Sat Essays Writing – Using The Inverted Pyramid
sat essays writing can be easily practiced for by learning how to successfully use the inverted pyramid. The inverted pyramid was developed for short to feature length articles for journalistic writing, which in its true form is written in the third person and follows a very similar approach to SAT essays. In fact, all SAT essay questions can be easily answered using this method.
sat essay topics focus on a theme, idea or point, asking the student’s opinion, though the use of first person and flimsy arguments with no backing makes for a poor essay. The same principle is applied in journalism, whereby the writer deals with one specific theme, idea or point presents an argument that though it is not by rights the personal opinion of the journalist per say, but by the way in which the facts, examples and other citations or quotes are presented, show a clear understanding of the topic, intelligence and the ability to articulate an angle or point of view.
sat essay question students can benefit greatly by learning to follow the inverted pyramid’s simple logic. As with any essay, there is an introduction (lead paragraph – journalism), break down of the major points in the order they are found in the introduction with examples throughout (historical, scholarly or other) (body text – journalism) and a final concluding paragraph, which is written again based on the points argued in the introductory paragraph, but concluding in a handful of sentences what was discussed in the body of the essay.
When practicing using an inverted pyramid for use in SAT essay writing, note that it resembles an upside down pyramid. The each point of the argument is put in priority order, starting at the top with the most important one and working down towards the least important one. The same principle can be used within each paragraph and also the breakdown of each individual point. With SAT essay questions, the student can put in examples as they break each point down.
Here is an example of an inverted pyramid for a medium to feature length article:
“What Are Ovaries?"
The ovaries are reproductive organs found in a woman’s body. They are located in the pelvic area. Each one is approximately as big as an almond.
Ovaries are responsible for making progesterone and estrogen, the female hormones. During each month, the ovaries release unfertilized eggs, which travel via the fallopian tubes to the uterus or womb. During menstruation, unused or unfertilized eggs are washed away with blood, a process which can take up to a week. The process then begins again, month after month, year after year.
When a woman reaches about age 40, she starts going through menopause. Menopause is a reverse version of puberty. As menopause progresses, the ovaries produce less and less hormones. As a result they eventually stop releasing eggs and menstruation stops.
The ovaries are a very important part of the female sexual reproduction system. They are responsible for the early process that can result in the development of human life. Sometimes ovaries do not work properly. They do not produce enough female hormones. In fact, the worst case scenario is that they become cancerous, which can lead to death if not caught early enough. Ovarian cancer is very hard to diagnose in its early stages.
The ovaries make the female hormones—estrogen and progesterone. They also release eggs. An egg travels from an ovary through a fallopian tube to the womb (uterus).
When a woman goes through her "change of life" (menopause), her ovaries stop releasing eggs and make far lower levels of hormones.” (1)
It is not difficult to see the pattern in the inverted pyramid and SAT essay students can apply this to their SAT essay writing, adding in the necessary examples to back up their arguments. However, it is critical to use as many SAT essay questions’ words as is possible, plus additional ones that related directly to the topic.
Footnotes:
1. Thomas, A., “Ovarian Cancer”, © 2007 AJTConsultants; reproduced here with permission