10 SAT ESSAY PROMPTS
Prompt 1
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and
societies, but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation
profoundly affecting the roots of the human spirit.
Adapted from Ansel Adams
Assignment: Are originality and creativity necessary for success? Plan and write an essay in which
you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples
taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Prompt 2
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Education is the process by which the individual relates himself to the universe, gives
himself citizenship in the changing world, shares the race's mind and enfranchises his own
soul.
Adapted from Dr. John H. Finley
Assignment: Should the primary purpose of education be to help students understand
contemporary social issues? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on
this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies,
experience, or observations.
Prompt 3
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
The current state of the news media is partially to blame for the public’s general lack of
information vital for responsible citizenship in a democracy. The news media has become an
aspect of show business, offering merely infotainment. It has evolved into an entity that
tends to function as a public relations agency for the wealthy and powerful.
Adapted from Teresa Stover
Assignment: Do the news media shape our society by influencing how people feel and act? Plan and
write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Ivy Global
Prompt 1
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and
societies, but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation
profoundly affecting the roots of the human spirit.
Adapted from Ansel Adams
Assignment: Are originality and creativity necessary for success? Plan and write an essay in which
you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples
taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Prompt 2
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Education is the process by which the individual relates himself to the universe, gives
himself citizenship in the changing world, shares the race's mind and enfranchises his own
soul.
Adapted from Dr. John H. Finley
Assignment: Should the primary purpose of education be to help students understand
contemporary social issues? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on
this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies,
experience, or observations.
Prompt 3
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
The current state of the news media is partially to blame for the public’s general lack of
information vital for responsible citizenship in a democracy. The news media has become an
aspect of show business, offering merely infotainment. It has evolved into an entity that
tends to function as a public relations agency for the wealthy and powerful.
Adapted from Teresa Stover
Assignment: Do the news media shape our society by influencing how people feel and act? Plan and
write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Ivy Global
