Essay Writing Guide

Essay Topics

Last updated on: Dec 19, 2023

Essay Topics: 100+ Best Essay Topics for your Guidance

By: Nova A.

13 min read

Reviewed By: Rylee W.

Published on: Jan 29, 2019

Essay Topics

Let’s face it, essay writing can be tedious and boring. Spending hours to write a good essay is difficult, and brainstorming essay topic ideas can be even more confusing.

This is what makes writing essays difficult and time-consuming. Luckily, you can learn  essay writing  with practice and by following some good examples. But before that, you should know how to choose a good and engaging topic for your essay.

To help you get started, we have categorized a list of a number of different types of essay topic lists.

Essay Topics

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Argumentative Essay Topics

An argumentative essay investigates a topic in great detail, forms an argument over it, and defends it using supporting data.

Below are some good argumentative essay topic ideas to help you draft winning essays.

  • School students should be allowed to curate their high school curriculum.
  • The role of physical education in the school system.
  • Should the death sentence be implemented globally?
  • It should be illegal to use certain types of animals for experiments and other research purposes.
  • Should the government do more to improve accessibility for people with physical disabilities?
  • Do people learn the art of becoming a politician, or are they born with it?
  • Social media platform owners should monitor and block comments containing hateful language.
  • Does technology play a role in making people feel more isolated?
  • Will there ever be a time when there will be no further technological advancements?
  • It should be illegal to produce and sell tobacco.
  • Girls should be motivated to take part in sports.
  • Rape victims should abort their unborn children.
  • Fathers should get equal paternity leave.
  • Do teenagers get into trouble because they are bored?
  • Individuals who have failed at parenting should be punished.
  • Vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
  • Covid-19 vaccination has more cons than pros.
  • Social media is the real cause of teenage depression.
  • Is the American education system perfect for society?
  • Recycling should be made compulsory.

Choosing a strong topic is key to writing a great essay. Have a look at our blog to select good  argumentative essay topics  to impress the audience.

Persuasive Essay Topics

A persuasive essay is similar to an argumentative paper. However, in it, the writer wants to convince the readers of their point of view. Simple essay topics would make better essays as they help the students stay focused.

Below is a list of some good persuasive essay topics for you:

  • Energy drinks should be banned in schools and colleges.
  • Gambling should be banned in the United States.
  • Should abortions be banned worldwide?
  • Hunting is an immoral act.
  • Is it okay to use animals in a circus?
  • Harmful dogs should be euthanized.
  • Cell phones should not be allowed in schools.
  • Teachers should pass a professional exam, just like students.
  • Schools should reduce the workload on students.
  • Sex education should be mandatory in high schools.
  • Vlogging isn’t an actual profession.
  • Is LinkedIn helpful for finding a job?
  • Social media has played a big role in increasing business opportunities.
  • Is Java becoming obsolete?
  • Should employers go through the candidate’s social media profiles?
  • Animal testing should be banned.
  • Violent video games should be banned.
  • Parents with mental disabilities should not be allowed to adopt children.
  • Alcohol consumption should be legalized in Muslim countries.
  • Every person should get Covid-19 vaccination.

For your help, we have gathered a wide range of  persuasive essay topics . Give it a read.

Descriptive Essay Topics

A descriptive essay describes a specific thing by using sensory data. It is done to engage the reader’s five senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight).

The following is a list of descriptive essay topic ideas for the students.

  • The person who is responsible for making a difference in my life.
  • Describe a smartphone and its benefits to someone from the ‘60s.
  • The most interesting piece of art I have ever seen.
  • Describe the experience of falling in love.
  • What does a place that only exists in your imagination look like?
  • Describe meeting a famous person.
  • Describe yourself and your personality to a stranger.
  • What will life be like in 2050?
  • An experience that changed my life forever.
  • Your idea of the perfect day.
  • My first trip abroad.
  • The most significant event in American History.
  • A popular book series that disappointed you.
  • A look into my daily life.
  • A day in the life of an ER doctor.
  • A trip to the museum.
  • The most interesting movie I watched during my summer vacation.
  • My favorite childhood memory.
  • An incident that changed my life.
  • An incident that restored my faith in humanity.

Here are some more  descriptive essay topics  to help you find a good idea for your essay.

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Narrative Essay Topics

In a narrative essay, your goal is to share a personal experience by telling a story. This creative form of writing depends on how strong and exciting the theme is. The article topics for students given here are carefully curated and would help the students do good in their essays.

Some examples and topics of narrative topic ideas are presented below.

  • The experience that taught me how looks could be deceiving.
  • A week without internet and technology.
  • The impact your first love had on your life.
  • How much did your teachers contribute to making you the person you are today?
  • An experience that made you realize your parents were or weren’t always right.
  • A moment when someone you didn’t like surprised you with kindness.
  • The influence technology has had on your hobbies and life.
  • An achievement outside of academic life?
  • Which school lesson had the biggest influence on your life?
  • A day when you fought procrastination.
  • The time you faced rejection.
  • The time when you stood against your parents.
  • An experience that left you helpless.
  • The time you prayed to be an only child.
  • An act of kindness you can never forget.
  • Death of a loved one.
  • Your biggest pet peeve.
  • Your definition of a perfect weekend.
  • The things you regret most in life.
  • Your first experience of an air trip.

Choosing interesting  narrative essay topics  is essential to make the content compelling for the readers.

Research Essay Topics

While writing a research essay, the most crucial step is choosing a topic for your essay. Select a topic that is broad enough to compose an entire research essay on it.

