Arguing With Published Criticism · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Keeping your essay yours

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 17-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What is a critic for in your essay?

    • A judge who settles the question
    • A whetstone that sharpens your claim
    • Decoration for the margins

  2. What comes first when answering a critic?

    • Your own claim in one sentence
    • A long quotation from the critic
    • A list of every book you own

  3. Piling up many critic quotations makes an essay yours.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Where should the critic enter your exam essay?

    • In a detached paragraph at the end
    • Only in the title
    • At the moment of maximum pressure, on your evidence

  5. A critic says the hero acts from greed. One scene supports this, two contradict it. What is the strongest move?

    • Agree totally and ignore the two scenes
    • Concede the one scene, then show where the claim breaks
    • Quote a different critic instead

  6. Fair citation means quoting critics so readers can check the context.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. An essay agrees with every critic and tests none. What went wrong?

    • The essay handed itself over instead of arguing
    • The essay used too few adjectives
    • The essay needed longer quotes

  8. Omar quotes a critic who calls a poem despairing, then finds joyful lines the critic skipped. What now?

    • Hide the joyful lines to stay consistent
    • Delete the critic and praise the poem vaguely
    • Ask what the critic assumes and skips, then sharpen his claim with both sets
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Keeping your essay yours W1-mt_RHkHphHUHO-s1

  1. A whetstone that sharpens your claim · Critics give your argument something to push against.
  2. Your own claim in one sentence · The thesis anchors everything borrowed after it.
  3. False · Without your anchor sentence, the essay belongs to everyone but you.
  4. At the moment of maximum pressure, on your evidence · Answer them where your textual moments bite hardest.
  5. Concede the one scene, then show where the claim breaks · Partial agreement plus a precise limit beats total war.
  6. True · Checkable quotes keep both you and the critic honest.
  7. The essay handed itself over instead of arguing · Untested agreement lets critics settle what you should sharpen.
  8. Ask what the critic assumes and skips, then sharpen his claim with both sets · Skipped evidence marks the limit where the claim stops holding.
Worksheet · LightMySky