Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................
1.5 Writing a College Application Essay
Key Information
A good college application essay reveals what is unique about you. Before writing, think about your
personality traits, accomplishments, and skills. Aim for clarity as well as creativity.
■ A. Highlighting Personality Traits
A common type of college application question asks you to describe yourself. Below are
examples from essays in which students were asked to describe themselves based on an
adjective. Choose the excerpt that comes closest to something you might write, making slight
revisions if you wish. Then add at least two sentences of your own to “personalize” the essay.
1. I am very superclastic. Superclastic means “adventurous around new people in new situations as
well as always looking at the familiar with new eyes.”____________________________________
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2. I could use words that were very broad and subject to a wide range of interpretations. I considered
words such as industrious, accomplished, and motivated. _________________________________
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3. Unfortunately, I am doomed to see eighteen solutions to every problem, six sides to every square,
because I’m very analytical. ________________________________________________________
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Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
4. I guess what I fear most is being described as ordinary. __________________________________
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■ B. Preparing to Write a Self-Descriptive Essay
List some adjectives that you think best describe yourself, including one of your own creation.
Jot down examples, experiences, or other details you could use to back up this assessment of
yourself.
6 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1
Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................
W R I T I N G A B O U T L I T E R AT U R E
1.7 Writing about Poetry
Key Information
Readers may respond to the same poem in different ways. Some are moved emotionally; others take
a more intellectual approach, analyzing the literary elements of the poem. You can enrich your
responses by writing about your reactions to a poem, by finding out more about the poet, or by
creating a poem of your own.
■ A. First Response
On the lines provided, describe your first response to the poem below. What images came to
mind as you read the poem? What words or features did you like?
Literature Model
S wift things are beautiful:
Swallows and deer,
And lightning that falls
And slow things are beautiful:
The closing of the day,
The pause of the wave
Bright-veined and clear, That curves downward to spray,
Rivers and meteors, The ember that crumbles,
Wind in the wheat, The opening flower,
The strong-withered horse, And the ox that moves on
The runner's sure feet. In the quiet of power.
Elizabeth Coatsworth,“Swift Things Are
Beautiful”
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
■ B. Extending Your Response
Read the poem again, and then complete the activities below.
1. Paraphrase the main idea or message of this poem. _____________________________________
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2. Add images of your own to illustrate that “swift things are beautiful.” ______________________
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3. Add images of your own to illustrate that “slow things are beautiful.”_______________________
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4. If you were to add two more stanzas to this poem, what would their first lines be? ____________
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8 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1