Below are some of the best topics for your research essay.

  • Effects of violent cartoons on children.
  • Should universities provide accommodations to disabled students?
  • Events and experiences I agree are causing the increase in terrorism.
  • How do technology and gadgets affect the studies of children?
  • Do children who attend preschool do better in school?
  • Universities are becoming business-driven.
  • Does college debt affect the future lives of students?
  • Why has the divorce rate changed in the past decade?
  • Schools should allow the use of smartphones in school.
  • Effective ways to decrease depression among our youth.
  • Analyze the relationship between the United States of America and North Korea.
  • Why did the UK decide to leave the EU?
  • Is it true that students learn better in a same-sex school?
  • How does giving kids different gadgets affect their studies?
  • Compare the immigration policies of two different countries.
  • Events that lead to World War I.
  • Pros and cons of studying abroad.
  • How has Covid-19 influenced the education system of the world?
  • Individual acts that lead to Global Warming.
  • Effectiveness of the policies made to control Covid-19.

Looking for more? We have an extensive range of  research essay topics  to make the audience fall in love with your work.

Expository Essay Topics

While writing an expository essay, you have to explain and clarify your topic clearly to the readers.

Below is a list of expository essay topics:

  • Why do teenagers commit suicide?
  • What is the impact of music on our youth?
  • What are the consequences of skipping school?
  • Why do teenagers use drugs?
  • How can pets make you happy and improve your life?
  • Consequences of having alcoholic drinks within a school campus.
  • How does drug use affect relationships?
  • Is global warming a cause of skin cancer?
  • Is sodium bad for your health?
  • What is the line between being overweight and being obese?
  • Why do you want to pursue your desired career?
  • Explain how advancements in science improve the quality of life for humans.
  • What are some unconventional ways of relieving stress?
  • If you could swap your lives with someone, who would it be and why?
  • What are some major stress factors in a teenager’s life?
  • Why is getting a degree important for job life?
  • Pros and cons of getting financial aid.
  • How emotional support animals help in treating mental conditions.
  • How does prostitution influence society?
  • The environmental causes of smoking.

5StarEssays.com has gathered an additional and extensive list of  expository essay topics .

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Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

In a compare and contrast essay, you evaluate and analyze the similarities and differences between the two subjects. Your reader must be able to form an opinion after weighing the pros and cons you have set forth.

Below are some topics for you to choose for your compare and contrast paper:

  • Extroverts and introverts.
  • Generation Y Vs. Generation Z.
  • Traditional Helicopters Vs. Lifesize Drones.
  • Unemployed students Vs. students with a part-time job.
  • SAT and TOEFL.
  • Persuasive and argumentative essays - How are they similar?
  • How were the causes of World War I different from the causes of World War II?
  • Education vs. professional career: what is more difficult?
  • Real-life or spending your time daydreaming.
  • Consequences of earthquake and tsunami: what’s worse?
  • Being popular in high school or alone?
  • Part-time work or studying for a higher degree?
  • Getting married at an old age or a young age?
  • Fashion today Vs. twenty years ago.
  • Donald Trump Vs. Hillary Clinton.
  • Democracy Vs. Dictatorship
  • Vietnam War Vs. War on Terror.
  • Benefits of drinking tea Vs. coffee.
  • Greek and Roman methodologies - Similarities and differences.
  • Traditional Vs. distant learning.

Get more interesting  compare and contrast essay topics  at 5StarEssays.com to impress your instructors.

Cause and Effect Essay Topics

The cause and effect essay explains why something happens and what happens as a result of those happenings. A cause and effect essay is a type of expository essay.

Here are a few topics for your cause and effect essay:

  • What are the causes of eating disorders?
  • Effects of climate change and global warming.
  • The effects of the Feminism movement.
  • What are the causes of increasing depression among teenagers?
  • What are the causes of suicidal thoughts?
  • Is keeping a pet effective in calming your mind?
  • How does divorce affects children?
  • Why are men afraid of commitment?
  • Effects of social media on youth.
  • Has social media affected relationships among families?
  • Discuss the effects of homeschooling on children.
  • Causes of heart diseases.
  • Causes of sibling rivalry.
  • Cramming doesn't help improve test scores.
  • Cause and effect of depression in the workplace.
  • How do abusive parents influence the mental stability of a child?
  • Causes and effects of bullying.
  • Causes of obesity in teenagers.
  • Effects of taking a balanced diet on health?
  • Causes and effects of insomnia.

To get more ideas, visit our  cause and effect essay topics  that are remarkable and well-suited for a great essay.

Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics

Argumentative essay topics are quite popular assignments in universities. If you are a student searching for a captivating argumentative essay topic, here is a list of ideas you can consider.

  • Third world war should be prevented by the Russian and US governments.
  • Political policies and practices affecting students.
  • Is gun control effective in reducing crime?
  • Same-sex marriage and constitutional law.
  • Is society over-regulated?
  • Are leaders born or made?
  • No one should be above the law.
  • Monarchy: pros and cons.
  • Rules on Political Activities by Federal Employees.
  • The most corrupt countries in the world.
  • Mercy killing should be legalized in all countries of the world.
  • Death penalties should be abolished.
  • Third-world countries should be provided with education plans by the developed countries.
  • Muslims should not be labeled as terrorists.
  • Illegal immigrants should be given equal rights.
  • Abortions should be legalized.
  • Live-in relationships should be encouraged.
  • Professional athletes should be allowed to consume steroids.
  • Should physical punishments be given to children?
  • Smoking in public should be an offensive crime.

