how to analyse the essay question

Essay writing: Analysing questions

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“It is well worth the time to break down the question into its different elements.” Kathleen McMillan & Jonathan Weyers,  How to Write Essays & Assignments

When you get an essay question, how do you make sure you are answering it how your tutor wants? There is a hidden code in most questions that gives you a clue about the approach you should be taking...

Decoding the question

Here is a typical essay question:

Analyse the impact of the employability agenda on the undergraduate student experience.

Let's decode it...

Understanding the instruction words

Did you know that analyse  means something different to discuss  or evaluate ?  In academic writing these have very specific and unique meanings - which you need to make sure you are aware of before you start your essay planning. For example:

Examine critically so as to bring out the essential elements; describe in detail; describe the various parts of something and explain how they work together, or whether they work together.

It is almost impossible to remember the different meanings, so download our Glossary of Instruction Words for Essay Questions to keep your own reminder of the most common ones.

Redundant phrases

Don't get thrown by other regularly used phrases such as "with reference to relevant literature" or "critically evaluate" and "critically analyse" (rather than simply "evaluate" or "analyse").   All  your writing should refer to relevant literature and all  writing should have an element of criticality at university level. These are just redundant phrases/words and only there as a gentle reminder.

Recognise the subject of the question

Many students think this is the easy bit - but you can easily mistake the focus for the subject and vice versa.  The subject is the general topic of the essay and the instruction word is usually referring to something you must do to that topic .

Usually, the subject is something you have had a lecture about or there are chapters about in your key texts.

There will be many aspects of the subject/topic that you will not need to include in your essay, which is why it is important to recognise and stick to the focus as shown in the next box.

Identify the focus/constraint

Every essay has and needs a  focus .  If you were to write everything about a topic, even about a particular aspect of a topic, you could write a book and not an essay!  The focus gives you direction about the scope of the essay.  It usually does one of two things:

• Gives context (focus on the topic within a particular situation, time frame etc).

This could be something there were a few slides about in your lecture or a subheading in your key text.

I don't have an essay question - what do I do?

I have to make up my own title.

If you have been asked to come up with your own title, write one like the ones described here. Include at least an instruction, a subject and a focus and it will make planning and writing the essay so much easier. The main difference would be that you write it as a description rather than a question i.e.:

An analysis of the impact of the employability agenda on the undergraduate student experience.

I have only been given assignment criteria

If you have been given assignment criteria, the question often still contains the information you need to break it down into the components on this page. For example, look at the criteria below. There are still instruction words, subjects and focus/constraints.

Aims of the assignment (3000 words):

An understanding of learning theories is important to being an effective teacher. In this assignment you will select two learning theories and explain why they would help you in your own teaching context. You will then reflect on an experience from your teaching practice when this was, or could have been, put into practice.

Assignment criteria

Select two learning theories , referring to published literature, explain why they are relevant to your own teaching context.

Reflect on an experience from your teaching practice .

Explain why a knowledge of a learning theory was or would have been useful in the circumstances .

• Instructions words = explain (twice); reflect on.
• Subjects = two learning theories; an experience from your teaching practice; knowledge of a learning theory.
• Focus/constraints = your own teaching context; in the circumstances

Think of each criterion therefore as a mini essay. 

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The Writing Guide

• The First Thing
• Step 1: Understanding the essay question

Identify task, content & limiting words in the essay question

Words, words, words..., academic writing webinar part 1.

• Step 2: Critical note-taking
• Step 3: Planning your assignment
• Step 4a: Effective writing
• Step 4b: Summarizing & paraphrasing
• Step 4c: Academic language
• Step 5: Editing and reviewing
• Getting started with research
• Working with keywords
• Evaluating sources
• Research file
• Reading Smarter
• Sample Essay
• What, why, where, when, who?
• Referencing styles
• Writing Resources
• Exams and Essay Questions

Essay topics contain key words that explain what information is required and how it is to be presented.  Using the essay question below indentify task content & limiting words.  Regardless of your topic or discipline, if you can identify these words in your essay topic, you can begin to consider what you will need to do to answer the question.

Task words : These are words that tell you what to do, for example “compare”, “discuss”, “critically evaluate”, “explain” etc.

Content words : These words in the essay topic will tell you which ideas and concepts should form the knowledge base of the assignment. Refer to subject specific dictionary or glossary.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

Before you scroll down to the next box, what can you unpack from this topic? What are you actually going to look for in a search tool like One Search? What are you supposed to do?

• Content Words
• Limiting Words
• Context Words

Task words are usually verbs and they tell you what to do to complete your assignment.

You need to identify these words, because you will need to follow these instructions to pass the assignment.  As you research and write your assignment, check these words occasionally to make sure you are still doing what you have been asked to do.

Here are some definitions of different academic task words.  Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

Don't try to use them in your research - they aren't things to find, only things to do.

The task words from our sample question are:

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

• Discuss means to "consider and offer an interpretation or evaluation of something; or give a judgment on the value of arguments for and against something"
• Examine means to inspect something in detail and investigate the implications

So, you would need to give a short description of what essay writing is all about, and then offer an evaluation of the essay structure and the way it presents content.

• Task Words Here are some definitions of different academic task words. Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

The content words are the "meat" of the question - these are things you can research.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content .

You will often be asked to talk about "the role" something plays or "processes", "importance", "methods" or "implementations" - but you can't really research these things just by looking for those words.

You need to find the keywords - the most concrete concepts - and search for those.  The information you find about the concrete terms will tell you about the "roles" and "methods", the "process" or the "importance", but they probably won't use those words exactly.

One of the core skills of academic research is learning to extrapolate :  to find the connections in the information you can find that will help you answer the questions which don't have clear, cut-and-dry answers in the books and articles.

So, the core keywords/concepts to research are:

• "academic writing"
• "higher education"
• structure and content

Limiting words keep you focused on a particular area, and stop you from trying to research everything in the history of mankind.

They could limit you by:

• Time (you may be asked to focus on the last 5 years, or the late 20th Century, for example)
• Place (you may be asked to focus on Australia, or Queensland, or South-East Asia)
• People groups (such as "women over the age of 50" or "people from low socio-economic backgrounds" or "Australians of Asian descent")
• Extent (you are only to look at a particular area, or the details you believe are most relevant or appropriate).

In this example, you have two limits:

• "higher education" is the industry focus. This could be expanded to include the tertiary or university sector.
• Essays - we are concentrating on essay writing as the aspect of communication.  Note that this is also a content word. There can be (and usually is) some crossover.

Sometimes it can help to add your own limits .  With health sciences, you almost always limit your research to the last five or six years. Social sciences  are not as strict with the date range but it's still a good idea to keep it recent.  You could specifically look at the Australian context.  You may decide to focus on the private sector within that industry.

With the question above you could limit yourself to only looking at first year university students.

Sometimes an assignment task will give you phrases or sentences that aren't part of the task at all:  they exist to give you some context .

These can be ignored when you do your research, but you should read over them occasionally as you are writing your assignment.  They help you know what the lecturer was thinking about (and wanted you to think about) when they set that task.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

You don't have to do anything with the first sentence of this question - but it does get you to think specifically about the "using essays to communicate knoweldge" - something that isn't mentioned in the task itself.

Obviously, whoever wrote the task wants you to think about the assignments as a form of writing and communication.

It is easy to get distracted and go off on tangents when doing your research .  Use the context words to  help you keep your focus where it should be.

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When you are set a writing task, you are expected to answer the set question. The most common complaint from lecturers is that students don’t answer the question or only answer part of it . There are few marks for essays that don’t answer the set question—even if they are well written!

About question analysis

You need to use question analysis for assignments, exam essays and short answer questions. If you learn the steps for question analysis and take 10-15 minutes to think through the question in this systematic way, then you will have a good start to writing a successful essay—one that pleases the lecturer!

Tools for question analysis

The following five steps can be used to analyse ALL questions:

1. Read the whole question twice

2. Look for topic words

Topic words are easy to locate. They tell you what you have to write about. But be careful as you may only have to write about some aspect of this topic. Never stop here! Go to the next step (restricting words).

3. Look for any words that may restrict the topic in any way

Restricting words are words or phrases that narrow the topic and make it more specific, i.e. this is the part of the broad topic that the lecturer wants you to investigate— you will only be given marks on subject matter that is restricted to the aspect of the topic .

4. Look for instruction words

Instruction words are words that tell you what to do. Be careful with these. If the lecturer wants you to describe, your answer will not be the same as when you are asked to critically assess. The ASO factsheet:  Analysing the question gives you a number of common instruction words and shows you what they mean. Be careful:

• Words such as what, how and why can also be used, and you will have to interpret the specific meaning behind the question
• Two or more instruction words in a question means that you will have to answer each part of the question.

5. Rewrite the question in your own words.

Rewriting the question in your own words is a good way of making sure that you have understood the question, BUT you must stay close to the original question. Then, you need to match your version to the original—if you have any doubts about your interpretation, check with your lecturer.

