A Examination provides students with a prose passage of some 700 to l,000 words. The passage is about as difficult as the reading encountered in freshman courses at the University.
Students have two hours to read the passage and to respond to a single topic.
That topic asks students to analyze the passage according to a particular viewpoint or perspective, or it may ask to explain important ideas in the passage and respond to them. Either kind of topic requires students to demonstrate their ability to develop critical thought in writing. Essays are evaluated on the basis of students' ability to develop their central idea, to express themselves clearly and to use the conventions of written English.