Funny Argumentative Essay Topics

Are you looking for some funny argumentative essay topics for your essay? If so, choose a topic from the following list.

  • Why do people like watching funny videos?
  • What your cat is really thinking.
  • Why spam emails should be your favorite type of email.
  • Why wearing braces is fun.
  • School dropouts are the best in our society.
  • Why I don't like country music.
  • Types of dates.
  • A better way to get things done.
  • What organic food really is.
  • Things guys do that girls hate.
  • How to annoy your friend.
  • Why do women pretend that they enjoy sports?
  • Things preventing you from completing your homework in time.
  • Funny things we see in wedding ceremonies.
  • Why are spam emails more interesting?
  • Why does Starbucks coffee taste better?
  • Why are backbenchers smarter than other students?
  • Clowns are scarier than funny.
  • Should we be maintaining social distancing even after Covid-19?
  • Why is watching movies better than reading books?

Informative Essay Topics for Students

Essay writing requires depth. However, you don’t have to choose a complex topic in middle school, high school, or college.

Here is a list of interesting essay topics for middle school, high school, and college students.

Essay Topics for College Students

  • Virtual classes cannot replace the traditional class system.
  • Advantages and disadvantages of online classes.
  • Is there a need to reform the college education system?
  • Assault weapons should not be legal.
  • People with a history of mental illness should not be allowed to purchase firearms.
  • The taxation system needs to be changed around the globe.
  • Kids should not be the target audience in advertising.
  • The number of calories should be mentioned with every meal.
  • Feminists have effectively improved the workforce for women.
  • Is the death penalty effective?
  • How to identify fake news?
  • How to maintain a healthy life?
  • How to treat PTSD naturally?
  • Should people be judged on their appearance?
  • How is technology influencing the work performance of people?
  • Private Vs. public schools
  • How to choose majors in high school?
  • Impact of legalizing drugs on society.
  • Significance of learning social values.
  • How to prevent bullying on campus?

Essay Topics for High School

  • The choice to join the armed forces should be an individual decision.
  • Listening to music can increase work efficiency.
  • Being honest has more cons than pros.
  • People who have been in an accident value life more than others.
  • Embarrassing moments help boost your confidence.
  • Kindness is the most valuable personal trait.
  • Spontaneity can improve your life.
  • Can hobbies help improve the richness of one’s life?
  • Dressing properly in the office improves work efficiency
  • Being organized can help in school as well as the office.
  • Impact of homosexuality on society.
  • What is feminism?
  • How to overcome fears and phobias?
  • Significance of having leadership skills in job life?
  • Causes and treatments for bipolar disorder.
  • Side effects of consuming antidepressants.
  • How important is mental health in succeeding professionally?
  • How do teaching methods influence learning abilities?
  • Should specially-abled people be allowed to work in offices?
  • Discrimination and racism in the US.

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Essay Topics for Middle School

  • Every child should have chores at home.
  • There should not be any summer classes.
  • Should students continue studying during summer vacation?
  • Parents should pay attention to the amount of time their children spend watching television.
  • Favorite family summer vacation.
  • Sports should be mandatory in every school.
  • Processed foods should not be part of private and public school lunch.
  • Do students still use newspapers for research?
  • Every individual should spend a year doing community service.
  • The weekend should be 3 days long.

Still need help choosing an essay topic? 5StarEssays is a professional  essay writing service  that helps you get a high quality essay. We have a team of essay writers who are professionals and can do your essay . 

We also have an AI-powered paper writer  for you to help you generate an essay in seconds to use as a reference!

Nova A.

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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At some point, you’re going to be asked to write an argumentative essay. An argumentative essay is exactly what it sounds like—an essay in which you’ll be making an argument, using examples and research to back up your point.

But not all argumentative essay topics are created equal. Not only do you have to structure your essay right to have a good impact on the reader, but even your choice of subject can impact how readers feel about your work.

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of writing argumentative essays, including what argumentative essays are, how to write a good one, and how to pick a topic that works for you. Then check out a list of argumentative essay ideas to help you get started.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is one that makes an argument through research. These essays take a position and support it through evidence, but, unlike many other kinds of essays, they are interested in expressing a specific argument supported by research and evidence.

A good argumentative essay will be based on established or new research rather than only on your thoughts and feelings. Imagine that you’re trying to get your parents to raise your allowance, and you can offer one of two arguments in your favor:

You should raise my allowance because I want you to.

You should raise my allowance because I’ve been taking on more chores without complaining.

The first argument is based entirely in feelings without any factual backup, whereas the second is based on evidence that can be proven. Your parents are more likely to respond positively to the second argument because it demonstrates that you have done something to earn the increased allowance. Similarly, a well-researched and reasoned argument will show readers that your point has a basis in fact, not just feelings.

The standard five-paragraph essay is common in writing argumentative essays, but it’s not the only way to write one. An argumentative essay is typically written in one of two formats, the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model.

The Toulmin model is the most common, comprised of an introduction with a claim (otherwise known as a thesis), with data to support it. This style of essay will also include rebuttals, helping to strengthen your argument by anticipating counterarguments.

The Rogerian model analyzes two sides of an argument and reaches a conclusion after weighing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Both essay styles rely on well-reasoned logic and supporting evidence to prove a point, just in two different ways.