READ this question twice then analyse the question using the question analysis steps:

Discuss why assignment essays are common assessment tasks in undergraduate tertiary coursework, and evaluate the effectiveness of assignments as an avenue for learning.

When you are analysing a question for an assignment or in exams, you need a system to mark up your text (scribble notes around the question) using highlighters, arrows and short notes. Develop a code that you can use for all of your question analysis needs. An example is demonstrated below.

The trouble with questions

The trouble with questions is that they don’t always follow the same pattern. Sometimes, the lecturers write a brief question, and other times you may get a page of instructions about what is required. Sometimes, instruction words are like those on the ASO factsheet: Analysing the question , and at other times you need to interpret key words to match the instruction words.

The question starts with a statement. Assignment essays are common assessment tasks in undergraduate tertiary coursework. Discuss why they are set and evaluate the effectiveness of assignments as an avenue for learning.

The question doesn’t use ‘instruction’ words. Why are assignment essays common assessment tasks in undergraduate tertiary coursework, and are they effective as an avenue for learning?

You still follow the same steps, but you will need to recognize the differences and spend time interpreting the question until you are satisfied that you are on the right path.

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Watch  Analysing your essay question  (video 2:35) for more information on unpacking an essay question. You can apply the techniques shown in this video to all assignment questions.

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A strong analytical question

• speaks to a genuine dilemma presented by your sources . In other words, the question focuses on a real confusion, problem, ambiguity, or gray area, about which readers will conceivably have different reactions, opinions, or ideas.  
• yields an answer that is not obvious . If you ask, "What did this author say about this topic?” there’s nothing to explore because any reader of that text would answer that question in the same way. But if you ask, “how can we reconcile point A and point B in this text,” readers will want to see how you solve that inconsistency in your essay.  
• suggests an answer complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of discussion. If the question is too vague, it won't suggest a line of argument. The question should elicit reflection and argument rather than summary or description.  
• can be explored using the sources you have available for the assignment , rather than by generalizations or by research beyond the scope of your assignment.  

How to come up with an analytical question  

One useful starting point when you’re trying to identify an analytical question is to look for points of tension in your sources, either within one source or among sources. It can be helpful to think of those points of tension as the moments where you need to stop and think before you can move forward. Here are some examples of where you may find points of tension:

• You may read a published view that doesn’t seem convincing to you, and you may want to ask a question about what’s missing or about how the evidence might be reconsidered.  
• You may notice an inconsistency, gap, or ambiguity in the evidence, and you may want to explore how that changes your understanding of something.  
• You may identify an unexpected wrinkle that you think deserves more attention, and you may want to ask a question about it.  
• You may notice an unexpected conclusion that you think doesn’t quite add up, and you may want to ask how the authors of a source reached that conclusion.  
• You may identify a controversy that you think needs to be addressed, and you may want to ask a question about how it might be resolved.  
• You may notice a problem that you think has been ignored, and you may want to try to solve it or consider why it has been ignored.  
• You may encounter a piece of evidence that you think warrants a closer look, and you may raise questions about it.  

Once you’ve identified a point of tension and raised a question about it, you will try to answer that question in your essay. Your main idea or claim in answer to that question will be your thesis.

• "How" and "why" questions generally require more analysis than "who/ what/when/where” questions.  
• Good analytical questions can highlight patterns/connections, or contradictions/dilemmas/problems.  
• Good analytical questions establish the scope of an argument, allowing you to focus on a manageable part of a broad topic or a collection of sources.  
• Good analytical questions can also address implications or consequences of your analysis.
• picture_as_pdf Asking Analytical Questions

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Answering Assignment Questions

In order to decide how to answer an essay question, you need to identify what the question requires in terms of content and genre. This guide outlines some methods to help you analyse essay questions.

Analyse the question using key words

Assignment questions can be broken down into parts so that you can better understand what you are being asked to do. It is important to identify key words and phrases in the topic.

What are key words?

Key words are the words in an assignment question that tell you the approaches to take when you answer.

Make sure you understand the meaning of key words in an essay question, especially t ask words . As Task words are verbs that direct you and tell you how to go about answering a question, understanding the meaning helps you know exactly what you to do.

Content words tell you what the topic area(s) of your assignment are and take you halfway towards narrowing down your material and selecting your answer. Content words help you to focus your research and reading on the correct area.

Limiting words make a broad topic workable. They focus the topic area further by indicating aspects you should narrowly concentrate on.

If you're not sure about any aspect of the question, ask your tutor/lecturer for clarification. Never start any assignment until you know and understand exactly what you are being asked to do.

How to use key words

• Look for the keywords in your essay question.
• Underline them.
• Spend a little time working out what they mean. Use the Glossary of task words to help you.

Example Question

Computers have had a significant impact on education in the 20th century. Discuss the changes they have made.

DISCUSS. Look up the meaning in the glossary of task words to find out what it means.

(See Glossary of task words )

Content Words

EDUCATION, COMPUTERS. Content words help you to direct your research and reading towards the correct area(s), in this case on computers and on education.

Limiting Words

CHANGES, SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, 20TH CENTURY. Limiting words further define the topic area and indicate aspects you should narrowly concentrate on. For example, in this question, do not just write about computers in education, Discuss the SIGNIFICANT IMPACT they have had and the CHANGES computers have made to education during a certain time: the 20TH CENTURY.

 See next: Implied or complex questions

Essay and assignment writing guide.

• Essay writing basics
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22 Essay Question Words You Must Understand to Prepare a Well-Structured Essay

(Last updated: 3 June 2024)

Since 2006, Oxbridge Essays has been the UK’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service

We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

Now, we may be experts in best essay writing , but we’re also the first to admit that tackling essay questions can be, well, a bit of a challenge. Essays first require copious amounts of background reading and research so you can include accurate facts in your writing. You then have to figure out how to present those facts in a convincing and systematic argument. No mean feat.

But the silver lining here is that presenting your argument doesn’t have to be stressful. This goes even if you’re a new student without much experience and ability. To write a coherent and well-structured essay , you just have to really understand the requirements of the question. And to understand the requirements of the question, you need to have a good hold on all the different question words. For example, 'justify', 'examine', and 'discuss', to name a few.

Lacking this understanding is a pitfall many students tumble into. But our guide on essay question words below should keep you firmly above on safe, essay-acing ground.

Definition of Question Words with Examples

No matter their nature, question words are key and must always be adhered to. And yet, many students often overlook them and therefore answer their essay questions incorrectly. You may be a font of all knowledge in your subject area, but if you misinterpret the question words in your essay title, your essay writing could be completely irrelevant and score poorly.

For example, if you are asked to compare the French and British upper houses of parliament, you won’t get many points by simply highlighting the differences between the two parliamentary systems.

So, what should you do? We advise you start by reading this guide – we’ve divided the question words either by ‘critical’ or ‘descriptive’ depending on their nature, which should help you identify the type of response your essay requires.

Question Words that Require a Critical Approach

Once you have done this, it’s also important that you critically (more on this word later) examine each part. You need to use important debates and evidence to look in depth at the arguments for and against, as well as how the parts interconnect. What does the evidence suggest? Use it to adopt a stance in your essay, ensuring you don’t simply give a narration on the key debates in the literature. Make your position known and tie this to the literature.

2. Evaluate

It is essential to provide information on both sides of the debate using evidence from a wide range of academic sources. Then you must state your position basing your arguments on the evidence that informed you in arriving at your position.

Also, you may want to consider arguments that are contrary to your position before stating a conclusion to your arguments. This will help present a balanced argument and demonstrate wide knowledge of the literature. Here, a critical approach becomes crucial. You need to explain why other possible arguments are unsatisfactory as well as why your own particular argument is preferable.

4. Critically evaluate

The key to tackling these question words is providing ample evidence to support your claims. Ensure that your analysis is balanced by shedding light on, and presenting a critique of, alternative perspectives. It is also important that you present extensive evidence taken from a varying range of sources.

State your conclusion clearly and state the reasons for this conclusion, drawing on factors and evidence that informed your perspective. Also try to justify your position in order to present a convincing argument to the reader.

Put another way, ‘review’ questions entail offering your opinion on the validity of the essay question. For example, you may be asked to review the literature on electoral reform in Great Britain. You'll need to give an overview of the literature. and any major arguments or issues that arose from it. You then need to comment logically and analytically on this material. What do you agree or disagree with? What have other scholars said about the subject? Are there any views that contrast with yours? What evidence are you using to support your assessment? Don’t forget to state your position clearly.

Review answers should not be purely descriptive; they must demonstrate a high level of analytical skill. The aim is not simply to regurgitate the works of other scholars, but rather to critically analyse these works.

However, when assessing a particular argument or topic, it is important that your thoughts on its significance are made clear. This must be supported by evidence, and secondary sources in the literature are a great start. Essentially, you need to convince the reader about the strength of your argument, using research to back up your assessment of the topic is essential. Highlight any limitations to your argument and remember to mention any counterarguments to your position.

