A: pre-writing

I think the story that resonated the most with me was Robyn OBriens because like her child, I
also had a food allergy that went undiagnosed. When I was young, I was allergic to milk and my
parents didnt know. It wasnt until I had a bad reaction to drinking milk that my parents knew
about it. They had me tested for other food allergies and found I was also allergic to peanuts and
corn. I overcame my milk and corn allergies pretty quickly, but I didnt overcome my peanut
allergy until middle school. I had to sit in my doctors office for hours while eating increasing
amounts of peanut butter before they determined I was no longer allergic. I thought it was
interesting that food allergies are more common because of the genetically engineered food that
we eat. I always wondered how I could be born with food allergies and Im glad I finally learned
how it can happen. It was easy to connect my inquiry project to my life because it affects me
fairly often. I decided to research how to become a better test taker. Ive always had a problem
doing well on tests, but I noticed it even more in college. In high school, I could get As in my
classes because of homework and participation grades while still not doing well on tests, but this
isnt the case in college. Some professors only have test grades for the entire class, so if I want to
succeed in class I cant get bad grades on tests. One class that has been hard for me is chemistry.
Ive had bad professors and essentially have to teach myself. I studied over a week for my past
test and had tutoring appointments, but still didnt get the grade I wouldve liked. I want to be
able to find and use test taking strategies to improve my test scores.

I definitely agree with what Ellen Langer is saying here. She says that we mindlessly accept
information from any context because we believe it is true. A lot of the information comes from
sources we would expect to be credible, like news channels or from a teacher or professor. These
are things we wouldnt expect to be false, so we believe what they are saying. Ellen Langer is
also saying that we perceive all information that we learn about ourselves or others in the same
way, without question. Why would someone question information that they believe comes from a
credible source? Usually people believe news channels are truthful because they are just
reporting things that happened around the world. For me, I decide that something is truthful if
there are other authors or organizations credited in the article. When there are multiple sources
used for an article or research paper, I consider it to be more credible. Also, I look to see who the
author is. If they are a professor or researcher at a university they would be more credible to me
than an average person writing an article. If the article is written by a credible organization like
the Mayo Clinic I trust that it is correct. As for news channels, I look to see if there is a lot of
bias contained in their stories and if there is I dont read it. Unfortunately there is usually bias
hidden in these channels. Bias is found everywhere and is usually unintentional. If someone is
discussing an issue that they have a previous belief on, they are more likely to say things that
agree with their side of the issue. If I believe something to be true I definitely find it harder to
accept the opposing view as the truth. If I am talking about an issue with someone, I generally
hear what they have to say before I make up my mind. I think it is important to try and be more
open minded about all aspects in life because you could find that something you believed in turns
out to be false.

B: research proposal
I decided to choose a real life problem and research how to become a better test taker. All my life
I have gotten bad grades on tests, but manage to get a good grade in the class because of
homework or participation grades. In college, I have several classes that only have test grades,
and I have quickly learned that if I want to pass these classes I need to find better studying
techniques. A recent example would be my last chemistry test. I studied for a week and had two
tutoring appointments, but still got a bad grade on the test. Since I am a nursing major, I need at
least a B in this class to pass and my professor doesnt give homework grades, so I need to
improve my test grades. I hope my inquiry will also be able to help others like me who struggle
to take tests. My second character strength that ties into my inquiry is creativity, ingenuity, and
originality. In the description of this strength, it said that I always try to think of new ways to do
things. For my inquiry, I am trying to think of new ways to study or take notes in class that will
ultimately help me get better grades on my tests.