The important thing to note about argumentative essays as opposed to other kinds of essays is that they aim to argue a specific point rather than to explain something or to tell a story. While they may have some things in common with analytical essays, the primary difference is in their objective—an argumentative essay aims to convince someone of something, whereas an analytical essay contextualizes a topic with research.

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What Makes a Good Argumentative Essay?

To write an effective argumentative essay, you need to know what a good one looks like. In addition to a solid structure, you’ll need an argument, a strong thesis, and solid research.

An Argument

Unlike other forms of essays, you are trying to convince your reader of something. You’re not just teaching them a concept or demonstrating an idea—you’re constructing an argument to change the readers’ thinking.

You’ll need to develop a good argument, which encompasses not just your main point, but also all the pieces that make it up.

Think beyond what you are saying and include how you’re saying it. How will you take an idea and turn it into a complex and well thought out argument that is capable of changing somebody’s mind?

A Strong Thesis

The thesis is the core of your argument. What specific message are you trying to get across? State that message in one sentence, and that will be your thesis.

This is the foundation on which your essay is built, so it needs to be strong and well-reasoned. You need to be able to expand on it with facts and sources, not just feelings.

A good argumentative essay isn’t just based on your individual thoughts, but research. That can be citing sources and other arguments or it can mean direct research in the field, depending on what your argument is and the context in which you are arguing it.

Be prepared to back your thesis up with reporting from scientific journals, newspapers, or other forms of research. Having well-researched sources will help support your argument better than hearsay or assumptions. If you can’t find enough research to back up your point, it’s worth reconsidering your thesis or conducting original research, if possible.

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How to Come Up With an Argumentative Essay Topic

Sometimes you may find yourself arguing things you don’t necessarily believe. That’s totally fine—you don’t actually have to wholeheartedly believe in what you’re arguing in order to construct a compelling argument.

However, if you have free choice of topic, it’s a good idea to pick something you feel strongly about. There are two key components to a good argumentative essay: a strong stance, and an assortment of evidence. If you’re interested and feel passionate about the topic you choose, you'll have an easier time finding evidence to support it, but it's the evidence that's most important. 

So, to choose a topic, think about things you feel strongly about, whether positively or negatively. You can make a list of ideas and narrow those down to a handful of things, then expand on those ideas with a few potential points you want to hit on.

For example, say you’re trying to decide whether you should write about how your neighborhood should ban weed killer, that your school’s lunch should be free for all students, or that the school day should be cut by one hour. To decide between these ideas, you can make a list of three to five points for each that cover the different evidence you could use to support each point.

For the weed killer ban, you could say that weed killer has been proven to have adverse impacts on bees, that there are simple, natural alternatives, and that weeds aren’t actually bad to have around. For the free lunch idea, you could suggest that some students have to go hungry because they can’t afford lunch, that funds could be diverted from other places to support free lunch, and that other items, like chips or pizza, could be sold to help make up lost revenue. And for the school day length example, you could argue that teenagers generally don’t get enough sleep, that you have too much homework and not enough time to do it, and that teenagers don’t spend enough time with their families.

You might find as you make these lists that some of them are stronger than others. The more evidence you have and the stronger you feel that that evidence is, the better the topic.  Of course, if you feel that one topic may have more evidence but you’d rather not write about it, it’s okay to pick another topic instead. When you’re making arguments, it can be much easier to find strong points and evidence if you feel passionate about our topic than if you don't.

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50 Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

If you’re struggling to come up with topics on your own, read through this list of argumentative essay topics to help get you started!

  • Should fracking be legal?
  • Should parents be able to modify their unborn children?
  • Do GMOs help or harm people?
  • Should vaccinations be required for students to attend public school?
  • Should world governments get involved in addressing climate change?
  • Should Facebook be allowed to collect data from its users?
  • Should self-driving cars be legal?
  • Is it ethical to replace human workers with automation?
  • Should there be laws against using cell phones while driving?
  • Has the internet positively or negatively impacted human society?

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  • Should college athletes be paid for being on sports teams?
  • Should coaches and players make the same amount of money?
  • Should sports be segregated by gender?
  • Should the concept of designated hitters in baseball be abolished?
  • Should US sports take soccer more seriously?
  • Should religious organizations have to pay taxes?
  • Should religious clubs be allowed in schools?
  • Should “one nation under God” be in the pledge of allegiance?
  • Should religion be taught in schools?
  • Should clergy be allowed to marry?
  • Should minors be able to purchase birth control without parental consent?
  • Should the US switch to single-payer healthcare?
  • Should assisted suicide be legal?
  • Should dietary supplements and weight loss items like teas be allowed to advertise through influencers?
  • Should doctors be allowed to promote medicines?

Government/Politics

  • Is the electoral college an effective system for modern America?
  • Should Puerto Rico become a state?
  • Should voter registration be automatic?
  • Should people in prison be allowed to vote?
  • Should Supreme Court justices be elected?
  • Should sex work be legalized?
  • Should Columbus Day be replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
  • Should the death penalty be legal?
  • Should animal testing be allowed?
  • Should drug possession be decriminalized?

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  • Should unpaid internships be legal?
  • Should minimum wage be increased?
  • Should monopolies be allowed?
  • Is universal basic income a good idea?
  • Should corporations have a higher or lower tax rate?
  • Are school uniforms a good idea?
  • Should PE affect a student’s grades?
  • Should college be free?
  • Should Greek life in colleges be abolished?
  • Should students be taught comprehensive sex ed?

Arts/Culture

  • Should graffiti be considered art or vandalism?
  • Should books with objectionable words be banned?
  • Should content on YouTube be better regulated?
  • Is art education important?
  • Should art and music sharing online be allowed?

