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MINISTERIAL EXAMINATION OF COLLEGE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE

WRITING GUIDELINES

11 August 2004


Write a 750–word essay that explores a main idea in one of the three readings. Your essay should include an interpretation of the reading and discussion of the ways in which the author develops his/her ideas. Make sure that your essay does more than simply summarize the reading; make sure, as well, that you write the required number of words.



READING 1: A short story

Identify a main idea in Hilles's short story and structure your essay around a thesis statement that expresses your interpretation of his story. Make appropriate references to the reading and be sure to comment on his use of techniques and devices*.

Text :  “Finding Evidence” by Robert Hilles

Reference :  Hilles, Robert. “Finding Evidence”. Canadian Fiction Magazine. 76 (1992): 9-13.


READING 2: An essay

Identify a main idea in Davies's text and structure your essay around a thesis statement that expresses your perspective on Davies's argument. Make appropriate references to his essay, comment on his use of techniques and devices*, and justify your own position on the issue(s) he raises.

Text :  “Life (and Death) on Mars” by Paul Davies

Reference :  Davies, Paul. “Life (and Death) on Mars”. New York Times on the Web. 15 Jan. 2004
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/15/opinion/15 DAVI.html>


READING 3: An essay

Identify a main idea in Saige's text and structure your essay around a thesis statement that expresses your perspective on his argument. Make appropriate references to his essay, comment on his use of techniques and devices*, and justify your own position on the issue(s) he raises.

Text :  “Mega Buys” by Franklin Saige

Reference :  Saige, Franklin. “Mega Buys”. Conversations: Readings for Writing. 3rd Edition. Ed. Jack Selzer. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997. 1066-1069.


* 

Techniques and devices may include the following: allusion, analogy, characterization, comparison, contrast, description, dialogue, diction, enumeration, example, imagery, irony, level of language, metaphor, narration, narrative point of view, repetition, rhetorical questions, setting, simile, symbolism, and tone. You may be familiar with others as well.


© Gouvernement du Québec, 2009