C: notes
Source 2- there are four steps in becoming a better test taker: analyzing tests, preparing for tests,
taking tests, and managing test anxiety.
-looking at old tests shows students what they are missing and why; it may be a pattern
-suggests minimax strategy: minimizing mistakes and maximizing winners
-test analysis is key to avoiding test anxiety
-test prep: try to anticipate possible questions, start studying early, look at material daily
-flashcards are best
guess when you dont know the answer

Source 3- causes of test anxiety include fear of failure, lack of prep, and poor test history
-can cause symptoms like headaches, disappointment, or difficultly concentrating
-tips for managing test anxiety: develop good study habits, stay focused, practice relaxation
techniques, stay healthy

Source 4- test anxiety can strike through the mind or body

-signs in head: racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, knowing answers after taking test
-signs in body: nausea, faintness, increased heart rate, tense muscles, dry mouth
-how to cope: a lot of people try to avoid confronting their test anxiety; make sure you know
basic facts for the test
-make an organized study schedule
-counteract negative thoughts with positive ones
-skip difficult questions and return to them later

Source 5- the brain is composed of subcortical and cortical structures

-physical, psychological, and emotional threats all trigger the amygdala, which intensifies
emotions
-when the sympathetic nervous system is triggered too often it leads to anxiety
-the parasympathetic nervous system is essential to counteracting test anxiety
-the PNS allows the cortical functions of the brain to come through, allowing for clear thinking
and complex problem solving

E: peer feedback
Being a bad test taker too, I can definitely relate to this topic. Specifically, I can also relate to
struggling with chemistry. My professor assigns many homework and classwork assignment but
they are only a small portion of the final grade. In the meantime, we only have six test but they
are worth seventy five percent of the final grade. These tests are difficult for me so it is hard to
keep a good grade. In saying so, I would like to see what strategies and test taking techniques
you find.

Though I have never encountered something that has given me an allergic reaction, I think when
you discover something wrong with you or someone else in a seemingly more personal, non-
global matter, it is beneficial to do your research. Since Robyn discovered these patterns in the
food industry, she was able to point out issues that were most certainly affecting other children
who ate the same food. I think it that discovering that a situation where "you're not the only one"
can not only cause relief, but motivate you to make a change.

Its great that you're able to relate to your topic so well from past experience! My topic is about
how to succeed in college and one of my main points will be on test taking. I am also a bad test
taker and I also find it interesting to see what strategies may help that. Your research will be able
to help a variety of people who have different struggles taking tests or anything else that has to
do with school.

The one thing that I didn't quite understand in Ellen's quote is when she describes the way we
learn about ourselves and others. It is funny how people including myself know that certain
news sources are not 100 percent credible although we still choose to believe the information
that they report.

I hadn't even thought about the fact that if multiple sources used an article that it would be more
credible but that is a great point. I am going to start looking for that more when choosing which
source Ill be using for my essays. I also will start looking for bias in places where I go for my
reliable news and information.

I like that you touched on the fact that professors too can provide us with less than credible
information. Most students believe most of what professors spread to their students, and often the
information is some of the most biased out there. Your method of deciding whether or not
information is true is a solid one. Author credibility is everything.

I like the idea of looking if information is credible based on how many sources are in them. I
normally look at who the author is and if they are credible as well as if there are many sources at
the end in the sited sources area.

I like your method on how you see if a source is credible. Finding an article written by a
professor or someone of high ranking can greater the chances that the information given has been
researched with credible information on the topic. There can be a lot of bias found on news
channels simply because as soon as something happens they release the information on it. In
some cases they may change the story based on the information given to them by bystanders
whose stories can change up after seeing a tragic incident occur.
I think everyone believes those outlets because they seem reliable. The news is the most bias I
would say because you can report a story in many different ways to push an agenda. I do think
that the content is reliable though.

I am the same way when finding something credible. This being said, the only site than I am
slightly hesitant about is Wikipedia. Even though it has credible sources, I am still hesitant
because of all the teachers that I have had that say not to cite them in bibliographies that I must
make.

I agree that we sometimes we mindlessly accept information. Especially when you said we
don't expect it to be fake so we never think that it is. I think you wanting to believe something
has a huge role in what information you take in and what you believe is true. It is getting a little
annoying that we have to check everything we hear about in the news now.

need an MLA header with name, class, date and instructor page number with last name first and
second paragraph looks good, just indent to clearly see where the second paragraph begins I
might suggest also finding a study conducted recently in the united states. test takers in Japan
and Denmark are very different from us. and are some of the best students in the world, so
maybe find a study conducted there as well

1.You did not include a MLA header nor page numbers. 2. Everything in your three paragraphs
are good to go.