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How to Argue Effectively

A strong argument isn’t just about having a good point. If you can’t support that point well, your argument falls apart.

One of the most important things you can do in writing a strong argumentative essay is organizing well. Your essay should have a distinct beginning, middle, and end, better known as the introduction, body and opposition, and conclusion.

This example follows the Toulmin model—if your essay follows the Rogerian model, the same basic premise is true, but your thesis will instead propose two conflicting viewpoints that will be resolved through evidence in the body, with your conclusion choosing the stronger of the two arguments.

Introduction

Your hook should draw the reader’s interest immediately. Questions are a common way of getting interest, as well as evocative language or a strong statistic

Don’t assume that your audience is already familiar with your topic. Give them some background information, such as a brief history of the issue or some additional context.

Your thesis is the crux of your argument. In an argumentative essay, your thesis should be clearly outlined so that readers know exactly what point you’ll be making. Don’t explain all your evidence in the opening, but do take a strong stance and make it clear what you’ll be discussing.

Your claims are the ideas you’ll use to support your thesis. For example, if you’re writing about how your neighborhood shouldn’t use weed killer, your claim might be that it’s bad for the environment. But you can’t just say that on its own—you need evidence to support it.

Evidence is the backbone of your argument. This can be things you glean from scientific studies, newspaper articles, or your own research. You might cite a study that says that weed killer has an adverse effect on bees, or a newspaper article that discusses how one town eliminated weed killer and saw an increase in water quality. These kinds of hard evidence support your point with demonstrable facts, strengthening your argument.

In your essay, you want to think about how the opposition would respond to your claims and respond to them. Don’t pick the weakest arguments, either— figure out what other people are saying and respond to those arguments with clearly reasoned arguments.

Demonstrating that you not only understand the opposition’s point, but that your argument is strong enough to withstand it, is one of the key pieces to a successful argumentative essay.

Conclusions are a place to clearly restate your original point, because doing so will remind readers exactly what you’re arguing and show them how well you’ve argued that point.

Summarize your main claims by restating them, though you don’t need to bring up the evidence again. This helps remind readers of everything you’ve said throughout the essay.

End by suggesting a picture of a world in which your argument and action are ignored. This increases the impact of your argument and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

A strong argumentative essay is one with good structure and a strong argument , but there are a few other things you can keep in mind to further strengthen your point.

When you’re crafting an argument, it can be easy to get distracted by all the information and complications in your argument. It’s important to stay focused—be clear in your thesis and home in on claims that directly support that thesis.

Be Rational

It’s important that your claims and evidence be based in facts, not just opinion. That’s why it’s important to use reliable sources based in science and reporting—otherwise, it’s easy for people to debunk your arguments.

Don’t rely solely on your feelings about the topic. If you can’t back a claim up with real evidence, it leaves room for counterarguments you may not anticipate. Make sure that you can support everything you say with clear and concrete evidence, and your claims will be a lot stronger!

What’s Next?

No matter what kind of essay you're writing, a strong plan will help you have a bigger impact. This guide to writing a college essay is a great way to get started on your essay organizing journey!

Brushing up on your essay format knowledge to prep for the SAT? Check out this list of SAT essay prompts to help you kickstart your studying!

A bunch of great essay examples can help you aspire to greatness, but bad essays can also be a warning for what not to do. This guide to bad college essays will help you better understand common mistakes to avoid in essay writing!

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Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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questions to write an essay about

Essay Topics: 450+ Awesome Picks

questions to write an essay about

Ever wondered about the magic behind an essay that grabs your attention and won't let go? Let's spice up your writing journey with some cool topics! Imagine exploring time travel, digging into the stories of your favorite characters, or debating the future of tech. How about pouring your heart into a letter to your dream destination or uncovering the mysteries of history? Excited to make your essays stand out? Come along as we dive into these college essay topic ideas and take your writing to the next level!

Struggling to find the perfect essay topic? EssayPro offers a plethora of choices to spark your creativity. From academic to personal, we have topics that will ignite your writing passion and help you produce exceptional essays.

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How to Choose a Topic for an Essay

Selecting the right topic is like the secret sauce to crafting a standout essay, and it's surprising how many students breeze past this crucial step. Your essay's quality often hinges on the topic you choose, making it the make-or-break moment in your writing journey. Fear not, though! Our college paper writing service is here to make this process a breeze, offering some pro tips to ensure your essay topics are as remarkable as your writing.

choose topics for an essay

  • Tap into Current Affairs: Keep your finger on the pulse of current events. Choose a topic that relates to contemporary issues or ongoing debates. Not only does this make your essay timely and relevant, but it also showcases your awareness of the world around you.
  • Seek Unconventional Angles: Don't be afraid to approach common topics from unconventional angles. Look for fresh perspectives or unique aspects that haven't been explored extensively. It's the unexpected twists that can turn a standard essay into something extraordinary.
  • Consider Personal Experiences: Reflect on your own experiences and observations. Is there a personal story or moment that connects with your essay's theme? Sharing your perspective can add authenticity and depth to your writing, making it more relatable for your audience.
  • Connect with Your Audience: Think about your target audience and what matters to them. Choosing a topic that resonates with your readers creates an immediate connection. Whether it's a shared interest, concern, or passion, this connection enhances the impact of your essay.
  • Test the Waters: Before committing to a topic, test it out. Write a brief outline or a paragraph to see how comfortable and excited you are about exploring it further. This preliminary step helps you gauge your interest and ensures you have enough material to develop a compelling essay.

