RLA Structuring the Extended Response 5

Question 1

A writer has 45 minutes for the Extended Response. Which time allocation is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Spend 5 minutes planning, 30 minutes writing, and 10 minutes revising

Answer

A brief planning phase produces a clearer argument, and revision time catches errors that cost points on language conventions.

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the difference between summarizing and analyzing a source in the Extended Response?

Accepted Answer

Summarizing retells what the source says; analyzing explains what the evidence means for the argument

Answer

Summary merely restates content, while analysis interprets the evidence and connects it to the writer's thesis—analysis is what the rubric rewards.

Question 3

A student notices that one passage uses anecdotal evidence while the other uses statistical data. How should this observation be used in the Extended Response?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate which type of evidence more effectively supports the claim and explain why

Answer

Evaluating evidence type—and explaining why one is more persuasive in context—demonstrates the analytical thinking the rubric scores highly.

Question 4

Which sentence best serves as a bridge between two body paragraphs in an Extended Response?

Accepted Answer

'While the first argument addresses economic costs, a second critical issue concerns public safety.'

Answer

An effective bridge summarizes the point just made and previews the next, using a logical connector that shows how the ideas relate.

Question 5

What is the effect of using overly general language such as 'society' or 'everyone' as the subject of claims in the Extended Response?

Accepted Answer

It weakens the argument by making claims that are difficult to prove and lack precision

Answer

Vague subjects like 'everyone' overstate scope and cannot be supported by the specific evidence in the source texts.

RLA - Reasoning through Language Arts Practice Test

RLA - Reasoning through Language Arts Practice Test

RLA Structuring the Extended Response 5