Give a detailed examination of the topic by including knowledge of the various perspectives put forward by other scholars in relation to it. What are your thoughts on the subject based on the general debates in the literature? Remember to clearly state your position based on all the evidence you present.

You should also try to provide some context on why the issues and facts that you have closely examined are important. Have these issues and facts been examined differently by other scholars? If so, make a note of this. How did they differ in their approach and what are the factors that account for these alternative approaches?

‘Examine’ questions are less exploratory and discursive than some other types of question. They focus instead on asking you to critically examine particular pieces of evidence or facts to inform your analysis.

9. To what extent

Such questions require that you display the extent of your knowledge on a given subject and that you also adopt an analytical style in stating your position. This means that you must consider both sides of the argument, by present contrasting pieces of evidence. But ultimately, you must show why a particular set of evidence, or piece of information, is more valid for supporting your answer.

Question Words that Require a Descriptive Response

It is important that you provide more than one meaning if there are several of them as it shows that you are very familiar with the literature.

2. Demonstrate

Make sure you assert your position with these types of questions. It's even more important that you support your arguments with valid evidence in order to establish a strong case.

3. Describe

‘Describe’ question words focus less on the basic meaning of something, therefore, and more on its particular characteristics. These characteristics should form the building blocks of your answer.

4. Elaborate

In addition, always remember to back any claims with academic research. In explanatory answers it is important that you demonstrate a clear understanding of a research topic or argument. This comes across most convincingly if you present a clear interpretation of the subject or argument to the reader. Keep in mind any ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions as this will help you to structure a clear and logically coherent response. Coherence is extremely important in providing explanatory answers.

A somewhat detached, dispassionate tone can be particularly effective, in contrast to the more assertive, argumentative tone you might adopt for other types of essay question. Just remember that the key objective here is to give a nuanced account of a research topic or argument by examining its composite parts.

7. Identify

8. illustrate, 10. summarise, 11. clarify.

Such questions require you to shed light on a topic or, in some instances, break down a complex subject into simple parts. Coherence is very important for acing such questions, remembering to present your answer in a systematic manner.

12. Compare

Furthermore, you may also want to emphasise any differences, although the focus of your essay should be on establishing similarities.

13. Contrast

How to Strategically Structure Essay Based on Question Words

Understanding how to structure an essay based on question words is crucial for producing clear, focused, and compelling academic writing. The question words we analised above guide the direction of your response and dictate the type of content required. Recognising the demands of each question word allows you to strategically organise your essay, ensuring that your arguments are relevant and comprehensive. By mastering this approach, you can enhance the clarity and impact of your writing, making your academic work more persuasive and effective.

Here are a few more handy tips to bear in mind when addressing your essay questions:

When you first get your essay question, always try to understand exactly what the question means and what it is asking you to do. Look at the question word(s) and think about their meaning before you launch into planning what to write. Hopefully, our guide has shown you how to do this expertly.

Remember to read the question several times and consider any underlying assumptions behind the question. Highlight the key words and if possible, make a very basic draft outline of your response. This outline does not have to be detailed. But if you follow it as you write, it will help keep your response coherent and systematic.

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Writing Resources

Asking analytical questions.

This handout is available for download in DOCX format and PDF format .

An important step in writing academic essays is to ask a good analytical question: one that poses a challenging way to address the central text(s) you will write about. Establishing that question won’t be your first step—you will need to do some observing and annotating, and even some interpreting, as a way of developing the question itself. But focusing on what that question might be early in your analysis helps you approach your essay with something to explore: an idea to discover (that will inform your thesis) for both you and your readers.

Think of the question as something you’re truly interested in exploring as you read—an exploration you want to guide your reader through, since not everyone reading the text will come away with the same impressions and interpretations you do. (One of the truisms of writing is that if you’re not discovering something as you write your essay, your readers probably aren’t either!)

A good analytical question:

• Speaks to a genuine dilemma in the text . In other words, the question focuses on a real confusion, ambiguity or grey area of the text, about which readers will conceivably have different reactions, opinions, or interpretations. It is NOT responding to a misreading or an oversimplification of the text.
• Yields an answer that is not obvious . In a question such as “Why did Romeo flee to Mantua” there’s nothing to explore; it’s too specific and can be answered too easily. (Because the Capulets wanted to kill him.) By contrast, a question such as “How does Romeo’s reaction to his banishment complicate our understanding of his character?” will lead to an answer that is not immediately obvious.
• Suggests an answer complex enough to require a whole essay’s worth of argument . If the question is too vague—for example, “Why do the same kinds of people always appear in advertisements?”—it won’t suggest a line of argument. The question should elicit analysis and argument rather than summary or description: for example, “How do the models who appear in cosmetics advertisements demonstrate a Western cultural obsession with youth?”
• Can be answered by the text, rather than by generalizations or by copious external research . For example, “How did common Elizabethan attitudes toward mental illness affect Shakespeare’s depiction of madness?” would require significant historical research. By contrast, a question like “How do the differences between Shakespeare’s portrayals of madness in Ophelia and in King Lear demonstrate the author’s differing gender expectations?” is readily answerable using the texts themselves.

Tips to keep in mind

• “How” and “why” questions generally require more analysis and complex thinking than “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” questions; they are thus generally better suited for essay writing.
• Good analytical questions have the potential to highlight relationships between different sources or phenomena: patterns, connections, contradictions, dilemmas, and problems.
• Good analytical questions can also ask about some implications or consequences of your analysis.

In summary, your analytical question should be answerable, given the available evidence—but not immediately, and not in the same way by all readers. Your thesis should give at least a provisional answer to the question, an answer that needs to be defended and developed. Your goal is to help readers understand why this question is worth answering, why this feature of the text is problematic, and to send them back to the text with a new perspective or a different focus.

Adapted from Kerry Walk by Doug Kirshen & Robert Cochran

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Analysing and Understanding IELTS Essay Questions: A Comprehensive Guide

Are you puzzled by the intricacies of IELTS essay questions? Feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of Writing Task 2 prompts? You're definitely not the only one. Unlocking the secret to breaking down IELTS essay questions is almost as challenging as acing the IELTS speaking section. That's why we've designed this all-inclusive guide, packed with foolproof strategies and invaluable tips, to help you decode even the most bewildering IELTS essay questions.

What's more, we'll reveal how our top-selling eBooks and personalized Essay Correction Service can accelerate your path to a Band 9 score. So, buckle up as we navigate you through this critical aspect of IELTS preparation, ensuring you're well-equipped to draft compelling, high-scoring essays.

Why is Understanding IELTS Essay Questions So Important?

Alright, before we jump into our proven strategies and insider tips, let’s tackle an essential question: Why is dissecting an IELTS essay question so indispensable? The short answer is that an accurate interpretation sets the foundation for a high-scoring IELTS essay. But let’s break this down further.

Sets the Direction for Your Essay

Understanding the IELTS essay question is akin to having a GPS for your essay. It sets the direction. If you misinterpret the question, you could end up penning a fantastic essay that, unfortunately, doesn’t answer the question posed. For example, if the prompt asks you to "evaluate the impacts of climate change," and you merely describe them without evaluating, you’ve missed the mark. Our eBooks   provide ample real-life examples and exercises that can help you practice identifying the crux of essay questions.

Helps You Stay On-Topic

Many candidates venture off-topic because they don't fully grasp the essay question. When you deviate, you're losing crucial points. Let's say the essay prompt asks, "Do the advantages of digital education outweigh its disadvantages?" If you start discussing the history of digital education without weighing the pros and cons, you’re steering off course. With our Essay Correction Service , an experienced examiner will point out such pitfalls in your essay and provide comprehensive feedback with a band 9 sample essay.

Shapes Your Arguments

Analyzing the question helps you identify key elements you need to focus on, thereby allowing you to craft persuasive and coherent arguments. For example, if the task word is 'discuss,' you know you’ll need to present multiple sides of an issue. Our top-notch eBooks delve deep into how different task words shape your essay's structure and arguments.

Streamlines Your Research

Time is of the essence, both in the exam and in your preparation phase. When you understand what’s required from the essay question, you can focus your research and practice accordingly, maximizing your study efficiency. Our eBooks offer a curated list of resources, examples, and exercises that streamline your IELTS Writing Task 2 preparation.

Enhances Time Management

Every minute counts in the IELTS exam. By understanding the essay question, you can plan better and write faster, optimizing the 40 minutes you have. This is where our IELTS Essay Correction Service shines. You’ll get detailed feedback on how well you’ve adhered to the time limits while still delivering a compelling essay.

There you have it—a detailed exploration of why understanding IELTS essay questions is the cornerstone for writing a high-band essay. If you’re aiming for that Band 9 score, consider our indispensable eBooks and our tailor-made IELTS Essay Correction Service to fine-tune your skills.

By now, you should grasp the monumental importance of analyzing essay questions accurately. Ready to put these insights into practice? Trust us, with the right guidance and resources, you're well on your way to IELTS success!