Ideas for Essay by Category

In the diverse landscape of academic writing, your study area might throw various essay types your way. However, let's zero in on four common categories that could very well become your writing companions, especially as you navigate through your undergraduate coursework.

topics ideas

Persuasive Writing

Imagine you're on a mission to persuade others. That's the essence of persuasive essays. Here, the goal is crystal clear—to sway your reader. It's a challenge that demands not just compelling arguments but also a touch of reason. Unlike expository essays, where facts reign supreme, persuasive essay topics thrive on opinion-based writing, allowing you to craft a narrative that hinges less on specific facts and more on convincing rhetoric.

Expository Writing

Switch gears to expository essays, where facts take the lead. These essays ask you to dig into research, analyze a topic, and present a position based on factual data without adding your personal opinions. Expository essay topics become a platform for showcasing your logical thinking and navigating through scientific articles.

Descriptive Writing

Now, picture yourself creating a vivid image with words. That's what descriptive writing is all about. When working on descriptive essay topics, you'll dive into your subject, using lots of descriptive words. It could be a person, a place, an event, or even a feeling – your goal is to vividly convey it without using first-person language.

Narrative Writing

For those drawn to the allure of storytelling, narrative essays beckon. These essays aim not just to inform but to captivate by weaving a tale spun from personal experiences. Following the standard essay structure of introduction, body, and conclusion, narrative essay topics introduce characters, describe actions, and always have a central theme.

Now that we've covered these essay types, get ready for a bunch of cool essay topic ideas coming your way to spark inspiration for your next writing assignment.

Topics for Technology Essay

In today's environment, technology is the driving force. Both cultural changes and technological improvements have significantly influenced the growth of human civilization. Thus, picking good essay topics about technology will provide you with plenty of material to draw on. Let's explore some effective essay topics recommended by our custom essay writing service.

  • The Ethical Implications of Quantum Computing: A New Era in Information Security.
  • Neuromorphic Engineering: Mimicking the Human Brain in Silicon.
  • The Role of 5G in Revolutionizing Telemedicine and Remote Healthcare.
  • The Environmental Impact of Cryptocurrency Mining: Beyond Energy Consumption.
  • Bioinformatics and the Future of Personalized Medicine.
  • Blockchain and the Decentralization of Social Media Platforms.
  • The Potential of Swarm Robotics in Disaster Relief and Search & Rescue.
  • Human Augmentation and the Ethical Dilemmas of Cyborg Technology.
  • Advancements in Brain-Computer Interfaces: Bridging the Gap Between Mind and Machine.
  • The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Predicting and Preventing Wildfires.
  • 3D Printing Organs: A Revolution in Transplant Medicine.
  • Quantum Internet: Unbreakable Security and the Future of Communication.
  • The Dark Side of Smart Cities: Privacy Concerns in the Age of IoT.
  • Space Debris: Challenges and Solutions for Managing Earth's Orbital Junkyard.
  • The Intersection of Virtual Reality and Therapy: Healing Through Immersion.
  • The Rise of Drone Swarms: Applications and Ethical Concerns.
  • The Impact of 3D Holography in Education and Training.
  • Bioluminescent Technology: Illuminating the Path to Sustainable Lighting.
  • The Evolution of Self-Replicating Nanobots in Medicine and Industry.
  • Innovations in Sound Technology: From Bone Conduction to Sonic Weapons.
  • Quantum Cryptography: Unhackable Communication for the Digital Age.
  • The Future of Food Tech: Lab-Grown Meat and Sustainable Agriculture.
  • Machine Learning in Judicial Systems: Bias, Fairness, and Accountability.
  • Cryonics and Digital Immortality: Freezing Bodies and Uploading Consciousness.
  • The Holographic Universe Theory: Exploring the Nature of Reality through Technology.

Cause and Effect Essay Ideas

To write on cause and effect essay topics, you should primarily identify a situation in which an action has effects or consequences. The next step is for you to describe what happened. If you're having trouble coming up with interesting essay topics, have a look through this list.

  • The Ripple Effect of Kindness: How Small Acts Can Create Lasting Changes.
  • Silent Killers of the Ocean: The Causes and Effects of Ocean Acidification.
  • Echo Chambers in the Digital Age: How Online Algorithms Shape Our Beliefs and Behaviors.
  • From Pixels to Insomnia: How Screen Blue Light Affects Sleep Patterns.
  • The 'IKEA Effect': Psychological Causes and Economic Consequences of DIY Furniture Assembly.
  • Antibiotic Overuse: Creating Resistant Superbugs and Impacts on Human Health.
  • Lost in Light: How Light Pollution Affects Astronomy and Biodiversity.
  • The Influence of Social Media on Political Polarization: Causes and Effects.
  • Urban Sprawl: Causes, Consequences, and the Decline of Green Spaces.
  • The Domino Effect of Misinformation: From Social Media to Real-World Consequences.
  • The Butterfly Effect of Climate Change: Small Actions with Global Consequences.
  • The Psychology of Color in Marketing: How Hues Impact Consumer Choices.
  • The 'Joy of Missing Out' (JOMO): Causes and Effects in the Age of FOMO.
  • The 'Viral' Effect of Social Media Challenges: Causes and Impacts on Youth Behavior.
  • The High Cost of Cheap Fashion: Environmental and Ethical Consequences.
  • Overparenting: Causes and Effects on Child Development and Independence.
  • The Power of Habit: How Routines Shape Our Lives and Goals.
  • The 'Gig Economy' Phenomenon: Causes and Effects on Job Security.
  • The Paradox of Choice: How an Abundance of Options Impacts Decision-Making.
  • Digital Nomads: Causes and Consequences of a Remote Work Lifestyle.
  • Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Causes and Effects on Mental Well-Being.
  • 'Helicopter Parenting': Its Origins and Effects on Children's Independence.
  • The Psychological Impact of Personalized Advertising: Causes and Consequences.
  • The Decline of Bookstores: Digitalization's Effects on Reading Habits.
  • The Influence of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity: Causes and Consequences.
  • Perfectionism in the Digital Age: Causes and Impacts on Mental Health.
  • The 'Selfie Culture': Its Origins and Effects on Self-Esteem.
  • The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Function: Causes and Consequences.
  • The Psychology of Hoarding: Causes and Effects on Mental Health and Relationships.
  • 'Cancel Culture': Causes and Impacts on Free Speech and Public Figures.

