Conclusions to essays about ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ | Exit Quiz | Oak National Academy

Starting with the first sentence, order the possible structure for a concluding paragraph in an analytical essay on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

• An evaluative comment about Shakespeare's intentions.

• A sentence with a specific response to your thesis.

• A general comment about why the play is still important and popular.

Answer explanation

Knowing how to conclude an essay can sometimes feel scary. If you have a structure you can follow, it becomes a much less daunting task.

When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there are some terms which can help you understand what you should include. Match the key terms to their definitions.

• writer's intentions

• making a judgement or comment about something

• thesis

• an idea that is not tied to a particular detail

• specific idea

• what a writer wants to achieve or explore in their work

• general idea

• an idea that is tied to a particular detail

• evaluation

• an idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay

Answer explanation

Each of these five terms is useful in terms of understanding what type of things you should include in a conclusion to an essay. Your conclusion will start with a specific summary of your thesis, before thinking more generally about the play.

When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what should you include?

• analysis of quotations

• evaluation of writer's intentions

• general summary of the plot

• a response to your thesis

• a general idea about why the play remains popular

Answer explanation

A conclusion is a good opportunity not only to remind the reader of your overall argument, but also to show off your understanding of the writer's intentions with their work.

When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what could the final sentence of your conclusion do?

• ask the reader a question about the play

• repeat your thesis for the third and final time

• offer a counter argument to your thesis

• include a quotation

• consider why the play remains popular and important

Answer explanation

Offering a general statement about why the play remains popular and important is a nice way to end an essay, reflecting on the importance of studying great texts and why 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' stands the test of time.

A pupil said of writing conclusions to essays about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', "You should always include quotations." How would you correct them?

• Repeat quotations you have already analysed, but don't include any new ones.

• Only include quotations from the last scene of the play.

• Include quotations in your main body paragraphs rather than your conclusion.

• Include quotations and, crucially, analysis of these quotations.

• Include general quotations, or ones that are specific to your thesis.

Answer explanation

Analysing quotations is a huge and important part of writing analytical essays. However, there is a time and a place to do this and, generally, it is not in your conclusion.

When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', your first sentence could be a specific response to your...

(a)  

Answer explanation

You will have spent most of your essay proving that the thesis you created in your introduction is valid. In your conclusion, you should remind readers what that thesis was in a conclusive sentence.