Midterm Exam Prompt (sample)

Midterm Exam prompt

Read Jeffrey D. Sachs’s op-ed, “The End of Poverty, Soon,” published in The New York Times. Carefully identify its thesis and supporting points. Then write a summary of the essay in three to four well-developed paragraphs. Assume that you are writing for a reader who has not read the essay and who has asked you to provide a synopsis of its contents. Stay objective and try to present a balanced and accurate account. Cite all quotations and paraphrases with parenthetical (in-text) citations in MLA format (using the author’s last name and paragraph numbers) and include a work cited entry at the end of your summary. Good luck!

The following checklist is offered to guide you as you draft and revise your summary.
● I have mentioned the title, author, and topic of the essay in my first sentence.
● I have included the thesis and all main points of the essay.
● I have used the present tense to discuss the essay.
● I have not included my personal opinion or evaluation of the essay.
● I have not plagiarized; I have used my own words to summarize the content and included in-text citations and attributive tags as needed.
● I have carefully proofread.
● I have included a work cited entry.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License