Problem Solution Essay Topics

One of their strongest features is that the problem-solution essay topic has a very obvious format. You must state the issue, discuss its significance, outline your proposed fix, and justify why it is the best option. Our essay writer will help you in your writing endeavors by compiling a list of things to write about.

  • Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic in the Digital Age: Strategies for Connection.
  • Combating Fake News: Solutions for Media Literacy and Information Verification.
  • Overcoming the Mental Health Stigma: Promoting Open Conversations and Resources.
  • Sustainable Transportation: Solving the Urban Congestion and Emissions Problem.
  • Closing the Gender Pay Gap: Policy Reforms and Corporate Initiatives.
  • Reshaping Education for a Digital World: Integrating Technology and Reducing Disparities.
  • Tackling Youth Unemployment: Job Training and Apprenticeship Programs.
  • Combating Childhood Obesity: Promoting Healthy Lifestyles in Schools and Communities.
  • Revitalizing Dying Rural Communities: Strategies for Economic Growth and Well-Being.
  • Solving the Plastic Pollution Crisis: Alternatives and Recycling Initiatives.
  • Reducing Food Waste: Strategies for Sustainable Consumption and Distribution.
  • Addressing Cybersecurity Threats: Strengthening Online Privacy and Defenses.
  • Bridging the Digital Divide: Expanding Internet Access to Underserved Communities.
  • Fighting Corruption: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Government.
  • Climate Change Mitigation: Implementing Green Energy Solutions and Policies.
  • Curbing the Opioid Epidemic: Comprehensive Approaches to Addiction and Recovery.
  • Ensuring Affordable Healthcare: Reforms to Make Medical Treatment Accessible to All.
  • Sustainable Agriculture: Promoting Organic Farming and Reducing Pesticides.
  • Preventing Bullying in Schools: Anti-Bullying Programs and Supportive Environments.
  • Enhancing Water Conservation: Solutions to Address Scarcity and Pollution.
  • Promoting Renewable Energy: Encouraging Solar, Wind, and Hydroelectric Power.
  • Curbing Gun Violence: Gun Control Measures and Mental Health Initiatives.
  • Affordable Housing Solutions: Addressing the Housing Crisis in Urban Areas.
  • Improving Air Quality: Measures to Reduce Pollution in Urban Environments.
  • Reducing Prescription Drug Costs: Strategies for Affordable Medication.
  • Revamping the Criminal Justice System: Addressing Mass Incarceration and Rehabilitation.
  • Combating Human Trafficking: Support Services and Legal Reforms.
  • Solving the Global Water Crisis: Access to Clean Water and Sanitation.
  • Curbing Drunk Driving: Promoting Responsible Alcohol Consumption and Transportation Alternatives.
  • Addressing Elderly Isolation: Community Support and Inclusion Programs.

Informative Essay Topics

You may demonstrate your knowledge by writing informative essays. They all focus on educating the reader without attempting to convince or express an opinion. Let's look at some good essay topics catering to all age groups and preferences.

  • The Surprising World of Mycorrhizal Fungi: Underground Networks in Nature.
  • The Art of Bonsai: Cultivating Miniature Trees and Their History.
  • Hidden Gems of the Deep Sea: Bioluminescent Creatures and Their Adaptations.
  • The Lost City of Atlantis: Myth, Legend, and Scientific Exploration.
  • The Forgotten Languages: Exploring Endangered and Undocumented Dialects.
  • The History of Cartography: How Maps Have Shaped Human Understanding.
  • The Science of Laughter: Why We Laugh and How It Benefits Us.
  • Mysterious Crop Circles: Unraveling the Enigma of Their Origins.
  • The Wonders of Tardigrades: Microscopic Creatures that Can Survive Extreme Conditions.
  • The Art of Japanese Tea Ceremony: Tradition, Ritual, and Philosophy.
  • The Enigma of Stonehenge: Ancient Megaliths and Their Purpose.
  • The World of Competitive Lock Picking: Skills, Strategies, and Ethics.
  • The Secret Language of Flowers: Symbolism and Communication Through Floriography.
  • The Mystery of D.B. Cooper: The Unsolved Disappearance and Aerial Heist.
  • The Science of Dreams: Understanding Sleep and Unconscious Mind Processes.
  • The Art of Forensic Odontology: Solving Crimes through Dental Records.
  • The Ingenious World of Rube Goldberg Machines: Complex Simplicity in Action.
  • The Unusual World of Extreme Ironing: Ironing in the Most Unexpected Places.
  • The Enigmatic Voynich Manuscript: A Book of Untranslatable Symbols and Plants.
  • The Cultural Significance of Masquerade and Carnival Celebrations Worldwide.
  • The Origins of Mythical Creatures: Dragons, Griffins, and the Imagination.
  • The Art and Science of Glassblowing: Crafting Beautiful and Functional Glass Objects.
  • The History and Cultural Significance of Hieroglyphics in Ancient Egypt.
  • The Beauty of Bioluminescent Algae: Natural Light Shows in Oceans and Lakes.
  • The Science of Taste: Exploring the Complexities of Flavor and Palate.
  • The World of Competitive Whistling: Techniques, Styles, and Competitions.
  • The Ancient Art of Origami: Paper Folding as a Cultural and Mathematical Practice.
  • The Fascinating World of Coral Reefs: Ecosystems, Threats, and Conservation.
  • The Art of Archery: Historical Development and Modern Sporting Aspects.
  • The Psychology of Superstitions: Origins, Beliefs, and Cultural Variations.