Accurate Interpretation for a High Band Score

So, you've got your eyes set on a Band 8 or even a coveted Band 9 in the IELTS Writing Task 2. But how do you make that leap from being a 'good' writer to an 'excellent' one? The secret sauce starts with an accurate interpretation of the essay question. Let's delve into why this aspect is so vital.

Coherence and Cohesion

Two key elements that IELTS examiners prioritize when grading are 'coherence' and 'cohesion.'

Cohesion : Think of cohesion as the 'glue' that binds your essay. It ensures your ideas, sentences, and paragraphs flow logically and seamlessly from one point to the next.

Coherence : This is about clarity. A coherent essay is one where your ideas are so well-organized that the reader can easily follow your argument.

For a hands-on approach to mastering these elements, our IELTS Essay Correction Service can be a game-changer. You'll receive detailed feedback from an experienced examiner, pinpointing areas for improvement.

The Domino Effect: From Thesis to Conclusion

Accurate interpretation sets off a domino effect ( The domino effect refers to a chain reaction where a change or event in one area triggers a sequence of similar events in related areas. ) throughout your essay, from your thesis statement to the body paragraphs, and ultimately to the conclusion. When each part aligns perfectly with the essay question, your essay exhibits both coherence and cohesion.

To better understand this, let's consider a sample question: 'To what extent do you agree that technology makes life simpler?'

With a clear understanding of this q uestion, you might formulate a thesis like, 'Technology predominantly simplifies life by automating routine tasks, but it also introduces complexities such as data privacy concerns.'

How It Works

Focused Thesis: Your thesis statement becomes targeted, giving a bird's-eye view of what your essay will discuss.

Logical Body Paragraphs: Eac h paragraph supports your thesis, detailing the ways technology simplifies life and also noting its complexities.

Conclusive Wrap-up: Your conclusion ties back to your thesis, summarizing your points and reiterating the extent to which technology simplifies life, as well as mentioning its limitations.

Through this structured 'Domino Effect,' each section of your essay adds up to a cohesive, coherent whole, vastly improving your chances of a high band score.

IELTS Essay Question : Detailed Analysis

Navigating the labyrinth of IELTS essay questions can be daunting. But, like any complex structure, these questions have a common structure. By understanding this structure, you can dissect any essay question effectively. Let's break down these components using a sample question from a real past IELTS test.

Sample Question

"Many people believe that social networking sites have had a negative impact on both individuals and society. To what extent do you agree?"

Task Words: Your Action Plan

The task word in our sample question is "To what extent do you agree?" This phrase dictates your action plan. You're not merely supposed to discuss or describe the topic; you have to reveal the extent to which you agree with the statement. If you misinterpret this word, you could end up answering the question incorrectly, which could cost you precious points. Our eBooks extensively cover how to tackle different task words, serving as an indispensable resource in your IELTS journey.

Subject Words: Your Essay's Backbone

The subject words in this question are "social networking sites" and "negative impact on both individuals and society." These words form the backbone of your essay, determining the arena in which you'll construct your arguments. A clear understanding ensures you don't veer off-topic, a common pitfall that our IELTS Essay Correction Service helps you avoid.

Focus Words: Your Scope and Limitations

The focus word here is "negative impact." It narrows down your essay’s scope, indicating that you should concentrate on the detrimental effects of social networking sites. You're not asked to discuss the benefits or give a balanced view unless your argument leads you to challenge the premise itself.

By understanding the anatomy of the question, you’re setting yourself up for a focused and relevant essay. Our personalised IELTS Essay Correction Service can help you evaluate how well you've understood and addressed these elements, offering detailed feedback to ensure you're on the right track.

Step-By-Step Strategies to Analyse IELTS Essay Questions

You're probably wondering, "How do I tackle IELTS essay questions effectively?" Well, wonder no more! In this segment, we’re diving deep into practical, foolproof steps to dissect any IELTS essay prompt. We'll be using our previously discussed sample question: " Many people believe that social networking sites have had a negative impact on both individuals and society. To what extent do you agree?" as our guide.

Step 1: Read the Question Multiple Times

Your first step should always be to read the essay question multiple times. Yes, you heard that right—multiple times. A cursory glance won't cut it if you're aiming for a high band score. Reading carefully allows you to soak in every nuance of the question, ensuring you don’t miss crucial task or focus words. Our IELTS eBooks cover multiple real-world examples and give you insider tips on careful reading techniques.

Step 2: Highlight Key Words and Phrases 

Once you fully understand the question, take a pencil and underline or highlight the task words, subject words, and focus words. In our sample question, you'd highlight "To what extent do you agree," "social networking sites," and "negative impact on both individuals and society." This step acts like your GPS, guiding you as you navigate your way through the essay. A key feature of our IELTS Essay Correction Service is that our examiners highlight how well you've identified and worked around these key terms, providing you invaluable insights for improvement.

Step 3: Paraphrase the Question

This step is a reality check. Can you rephrase the question in your own words? If yes, it confirms your understanding of what's being asked. For instance, you could paraphrase our sample question as, "Do you concur that social media platforms harm both individual users and the broader community?" Paraphrasing is an art, and our eBooks provide you with plenty of strategies and examples to master it.

Step 4: Plan Your Response

Before diving into the writing, take a few minutes to map out your ideas. Consider your thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Planning will give you a coherent and well-structured essay, making your arguments more compelling and easier to follow. Our IELTS Essay Correction Service is not just about pointing out your errors; it's about helping you understand the importance of planning and structure, arming you with the skills you need for future essays.

By adhering to these four strategic steps, you are not just preparing to answer an essay question—you are preparing to excel at it. With the help of our eBooks and Essay Feedback Service, mastering these steps can become second nature.

Pro Tips to Impress the Examiner

Alright, you've got the basics down, but how about taking your IELTS essay to the next level? These pro tips are like secret ingredients that can spice up your essay and impress the examiner. We’ll again reference our sample question, "Many people believe that social networking sites have had a negative impact on both individuals and society. To what extent do you agree?" to explain these tips in action.

Mind Your Language: The Art of Diverse Sentencing

Using a range of sentence structures and vocabulary not only makes your essay interesting but also showcases your language proficiency. For example, instead of repetitively saying 'negative impact,' you could use synonyms like 'adverse effects' or 'detrimental influence.' Our IELTS eBooks offer extensive vocabulary lists and sentence structure tips to diversify your language skills seamlessly.

Maintain a Formal Tone: The Unspoken Rule

While our guide takes a conversational approach, IELTS essays demand a formal tone. Phrases like "you know" or "kinda" are big no-nos. Instead, articulate your points more formally, e.g., "It is evident that" or "One must consider." The IELTS Essay Correction Service we offer specifically highlights tone inconsistencies, offering you detailed insights into achieving the perfect formal tone.

Timing: The Clock is Ticking

You have 40 minutes for Task 2, which means timing is of the essence. Use it wisely to avoid an incomplete essay, which can severely impact your band score. A tip for managing your time effectively is covered in our time-management focused eBooks .

Revise: Your Final Quality Check

Always allocate a couple of minutes for revising your essay. Trust us; this can be the difference between a Band 7 and a Band 9 score. Simple errors, like subject-verb agreements or punctuation mistakes, can often be caught during this phase. Our Essay Correction Service includes a comprehensive 'error-tracking' feature that will help you understand the common mistakes you may be making.

Turn Analysis into Mastery

There you have it! Analyzing the IELTS essay question is your stepping stone to mastering the IELTS Writing Task 2. Consistent practice, coupled with our pro tips and guided resources, will put that Band 9 score well within your reach.

So, are you pumped to tackle your next IELTS essay question? With focused analysis and strategic planning, your dream score isn't a far-off reality. Don't forget, our specialized IELTS Essay Correction Service and curated eBooks are here to support you every step of the way.

Embark on your IELTS journey with us—Happy Learning!

FAQs About Understanding and Analysing IELTS Essay Questions

What are some effective strategies for analyzing ielts essay questions.

Decoding IELTS essay questions involves several key steps. Firstly, read the question carefully to ensure you grasp its full meaning. Highlight the task words (like 'discuss,' 'argue,' 'evaluate') to understand what is being asked of you. Pay attention to the subject words, which tell you what the essay should be about, and focus words, which specify the aspect you should concentrate on. It's also helpful to paraphrase the question in your own words to ensure you've fully understood it.

How can I diversify sentence structures and vocabulary in IELTS essays?

Using a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary adds complexity and sophistication to your essay. Implement complex sentences alongside simple and compound ones. Mix in different types of conjunctions, employ passive and active voice strategically, and don’t hesitate to use higher-level vocabulary as long as it fits the context.

Why is maintaining a formal tone crucial in IELTS essays?

A formal tone is preferred in academic and general IELTS writing tasks because it adds a level of seriousness and authority to your essay. Unlike spoken English, written English, especially in a testing setting, has conventions that should be followed to convey your points in a universally understandable way.

How does revising the essay impact my band score?

