SAT Reality TV Question

 

It’s an unfair demand: Not only do test takers have to make a convincing argument, they also have to draw on specific examples to enhance their point, meaning that students may be expected to know more than just what’s taught in their English classes — but certainly not anything about the cast of “Big Brother.”

Past SAT questions have been on topics such as book excerpts or common social issues — things they generally learn in school. From these broad topics, most students can produce a five-paragraph essay with adequate examples.

In preparation for the SAT, students are urged to pick three examples — like current events, or literature — that they can shoehorn into any essay topic they are given.

But this recent essay question required an exceedingly narrow set of examples that high school students will have different levels of knowledge about — from the diehard “Survivor” fan to the kid who has never heard of “American Idol.”

— Bridgett Rangel-Rexford

Staff Writer

Every Prompt Has its Naysayers

The SAT may be an enduring rite of passage for American youth, but it’s nevertheless prone to makeovers in an effort to stay relevant. Earlier this month, test-takers were asked to write on what some see as a particularly unscholarly topic: reality television.

Qualms about the prompt’s suitability for such a formal evaluation are — to use an SAT word — superfluous. The test’s writing component, added in 2005, provides students an opportunity to exhibit written communication skills, not their knowledge of a particular subject.

Graders aren’t expecting empirical research papers comparing the authenticity of “Bridalplasty” to “Hell’s Kitchen.” They just want to see how a student can organize information into a unified argument.

Past essay topics, like environmental science and international diplomacy, were just as specific. Students are only bemoaning this essay so they have something to blame for their college application neuroses. Every post-SAT period is filled with choruses from a batch of students worried their lack of knowledge regarding that year’s topic — it’s just that this time, those students get to complain about not watching enough “Jersey Shore.”

— Alex Pakzad

Staff Writer

Nothing’s More Accessible Than T.V.

For all the ubiquity of the Web over the last 10 years, television has remained a mainstream American institution — a fact the College Board recognizes. Regardless of whether you’re a reality TV junkie or have a “tiger mom” that’s forbidden everything but the history channel, you’ve heard of reality TV and at least glimpsed reality TV gossip stories while waiting in line at Ralph’s or CVS, which is why the March SAT essay question on reality TV is perfectly valid.

According to an August 2010, University of Michigan study, the national TV consumption average for those under 18 is three hours per day. So, even if not every test taker is a “Biggest Loser” devotee, she should have at least enough history to whip out something passable.

Plus, reality TV is hardly a new phenomenon. The genre, as we know it today, was introduced by MTV’s “The Real World” in 1992 — before nearly every student taking the test was born — and has grown exponentially since. Many, such as “Survivor” and “American Idol,” are frequently among the most-watched programs on television.

With all the exposure television has among high school students, finding adequate examples to back up an argument couldn’t conceivably be much of a challenge even for the bookworms in the room.

— Madeline Mann

Senior Staff Writer


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