SAT Practice Essay - 3 - Write an essay analyzing the passage

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Noah

Practice Essay #3 provides directions for writing an SAT-style response: read a provided passage carefully, then produce a clear, logical essay that analyzes how the author uses evidence, reasoning, and stylistic or persuasive techniques. The essay must be written on the lined answer booklet pages, with no writing in the test booklet. A 50-minute time limit is given, along with scoring information and reminders about off-topic responses and prohibited reproduction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Directions

Reminders

Passage: “The Digital Parent Trap”

Author’s use of evidence

Author’s use of reasoning

Author’s use of stylistic or persuasive elements

SAT® Practice Essay \#3 DIRECTIONS The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can read and comprehend a passage and write an essay analyzing the passage. In your essay, you should demonstrate that you have read the passage carefully, present a clear and logical analysis, and use language precisely. Your essay must be written on the lines provided in your answer booklet; except for the Planning Page of the answer booklet, you will receive no other paper on which to write. You will have enough space if you write on every line, avoid wide margins, and keep your handwriting to a reasonable size. Remember that people who are not familiar with your handwriting will read what you write. Try to write or print so that what you are writing is legible to those readers. You have 50 minutes to read the passage and write an essay in response to the prompt provided inside this booklet. REMINDERS — Do not write your essay in this booklet. Only what you write on the lined pages of your answer booklet will be evaluated. — An off-topic essay will not be evaluated. Follow this link for more information on scoring your practice test: [www.sat.org/scoring](www.sat.org/scoring) this cover is representative of what you’ll see on test day. THIS TEST BOOKLET MUST NOT BE TAKEN FROM THE ROOM. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR USE OF ANY PART OF THIS TEST BOOKLET IS PROHIBITED. © 2015 The College Board. College Board, SAT, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. As you read the passage below, consider how Eliana Dockterman uses • evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. • reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. • stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. Adapted from Eliana Dockterman,“The Digital Parent Trap.” ©2013 by Time Inc. Originally published August 19, 2013. 1 By all measures, this generation of American kids (ages 3 to 18) is the tech-savviest in history: 27% of them use tablets, 43% use smartphones, and 52% use laptops. And in just a few weeks they will start the most tech-saturated school year ever: Los Angeles County alone will spend $30 million on classroom iPads this year, outfitting 640,000 kids by late 2014 . 2 Yet, according to the latest findings from the research firm Grunwald Associates, barely half of U.S. parents agree that mobile technology should play a more prominent role in schools. Some are even paying as much as $24,000 to send their kids to monthlong “digital detox” programs like the one at Capio Nightingale Hospital in the U.K.... 3 So who’s right—the mom trying to protect her kids from the perils of new technology or the dad who’s coaching his kids to embrace it? It’s an urgent question at a time when more than 80% of U.S. school districts say they are on the cusp of incorporating Web-enabled tablets into everyday curriculums. 4 For years, the Parental Adage was simple: The less time spent with screens, the better. That thinking stems from, among other things, reports about the rise of cyberbullying . . . as well as the fact that social media—specifically the sight of others looking happy in photos—can make kids feel depressed and insecure. 5 There’s also a fundamental aversion to sitting kids in front of screens, thanks to decades of studies proving that watching too much TV can lead to obesity, violence and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 6 In that vein, the Waldorf Schools—a consortium of private K-12 schools in North America designed to “connect children to nature” and “ignite passion for lifelong learning”—limit tech in the classroom and bar the use of smartphones, laptops, televisions and even radios at home.“You could say some computer games develop creativity,” says Lucy Wurtz, an administrator at the Waldorf School in Los Altos, Calif., minutes from Silicon Valley.“But I don’t see any benefit. Waldorf kids

FAQs

What should the essay demonstrate about the passage?

The essay should show careful reading, present a clear and logical analysis, and use language precisely. It should address how the author supports claims with evidence, develops ideas with reasoning, and strengthens ideas with stylistic or persuasive elements.

Where must the essay be written?

Write only on the lined pages of your answer booklet. Do not write your essay in the test booklet, and only the lined pages (not the planning page) will be evaluated.

How much time is given to read the passage and write the essay?

You have 50 minutes to read the passage and write an essay in response to the prompt provided in the booklet.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Noah