June SAT® Essay Prompts

If you took the June 2009 SAT, you had one of the essay prompts below:

Prompt 1

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

The discovery that someone we admire has done something wrong is always disappointing and disillusioning. Yet even when people we consider heroes have been tarnished by their faults, they are no less valuable than people who appear perfect. When we learn that an admired person, even one who is seemingly perfect, has behaved in less than admirable ways, we discover a complex truth: great ideas and great deeds come from imperfect people like ourselves.

Prompt 2

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Some people say you should be content with what you have and accept who you are. But it is possible that too much self-acceptance can turn into self-satisfied lack of ambition. People should always strive to improve themselves and to have more in their lives—friends, things, opportunities. After all, where would we be if great people, both in history and in our own time, did not try to have more and to improve themselves?

Prompt 3

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

So-called common sense determines what people should wear, whom they should respect, which rules they should follow, and what kind of life they should lead. Common sense is considered obvious and natural, too sensible to question. But people's common sense decisions may turn out to be wrong, even if they are thought to be correct according to the judgment of vast majorities of people.

Adapted from Alain de Botton, The Consolations of Philosophy

Prompt 4

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Winning does not require people to be against someone else; people can reach their goals through cooperation just as well as they can through competition. Winning is not always the result of selfish individualism. People achieve happiness by cooperating with others to increase the happiness of all, rather than by winning at others' expense. Ours is not a world in which the price of one person's happiness is someone else's unhappiness.

Adapted from Gilbert Brim, Ambition

SAT 作文2008-3-1

Are organizations or groups most successful when their members pursue individual wishes and goals?

Modern world has reached a complex level that individual person gathers into groups or organizations to achieve social advancement at large. A successful organization is most likely the kind which suppresses individual wishes and goals so as to achieve overall aim.

Individual wishes are divergent and may conflict with each other, when these wishes mingle in one team, it is the task for the team leader to recognize, analyze, and balance them. I my father’s company, in which he acts as the GM, managers at different levels disagree with each other in most cases. Interestingly, my father’s main job is not to present his own ideas but to co-ordinate the ideas of the managers and, in some cases, of some staff. This includes comparing the ideas and deciding which one or ones to be selected, and also persuading those who disagree with them.

Once the final goal is decided, no matter agree, or disagree, each member should respect it at work as hard as possible toward that goal with no condition and reservation. This is a, possibly the most, important feature of a successful team, otherwise, this team would be going with many uncertain and maybe conflict goals, just like a blind-fold cat running to a mouse with no sight. His failure is doomed, his success is depending on his luck.

All in all, individual wishes and goals deserve to be respected, but under some limitation.

236 words

SAT 作文2008-5-2

Do people place too much emphasis on winning?

It seems nature that we born to win and live to win. However, we simply value winning too high, sometimes high enough to hurt our life quality.

Being a winner means a lot, fame, fortune and sense of achievement, you name it. These temptations, or somebody calls it motivations, “seduce” us to labor our lives to acquire them. Do we really be in need of winning?

Winning is so good that in order to win, any means is justifiable. This is the motto of most “winning-hunger” people, who may spare no effort, good or bad, moral or immoral, to achieve their goals. No wonder why TV show candidates bribe the judges with money or even sex; why milk companies add toxic additive to maximize profits.

As a final result, winning is too good to shade the beauty of the process we experienced on the way pursuing this goal. Despite the goal is not reached, if we merely focus on the destination, we could not see the good views alone the way, which, sometimes is actually the most appreciatable scenery. This explains why we may feel disappointed when we reach a tour destination, because we expect too high, but sleep during the trip.

American idol forged dozens of “super stars”, but in my mind, hundreds of “citizen heroes”, who failed on that small stage, but succeed on the big stage of their own lives, because they have tried. Though failed, they enjoyed the process of pursuing winning.

Winning is surely not everything!

251 words

2007年1月

Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general?

Is it more important to do work that one finds fulfilling or work that pays well?

Is education primarily the result of influences other than school?

Is it better to change one's attitude than to change one's circumstances?

2007年3月

Is it more valuable for people to fit in than to be unique and different?

Is it best to have low expectations and to set goals we are sure of achieving?

Do we really benefit from every event or experience in some way?

2007年5月

Should modern society be criticized for being materialistic?

Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?

Is it always best to determine one's own views of right and wrong, or can we benefit from following the crowd?

Do circumstances determine whether or not we should tell the truth?

2007年6月

Are people more likely to be happy if they focus on goals other than their own happiness?

Is there a value in celebrating certain individuals as heroes?

Have modern advancements truly improved the quality of people's lives?

Do people truly benefit from hardship and misfortune?

2007年10月

Is identity something people are born with or given, or is it something people create for themselves?

Can people ever be truly original?

Do people achieve greatness only by finding out what they are especially good at and developing that attribute above all else?

Should we admire heroes but not celebrities?

2007年11月

Does having a large number of options to choose from make people happy?

Is it always necessary to find new solutions to problems?

Is the main value of the arts to teach us about the world around us?

Is criticism—judging or finding fault with the ideas and actions of others—essential for personal well-being and social progress?

2007年12月

Do people need to "unlearn," or reject, many of their assumptions and ideas?

