Think fast! SAT essays are a unique genre of timed writing. Practicing your response to these essay prompts will not only help you when you take the SAT, but it will also help you build confidence for any occasion in which you need to communicate your ideas succinctly and timely. It happens in business every day, but it also happens when you are applying for jobs or sitting in a high school or college classroom. The key to developing a great response is providing evidence.
Take a look at this SAT prompt and examples:
SAT Prompt: Think carefully about the issue presented in the following quotations and the assignment below:
1. Honesty is an important value in every relationship. Whether interacting with afriend, a roommate, a spouse, a parent, or another loved one, individuals expect others to be honest and feel betrayed when they are deceived. Adapted from Jennifer Geischeidler, et. al., “Deception of Parents during Adolescence”
2. Deception can actually make it easier for people to get along. In a recent study, forexample, one out of every four of the lies told by participants was told solely for thebenefit of another person. In fact, most lies are harmless social untruths in whichpeople pretend to like someone or something more than they actually do (“Yourmuffins are the best!”). Adapted from Allison Kornet, “The Truth about Lying”
Assignment: Is deception ever justified? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
My Deception Essay “Honesty is the best policy” is a saying that holds a lot of truth. Sometimes people lie to protect themselves, but the truth always comes out.
Sometimes people tell white lies. My cousin was invited to a wedding and she asked for my opinion on her dress. Her dress was awful. I told her that the dress was beautiful anyway. I probably should have told her the truth because the guests laughed at her.
Lying can also lead to something more serious. Cheating on a test, for instance, may result in failure of a class or expulsion from school. Once my brother helped his best friend cheat on a test, and they both got into big trouble.
It’s easier to lie than to tell the truth sometimes. If one gives children sugar-coated versions of the truth, they may feel even greater shock when they discover the facts. Deception is often a kind gesture, but truth can prepare a child for the future.
Thus, we can view deception as a sweet treat. Similarly, deception appears to be justifiable and sometimes even compassionate, but it only holds future problems.
This is the actual essay provided by The College Board. Student Sample (Score of 6)
“Honesty is the best policy” may be a trite saying, but it holds an enormous amount of truth. Though deception often allows one to escape immediate repercussions, the truth will always emerge. In most situations, one will find that deception does not offer the same long-term benefits as honesty does.
Sometimes deception occurs in the form of white lies. For instance, my cousin Joanne was invited to her friend’s wedding in Hawaii and she asked for my opinion on her dress. Her dress was a hideous creation; it looked like a mass of cabbages sewn together. But I smiled and told Joanne that the dress was beautiful anyway. How could I ruin her excitement over the dress? Looking back at that moment, I probably should have told her the truth, considering that the guests laughed at her. She had trusted me to give an honest, helpful opinion, but, instead, I led her to humiliation.
With regards to more serious matters, however, deception can lead to more dire consequences. Cheating on a test, for instance, may result in failure of a class or expulsion from school. My brother had helped his best friend cheat on a math test, but he confessed the truth to the teacher immediately afterwards. The teacher only forced the two boys to retake the test because she appreciated their honesty. If my brother had not approached his teacher, he might have been kicked out of school. Furthermore, my brother’s decision serves as an example of morality to his friend and other students. Thus, he saved his friend from more serious punishment, which would have been his justification for lying anyway.
Despite these advantages to telling the truth, deception can still be rather tempting. For instance, how can one explain the death of a relative to an innocent child? Is it justified to lie to him in order to protect him from the harshness of reality? Should a child learn about war? If one gives children sugar-coated versions of the truth, they may feel even greater shock when they discover the facts. Deception is often a kind, protective gesture, but truth can prepare a child for the future. If revealed gradually, truth offers valuable knowledge.
Thus, one can view deception as a sweet treat. It is like a cookie that satisfies hunger and gives immediate pleasure. However, the cookie will only cause poor health in the future. Similarly, deception appears to be a justifiable and sometimes even compassionate, but it only holds future problems.
Interested in seeing more SAT essay prompts? Follow this link:SAT Prompts
Take a look at this SAT prompt and examples:
SAT Prompt:
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following quotations and the assignment below:
1. Honesty is an important value in every relationship. Whether interacting with a friend, a roommate, a spouse, a parent, or another loved one, individuals expect others to be honest and feel betrayed when they are deceived.
Adapted from Jennifer Geischeidler, et. al., “Deception of Parents during Adolescence”
2. Deception can actually make it easier for people to get along. In a recent study, for example, one out of every four of the lies told by participants was told solely for the benefit of another person. In fact, most lies are harmless social untruths in which people pretend to like someone or something more than they actually do (“Your muffins are the best!”).
Adapted from Allison Kornet, “The Truth about Lying”
Assignment: Is deception ever justified? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
My Deception Essay
“Honesty is the best policy” is a saying that holds a lot of truth. Sometimes people lie to protect themselves, but the truth always comes out.
Sometimes people tell white lies. My cousin was invited to a wedding and she asked for my opinion on her dress. Her dress was awful. I told her that the dress was beautiful anyway. I probably should have told her the truth because the guests laughed at her.
Lying can also lead to something more serious. Cheating on a test, for instance, may result in failure of a class or expulsion from school. Once my brother helped his best friend cheat on a test, and they both got into big trouble.
It’s easier to lie than to tell the truth sometimes. If one gives children sugar-coated versions of the truth, they may feel even greater shock when they discover the facts. Deception is often a kind gesture, but truth can prepare a child for the future.
Thus, we can view deception as a sweet treat. Similarly, deception appears to be justifiable and sometimes even compassionate, but it only holds future problems.
This is the actual essay provided by The College Board.
Student Sample (Score of 6)
“Honesty is the best policy” may be a trite saying, but it holds an enormous amount of truth. Though deception often allows one to escape immediate repercussions, the truth will always emerge. In most situations, one will find that deception does not offer the same long-term benefits as honesty does.
Sometimes deception occurs in the form of white lies. For instance, my cousin Joanne was invited to her friend’s wedding in Hawaii and she asked for my opinion on her dress. Her dress was a hideous creation; it looked like a mass of cabbages sewn together. But I smiled and told Joanne that the dress was beautiful anyway. How could I ruin her excitement over the dress? Looking back at that moment, I probably should have told her the truth, considering that the guests laughed at her. She had trusted me to give an honest, helpful opinion, but, instead, I led her to humiliation.
With regards to more serious matters, however, deception can lead to more dire consequences. Cheating on a test, for instance, may result in failure of a class or expulsion from school. My brother had helped his best friend cheat on a math test, but he confessed the truth to the teacher immediately afterwards. The teacher only forced the two boys to retake the test because she appreciated their honesty. If my brother had not approached his teacher, he might have been kicked out of school. Furthermore, my brother’s decision serves as an example of morality to his friend and other students. Thus, he saved his friend from more serious punishment, which would have been his justification for lying anyway.
Despite these advantages to telling the truth, deception can still be rather tempting. For instance, how can one explain the death of a relative to an innocent child? Is it justified to lie to him in order to protect him from the harshness of reality? Should a child learn about war? If one gives children sugar-coated versions of the truth, they may feel even greater shock when they discover the facts. Deception is often a kind, protective gesture, but truth can prepare a child for the future. If revealed gradually, truth offers valuable knowledge.
Thus, one can view deception as a sweet treat. It is like a cookie that satisfies hunger and gives immediate pleasure. However, the cookie will only cause poor health in the future. Similarly, deception appears to be a justifiable and sometimes even compassionate, but it only holds future problems.
Interested in seeing more SAT essay prompts? Follow this link: SAT Prompts