Revising your essay helps you catch minor errors or inconsistencies that might have slipped through. Even a single grammatical mistake can prevent you from achieving a Band 9 score. A quick revision can help you spot these errors and rectify them, potentially elevating your band score.

What resources are available for mastering IELTS Writing Task 2?

Various resources like guidebooks , online courses, and practice tests are available to help you master IELTS Writing Task 2. The most effective resource, however, is practice. The more you write, the more you understand the nuances of timing, coherence, and vocabulary needed for a high band score.

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How to Write a Good Answer to Exam Essay Questions

Last Updated: July 9, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Tristen Bonacci . Tristen Bonacci is a Licensed English Teacher with more than 20 years of experience. Tristen has taught in both the United States and overseas. She specializes in teaching in a secondary education environment and sharing wisdom with others, no matter the environment. Tristen holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Colorado and an MEd from The University of Phoenix. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 650,145 times.

Answering essay questions on an exam can be difficult and stressful, which can make it hard to provide a good answer. However, you can improve your ability to answer essay questions by learning how to understand the questions, form an answer, and stay focused. Developing your ability to give excellent answers on essay exams will take time and effort, but you can learn some good essay question practices and start improving your answers.

Understanding the Question

• Analyze: Explain the what, where, who, when, why, and how. Include pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, etc.
• Compare: Discuss the similarities and differences between two or more things. Don't forget to explain why the comparison is useful.
• Contrast: Discuss how two or more things are different or distinguish between them. Don't forget to explain why the contrast is useful.
• Define: State what something means, does, achieves, etc.
• Describe: List characteristics or traits of something. You may also need to summarize something, such as an essay prompt that asks "Describe the major events that led to the American Revolution."
• Discuss: This is more analytical. You usually begin by describing something and then present arguments for or against it. You may need to analyze the advantages or disadvantages of your subject.
• Evaluate: Offer the pros and cons, positives and negatives for a subject. You may be asked to evaluate a statement for logical support, or evaluate an argument for weaknesses.
• Explain: Explain why or how something happened, or justify your position on something.
• Prove: Usually reserved for more scientific or objective essays. You may be asked to include evidence and research to build a case for a specific position or set of hypotheses.
• Summarize: Usually, this means to list the major ideas or themes of a subject. It could also ask you to present the main ideas in order to then fully discuss them. Most essay questions will not ask for pure summary without anything else.

• Raise your hand and wait for your teacher to come over to you or approach your teacher’s desk to ask your question. This way you will be less likely to disrupt other test takers.

Forming Your Response

• Take a moment to consider your organization before you start writing your answer. What information should come first, second, third, etc.?
• In many cases, the traditional 5-paragraph essay structure works well. Start with an introductory paragraph, use 3 paragraphs in the body of the article to explain different points, and finish with a concluding paragraph.
• It can also be really helpful to draft a quick outline of your essay before you start writing.

• You may want to make a list of facts and figures that you want to include in your essay answer. That way you can refer to this list as you write your answer.
• It's best to write down all the important key topics or ideas before you get started composing your answer. That way, you can check back to make sure you haven't missed anything.

• For example, imagine that your essay question asks: "Should the FIFA World Cup be awarded to countries with human rights violations? Explain and support your answer."
• You might restate this as "Countries with human rights violations should not be awarded the FIFA World Cup because this rewards a nation's poor treatment of its citizens." This will be the thesis that you support with examples and explanation.

• For example, whether you argue that the FIFA World Cup should or should not be awarded to countries with human rights violations, you will want to address the opposing side's argument. However, it needs to be clear where your essay stands about the matter.
• Often, essay questions end up saying things along the lines of "There are many similarities and differences between X and Y." This does not offer a clear position and can result in a bad grade.

• If you are required to write your answer by hand, then take care to make your writing legible and neat. Some professors may deduct points if they cannot read what you have written.

Staying Calm and Focused

• If you get to a point during the exam where you feel too anxious to focus, put down your pencil (or take your hands off of the keyboard), close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Stretch your arms and imagine that you are somewhere pleasant for a few moments. When you have completed this brief exercise, open up your eyes and resume the exam.

• For example, if the exam period is one hour long and you have to answer three questions in that time frame, then you should plan to spend no more than 20 minutes on each question.
• Look at the weight of the questions, if applicable. For example, if there are five 10-point short-answers and a 50-point essay, plan to spend more time on the essay because it is worth significantly more. Don't get stuck spending so much time on the short-answers that you don't have time to develop a complex essay.

• This strategy is even more important if the exam has multiple essay questions. If you take too much time on the first question, then you may not have enough time to answer the other questions on the exam.

• If you feel like you are straying away from the question, reread the question and review any notes that you made to help guide you. After you get refocused, then continue writing your answer.
• Try to allow yourself enough time to go back and tighten up connections between your points. A few well-placed transitions can really bump up your grade.

Community Q&A

• If you are worried about running out of time, put your watch in front of you where you can see it. Just try not to focus on it too much. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you need more practice, make up your own questions or even look at some practice questions online! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Look up relevant quotes if your exam is open notes. Use references from books or class to back up your answers.
• Make sure your sentences flow together and that you don't repeat the same thing twice!

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• ↑ https://www.linnbenton.edu/student-services/library-tutoring-testing/learning-center/academic-coaching/documents/Strategies%20For%20Answering%20Essay%20Questions.pdf
• ↑ https://success.uark.edu/get-help/student-resources/short-answer-essays.php

About This Article

To write a good answer to an exam essay question, read the question carefully to find what it's asking, and follow the instructions for the essay closely. Begin your essay by rephrasing the question into a statement with your answer in the statement. Include supplemental facts and figures if necessary, or do textual analysis from a provided piece to support your argument. Make sure your writing is clear and to the point, and don't include extra information unless it supports your argument. For tips from our academic reviewer on understanding essay questions and dealing with testing nerves, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

• An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
• A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
• A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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Table of contents

Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

• Who is telling the story?
• How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

• Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
• Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
• Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

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The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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How to analyse an essay question: Working through an example

• What's in this guide
• How to analyse an essay question

Working through an example

• Additional resources

The question is: Discuss how media can influence children. Use specific examples to support your view.

To analyse this question, we can break it down into the following parts:-

• Analysing an assessment task

• Transcript of "How to analyse a question" video clip This is the transcript for this video clip

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Want to write a college essay that sets you apart? Three tips to give you a head start

1. Keep it real. It’s normal to want to make a good impression on the school of your choice, but it’s also important to show who you really are. So just be yourself! Compelling stories might not be perfectly linear or have a happy ending, and that’s OK. It’s best to be authentic instead of telling schools what you think they want to hear.

2. Be reflective . Think about how you’ve changed during high school. How have you grown and improved? What makes you feel ready for college, and how do you hope to contribute to the campus community and society at large?

3. Look to the future. Consider your reasons for attending college. What do you hope to gain from your education? What about college excites you the most, and what would you like to do after you graduate? Answering these questions will not only give colleges insight into the kind of student you’ll be, but it will also give you the personal insight you’ll need to choose the school that’s right for you.

Have questions about college prep? We're here to help.

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An Analysis on the Implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Improve Engineering Students in Writing an Essay

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Yohanes Bowo Widodo

Herman Herman

Desi Afrianti

Rahmawati Rahmawati

Aslam Aslam

Nanda Saputra

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, such as chatbots, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Sentiment Analysis, promise to disrupt the way products and services are delivered to consumers. These technologies are also being evaluated in multiple use cases to support the writing process. One growing application space for AI technologies is in the field of education, specifically for supporting students’ writings. This paper took a lead in examining this space with its focus on improving student writing skills in engineering. The research employed a mixed-method approach that combined qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Specifically, content analysis was used to analyze the data qualitatively. The study drew its conclusion by comparing the formal EFL essay elements, including content and language, in terms of comprehension and production. Additionally, the study examined the flow of information among the participants in essay writing. Courses are traditionally offered on an annual basis, with roughly 25-35 students per term. The control group in this study comprised the 224 essays produced by the 52 students during the 2023-2024 academic year. The study utilized the VAN framework, which began with cohorts or teams that submitted essays continuously throughout the academic year. The results showed the use of artificial intelligence to improve writing skills in the field of engineering students has weaknesses in several aspects which can be further developed. The customization process carried out must be done meticulously and step by step, so that pilot testing can be conducted in advance in a specified area or object.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

How to use ChatGPT to analyze PDFs (and more) for free

From contracts to research papers, most important documents come in lengthy PDFs -- regardless of what you do, you're guaranteed to encounter them in your lifetime, and they nearly always contain verbose language. This is especially true if you are a student because teachers of all grade levels love to assign PDF handouts. AI can now help you better understand the content and save time doing so. 

ChatGPT can act as your assistant by parsing through the PDFs and being on standby for anything you need. It can answer questions, provide summaries, and even generate content from the text, including outlines, emails, and more. The best part is that the feature is entirely free. 

