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How to succeed on theShort Answer Response

practice responses using text from

Tuesdays with Morrie(The Student)

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Reading comprehension questions will always ask you to support your

answer with evidence from the text – TEXTUAL SUPPORT.

….. ? Support your answer with evidence from the book. Please limit your answer to the space given on the following page.

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and you only have a limited amount

of space to provide your answer

and your textual support…

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So you MUST plan out your

response before you get

NEAR the 10 line response

box!

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Let’s practice…

from the chapter ‘The Student’ in Tuesdays with Morrie… (starts on page 14)

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Prepare your draft paper…

• A

• C

• E

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What is ACE?

• Answer - Answer the question directly using the same wording from the question.

• Cite - Cite evidence from the selection to support your answer.

• Explain - Explain or expand on your answer: Directly tell your reader how the evidence you have just provided proves your answer.

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Question:

How did Mitch change after the death of his uncle? Support your answer with evidence from the book. Please limit your answer to the space given on the following page.

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Since this question asks about a CHANGE in a character, you’ll need to show how he was before and then after.Not all questions will ask about a change, but this one does!

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A – Answer the question directly using the same wording from the question.

A- After the death of his favorite uncle, Mitch changed his relaxed attitude towards achievement and began pursuing success with focus and drive.

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C - Cite evidence from the selection to support your answer.

• You’ll have to LOOK into the text. FIND phrases or sentences that support (prove) the correctness of your answer.

• Do not write “page #” or “paragraph #”. You will need to write the words from the text.

• Choose pieces of text that have impact. Don’t waste space on long sentences – just use parts of sentences and embed them into your own sentences.

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Find some phrases or texts to show Mitch’s attitude or behavior before the uncle’s death…

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Find some phrases or texts to show Mitch’s attitude or behavior before the uncle’s death…

Here’s what I found

On page 14, “I wandered around my early twenties…wondering why the lights were not turning green for me.”

On page 14, “I was failing for the first time in my life.”

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Now go find some phrase or sentence from the text that shows changed attitude and drive or focus after the death….

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Now go find some phrase or sentence from the text that shows changed attitude and drive or focus after the death….

Here’s what I found…

On page 15, “I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down the drain.”

On page 17, “I buried myself in accomplishments…”

On page 16, “The sports appetite in that city was insatiable… and it matched my ambition.”

On page 16, “I was cranked to a fifth gear…”

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C

Write a carefully worded sentence (or sentences) that offers textual support embedded into your own words.

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C

C - Before his uncle’s death, Mitch casually “wandered around” wondering “why the lights were not turning green” on his path to success. After his uncle’s death, Mitch says he, “felt as if time were suddenly precious” and he “was cranked to a fifth gear”.

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E - Explain or expand on your answer: Directly tell your reader how the evidence you have just provided proves your answer.

• You can begin your “E” with phrases such as: – “This emphasizes…”, – “This demonstrates…”,– “This signifies that…”

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E

• E – These words written by Mitch clearly show his change in attitude from a casual wanderer into a man driven towards achievements.

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• Now, put it all together as one clear, smooth response to the question.

• DROP the A-C-E

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How did Mitch change after the death of his uncle? Support your answer with evidence from the book. Please limit your answer to the space given on the following page.

After the death of his favorite uncle, Mitch changed his

relaxed attitude towards achievement and began

pursuing success with focus and drive. Before his

uncle’s death, Mitch casually “wandered around”

wondering “why the lights were not turning green” on

his path to success. After his uncle’s death, Mitch says

he, “felt as if time were suddenly precious” and he “was

cranked to a fifth gear”. These words written by Mitch

clearly show his change in attitude from a casual

wanderer into a man driven towards achievements.

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Your turn….

• Now that the A-C-E method has been

explained and a Short Answer Response

has been modeled, answer the following

questions from Tuesday with Morrie using

the A-C-E method.

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#1Question from ‘The Student’

Why did Mitch’s ambition to succeed accelerate into “fifth gear” after the death of his uncle? Support your answer with evidence from the book. Please limit your answer to the space given on the following page.

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#2Question from ‘The Audiovisual’

Why did Morrie agree to do the Nightline interviews? Support your answer with evidence from the book. Please limit your answer to the space given on the following page.

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#3Question from ‘The Orientation’ and / or ‘The Classroom’Why is Mitch uncomfortable when

he visits Morrie the first time? Support your answer with evidence from the book. Please limit your answer to the space given on the following page.