Mr. D’Elia’s Quick and Easy Way to Write a Short Answer

Answer the Prompt O Do not go overboard with hooks or general statements! O Re-word the prompt to make sure you are using the same language O Ex: “What is the best choice for lunch, today?” O Answer: “Pizza is the best choice for lunch today.” (here’s your thesis statement)

Supporting Details O In order to create supporting details, ask your thesis statement “why?” O Ex: “Pizza is the best choice for lunch.” O Why? O It is a very popular food. O You can put many different toppings on it. O The other choices for lunch today are awful.

Provide Examples O Your supporting details need examples to strengthen them O Ask your supporting details “how?”, “why?”, or “could you give me more details?” O Ex: “You can put a lot of different toppings on a pizza.” O More details? “For example, you could top a pizza with pepperoni, peppers, or anchovies. You can change it for each person.”

The Process O Reword the prompt O Ask it “how/why?” to get your supporting detail (repeat 3 times) O Ask each supporting detail “how/why/could you explain in detail?” to get your examples