How to answer a short answer question - example PDF

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“How to answer a short answer question” Introduction to Philosophy

During your Tests and your Final Exam, you will be asked to answer short answer questions on our course material. As a critical thinking and writing component of your grade, you should take this as an opportunity to develop your writing and argument skills. Since some of you may be unfamiliar with this type of question, this brief tutorial is meant to give you an idea about what I am looking for in your answers and how you should approach these questions so as to perform as well as possible. In fact, answering short answer questions is an art, not a science, which means that (like an essay) there is no single “right” answer, but many stronger and weaker answers depending on several factors. In this course, your short answers will be graded on various aspects, including clarity and written expression, demonstrated understanding, relevance, strength of argument, and omissions. The space you have is limited, so you will have to provide concise answers, without being so concise that you fail to demonstrate your understanding. Also, this means you must select the information that you include, since there will not be enough space to include everything. Some of you may already have a good sense for achieving this balance, whereas others will need to practice a bit! The first thing you should note is that in short answer questions I am looking for you to demonstrate your understanding of the material. As a result, providing only a single word or single phrase answer, even if that word or phrase is technically correct, is not a sufficient answer and will receive a low grade. Also, do not answer in “bullet points.” As a written component of your grade, I expect you to produce a well-written, well-organized, and well-argued paragraph that demonstrates critical thinking and understanding. The goal is not only to get the answer “correct,” but to also demonstrate your understanding of the material. Another important thing to note is that the best way to prepare for short answer questions is to have a strong working knowledge of the course material. In the tests, you have a very limited amount of time, and you must construct a good answer in your limited time. Answers that are written by a student who is guessing at the answer or who did not sufficiently study are quite easy to spot! Be sure to budget your time during the semester to ensure you have enough time to study the course material and to review it prior to taking the tests or exam! You should work to develop a “critical reading” approach, taking notes on the readings and gaining a nuanced understanding of the course material. You should also keep track of key terms, concepts, and arguments as you

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study. You might even jot down some of your own “short answer questions” yourself as you go through the material, and practice answering a few. During the test of exam, you should not start writing without first doing some brief planning. This involves reading the question over a few times, thinking about the key words or concepts it is using, and determining exactly what it is asking you to clarify. At this point you should also think about what should be included in order to fully answer the question. Make a few jot notes about what you might include, and design how you will structure your answer. I suggest you do not rush this process, give yourself a few minutes or so, and don’t start writing until you are ready. An exam can raise your stress level, so planning your time and sticking to your plan made in advance can help you avoid the stress and to do your best work. Know how fast you write, and be sure to give yourself enough time to finish your answer! Let’s look at the components of a good short answer : an orienting sentence, the body of the answer, and a clear conclusion. Orienting sentence A good short answer response will indicate a good understanding of who discusses the idea, in which text it appears, what the concept or argument means, and why it relates to our course. I suggest that you always begin the short answer response with a clear orienting sentence, in which you can get a good head start on many of these components! In many cases, a good way of formulating the orienting sentence is to reformulate the question by adding key information and turning it into a statement. Body – 3-5 sentences The body of the answer will be where you get into the details of the question and truly show that you understand the material. Here you need to situate or contextualize the question, define any terms needed for your answer, present concepts or arguments, and offer some evaluation of the material in question. Conclusion The conclusion to a short answer question is the place where you demonstrate that you understand the significance of the concept or argument, and how it fits into the general topic.

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Example Question: What is the relationship or analogy between perception and thinking in Aristotle’s De Anima? Explain. Orienting sentence: In De Anima, Aristotle presents perception and thinking as similar to each other because both involve “taking on the form” of the object they are directed towards. Body: First, it is important to remember that perceiving and thinking are the actualities of two different levels of soul. Perception has to do with the animal soul, and it involves how an animal is an organized body that has sense organs for touch (in all cases) and then perhaps also other organs too (eyes, ears, etc.). Perception in its most general terms is the ability to “take on the form” of the object perceived, in that the eye takes on the form of the red object, without itself “in matter” becoming red. Thinking shares this basic structure, but for Aristotle thought is not “hindered” by any particular sense organ or matter, since that would block it from becoming anything. That is, thought is defined as the ability to become all things, and so it must . Conclusion: The analogy between perception and thinking help Aristotle to clarify for us how the soul might (in terms of the intellectual soul) be proven to exist independently of body, and thus might survive death. This also leads him to posit the very abstract “actuality” of “thought thinking itself” as the teleological center of reality, but Don admits that that is very hard to understand… (approx. 225 words)

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