New Writing Sample Prompts

For your reference, below is a new set of writing sample prompts. We will begin using these as soon as we start to run out of writing samples with the existing prompts.

Set A

1. The majority of American citizens do not take their right to vote seriously choosing to let others select their elected officials. Explain several reasons, as you see them, why it is important for people to vote.
2. Discuss several reasons for attending college other than obtaining a well-paying job.
3. Mobile devices have become so common that even young children use smart phones and tablets. Discuss several ways that mobile devices have negatively affected family life.

Set B

1. Today’s youth have never lived in a world without texting, twitter, and other forms of social media. However, more and more experts believe that life online can be unhealthy. Besides the dangers of cyber predators, discuss several drawbacks to social media use for teenagers.
2. Dogs and cats are common pets. Even apartment complexes today allow pets, sometimes providing walking areas for such animals. Discuss several benefits that pets provide to families.
3. Today more and more couples are choosing not to marry. Discuss several reasons for this trend.

Set C

1. Jobs are not only about making money. They also often teach us important life lessons. Discuss several lessons that may be learned from working.
2. Crime dramas are a popular form of television entertainment. Discuss several reasons for the popularity of these shows.
3. Not everyone enrolling in college comes for a degree. Discuss several benefits besides earning a degree that attending college affords.

Set D

1. In the current society, a sense of rudeness and disrespect seems to exist. Discuss several ways in which rudeness and disrespect have impacted society.
2. Many people are forced to give up driving as their vision, hearing, and reaction times decrease with age. Discuss several problems that people who can no longer drive face.
3. Many adolescents allow their peers to influence their behavior. Discuss several factors that drive students to follow their peers’ behavior even when it is not in their best interests to do so.

Set E

1. Newspapers are in trouble. Subscriptions to newspapers continue to dwindle. Although students say that they prefer reading their news online, most get their news from brief news feeds on social media sites. Discuss several disadvantages of the decline of the printed newspaper.
2. Identify a specific problem in the public school system where you live. Discuss several causes of that problem.
3. Discuss several ways that parents can foster in their children a sense of respect for others.

Set F

1. Fitness centers and exercise classes have become so popular that individuals do not have to venture far from home to find a place to exercise. However, not everyone exercises for the same reason. Discuss several reasons that people exercise.
2. Cheating on school work, according to the media, is on the rise. Discuss several factors that drive students to cheat academically.
3. Discuss several ways in which contemporary eating habits are changing

Set G

1. Mobile devices have become so common that even young children use devices like smart phones and tablets. Discuss several ways that mobile devices have changed our lives for the better.
2. The cost of a college education continues to increase. Discuss several effects that the increasing cost of higher education may have on American society in the future.
3. For many older individuals, being a teenager seems to be the best of times – free from worry, stress, and responsibilities. But such a view of teenagers may be inaccurate. Discuss several challenges of being a teenager.

Set H

1. Over half of students enrolling in college today have difficulty passing a college-level math course. Discuss several reasons that college mathematics is so difficult for students.
2. For years, part of the American dream has focused on owning a home. However, in the current economic environment, some individuals are choosing to rent rather than purchase a home. Discuss several advantages of renting.
3. Today’s youth have never lived in a world without emailing, texting, tweeting, and other forms of social media. Discuss several benefits to social media use for teenagers.

Set I

1. Identify a specific problem which married couples face. Discuss several ways that problem can be addressed.
2. For many generations, young adults could not wait to move out of their family homes to live on their own. However, over the last decade, many young adults either have remained at home or have chosen to return home to live with their parents. Discuss several benefits of living at home as a young adult.
3. Today, more and more reality shows are appearing on television. Discuss several potential problems with these kinds of shows.