Sample essay question and answer:

Question: Mesopotamia made many contributions to western civilization. In a properly written, organized paragraph, explain in some detail three such contributions and show why they were important. Give approximate dates whenever possible.

Step One: Steal the topic sentence if possible.

Mesopotamia made many contributions to western civilization.

Step Two: Get all the requirements mentioned in a second topic sentence (or several sentences, if necessary).

The early Sumerians developed cuneiform, an early form of writing, by 3,000 BC, which was used to produce the first real piece of epic literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, possibly written about 1600 BC. A third contribution was the Hammurabi Code of 1700 BC.

IMPORTANT: Remember the rules of grammar: titles of full-length works are underlined (or parenthesized); shorter works, like poems, plays, stories, paintings, etc. are written in “quotation marks.”

Step Three: Develop your three subtopics with details. (Note: we’ve already passed 50 words and we have not padded a thing.)

Cuneiform was a way of writing with pictures. Developed at first to aid with commerce, the images eventually came to symbolize actual words and sounds rather than simple objects, so the language became sophisticated. This sophistication allowed an anonymous writer to create The Epic of Gilgamesh, a heroic adventure of men and gods that would eventually lead to the creation of other epics, such as The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer. The Hammurabi Code was a collection of laws by Babylonian King Hammurabi, which were copied for centuries by many other cultures, including the early Israelites, who incorporated its “eye for an eye” spirit in much of the early Bible.

Step Four: Conclusion:

These are but three of the many contributions the Mesopotamians made to western civilization.

You see, this simple form of organization shows the teacher that you know what he/she is looking for, and shows that you can organize and present your thoughts clearly. I forgot to mention this in class the other day and it’s very important: Organized writing makes it easy for the teacher to read. If a teacher knows right at the start what you’re trying to say, all he/she has to do is skim through your answer and give you an A. The less the teacher has to work to understand what you want to say, the better your grade will be.