Also: How to get ChatGPT to browse the web for free

In May 2024, nearly a year after ChatGPT launched, OpenAI upgraded the free version of the chatbot with several GPT-4o features typically reserved for their paying customers, including the ability to upload screenshots, photos, and documents. Getting started with the tool is easy, and in the long run, it will save you lots of time and effort. 

How to use ChatGPT to analyze PDFs

1. log into chatgpt.

Even though OpenAI allows you to access ChatGPT without logging in, you will need to sign in to your account to use GPT-4o and its advanced features, including  Browse, Vision, data analysis, file uploads, and GPTs.

Also:  How to use ChatGPT to write Excel formulas

If you have never created a ChatGPT account, you can easily do so from the sign-in page or login with your existing Google or Microsoft account. I opted for the latter option, so I don't have to memorize another username and password. 

2. Upload your PDF

Once you sign in, you will be brought to the ChatGPT interface. Next to the textbox where you would typically insert text to start chatting, you will see a little paper clip icon. When you click that, you will have several options: Connect to Google Drive, Connect to Microsoft OneDrive, or Upload from a computer. 

Also:  The best AI chatbots of 2024: ChatGPT, Copilot and worthy alternatives

Select the best option for where your document lives. Since I typically upload a document I just downloaded, I always opt for upload from my computer. Then, you can click on the PDF you want assistance with. For this example, I am using a PDF of one of my ZDNET articles.  

3. Add your question

Once you upload the PDF, you can accompany it with a text query that indicates what you'd like ChatGPT to do. You can make these prompts as adventurous or simple as you'd like. I kept it simple and asked for a summary: "Can you summarize what this article is about?" 

Also: How ChatGPT (and other AI chatbots) can help you write an essay

As you can see in the photo below, I immediately got a comprehensive four-sentence summary, and since I wrote the article, I can verify that it was accurate. 

You can also elicit the chatbot's help for more complex tasks. For example, you could ask the chatbot to "Take out the action items found in this PDF, place them in bullet points, and format them into an email addressed to my boss." 

Also:  ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

Overall, using ChatGPT to help parse through dense PDFs can help you save time and sift through long-winded paragraphs. Of course, always make sure to check ChatGPT's work for hallucinations, just in case. If you want to explore more document-summarizing tools, stay tuned for similar capabilities  coming to Apple OS  later this year.

Can ChatGPT summarize PDFs?

Yes, ChatGPT can summarize PDFs for all users with an OpenAI account. Once signed in, users need to click on the paperclip icon next to the text box, select the PDF they would like analyzed, and accompany it with a text prompt explaining what they'd like ChatGPT to do. 

Can ChatGPT summarize content other than PDFs?

Yes, ChatGPT can summarize pretty much any content, including PDFs, images, handwritten notes, websites, copied and pasted text, and more. The steps are similar. You need to sign in or create an OpenAI account, import the content you want into ChatGPT, and accompany it with the text you need. 

Are ChatGPT's summarizing features free?

Yes, ChatGPT's summarizing features are free. The only caveat is that you need to have an OpenAI account, which is free to create. Creating an account is easy because you can use an existing Google or Microsoft account or just make a new username and password. 

Artificial Intelligence

College students: this new ai tool could make doing the reading easier, how to use chatgpt: everything to know about using gpt-4o and gpt-4o mini, how to use chatgpt to write your resume.

Democracy challenged

‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy

Credit... Photo illustration by Matt Chase

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By David Leonhardt

David Leonhardt is a senior writer at The Times who won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Great Recession.

• Published Sept. 17, 2022 Updated June 21, 2023

Listen to This Article

The United States has experienced deep political turmoil several times before over the past century. The Great Depression caused Americans to doubt the country’s economic system. World War II and the Cold War presented threats from global totalitarian movements. The 1960s and ’70s were marred by assassinations, riots, a losing war and a disgraced president.

These earlier periods were each more alarming in some ways than anything that has happened in the United States recently. Yet during each of those previous times of tumult, the basic dynamics of American democracy held firm. Candidates who won the most votes were able to take power and attempt to address the country’s problems.

The current period is different. As a result, the United States today finds itself in a situation with little historical precedent. American democracy is facing two distinct threats, which together represent the most serious challenge to the country’s governing ideals in decades.

The first threat is acute: a growing movement inside one of the country’s two major parties — the Republican Party — to refuse to accept defeat in an election.

The violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress , meant to prevent the certification of President Biden’s election, was the clearest manifestation of this movement, but it has continued since then. Hundreds of elected Republican officials around the country falsely claim that the 2020 election was rigged. Some of them are running for statewide offices that would oversee future elections, potentially putting them in position to overturn an election in 2024 or beyond.

“There is the possibility, for the first time in American history, that a legitimately elected president will not be able to take office,” said Yascha Mounk, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University who studies democracy.

Vote Margins by State in Presidential Elections since 1988

Senate representation by state.

Residents of less populated states like Wyoming and North Dakota, who are disproportionately white, have outsize influence.

1 voter in Wyoming

has similar representation as

1 voter in North Dakota

6 voters in Connecticut

7 voters in Alabama

18 voters in Michigan

59 voters in California

has similar

representation as

Landslides in 2020 House Elections

There were about twice as many districts where a Democratic House candidate won by at least 50 percentage points as there were districts where a Republican candidate won by as much.

Landslide (one candidate won

by at least 50 percentage points)

Barbara Lee

Calif. District 13

Jerry Nadler

N.Y. District 10

Diana DeGette

Colo. District 1

Donald Payne Jr.

N.J. District 10

Jesús García

Ill. District 4

Landslide (one candidate won by at least 50 percentage points)

Presidential Appointments of Supreme Court Justices

Supreme Court appointments

Presidential election winners

Popular vote

Electoral College

Party that nominated a justice

David H. Souter (until 2009)

Clarence Thomas

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (until 2020)

Stephen G. Breyer (until 2022)

John G. Roberts Jr.

Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Sonia Sotomayor

Elena Kagan

Neil M. Gorsuch

Brett M. Kavanaugh

Amy Coney Barrett

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Supreme Court

Presidential election

nominated a justice

Souter (until 2009)

Ginsburg (until 2020)

Breyer (until 2022)

State Legislators and Election Lies

The share of Republican state legislators who have taken steps, as of May 2022, to discredit or overturn the 2020 presidential election results

Pennsylvania

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Statistical analysis can detect when ChatGPT is used to cheat on multiple-choice chemistry exams

by McKenzie Harris, Florida State University

As the use of generative artificial intelligence continues to extend into all reaches of education, much of the concern related to its impact on cheating has focused on essays, essay exam questions and other narrative assignments. Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT to cheat on multiple-choice exams has largely gone ignored.

A Florida State University chemist is half of a research partnership whose latest work is changing what we know about this type of cheating, and their findings have revealed how the use of ChatGPT to cheat on general chemistry multiple-choice exams can be detected through specific statistical methods. The work was published in Journal of Chemical Education .

"While many educators and researchers try to detect AI assisted cheating in essays and open-ended responses, such as Turnitin AI detection, as far as we know, this is the first time anyone has proposed detecting its use on multiple-choice exams," said Ken Hanson, an associate professor in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "By evaluating differences in performances between student- and ChatGPT-based multiple-choice chemistry exams, we were able to identify ChatGPT instances across all exams with a false positive rate of almost zero."

Researchers collected previous FSU student responses from five semesters worth of exams, input nearly 1,000 questions into ChatGPT and compared the outcomes. Average score and raw statistics were not enough to identify ChatGPT-like behavior because there are certain questions that ChatGPT always answered correctly or always answered incorrectly resulting in an overall score that was indistinguishable from students.

"That's the thing about ChatGPT—it can generate content, but it doesn't necessarily generate correct content," Hanson said. "It's simply an answer generator. It's trying to look like it knows the answer, and to someone who doesn't understand the material, it probably does look like a correct answer."

By using fit statistics, researchers fixed the ability parameters and refit the outcomes, finding ChatGPT's response pattern was clearly different from that of the students.

On exams, high-performing students frequently answer difficult and easy questions correctly, while average students tend to answer some difficult questions and most easy questions correctly. Low-performing students typically only answer easy questions correctly. But on repeated attempts by ChatGPT to complete an exam, the AI tool sometimes answered every easier question incorrectly and every hard question correctly. Hanson and Sorenson used these behavior differences to detect the use of ChatGPT with almost 100-percent accuracy.

The duo's strategy of employing a technique known as Rasch modeling and fit statistics can be readily applied to any and all generative AI chat bots, which will exhibit their own unique patterns to help educators identify the use of these chat bots in completing multiple-choice exams.

The research is the latest publication in a seven-year collaboration between Hanson and machine learning engineer Ben Sorenson.

Hanson and Sorenson, who first met in third grade, both attended St. Cloud State University in Minnesota for their undergraduate degrees and stayed in touch after moving into their careers. As a faculty member at FSU, Hanson became curious about measuring how much knowledge his students retained from lectures, courses and lab work.

