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Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam Have you heard about…

Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam Have you heard about the idiom “to cut corners?” This phrase comes from driving. It’s when you come to a sharp turn in the road and, instead of going all the way to the corner, you go straight across and cut off the corner to save time by shortening the distance you travel. Cutting corners in this sense means doing something badly or cheaply because things were left out of a process that should not have been. Cutting corners could imply laziness or complacency. If someone says “I won’t cut corners just to save money. I put quality first,” it means doing something poorly in order to save time or money. You can find many examples of someone cutting corners on the news and on newspaper’s or magazine’s headlines that create scandals to get the consumers’ attention. For example, “Teachers were virtually giving answers to students in order to boost standardized test scores,” or “A local flagship company was being fined millions of dollars for price fixing.” (taken from: https://www.bloomsbury-international.com/student-ezone/idiom-of-the-week/1694-to-cut-corners/) Final Essay Prompts (Select One) Describe a time in your life when you had to cut corners in order to finish something fast or buy something cheaper. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples. Describe a time in the life of someone you know well had to cut corners in order to finish something fast or buy something cheaper. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples.

Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam Do you skip school, f…

Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam Do you skip school, fudge on your taxes, or cheat on exams? You’re not alone. Many people break the rules now and then. If, like most people, you break rules from time to time, you understand the paradox here. We think of ourselves as good and honest citizens despite daily acts (one to two on average) of cheating, lying, or otherwise breaking the rules in seemingly innocuous ways. We might exaggerate our own performance to our supervisor or look for loopholes on our taxes; we stand in the express line with too many groceries, litter, text while driving, play hooky from work, buy clothes to wear to a party and then return them for a refund; we knowingly accept too much change from a cashier, board planes before our seat is called, enjoy pirated movies and tunes, blow past speed limits, or lie to give our kids an advantage.  The closer researchers look at everyday transgressions, though, the more they’re convinced there’s something to rule breaking. Character isn’t the real driver; it’s social and situational forces that strongly influence bad behavior. Often, not a lot of conscious awareness goes into when or to what extent we push ethical boundaries. We might break the rules under some conditions and in some mindsets, but not in others. Morality is so malleable that just thinking about breaking a rule can change the way we behave. And, of course, in knowing why we transgress, we can defend our actions—for better and for worse. (Taken from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201411/are-these-rules-worth-breaking) Final Essay Prompts (Select One) Though some say that “rules are meant to be broken,” breaking the rules often has serious consequences. Write about a time when you broke the rules and what happened as a result. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples. Though some say that “rules are meant to be broken,” breaking the rules often has serious consequences. Tell about a time when someone you know well broke the rules and what happened as a result. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples.

Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam A blessing in disguis…

Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam A blessing in disguise seems unfortunate at first. Often, it refers to a situation that someone does not want to be in or results that he or she did not want. However, after careful reflection, what at first seemed to be a stroke of misfortune turns out to be beneficial. Oftentimes, people learn through their struggles and come out of difficult situations having grown as a result of those challenges.  Consider the following example: “When Tom broke up with me, I was upset for months. But, really, the breakup turned out to be a blessing in disguise because he was in a lot of debt.” Although she was upset about breaking up, the woman recognized the benefit, or blessing, of not having to pay off Tom’s debt. Another example could be when a goal is not fulfilled. If someone wants a promotion at work and is passed over, he or she could feel upset. However, not getting the promotion would be a blessing in disguise if a new position better suited to that person opened up later. Many people may even refer to life-changing events as blessings in disguise. Someone who had a child out of wedlock may have felt stressed at first about the prospect of being a single parent, but he or she may later refer to the child as a blessing in disguise because of the joy the child brings.  (taken from: https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/blessing-in-disguise) Final Essay Prompts (Select One) Describe a time in your life when something that seemed to be negative turned out to be positive. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples. Describe a time in the life of someone you know well when something that seemed to be negative turned out to be positive. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples.