Interpreting the Prompt
This is the first thing you should do before planning your essay when you read a prompt.
What is figure out the task or question?
This paragraph includes the hook, background, and thesis.
What is the introduction?
This sentence answers the prompt and tells your main idea.
What is the thesis?
Quotes and details from the text are both types of this.
What is evidence?
After evidence, you must write this to explain how it supports your point.
What is the explanation?
When a prompt says “use evidence from the text,” it means your answer must include this.
What are quotes from the text?
These paragraphs include evidence and explanation.
What are the body paragraphs?
The thesis belongs in this paragraph.
What is the introduction?
Evidence should always support this part of your writing.
What is your thesis?
Writing what happened in the story without explaining it is called this.
What is a summary?
A prompt that asks, “How does the author show an important message?” is asking you to write this type of essay.
What is an essay about theme?
This paragraph restates the thesis and leaves the reader with a final thought.
What is the conclusion?
A strong thesis cannot be just a summary — it must do this.
What is answer the question or give a point?
When including a quote, it should always have this.
What is a sentence starter (signal phrase)?
One way to explain evidence is to ask this question.
What is what does it prove?
A prompt that asks you to “compare and contrast” wants you to talk about these.
What are similarities and differences?
The order of intro → body → conclusion is called this.
What is organization or essay structure?
A thesis should not start with phrases like “In this essay I will” because it makes writing sound like this.
What is basic or weak?
Saying “This shows…” or “This proves…” helps introduce this part after your evidence.
What is the explanation?
The explanation is always written using these words.
What are your own words?
When a prompt gives multiple instructions (ex: make a claim, use evidence, explain), you must do this before writing.
What is break the prompt into steps?
Every body paragraph must include a topic sentence, evidence, and this.
What is an explanation?
A strong thesis must be this.
What is arguable or a claim?
Correctly citing a quote usually means including this.
What is the author and page number?
A strong explanation answers this.
What is explaining your thinking?