"This was a conversation that I brought to Ben, who's great with statistics, computer science and data processing ," said Hanson, who is part of a group of FSU faculty working to improve student success in gateway STEM courses such as general chemistry and college algebra. "He said we could use statistical tools to understand if my exams are good, and in 2017, we started analyzing exams."

The core of this Rasch model is that a student's probability of getting any test question correct is a function of two things: how difficult the question is and the student's ability to answer the question. In this case, a student 's ability refers to how much knowledge they have and how many of the necessary components are needed to answer the question they have. Viewing the outcomes of an exam in this way provides powerful insights, researchers said.

"The collaboration between Ken and I, though remote, has been a really seamless, smooth process," Sorenson said. "Our work is a great way to provide supporting evidence when educators might already suspect that cheating may be happening. What we didn't expect was that the patterns of artificial intelligence would be so easy to identify."

Journal information: Journal of Chemical Education

Provided by Florida State University

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Analyse, Explain, Define. Question words drive your essay response

Words such as ‘explain’, ‘evaluate’ or ‘analyse’ – typical question words used in essay titles – provide a useful indication of how your essay should be structured

No matter their nature, question words are key and must always be adhered to. And yet, many students often overlook them and therefore answer their essay questions incorrectly. You may be a font of all knowledge in your subject area, but if you misinterpret the question words in your essay title, your essay writing could be completely irrelevant and score poorly.

For example, if you are asked to compare the French and British upper houses of parliament, you won’t get many points by simply highlighting the differences between the two parliamentary systems.

So, what should you do? We’ve divided the question words either by ‘critical’ or ‘descriptive’ depending on their nature, which should help you identify the type of response your essay requires.

These are the question words that are commonly asked:

Question words that require a critical approach

Some question words require a critical answer and there are varying degrees of how critical your answers must be according to the requirements of the question. We’ve broken these down for you below:

Essay questions that ask you to ‘analyse’ a particular topic or argument expect a thorough deconstruction of the essay subject. In other words, this word requires you to break the essay topic down into its fundamental parts.

Once you have done this, it’s also important that you critically (more on this word later) examine each part. You need to use important debates and evidence to look in depth at the arguments for and against, as well as how the parts interconnect. What does the evidence suggest? Use it to adopt a stance in your essay, ensuring you don’t simply give a narration on the key debates in the literature. Make your position known and tie this to the literature.

2. Evaluate

When answering this essay question word, the key is to provide your opinion or verdict concerning the extent to which an argument or set of research findings is accurate. You may also be required to demonstrate the extent to which you agree with a particular argument or hypothesis.

It is essential to provide information on both sides of the debate using evidence from a wide range of academic sources. Then you must state your position basing your arguments on the evidence that informed you in arriving at your position.

With ‘justify’ question words, you need to explain the basis of your argument by presenting the evidence that informed your outlook. In such answers, you need to present your evidence in a convincing way, demonstrating good reasons for adopting your position.

Also, you may want to consider arguments that are contrary to your position before stating a conclusion to your arguments. This will help present a balanced argument and demonstrate wide knowledge of the literature. Here, a critical approach becomes crucial. You need to explain why other possible arguments are unsatisfactory as well as why your own particular argument is preferable.

4. Critically evaluate

To ‘critically evaluate’, you must provide your opinion or verdict on whether an argument, or set of research findings, is accurate. This should be done in as critical a manner as possible. Provide your opinion on the extent to which a statement or research finding is true. A critical evaluation of a subject will warrant an assertive essay response that details the extent to which you agree with a set of findings, a theory, or an argument.

The key to tackling these question words is providing ample evidence to support your claims. Ensure that your analysis is balanced by shedding light on, and presenting a critique of, alternative perspectives. It is also important that you present extensive evidence taken from a varying range of sources.

State your conclusion clearly and state the reasons for this conclusion, drawing on factors and evidence that informed your perspective. Also try to justify your position in order to present a convincing argument to the reader.

An answer to a ‘review’ question word should demonstrate critical examination of a subject or argument. This is done by recapping or summarising the major themes or points in question, and critically discussing them while giving your opinion.

Put another way, ‘review’ questions entail offering your opinion on the validity of the essay question. For example, you may be asked to review the literature on electoral reform in Great Britain. You'll need to give an overview of the literature. and any major arguments or issues that arose from it. You then need to comment logically and analytically on this material. What do you agree or disagree with? What have other scholars said about the subject? Are there any views that contrast with yours? What evidence are you using to support your assessment? Don’t forget to state your position clearly.

Review answers should not be purely descriptive; they must demonstrate a high level of analytical skill. The aim is not simply to regurgitate the works of other scholars, but rather to critically analyse these works.

In the case of ‘assess’ question words, you are expected to consider or make an informed judgement about the value, strengths or weakness of an argument, claim or topic. ‘Assess’ questions place particular emphasis on weighing all views concerning the essay subject, as opposed to your opinion only.

However, when assessing a particular argument or topic, it is important that your thoughts on its significance are made clear. This must be supported by evidence, and secondary sources in the literature are a great start. Essentially, you need to convince the reader about the strength of your argument, using research to back up your assessment of the topic is essential. Highlight any limitations to your argument and remember to mention any counterarguments to your position.

‘Discuss’ question words typically require an in-depth answer that takes into account all aspects of the debate concerning a research topic or argument. You must demonstrate reasoning skills with this type of question, by using evidence to make a case for or against a research topic/argument.

Give a detailed examination of the topic by including knowledge of the various perspectives put forward by other scholars in relation to it. What are your thoughts on the subject based on the general debates in the literature? Remember to clearly state your position based on all the evidence you present.

A close examination of a research topic or argument requires that you establish the key facts and important issues concerning the topic or argument by looking at them in close detail. This means that you must adopt a very critical approach with 'examine' question words.

You should also try to provide some context on why the issues and facts that you have closely examined are important. Have these issues and facts been examined differently by other scholars? If so, make a note of this. How did they differ in their approach and what are the factors that account for these alternative approaches?

‘Examine’ questions are less exploratory and discursive than some other types of question. They focus instead on asking you to critically examine particular pieces of evidence or facts to inform your analysis.

9. To what extent

In essence, this asks how far you agree with a proposition put forward in the question. This requires a very in-depth assessment of the topic, and especially of the evidence used to present your argument.

Such questions require that you display the extent of your knowledge on a given subject and that you also adopt an analytical style in stating your position. This means that you must consider both sides of the argument, by present contrasting pieces of evidence. But ultimately, you must show why a particular set of evidence, or piece of information, is more valid for supporting your answer.

Question words that require a descriptive response

In some instances, question words require mostly a descriptive response as is the case with the words below:

Here, you must outline the precise meaning of the subject of the question. If the definition you provide is a contested one then make sure you mention this. How do other scholars define the subject? Why is its meaning contested and why have you chosen to use one meaning instead of the other if this is the case?

It is important that you provide more than one meaning if there are several of them as it shows that you are very familiar with the literature.

2. Demonstrate

The key to tackling ‘demonstrate’ questions is to use several examples, evidence, and logical arguments. Essentially, you are required to show how a particular research topic or argument is valid by using evidence and arguments to support your claim.

Make sure you assert your position with these types of questions. It's even more important that you support your arguments with valid evidence in order to establish a strong case.

3. Describe

When describing something, you must provide thorough insight into the main characteristics of a research subject in an objective manner. As answers to such questions will be inherently descriptive, it is important that you recount or characterise in narrative form.

‘Describe’ question words focus less on the basic meaning of something, therefore, and more on its particular characteristics. These characteristics should form the building blocks of your answer.

4. Elaborate

Here, you are required to provide a lot of detail and information on a research topic or argument. ‘Elaborate’ questions tend to elicit descriptive responses. Therefore. it's important to demonstrate that you have done significant research on the topic to support the information you provide.

‘Explain’ questions expect you to basically clarify a topic. When answering such questions, it helps to imagine you are writing for someone who knows absolutely nothing of the subject. And remember two things. To provide as much detail as possible, and to give definitions for any jargon or key terms when used.

In addition, always remember to back any claims with academic research. In explanatory answers it is important that you demonstrate a clear understanding of a research topic or argument. This comes across most convincingly if you present a clear interpretation of the subject or argument to the reader. Keep in mind any ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions as this will help you to structure a clear and logically coherent response. Coherence is extremely important in providing explanatory answers.

Needless to say, your answer must be exploratory and thus it is imperative that you adopt a questioning approach when answering such questions. Because of the exploratory nature of such essays, objectivity is key. That is, you should give an overview of all viewpoints before providing any of your own arguments.

A somewhat detached, dispassionate tone can be particularly effective, in contrast to the more assertive, argumentative tone you might adopt for other types of essay question. Just remember that the key objective here is to give a nuanced account of a research topic or argument by examining its composite parts.

7. Identify

Essay questions that require you to ‘identify’ something in relation to a research topic or argument require you to simply point out and describe the main ideas in a short and coherent way. A little like this paragraph.

