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Writing to an Explanatory Prompt
Responding to a prompt is different from other writing assignments because you don’t have a lot of time to complete your work. So you have to know what you’re doing and get right to work. To get started, you need to study the prompt.
Prewriting Analyzing the Prompt
A prompt gives you the basic directions for your writing. Most prompts—but not all—will tell you what to write about, what the overall goal or purpose is, and what form of writing to create. Read the prompt very carefully to identify the parts of your writing task.
You can use the PAST questions listed below to make sure you understand what is expected of you.