Hair Sample
HotWheels Sample
Ubuntu Sample
Final Tips
Criteria for Evaluation
Write a 750-1000-word (3-4 typed page) evaluation of a
particular subject. State your judgment clearly and back it up with a
convincing argument based on standards of value that are appropriate for
judging this kind of subject. When evaluating your subject, argue for
why the subject is good or bad. Generally, you will need to fit your
subject into a particular class that has particular criteria or
standards by which members of that class are measured. For example, you
might argue whether or not La Tapatia (your subject) is a
good restaurant (the class or group the subject fits into).
You would determine what standards/criteria are appropriate for a good
restaurant (i.e., food, variety, atmosphere, service, etc.) and show how
well the particular restaurant meets your criteria. Use the
guidelines in chapter 14 of Practical Argument to help develop your
essay.
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At the start of your essay,
present your subject clearly: state your subject explicitly
(name the TV show, car, or whatever), and also give the reader
enough information about your subject to understand your judgment
without giving up too much information. For example, if you’re
reviewing a movie or a book, don’t give away the ending.
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Also, make a clear, BALANCED
judgment. Assert whether your subject is “good” or “bad.”
Even though you want to make a judgment, also acknowledge both the
good and bad points about the subject--try to be impartial. For
example, if you’re evaluating a web site, you might argue that the
graphics are great but the download time is too long. Of course,
you must make sure that your good points outweigh your bad points if
you’re ultimately judging the web site as good and vice versa.
Weighting of your criteria (explaining
which criteria are most and least important) also helps clarify your
judgment.
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However, you must go beyond simply stating that
your subject is good or bad. You must argue
for your judgment: present appropriate reasons and argue with
evidence and explanation to show why your subject is good or bad.
If your criteria or standards for evaluation aren’t clear, you might
also need to explain them. For example, if you are arguing that
La Tapatia is a good restaurant because it has good food,
excellent service, and a pleasant atmosphere, then you obviously
don’t need to devote much time to justifying your standards.
However, if one of your main criteria is that it has a place for
children to play, you would definitely need to explain why this is
an important criterion for a good restaurant.
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As part of your argument, you MIGHT also need to
anticipate objections or alternative judgments.
For example, if you want to argue that Apollo 13 is a good
family film, you might discuss how the movie appears to be good for
the entire family: the language is clean, the movie promotes
responsible behavior, and the movie has a fairly simple story to
follow. These elements suggest that the movie is a good
family-film. However, someone might argue that Apollo 13
is not appropriate for small children
because some of the situations are “too intense, frightening, or
mature” for many youngsters. You need to address this concern and
show that despite these frightening scenes, the film is still
appropriate for kids. Anticipating readers' concerns definitely
enhances your credibility.
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Another feature that can help your evaluation
essays is a pointed comparison. Compare
your subject to other subjects in the same category. For example,
if you’re evaluating a Black Eyed Peas album, compare it to other
albums that are in the same class (i.e., hip-hop, rap, dance,
etc.). Make sure your comparisons are pointed
in that you focus on a particular criterion or standard and show how
the Black Eyed Peas album has more variety in the tracks or has more
intellectually stimulating lyrics.
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In your conclusion, sum up your argument and make
a final judgment. In this type of essay, the delayed thesis can be
very effective. However, the judgment you make should gradually
become clear by the time you get to the end of the essay--it
shouldn’t be a surprise.
Topics: Evaluate something in which
you are interested and SOMETHING THAT YOU
CAN RE-VIST. You might evaluate a movie, a restaurant,
a book, a television show, a CD, a website, a software package, a
class/teacher, a candidate for public office, an amusement park, a
shopping mall, a magazine, a band, a bar, a counselor, or a program.
You must be able to see/experience it before
writing the essay--it can’t be based on your memory of the thing.
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