ENG 101 Assessment Writing Assignment

Student Instructions:

You are to take a 3 x 5 index card and during the next 50 minutes fill this card with as much pre‑writing, such as topic sentence and outline, on the following comparison and contrast subject as possible. At the end of the appointed time, make sure that your name is on the index card and turn it in. It will be returned to you next class session when you will have 50 minutes to complete the 300‑word essay.

Here's the assignment: you will write a 300‑word minimum comparison and contrast essay on either your most pleasant surprise or your biggest disappointment. The nature of surprise or disappointment is the difference between what we expect to happen and what actually happens.

Our lives are full of big occasions when we meet with either surprise or disappointment: birthdays (like turning 16 years old), first‑time events (the first day of school or the first car), eagerly awaited events (such as the big concert or the annual vacation), and anniversaries of all types (like high school reunions). Often our expectations are raised by the nature of these life‑marking events, which leads sometimes to disappointment. Other times, our expectations are modest and therefore pleasantly surpassed. If you search your own personal experience you should find an event that will fit this assignment, but if you don't, remember that you can use the experiences of a family member or close friend.

You will be graded on this paper just as you would be on any other paper, with close attention being paid to your ability to write in standard English, your ability to display an understanding of this particular rhetorical mode, comparison and contrast, and your ability to organize your essay in the traditional format containing an engaging introduction, a well‑developed and supported body of paragraphs, and an appropriate conclusion.

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