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Responding to Writing Prompts

Sometimes test questions are prompts that ask you to share what you know about a certain topic by writing about it. Here are two samples:

Each prompt asks you to write about the topic in a different way. The first asks you to explain a tsunami, and the second asks you to describe a tsunami.

1. Find the key word.

It is important to understand the key words used in test questions. Here are some common ones.

Compare/contrast 🟪 To compare, tell how two things are alike. To contrast, tell how things are different. A prompt may ask you to compare, contrast, or both. (Compare and contrast the Arctic and the Antarctic.)