**Objective

For this exam, you’ll choose one of the assigned topics and write an outline or graphic organizer to plan and develop your information before you begin to draft your essay. The information you use to prepare your graphic organizer should be based on your own knowledge and experience of your subject. If you do research or incorporate information that’s not considered common knowledge into your prewriting, you must cite it according to MLA format. Refer to Chapters 22–23 in Successful College Writing or Chapters 39–40 in The Little, Brown Essential Handbook.

For this exam, you’ll do the following:

* Identify the steps in the writing process

* Use prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing to write formal, college-level essays

* Distinguish among different patterns of development

* Apply an appropriate pattern of development to a specific purpose and audience

* Write effective thesis statements

* Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequate detail, supporting evidence, and transitions

* Apply the conventions of standard written American English to produce correct, well-written essays

**Topic

You will choose one of the following topic areas. Review the graphic organizer on page 416 in your textbook. The graphic organizer that you create doesn’t need to have boxed outlines or arrows, but it should show your organization. Choose one of the following topics, and divide it into classes. n Sports—general, types of fans, or influence on culture n Genres of movies, television shows, or video games n Social media or networking sites and applications n Places you’ve lived, visited, or vacationed As an example, the following is a graphic organizer for the topic “Types of Food.”

ATTACHED IS AN EXAMPLE