Saturday, July 5, 2008

AWA the main part in Gre which decides ur communication skills

continuation to info about Gre

Being Conversant with GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), You have to attempt in this section

A 45 minute response to an issue task that asks you consider a given opinion, and then explicate your stand on that opinion by citing reasons and examples

A 30 minute response to an argument task that asks you to analyze the logic behind a brief argument, and then write a critical evaluation of that argument.

The AWA measures

AWA Score

The Issue Task

ComprehendingThe Issue Task

Follow the following StepsTo Understand the Issue

Ask the following Questions

The Action Plan

The Sample Essay

PersonaL Essays

How Do You Write An Essay In An Exam Context?

The AWA measures

Clear and effective articulation of complex ideasSupport of ideas

with relevant reasons and examples

Assessment of evidence and claims

Focus and coherence of discussion

Mastery over Standard written English

AWA Score

Each writing task is scored on a 6-point holistic scale. Though the GRE Writing Assessment contains two separate writing tasks, a single combined score, which is the average of the scores for the two tasks, is reported.

The Issue Task

You have, here, a choice between two topics.Before selecting the topic, read and topic carefully. Then choose the topic on which you can attempt a well-reasoned essay.

An essay on a topic than you have selected is not acceptable.

The issue task asks you to take a stand. Show that you recognize the complexity of the given issue, before you take your stand. Examples are essential; draw them from your experiences, observations, and reading. Do not just list the examples; develop well one or two well-chosen examples

ComprehendingThe Issue Task

As an issue topic is an abstract complex statement, it gives you some freedom in your response. The task is to test whether you can think critically about a topic and clearly express your thoughts in writing. Each topic makes a claim about some issue. You can discuss it from

various viewpoints and apply it in various situations. You are expected to present a powerful case for your stand on the issue.

Follow the following StepsTo Understand the Issue

Read the claim made in the topic to comprehend the issue involved.

Relate the issue to your ideas and experiences from which you will later draw evidence and examples.

Challenge the assumptions underlying the issue.

Analyze the meaning of any of its terms.

Point out why the claim is valid in some contexts and invalid in others.

Evaluate stands that contradict yours.

Decide your stand; you can agree or disagree with the claim; you can also qualify the claim.

Decide the evidence, the reasons or examples you want to use.

Ask the followingQuestions

What does the statement mean?

Do I absolutely agree with the statement?

If not why?

How do I explain certain concepts and terms in the topic?

What reasons can support my stand?What examples can I use?

Can there be a point of view that opposes mine?

How do I counter the opposing viewpoint?

The Action Plan

PLAN THE ESSAY

Plan your essay before writing; i.e., articulate your position you want to defend. It really does not matter what position you take. There is no right answer or any preferred position.

Narrow down the topic, as it tends to be very general. In place of nailing down the topic, exploit the ambiguity in the topic.

For the Issue Essay, focus on a key phrase to state that the issue is complex. Then give the old one-two punch; on the one hand; but on the other.

ILLUSTRATION

Take the topic below.

In this age of computers, some people complain that machines are controlling our lives.

But, in really, computers actually improve the quality of our lives.Does' 'controlled' mean that some machine dictates every aspect of our life? Or is 'controlled' used to only dramatize the idea that machines 'impact' our lives? So, it is impossible to say what the word exactly means. We call this situation 'ambiguity' and the graders 'complexity'.

The easiest way to explore the ambiguity is to focus on a key word in the topic. Define the key word in one way, and then define it another way.That is what we did with 'control'.

Outline your essay after you have decided what you want to say.Organize and develop your essay well.

Our approach lends itself to a three paragraph development.

I. Computers are so important that they seem to control us.

A. They deal with a lot of important tasks.

Example. Pilots fling planes; doing scientific research.

B. They deal with less important tasks.

Example. Opening doors; regulating microwaves.

C. They sometimes even intrude.

Example. Automatic dialers for telemarketers.

II. Computers do not really control us.

A. We control them by programming.

B. There are places without computers.

C. We can always turn them off.

III. Balancing Computers impact our lives but do not control us.

Now write the essay according to the outline.Express yourself in a clear, direct, and concise way.

The Sample Essay

Computers are so ubiquitous that it sometimes seems as though they control every aspect of our lives. Certainly, they handle a lot of very important tasks that are literally matters of life and death. For example, large government and private computers keep track of air traffic, tracking individual airplanes, plotting safe routes, and monitoring the skies for emergencies. Or, to take another example, computers are also essential for doing advanced medical research. Whether or not we get a new drug or treatment seems to depend on whether a university computer "concluded in a study" that the therapy improved the chances for treatment of a certain disease. Computers also are responsible for a lot of small but useful tasks; they open and close doors automatically, regulate microwaves. And they seem to do this all behind our backs and without our asking for it or consent. Sometimes, computers are really intrusive. Who hasn't been interrupted during dinner by the computerized dialer of some telemarketer? Also, most of us worry that computers have so much information about us that we can't control.

On the other hand, in spite of all of this, computers don't really control us. We control them. In the first place, computers depend on us for their very existence. We manufacture them. And then we program them. Moreover, we can always escape from them. We can go camping in the wilderness or even just take a walk in the country without the help of a computer. In the final analysis, we can always "pull the plug" if we want to. You don't have to program your VCR if you don't want

On balance, while it may seem that computers "control" us, a closer look at things shows that we really control them. If there are ways that computers adversely affect us when we don't want them to, it's not really the computer's doing. It's the person behind the computer. The telemarketing computer did not tell itself to call me during dinner; the salesperson did. So if there's any blame to be assigned, it belongs to people, not inanimate machines.

Personal Essays

A graduate school asks for a personal essay to know who you are and how youThink

The structure of the essay must have the following basic form:An Introduction , Three examples and A Conclusion.

The Format

The Introduction states the point you want to make, and establish thew way you want to make it. So, be clear about what you want to say beforeWriting the introduction.

The Three Examples must each be a separate paragraph, and should give clear, concrete evidence to support your introductory claim. For instance, if you say, "I realized in the middle of last summer that I enjoy fishing," your example must demonstrate this with some clarity: "In July I went to visit my mother in Vaizag, where we fished for trout in the Inland waterway."

The Conclusion basically restates the main point in your introduction.You may also tie in the examples you used in the middle of the essay. How to Write It

1. Have a very focused thesis for your essay.Think about what you want to present to the admissions committee as your most inning character trait.

2. Write down your main point. It will help focus you on the point you are trying to get across.

3. Once you have the main point you know what the first paragraph will cover: an introduction of that main point. Do it in a creative manner. If possible, tell it as a story.

Amplify your points in the next paragraphs by giving clear examples.

Restate your main point in the conclusion.

Refine, revise, and reorganize later.

How Do You Write An Essay In An Exam Context ? Use the following format:

Introduction:

A one-sentence response to the problem; how you would respond if you were not forced to write an entire page on the theme.

Body:

Three (or more) paragraphs with specific examples in support of your introduction.

Conclusion:

Restatement of your introduction with some notes on how your examples support your argument.

HOW TO WRITE IT

1. RESEARCH

research before you take the test; get the background material. Know what you want to talk about so that you can form your opinion,i.e. your introduction and conclusion.Support your introduction with clear evidence or examples.

2. OUTLINE

Figure out your topic sentence and your examples.

3. WRITING IT

Do not spend time thinking about the fanciest way to write something; just write it. The more concise your expression, the better your essay.

Clearly present in the body of the essay the supporting evidence\example, and show how it supports your point

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