Imagine that you've been asked to respond to the following question:
The fifteenth and sixteenth century voyages of exploration produced lasting changes in the political and social structure of Western Europe. Would you say that these voyages tended to hasten or to delay the growth of national states? Explain.
A solid writing strategy for responding to essay questions is the following:
Answer the Question + At Least One Reason + Closing Statement
Keep your responses focused, structured, and prove your points with evidence.
Here's how to do it.
1) Begin with a direct answer to the question. The easiest way to do this is to restate the question in a way that incorporates your answer. If you will give more than one reason or address more than one topic in your response, pre-outline the topics/reasons you will discuss in order.
The exploration of the 15th and 16th centuries hastened the growth of national states. The reasons have to do with war, wealth, trade, and nationalism.
2) Address your reason(s) in order.
One of the prime ingredients for the beginning of national states was a common danger from outside. Because countries went to war over the right to control certain colonies and trade routes, each country had to unite within in order to fight off any aggressor.
A. Use transitions to move smoothly between reasons.
Other forms of competition between countries contributed to the growth of national states. Competition for land and wealth was fierce. The resources of the new lands, such as coffee, spices, minerals, were considered valuable. Each country was eager to gain land because the products of the land could be turned into more wealth, as when Cortez conquered the Aztecs and exploited their gold and silver.A united country could best succeed in this form of competition.
B. Incorporate examples to amplify your reasoning.
These resources, brought about by new discoveries, increased the power of mercantilism. Mercantilism is a system in which the mother country takes from its colonies raw materials and sells them back in the form of finished products. This allows the mother country to keep economic control over the colonies. With the opening of new trade routes, the Northern and Western European states were able to break the Venetian-Arab trade monopoly with the Indies. The colonization led to a system involving a state-controlled market between the colony and the mother country. This permitted the nations of Europe to become economically separate units with no common market existing between them—a condition which fostered nationalism. It is interesting to note that Italy, which did little exploration, took longer to become a united nation than did the other countries of Europe.
C. Use signal phrases and in-text citations to identify your sources.
Another feature in producing national states was the national pride these voyages tended to produce. According to Taylor, the voyages were financed by a national government (2020). Any new discovery was seen as reflecting the prestige of the sponsoring government and its people, and this added pride contributed to the spirit of nationalism (Martin, 2012).
3. End with a closing statement that wraps up your response and reminds the reader of your position on the question.
The changes produced by exploration were key contributors to national growth.
FAQs
To format questions and answers in APA format:
How to format questions and answers in APA format? ›
To format questions and answers in APA format:
- Begin the question on a new line and type number 1 followed by a period.
- Type the discussion question in one of the following: ...
- Use double spacing and one inch margins.
- Separate the answer from the question by beginning the answer on a new line.
Pay attention to the details
- Write a direct answer to the question.
- Restate the question in a way that includes the answer.
- Explain your reasons in sequence.
- Give examples to expound your reasoning.
- Use citations to give credit to your sources.
- Conclude with your position in the answer.
APA style (also known as APA format) is a writing style and format for academic documents such as scholarly journal articles and books. It is commonly used for citing sources within the field of behavioral and social sciences, including sociology, education, nursing, criminal justice, anthropology, and psychology.
What does APA format look like? ›
An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the sections, as described below.
How do I put something in APA format? ›
General APA Guidelines
Your essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11"), with 1" margins on all sides. Include a page header (also known as the “running head”) at the top of every page. For a professional paper, this includes your paper title and the page number.
How do you write a question and answer format? ›
To format questions and answers in APA format:
Use the correct punctuation at the end -- a question mark if the prompt is a question; a period if it is a statement. Use double spacing and one inch margins. Separate the answer from the question by beginning the answer on a new line. Always answer in complete sentences.
What are some examples of essay questions? ›
Essay Topic Suggestions to Help You Get Started
| 1 | The effect of a parent, teacher, or friend on your life |
|---|
| 4 | The effects of divorce |
| 5 | Volcano eruptions — causes and effects |
| 6 | What are the effects of illiteracy |
| 7 | Causes of the Great Depression |
5 more rowsDirect questions within a sentence
When a direct question occurs within a larger sentence, it takes a question mark. Note that in the examples below, the question mark supplants the comma that would syntactically belong in its place. Would they make it on time? she wondered.
What is APA style with example? ›
APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers, use a paragraph number.
APA is the style of documentation of sources used by the American Psychological Association. This form of writing research papers is used mainly in the social sciences, like psychology, anthropology, sociology, as well as education and other fields.
What are the two types of APA style? ›
There are two types of in-text citations in APA format: parenthetical and narrative. Parenthetical citations include the author(s) and the date of publication within parentheses. Narrative citations intertwine the author as part of the sentence with the date of publication (in parentheses) following.
What are the main parts of an APA formatted essay? ›
Your APA paper should include five major sections: the Title Page, Abstract, Main Paper, Paper Format and References And Citations. See the timeline handout for important due dates.
How do you start a quote in an essay APA? ›
A short quotation at the beginning of a chapter or article is called an epigraph. The quote is treated like an extract and indented from the left margin. Only the author's name (and only the author's last name if he or she is well-known) and the book's title should be given in italics.
Can you say I in an APA essay? ›
Use first-person pronouns in APA Style to describe your work as well as your personal reactions. If you are writing a paper by yourself, use the pronoun “I” to refer to yourself.
How to format Q&A? ›
Here are seven simple tips to consider when writing a Q&A:
- Think about the final product before conducting the interview. ...
- Type out the entire transcript before editing. ...
- Arrange your questions and answers in an order that makes sense. ...
- Feel free to edit what your interviewee says without changing their meaning.
When the quotation itself is a question, put the question mark inside the quotation marks. Correct: Participants were asked, “How many days, on average, have you felt depressed over the past 2 weeks?” Incorrect: Participants were asked, “How many days, on average, have you felt depressed over the past 2 weeks”?
