English Essay ( 30 minutes to reading all the material, 1 hour to working on it )

This is an 1 hours essay. You will have 30 minutes to read over all the instruction and material, 1 hour to working on it total 1:30 minutes

Instruction:

1. Before you start writing, it’s a good idea to brainstorm and to outline briefly your essay’s thesis and main points.
2. Read the prompt carefully. Make sure to respond directly to the topic prompt. Write a complete essay with an introduction (which includes a thesis statement at the end), a couple of body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
3. SHOW, don’t just tell, by including specific examples from the texts (Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories), which you fully develop and explain and also demonstrate evidence of your skills in close reading.
4. Plan to finish at least fifteen minutes before the exam period ends in order to edit and to proofread your essay (e.g., catch any missing words, add transitions, minimize spelling errors, make sure your writing is clear and understandable) before submitting it online.
5. Write an original title for your essay.

Additional Information ( that may help):

Your essay needs to be a complete one. You should aim to write a 5-paragraph essay. This means that your essay will need to have an introductory paragraph (which includes a thesis statement at the end), 3 body paragraphs to support your thesis, and a concluding paragraph. If you find that you’re running out of time and won’t be able to complete 5 paragraphs, then aim to write at least 4 paragraphs (i.e., introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion). It is also important to take time to make an outline of your essay (the thesis and the textual examples you will use to support it in your body paragraphs). Nothing is worse than writing up half of your essay and realizing that you don’t have enough evidence to back up your claim!

For this essay, I will be asking you to give examples to support your ideas from Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories: “A Temporary Matter”; “Blessed House”; When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”; and “Mrs. Sen’s.”

As this is a timed exam, you do not need to quote directly from the readings, but you do need specific examples from them. In fact, the more specific your examples, the stronger your essay. You also do not need to have a works cited page, but it is important to introduce the author and text(s) in the body of your essay if you will be referring to specific examples from them.