1.

Understand the
question

Example 1 -- A long
question with a short
answer

Read the question carefully. Be sure to

distinguish between the relevant information and
the extraneous information.

Underline or highlight the key points in the

question. This is particularly important for essay
questions that ask you to address several points.

This may seem like a waste of your time.

However, it is a greater waste of time to write
unnecessary information or to erase and rewrite.

Jotting down a quick outline will remind you of

the key points that you want to make.

Making a quick diagram can also help you focus

your thoughts.

The key points to your answer should be clearly

stated and be the focus of your answer.

The key points should be obvious to the reader

and not buried amongst peripheral material.

Do not include extra information if it does not

directly support your answer.

4. Use relevant technical

terminology to answer
the question

Correctly use the relevant biology and science

terms that you learn from your courses.

Example 1

Technical terms are highly specific and reduce

the total number of words that you will need to

Example 2 -- When
highlighting does not
work. A short question
with a long answer.
2. Plan out your answer
before you start writing
Example 1 -- A long
question with a short
answer.
Example 2 -- A short
question with a long
answer.

3. Convey your thoughts

in an organized manner
Example 1 -- A long
question with a short
answer.
Example 2 -- A short
question with a long
answer.

Example 2

5. Cause and effect

relationships should be
made obvious

write.

Using technical terms to communicate will be

essential in your professional life.

Do not expect the instructor to make these

connections for you.

However, your written answer must explain what

is in the drawing.

A hallmark of a good scientist is that they support

statements with evidence.

Some instructors and styles of tests require

thorough descriptions of examples that were
discussed in detail in the course.

Check with your instructor to see if thorough

examples are required on essay questions.

Example
6. Making a drawing can
often assist you in your
answer
Example 1
Example 2
7. Support your answer
with evidence and/or
examples from class
lectures and reading
Example

MISTAKES THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS AVOID

1. Do not write too much
Example

Do not try to write everything that you have ever

heard related to the question.

Answer the question directly, without excess

information.
2. Do not write a good
answer to the wrong
question

In other words, make sure that you answer the

question that is asked and not something else on
the related topic.

Do not just make a drawing and expect the

instructor to figure out what you were thinking
from this. (Unless the question only asks you to
make a drawing.)

Do not expect the instructor to find the relevant

information in a sea of irrelevant information.

Do not expect the instructor to read between the

lines and make connections that you should be
making.

Example
3. Do not expect the
instructor to figure out
what you mean
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

INTERPRETING KEYWORDS IN ESSAY QUESTIONS

"Compare and Contrast"
Example

The question will always involve two or more

related items.

"Compare" means that you should explain the

similarities between the two items. Ordinarily,
instructors do not want you to simply list the
similar characteristics, but explain the
characteristics and/or how they are similar.

"Contrast" means that you should explain the

differences between the two items.

Typically, a comparison of the similarities and

differences between the two items highlights
some major concepts in the topic at hand. Be
sure to try to address these in your answer.

This type of question usually involves the use of

specific examples from class.

These words alert you that the instructor wants

a fair amount of explanation.

Do not simply list terms or concepts. Write out

sentences and complete thoughts.

Provide a definition similar to that you would find

in the glossary to your textbook. A thorough
explanation is usually not required.

Here, a simple list of concepts or terms should

be sufficient. Anything more and you might be
treading in the too much information category.

Put the data or figure into words.

In other words, write an explanation of the

meaning of the data or figure.

Make a drawing. Keep it simple.

Labels should be used whenever possible.

"Describe" or
"Discuss" or
"Explain"

"Define"

"List"

"Interpret"

"Diagram" or
"Draw" or
"Illustrate"

ADVICE SPECIFIC TO LONG ESSAY QUESTIONS

Write logically organized paragraphs.
Because you will probably be given more time for these types of
questions, your instructor will probably expect higher quality in your
writing.
Start with a relevant topic sentence. Either state the key point that you
will support in the rest of the paragraph or state the part of the question
that you will address in that paragraph.
In general, instructors will usually be lenient with minor problems in
sentence structure or punctuation on a timed exam. However, the
organization of your ideas is paramount for earning a good grade.
Use complete sentences with a subject and verb.
ADVICE SPECIFIC TO SHORT ESSAY QUESTIONS
Organize your ideas in a logical manner, but do not worry so much about
proper sentence and paragraph construction.
You will have less time and space for this type of answer. The most
important thing is to convey the answer clearly. Sometimes logically
organized lists of sentence fragments can achieve this goal as well as
well-constructed paragraphs.
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