CBEST Writing: Analytical Essay 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A writer states: 'We should ban fast food because my cousin became obese from eating it daily.' What logical fallacy does this commit?
- False dilemma
- Anecdotal evidence used to support a sweeping policy claim (Correct answer)
- Appeal to authority
- Circular reasoning
Correct answer: Anecdotal evidence used to support a sweeping policy claim
Using a single personal anecdote to justify a broad policy is anecdotal reasoning and insufficient for analytical argument.
Question 2: When revising an analytical essay under timed conditions, which area should be prioritized FIRST?
- Correcting every spelling error
- Checking that the argument is clear, complete, and logically supported (Correct answer)
- Adding longer sentences to increase word count
- Rewriting the entire introduction
Correct answer: Checking that the argument is clear, complete, and logically supported
CBEST scorers prioritize argumentative clarity and logical development over surface-level mechanics.
Question 3: Which of the following introductory strategies is MOST effective for a CBEST analytical essay?
- Begin with a dictionary definition of the topic
- Open with context that leads to a specific, arguable thesis (Correct answer)
- Start with 'In this essay I will discuss...'
- Begin with an apology for any errors the reader may find
Correct answer: Open with context that leads to a specific, arguable thesis
Context followed by a specific thesis engages the reader and establishes the essay's analytical purpose immediately.
Question 4: What is the function of 'hedging language' such as 'tends to,' 'in many cases,' or 'suggests' in analytical writing?
- To weaken the essay by showing uncertainty on every point
- To make overly broad claims sound more precise and defensible (Correct answer)
- To avoid taking any position on the topic
- To increase word count without adding meaning
Correct answer: To make overly broad claims sound more precise and defensible
Hedging language acknowledges the limits of a claim without abandoning it, making arguments more intellectually honest and precise.
Question 5: A CBEST prompt presents a controversial policy and asks you to 'assess its potential consequences.' Which approach earns the highest score?
- State only the positive consequences and ignore negatives
- Identify and analyze multiple likely consequences with supporting reasoning (Correct answer)
- Restate the policy in different words to fill the required length
- Argue that predicting consequences is impossible
Correct answer: Identify and analyze multiple likely consequences with supporting reasoning
Identifying and analyzing multiple consequences with reasoning demonstrates the depth required for a high-scoring analytical essay.
Question 6: Which sentence shows CORRECT parallel structure?
- The candidate promised to lower taxes, creating jobs, and that education would be reformed.
- The candidate promised to lower taxes, to create jobs, and to reform education. (Correct answer)
- The candidate promised lower taxes, that jobs would be created, and reforming education.
- The candidate promised lower taxes, creating jobs, and to reform education.
Correct answer: The candidate promised to lower taxes, to create jobs, and to reform education.
Parallel structure requires the same grammatical form for each item in a series; 'to lower, to create, to reform' are all infinitives.
Question 7: Which revision BEST eliminates the passive voice to strengthen an analytical claim?
- Mistakes were made by the administration during the crisis.
- During the crisis, it was decided by the administration that mistakes had been made.
- The administration made critical mistakes during the crisis that worsened public health outcomes. (Correct answer)
- Mistakes that occurred during the crisis were the fault of those in administration.
Correct answer: The administration made critical mistakes during the crisis that worsened public health outcomes.
Active voice places the agent first ('the administration made'), creating a clearer, more direct, and more forceful analytical statement.
CBEST Writing: Analytical Essay 5
A writer states: 'We should ban fast food because my cousin became obese from eating it daily.' What logical fallacy does this commit?