8. Illustrate

Such an answer will generally involve the use of many examples, such as tables, figures, graphs, or concrete research statistics and evidence. The aim is to use these examples to demonstrate knowledge of the subject of the question and to further explain or clarify your answer.

outline answer requires you present an organised description of a research topic or argument. It is imperative that you provide the main points only (and any important supplementary information) as opposed to focusing on the minor details. Remember to present your answer in a systematic and coherent way.

10. Summarise

When you are asked to summarise or present a summary of a research topic, you should give a condensed form of its main points or facts. You must omit all minor details and focus mainly on the key facts. As a result, summaries are typically brief and straight to the point. The key is to get all the main facts across to the reader in as punchy and succinct a manner as possible.

11. Clarify

This means to provide insight into a subject, and quite literally, provide clarification. For example, this could be done by making an argument or topic more clear by explaining it in simpler terms.

Such questions require you to shed light on a topic or, in some instances, break down a complex subject into simple parts. Coherence is very important for acing such questions, remembering to present your answer in a systematic manner.

12. Compare

When asked to ‘compare’, you must identify any similarities between two or more subjects of discussion. You can go beyond making a basic comparison by trying to understand the roots of the similarities you identify, as well as their significance.

Furthermore, you may also want to emphasise any differences, although the focus of your essay should be on establishing similarities.

13. Contrast

A ‘contrast’ question expects you to identify differences, not similarities, between subjects. What are the main dissimilarities between two or more subjects? What sets them apart? These are the general questions that you must keep in mind when addressing ‘contrast’ questions.

Courtesy of Oxbridge Essays : https://www.oxbridgeessays.com/blog/analyse-explain-evaluate-answer-essay-question-words/

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Karl Marx’s Jewish blind spot

How the thinker missed the dangers of nationalism..

Published : Aug 17, 2024 19:39 IST - 7 MINS READ

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The Karl Marx monument in Chemnitz, Germany. | Photo Credit: MAREK SLUSARCZYK/iStock

Karl Marx’s famous essay “On the Jewish Question”, written in 1843 and published a year later, needs to be reread in the light of Zionist and other cultural forms of nationalism in vogue today. The concerns in Marx’s essay can be divided into two parts: one, the question vis-à-vis the specific Christian-Jew conflict in Germany via the historian and theologian Bruno Bauer’s prescription for Jews; two, the critique of Jewishness (and of all collective identities or communities of faith) in relation to the general theory of modernity.

Bauer reminded Jews to learn to be German first and an everyman next, and forget being a Jew. His argument was that to ask for recognition from the Christian state of Germany was to legitimise it, hence Jews must bypass that question and demand everyone’s liberation from a religious state. There was no point, Bauer argued, to demand the end of Christian prejudice without ending Jewish prejudice. But he did not realise that he was dismissing the minoritarian significance of the Jewish question in favour of the nationalist—as if a community’s subjective views regarding others are significant enough to determine its political status. Even though the Christian state is critiqued in favour of the secular, by dismissing the concerns of the minority, Bauer’s was a majoritarian understanding of the problem. In his universalist logic, Jews must give up their minority status if they want to be emancipated.

Marx explores Bauer’s critique of the Jewish desire for political emancipation. He is in agreement with Bauer on the larger framework of a secularised national identity but differs on the question of citizenship. For Marx, citizenship is a liberal-bourgeois concept which individuates people by merely privatising belief, ego, self-interest, and the desire and accumulation of property and capital. To treat emancipation at the level of civil society alone is thus not enough; it restricts its revolutionary potential. All rights of citizens from labour to law are constricted by the emphasis on civil society alone, and produce what Marx calls the “abstract, artificial man, man as an  allegorical, juridical  person”.

Marx is unhappy that religion remains the “secret” of the individual citizen, as Judaism exists alongside the citizen in a secularised form. The argument for the destruction of any community of faith is based on a rational and universal idea of human emancipation. It forgets the majoritarian potential of nationalism where the minorities are under threat. Fascist thinking is not the opposite of Marxism in this regard, but its double.

Marx’s anti-culturalism

National Socialism condemned Jews in the name of those essentialised attributes that Bauer and Marx, too, laid down as a sickness that had to be overcome. Marx’s anti-culturalism identifies negative attributes of character (such as ego and self-interest) to traditional identities alone. A national community as a form of collective self-interest that can pose a majoritarian danger for “others” was not considered. Even though the ideological motivations are different, fascists use and exploit the language of cultural essentialism against minorities. In his blindness, Marx blessed the majoritarian project and put the minority community in danger. His radical prescription to make being Jew impossible is dangerously close to Nazi logic that the Jew must be eliminated because he cannot be integrated. The fascist and communist idea of the nation has one fundamental connection: no one can exist as other within it, without being an enemy.

Also Read | The Nazification of Israel

The duality in the citizen-cum-person-of-faith that Marx decried as the privatising of religion in bourgeois civil society is the best option for people to grapple with the terrors of the new beast called the modern nation-state, and the alienation of individuated life. This allegorical existence allows a desirable middle ground to civil society, caught between the oppressive state and the community. It acts as a safety valve in spiritual and psychological terms for people faced with the demands of a modern Moloch.

What Marx calls a “secret” is the Jewish soul that faced Hitler’s concentration camps and the dissident soul that faced Josef Stalin’s Gulags. Stalin believed in “the engineers of the human soul” who treated society like a factory that produced subservient bodies. In contrast, Gandhi said, explaining Satyagraha in Young India in 1931, that “the tyrant, whom the satyagrahi seeks to resist, has power over his body and material possessions, but he can have no power over his soul.” The ungraspable, hence bottomless soul preserves the innermost spirit of resistance.

In modernity, the community has been paradoxically broken and widened to embrace the nation. Hegel’s misplaced enthusiasm for the nation beast ruined the edifice of modern thought. There was a scientific bravura to produce a new society. The figure called “man” was born out of a rationalist fantasy that turned against itself. As if people under the liberal state are half-angels, awaiting transformation into full-fledged angels under a communist regime.

“The Jews must decide if their being the chosen people must include violence in the name of Israel, people chosen for endless violence to establish a dystopian promise of Israel.”

Milan Kundera wrote about such angels in The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1978). Kundera described them as sincere citizens of a totalitarian regime who indulged in “circle dancing”: a giant dance of forgetting (“absolute injustice and absolute solace at the same time” as Kundera explained in The Art of the Novel ) where political crimes were collectively ignored and endorsed at the same time. No one wanted to fall out of this ring, for “once a circle closes, there is no return”.

The nihilist characters of Dostoevsky’s Demons (1873) are considered precursory analogues to people who appeared later in the stage of history. Stavrogin is a man who lost the distinction between good and evil, and for Shigalyev, the possibility of freedom can only come from limitless dictatorship. Such thinking has produced far-left and far-right ideologues in the twentieth century. They define and limit the nature of Marx’s optimism.

The Rabbis and orthodox Jews who have decried Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians are those who have not sold their brains and soul to the Zionist project. They know the difference between an ethical community and the unscrupulous ways of a settler-community. Surely, the Jews must decide if their being the chosen people must include violence in the name of Israel, people chosen for endless violence to establish a dystopian promise of Israel.

‘Struggle between two memories’

The evil of German nationalism forced the Jews to leave their homeland in Europe and seek refuge in Israel. The nature of confrontation with Muslims who inhabited that place was overridden by the lens of a brutalised and desperate people. In 1973, when he was living in Beirut, the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s Arab generosity put the Israeli-Palestinian encounter as “a struggle between two memories.” The community of memories evoked by Darwish falls outside the discourse of the state. That is why the Palestine-Israel encounter was bound to be catastrophic.

Gandhi wrote in the Harijan in 1938: “This cry for the national home affords a colourable justification for the German expulsion of the Jews. But the German persecution of the Jews seems to have no parallel in history.” Despite acknowledging its exceptional status, Gandhi hesitated to justify a nation based on the tragic irony of history where persecution moved hands. His reasons were historical and political, rather than showing a lack of empathy: “The Palestine of the Biblical conception is not a geographical tract. It is in their hearts. But if they must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun.” Gandhi dared to give his understanding of Judeo-Christian ethics back to the Jews: You cannot claim a nation by committing foundational violence against people who lived there.

Also Read | Do Palestinians have the right to resist? The unequivocal answer is yes

The Enlightenment provided the world with a new ethic of the secular self, but it experienced severe strain under modern regimes of power. The secular self is cushioned by the idea of a national community founded on a ruthless idea of sovereignty. It transforms the idea of neighbourhood into territorial paranoia.

In 1918, Tagore described modern power as the “scientific product made in the political laboratory of the Nation, through the dissolution of personal humanity.” Unparalleled in his time, Tagore’s indictment of the nation negates the optimism of Enlightenment thought. In Tagore’s visionary understanding, the humanist project that replaced the community with the utopian idea of the “new man” was nothing more than a soulless laboratory product of history. It is time the misplaced arrogance of modern political thought dialogues with older forms of being human.

Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee is the author of Nehru and the Spirit of India.

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