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Asking Questions in an Argumentative Essay: Why, When, and How to Use Them



Below are the top 25 questions students ask us about essay writing and our answers, plus plenty of links to other useful articles on our blog and on the web. Hopefully, this material will help get your essay writing off to a great start!


After you have written a developed draft, take off your writer's hat and put on your reader's hat. Evaluate your essay carefully and critically. Exchange a draft of your essay with classmates to get their feedback. Carefully revise your draft based on your assessment of it and suggestions from your peers. For self-assessment and peer response to your draft, you may want to use a peer editing sheet. A peer editing sheet will guide you and your peers by asking specific questions about your text (i.e., What is the thesis of this essay? Is it arguable? Does the writer include ample evidence? Is the structure suitable for the topic and the audience?).




asking questions in an argumentative essay



That means if you hear an argumentative objection, the questioner (attorney or self-represented party) is likely trying to offer a conclusion of what the evidence means rather than simply asking for the facts of what actually happened.


Some possible questions to ask yourself about your essay draft that go way beyond proofreading (you can also have someone else read your essay, and then you can ask them to answer these questions):


A question title might be appropriate if you feel like there are multiple perspectives on your topic that you need to cover. On the other hand, if you are writing an argumentative or persuasive essay, you might want to turn your essay title into a statement. Therefore, a question title can be a solid option for an academic essay, but it is not necessarily appropriate for every type of essay.


Whether you use a question or not, writing a good title is essential in essay writing. Both types of titles, whether phrases or questions, need to summarize the main ideas of your essay. They should be short but practical because the main focus is on the content, not the title. They also should be catchy and creative, which is why a question can work well if appropriate to the essay.


In College Writing, the writing you do in class is as important as the writing you do outside of class. Class time is often spent on exercises designed to help you practice new writing strategies, experiment with alternative writing strategies, and prepare to write longer assignments. You will write formal, argumentative essays, but you will also spend time on shorter, less-formal and more-process-oriented writing. Additionally, you will work on a research project, through which you'll learn the academic conventions of scholarship at the university.


Portfolios should include 3-5 analytical, argumentative essays (minimum of 4 pages each) from previous college coursework, including one researched essay, and a brief description of the original assignment / goals for each essay submitted. Essays should be ones written for college (preferably writing) courses. They should have analytical or argumentative thesis statements; use evidence to support claims; integrate and cite researched sources responsibly; and engage critically with sources. (The following items should not be submitted: responses to essay examinations, personal or creative writing, book reviews, journalism articles, response papers, or writing done during high school.) Where possible, essays should not be marked or graded; grades received in previous courses have no bearing on the portfolio review process.


An argumentative essay is the most popular type of academic writing in school and college. But the more you write, the more questions remain on how to write an argumentative essay because of tons of details to consider.


Our professional writers craft dozens of argumentative essays daily. So we asked them to answer all your FAQs and share expert tips to help you polish argumentative essay writing skills once and for all.


Your ultimate guide on writing argumentative essays, with topics to choose, claims to consider, structure to cover, and examples to check for getting a better idea of how to write an argumentative essay.


Writing an argumentative essay is a typical assignment in schools and colleges. The goal is to teach you critical thinking, information research and evaluation, and meaningful thought expression. Every essay type in college is more or less argumentative.


Good argumentative essay topics are those debatable (with at least two conflicting points of view), compelling, and with solid evidence. Also, it would help if your chosen topic was something of your interest:


The goal of an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader that your claim (thesis statement) is accurate. For that, you need to use facts, data, statistics, examples, testimonials, and any other kinds of references.


The main features of an argumentative essay are: (1) A researchable and debatable topic and claim, (2) Strong evidence to support the claim, (3) A definite structure to present arguments and counterarguments, (4) Persuasive writing style and tone of voice, and (5) A compelling conclusion.


Avoid slipping into clichés or generalities. Take this opportunity to really examine an experience that taught you something you didn't previously know about yourself, got you out of your comfort zone, or forced you to grow. Sometimes it's better to write about something that was hard for you because you learned something than it is to write about something that was easy for you because you think it sounds admirable. As with all essay questions, the most important thing is to tell a great story: how you discovered this activity, what drew you to it, and what it's shown you about yourself.


Why are you writing this essay? Well, of course to get a good score. But, how are you going to do that? By writing an essay with a well-established purpose. Think about the questions asked in the prompt. Make the answers your purpose. Also think about the way the prompt is worded. Did it ask you to construct an argument? If so, try to persuade your audience into seeing your point of view on the matter. Did the prompt ask you to explain an event? Set out to write your essay with the purpose of informing your readers about whatever happened.


Understanding how to organize an essay is the first step to being able to tackle any prompt. The SOAPSTone method is a great structural tool to use when practicing for your AP exams; not only for writing essays, but also for multiple-choice questions about specific passages. 2ff7e9595c


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