How to Write an Examination Essay
A history examination is "history" in both senses of the word: 1) it
conveys a knowledge of the known human past; and 2) it critically
documents that knowledge by arguments supported by evidence and
allusions to primary sources. Memorizing a textbook will not
guarantee a good essay. Careful preparation and thought are
required.
Studying for an Essay Examination:
Begin by reading your class
notes and the texts' major chapter headings. What are the major
themes? How do these relate? Or, more bluntly, what essays will the
teacher ask? Write three or four logical essay questions on the top
of separate sheets of scratch paper, one question to a sheet. Jot
down the best answering thesis you can, and perhaps some logical
supporting arguments. Then when you review the highlights and notes
that you have made on the assigned readings, write down on the
relevant note pages the ideas, facts, and examples that relate to
the possible essays. After you have finished your test review,
revise the outline for each question. Study these sheets prior to
the test. If you are skilled and/or lucky, you may have guessed and
outlined an examination essay in advance. At least you will have
practiced essay organization, and gathered evidence that will
probably be helpful in documenting related essay questions.
Some teachers provide students in
advance some possible essay questions. Obviously this
simplifies the process described above, but the basic
preparation--creating note sheets for each essay, constructing a
thesis that would answer it, and then assembling evidence to support
the thesis by reviewing your class readings--remains the same.
The Pause before Writing:
Think before you write. Some students
write a brief outline of the arguments that support
their theses. This takes time, but it avoids time lost due to
repetitions and false starts.
Thesis:
Every essay should have a main point,
a thesis. It needs to be stated up front, because this particular
overview, interpretation, or synthesis dictates the arguments and
evidence that you will present. Normally an opening paragraph states
the thesis, defines its terms and limits, and indicates how the
essay will develop. Be specific. It is never satisfactory to have an
opening paragraph that says only that "There are many reasons why
Rome fell." Your opening paragraph should define what you mean by
"Rome," what you mean by its "fall," and should list those reasons
you believe are significant and will develop in subsequent
paragraphs.
Supporting Arguments:
Document your thesis with supporting
arguments or examples. These usually require separate paragraphs,
often arranged so that the argument is presented in an opening topic
sentence, followed by documentation. Skip some lines between the
supporting paragraphs, because then, if you remember some additional
information, it can be easily inserted into the body of your essay.
Evidence:
Arguments should be
supported by evidence. Historians are particularly impressed when
allusions are made to primary sources, such as those documents from
The Medieval Sourcebook that you downloaded from the web,
because critical historiography ultimately refers back to the best
evidence whenever possible. How do you know if you have
documented your arguments sufficiently? One way is to count the
proper nouns, that is, the names of particular persons, places, and
things which in English are written with initial capital letters. An
essay with almost no proper nouns is too abstract and fluffy.
Another way is to count words such as "for example," "such as,"
"including," and so forth. If you use a number of these phrases,
then your abstract arguments will be anchored in concrete reality.
Time:
Pace yourself carefully in
all examinations. Yet if you should run short of time in an essay
examination, and cannot finish your essay, it is better to conclude
with an outline of the points you would have made, rather than to
leave major points of your case unstated.