Should people choose one of two opposing sides of an issue, or is the truth usually found "in the middle"?

Do images and impressions have too much of an effect on people?

Is the most important purpose of technology today different from what it was in the past?

2008年1月

Is it always better to be original than to imitate or use the ideas of others?

Is the effort involved in pursuing any goal valuable, even if the goal is not reached?

Should people always prefer new things, ideas, or values to those of the past?

Is there any value for people to belong only to a group or groups with which they have something in common?

2008年3月

Are organizations or groups most successful when their members pursue individual wishes and goals?

Should people always be loyal?

Do people learn more from losing than from winning?

2008年5月

Are there benefits to be gained from avoiding the use of modern technology, even when using it would make life easier?

Do people place too much emphasis on winning?

Are people's actions motivated primarily by a desire for power over others?

Do incidents from the past continue to influence the present?

2008年6月

Does fame bring happiness, or are people who are not famous more likely to be happy?

Is it better for a society when people act as individuals rather than copying the ideas and opinions of others?

Are widely held views often wrong, or are such views more likely to be correct?

2008年10月

Is compromise always the best way to resolve a conflict?

Are decisions made quickly just as good as decisions made slowly and carefully?

Can a group of people function effectively without someone being in charge?

2008年11月

Do all established traditions deserve to remain in existence?

Do people need to compare themselves with others in order to appreciate what they have?

Should society limit people's exposure to some kinds of information or forms of expression?

Is it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective?

Is it always essential to tell the truth, or are there circumstances in which it is better to lie? 不确定是否有此题

What gives us more pleasure and satisfaction: the pursuit of our desires or the attainment of them? 不确定是否有此题

2008年12月

Is persistence more important than ability in determining a person's success?

Is acting an essential part of everyday life?

Can people have too much enthusiasm?

Do people help others only to help themselves?

2009年1月

Does planning interfere with creativity?

Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect more of themselves?

Should people change their decisions when circumstances change, or is it best for them to stick with their original decisions?

2005年3月

Is the opinion of the majority—in government or in any other circumstances—a poor guide?

Is creativity needed more than ever in the world today?

Are people better at making observations, discoveries, and decisions if they remain neutral and impartial?

Is a person responsible, through the example he or she sets, for the behavior of other people?

2005年5月

Do people depend on work—whether it is a job, schoolwork, or volunteer work—to determine what their daily activities and interactions with others should be?

Does progress depend on people with new ideas rather than on people whose ideas are based on the current way of doing things?

Are people afraid to speak out against authority, whether the authority is an individual, a group, or a government?

Does worrying too much about other people’s opinions prevent us from seeing things clearly?

2005年6月

Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present?

Do people put too much emphasis on learning practical skills?

Should schools help students understand moral choices and social issues?

Do newspapers, magazines, television, radio, movies, the Internet, and other media determine what is important to most people?

2005年10月

Is success in life earned or do people succeed because they are lucky?

Is society’s admiration for famous people beneficial or harmful?

Do we live in a time when people do not engage in serious thinking?

Should people make more of an effort to keep some things private?

2005年11月

Should our perceptions of beauty be influenced by the perceptions of beauty of other people?

Is praising others, even if the praise is excessive or undeserved, a necessary part of life?

Is conflict helpful?

Has the acquisition of money and possessions replaced more meaningful ways of measuring our achievements?

2005年12月

Are leaders necessarily people who are most capable of leadership?

Is knowledge of the past no longer useful for us today?

Is it necessary to limit or put restrictions on freedom of thought and expression?

Do the benefits of scientific and technological developments come at the cost of undesirable changes to people's lives?

2006年1月

Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to do things in their own way?

Is it necessary to make mistakes, even when doing so has negative consequences for other people?

Can any obstacle or disadvantage be turned into something good?

Are all important discoveries the result of focusing on one subject?

2006年4月

Is it best not to change our ideas, opinions, or behaviors?

Is our ability to change ourselves unlimited, or are there limits on our ability to make important changes in our lives?

What do you think motivates people to do their best?

Should each individual decide what and how to learn?

2006年5月

Are we free to make our own decisions or are we limited in the choices we can make?

Would the world be a better place if everyone always told the complete truth?

Does the success of a community—whether it is a class, a team, a family, a nation, or any other group—depend upon people's willingness to limit their personal interests?

Does the truth change depending on how people look at things?

2006年6月

Does a strong commitment to technological progress cause a society to neglect other values, such as education and the protection of the environment?

Are established rules too limited to guide people in real-life situations?

Is it sometimes better to take risks than to follow a more reasonable course of action?

Do we tend to accept the opinions of others instead of developing our own independent ideas?

2006年10月

Do people achieve more success by cooperation than by competition?

Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?

Does true learning only occur when we experience difficulties?

Can deception—pretending that something is true when it is not—sometimes have good results?

2006年11月

Do we put too much value on the ideas or actions of individual people?

Can books and stories about characters and events that are not real teach us anything useful?

Can people achieve success only if they aim to be perfect?

Do success and happiness depend on the choices people make rather than on factors beyond their control?

2006年12月

Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others?

Is it better for people to be realistic or optimistic?

Is it important to try to understand people's motivations before judging their actions?

Is happiness something over which people have no control, or can people choose to be happy?