chandler’s work through a personal lens.

Create a clear and concise thesis that states the author’s persuasive techniques.

Sample essay’s thesis: He supports his claim by citing evidence of necessity, making relatable emotional appeals, and
calling up agreeing voices.

For detailed analysis, these techniques could reasonably be a list of 2-4 (3, in the sample essay’s case). One
essay style is to focus each body paragraph on one of those techniques. Another style would be to summarize
like techniques in paragraphs together. Paraphrase and quote a few specific lines from the text that support
your analysis. Keep any quotes used relatively short. Make sure to always surround a quote with your own
words. Introduce the quote, include the quote, and then clearly explain why this quote shows the author’s
persuasive technique. The essay should be mostly your words, not the authors.

Conclude your essay by pointing out the author’s intentions, along with their specific audience. Avoid merely
restating your thesis.

Sample essay: There’s no room for a machined pantry because, as Chandler argues, the corner store is needed for its
convenience, its diversity, its personality; it speaks to the heart, and almost everyone agrees with him. Chandler wants the
founders of “Bodega” to know where they truly stand, but it’s the people, his readers, that really have a say on what stays.

Answer Sheet
Use a No. 2 pencil. Begin your essay on this page. If you need more space, continue on the next page.

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 36 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

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Solved Essays 37

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 38 SAT Essay Writing Guide with Sample Prompts

1 Sample Essay

Adam Chandler, in his article “Nothing Can Replace the Bodega,” expresses a clear passion for the old, famil-
iar charm of the neighborhood corner store. After hearing of the possible extinction of those bodegas due to
a mechanized “Bodega” start-up, Chandler argues that a robot pantry can never replace a true neighborhood
bodega. He supports his claim by citing evidence of necessity, making relatable emotional appeals, and calling up
agreeing voices.

Chandler has an arsenal of reasons for why the original neighborhood bodegas are not only unbeatable but
also a necessity. He launches into a long list of reasons, starting with its symbolism of “consumer access” and
“mini-embodiment of cultural diversity,” meaning that the corner store is a nice source of income for some, espe-
cially immigrants. He goes on to list that each bodega has a variety of items conveniently available at all times of
the day (paragraph 4), a set of unique personalities (paragraph 5), a chance for human interaction (paragraph 7),
and a comforting familiarity (paragraph 8). With each item in the list, Chandler aims to remind the reader that
these are all things we need in life. He talks about them with an air of nostalgia, harkening back and holding onto
the pleasantries of the past, not the “Silicon Valley algorithms” of the future. He also makes a point of necessity
by packing all of this evidence in so few words.

For a diversified approach, Chandler takes time in his logical list to use emotional appeal on his audience.
Chandler refers to the start-up “Bodega” as “unmanned pantries,” “algorithms,” and “Wi-Fi-enabled vending
machines”. He does this to paint a cold and impersonal picture of the start-up versus the warm and personal
picture of corner stores, whose words are more like “beloved,” “character,” and “reassuring”. He continues to
try and get readers to feel something for bodegas by reminding them of its unfaltering reliance; a specific list of
items these stores carry includes, “Alka-Seltzer, regular seltzer, Gatorade, and Advil. Toilet paper and deodorant.
Tampons and condoms”. Chandler pointedly picks these items because they are, more than likely, items that the
reader has purchased from a corner store during a time of dire need. Additionally, the people of neighborhood
bodegas are familiar and friendly. Chandler mentions scenarios reminiscent of “a place where everybody knows
your name” to sound homey.

Lastly, Chandler wants the readers and “Bodega” founders to know that he’s not the only one who favors the
original bodega. He explains that after the initial announcement of the start-up, the idea was “savaged across so-
cial media”. Chandler uses a strong word such as “savage” to make it clear that there are many people who were
more than a little upset at the potential loss of the corner store. He even makes what is supposed to be a truthful
quip about a rare “near-universal consensus” about bodegas winning out of the “Bodega”. He also calls on Mi-
chael Silber who has documented more than 1,200 New York bodegas and who echoes Chandler’s sentiments of
neighborhood culture and charming quirkiness. Essentially, Chandler shows that he has an expert on his side. With
each mention of an agreeing voice, Chandler increases his credibility to the reader.

In a technology-forward society, an unmanned “Bodega” seems fitting, but Chandler fights against this idea.
There’s no room for a machined pantry because, as Chandler argues, the corner store is needed for its conve-
nience, its diversity, its personality; it speaks to the heart, and almost everyone agrees with him. Chandler wants
the founders of “Bodega” to know where they truly stand, but it’s the people, his readers, that really have a say
on what stays.

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