Discursive Essay Summary

What does an Introduction function as?

• State your preliminary stand

• Present an assessment of both sides of the argument

• Set the direction of the essay

• Summarise the your key points in the essay

Answer explanation

Do you need a stand for a discursive essay?

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is what many see as the basis of the justice system in Singapore today, with corporal punishments such as caning still in practice for serious and capital punishments."

What kind of hook is this?

• Proverb

• Definition

• Shocking statement or scenario

• Quotation

In the introduction paragraph, what is the purpose of a HOOK?

• To persuade the reader of your argument

• To distract the reader from your stand

• To grab the reader's attention

• To educate the reader about your thesis statement

In the introduction, what is the purpose of an Overview?

• To provide contextual information

• To set the direction of the essay

• To present an assessment of the overall argument

• To arouse the readers' interest

Answer explanation

To provide readers with an overview (context) of the topic

All of the following are "hooks", except for?

• Quotation

• Background Information

• Rhetorical Question

• Past and Present

Which of the following is a Rhetorical Question?

• Did you know? In 2023, Singapore was ranked the happiest country in Asia

• Money makes the world go round, and no where is that truer than in the workplace. However, are cash incentives truly the best way to reward people?

• What is the biggest advantage to online learning? Easy — the sheer convenience and user-friendly interface.

• We have so many problems in the world. What can be our best solution to solve them?

What should each body paragraph contain?

• Point, example, explanation, link

• Point, evidence, elaboration, link

• Point, overview, elaboration, link

• Point, facts, link

Answer explanation

What does PEEL stand for?

For your body paragraphs, you need to include a few 'E's. Which of the following is an ACCURATE explanation for each 'E'?

• Examples — situation or personal experience

• Evidence - statistics, expert opinion or facts

• Elaboration - to explain your evidence in relation to the point

• Explanation - to show cause and effect

The following excerpt is from which part of the Body Paragraph?

"Take a new-born infant for instance, most typical parents, and even many other adults, would naturally gasp at the tiny toddler, gushing how beautiful the little one is."

• Point

• Elaboration

• Evidence

• Link

Within a body paragraph, your elaboration/explaination should ONLY come after your evidence/facts.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Answer explanation

Not necessarily! Sometime you will need to elaborate — add context, explain — your point MORE clearly.