Here are a few tips for writing answers to essay questions on tests in any of my classes.

I am not particularly concerned with form or style. I certainly don't want you to start an essay with a "big picture" statement like "philosophers have often worried about the question of free will..." This is fluff and it makes me crazy. I don't care about topic statements or thesis statements either. The most important thing is do what the question asks. If the question has three parts, do all three.

Let's start with an example. I will use the same example as the sample essay

Give the argument from design for the existence of God. What is one objection to this argument? Do you think this problem is devestating for the argument? Why or why not?

Ok, first you need to give the design argument. Before you do this, you should tell me what you are doing. Something like: "The design argument goes like this:" is enough. You can give the argument in standard form (with numbered premises) or just explain it. If you are answering an essay question where there isn't really an argument to give, you will have to simply explain whatever it is in words.

Now, when I say explain, I mean that you should write as though you are writing for someone who doesn't know what the design argument (or whatever) is. This is a rule for all essay questions. Don't assume I can figure out what you're trying to say. Pretend you are writing for another reasonably intelligent undergraduate who hasn't taken this class. So something like "The design argument says that the fact that plants and animals seem to be arranged and organized is best explained by an intelligent designer and since that designer could only be God, God must exist." If you write it in this form rather than standard form as I do on the sample essay, make sure you don't skip any steps. Remember, you're writing for someone who doesn't know the argument. The same applies if you are not giving an argument but a view or theory. Don't leave anything out assuming I know how to fill in the gap.

So, now we've done the first part. Part two is "Give one objection to this argument." Don't just name the objection- if it has a name- explain, again to a reasonably smart undergraduate. In explaining it, you must say why it is a problem for the argument. So it's not enough to say "animals have nonfunctioning organs." Why is this a problem for the argument? So you have to say something like "The creationist is going to have a hard time explaining why God would put nonfunctioning organs on animals, so perhaps evolution might explain better." (see the sample essay for the full answer)

So now we've given the argument and one objection. Part three is do we think the objection kills the argument? This is a yes or no, but you should write a complete sentence: "Yes, I think this objection is devasting" for example.

Now, part four, give reasons for your answer. "I don't believe God exists" is not a reason because we are trying to prove the existence of God. You're not engaging the argument with this answer. You could give a lot of different kinds of reasons: an argument of your own, an appeal to something like Ockham's razor (like I do in the essay). A good strategy would be to compare the two alternative explanations for the existence of plants and animals: creationism and evolution. In the sample, I write that the creationist will have to come up with a complicated explanation of why animals have nonfunctioning organs so this might lead up to believe that evolution gives a simpler (better by Ockham's razor) explanation. If you thought the objection wasn't devestating, you could say that intelligent design creationism can account for the nonfunctioning organs (since there is still evolution) and give us a bonus: an explanation of the first life forms, something evolution can't do.

A few more hints. When I ask for one objection, just give one and explain it well. In the same vein, don't give a truckload of reasons you think it's good or bad. Give one or two and explain them well.

Always use complete sentences in essay questions and be sure to explain clearly and concisely.

Again, write as though the reader hasn't taken the class

If you do exactly what the question asks (all parts) you should do fine.