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Research Essay Topics

You may not be aware of the sheer volume of responsibilities you will likely have throughout college. When it comes to delivering research papers on time, it could leave you feeling overloaded and drained. Thankfully, our dissertation writing help provided you with excellent research essay topics.

  • The Impact of Microplastics on Human Health: A Comprehensive Study.
  • Quantum Entanglement and Its Implications for Secure Communication.
  • The Origins and Implications of Fermi Paradox in Astrophysics.
  • The Role of Gut Microbiota in Mental Health and Cognitive Function.
  • The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories: Motivations and Spread.
  • The Intersection of Art and Artificial Intelligence: Creative Machines.
  • Dark Matter: Unraveling the Mysterious Cosmic Enigma.
  • The Anthropocene Era: Human Impact on Earth's Geological History.
  • Memory Manipulation Techniques: Ethical Considerations and Applications.
  • The Mystery of the Voynich Manuscript: A Multidisciplinary Approach.
  • The Origins of the Universe: Big Bang Theory and Alternatives.
  • The Cognitive Science of Language Evolution: How Did Language Begin?
  • AI in Healthcare: Diagnosing Diseases and Predicting Outcomes.
  • Quantum Computing and Cryptography: The Threats and Safeguards.
  • The Ecology of Urban Rooftop Gardens: Benefits and Sustainability.
  • Deep Learning in Autonomous Vehicles: Challenges and Innovations.
  • The Pale Blue Dot: Prospects for Human Colonization of Mars.
  • The Psychology of Decision-Making: Cognitive Biases and Rationality.
  • The Interplay of Music and Memory: How Does Music Affect Recall?
  • The Connection Between Sleep and Memory Consolidation: Neurological Insights.
  • Synthetic Biology and the Creation of Artificial Life Forms.
  • The Socioeconomic Impact of Universal Basic Income: Case Studies.
  • Digital Privacy in the Age of Social Media: Risks and Protections.
  • The Archaeology of Shipwrecks: Discoveries, Preservation, and Insights.
  • The Evolution of Human Consciousness: Theories and Neuroscientific Findings.
  • The Use of CRISPR Technology in Gene Editing: Ethical and Legal Issues.
  • Predictive Policing and Crime Prevention: Efficacy and Ethical Concerns.
  • The Mathematics of Fractals: Application in Natural Phenomena.
  • The Global Impact of Rare Earth Elements: Mining and Sustainability.
  • Brain-Computer Interfaces and the Future of Human-Machine Interaction.

Education Essay Topics

Certain themes always seem to come up while writing an essay on education. Some people find the constant discussion about education and schools to be a bit much, and when you're engaged in a topic, it may be challenging to come up with the ideal essay topic. Yet, to assist you in your quest for knowledge, we have compiled a list of ideas because of the importance of educational essay writing.

Good College Essay Topics

  • The Art of Resilience: How Overcoming Challenges Shaped My Perspective.
  • My Curious Connection with Quantum Physics: A Journey of Discovery.
  • Embracing the Imperfections: Lessons from a Quirky Hobby.
  • Exploring Hidden Histories: Uncovering Forgotten Voices in Local Archives.
  • Discovering Cultural Identity: Navigating My Heritage in a Global World.
  • Dive into the Underwater World: Lessons from My Scuba Adventures.
  • Through the Lens of a Microscope: My Fascination with the Minuscule.
  • The Puzzle of Language: How Learning Mandarin Opened Doors.
  • Lost in Translation: Navigating Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings.
  • Journey of Empathy: My Experiences Volunteering with Refugees.
  • Living off the Grid: A Year of Sustainability and Self-Reliance.
  • The Soundtrack of My Life: How Music Has Shaped My Identity.
  • Finding Beauty in the Mundane: Photography as a Personal Journey.
  • The Science of Gastronomy: Exploring Food as a Cultural Experience.
  • The Written Universe: My Love Affair with Literature and Storytelling.

Essay On School

  • Fostering Critical Thinking: How Schools Can Encourage Independent Thought.
  • Beyond Grades: Rethinking Assessment Methods in Modern Education.
  • The Influence of School Architecture on Learning and Creativity.
  • The Psychology of Bullying: Understanding and Preventing School Bullying.
  • Cultivating Digital Citizenship: Teaching Responsibility in the Internet Age.

Student Life Essay

  • Exploring the Impact of Student-Teacher Relationships on Academic Success.
  • The Art of Time Management: Balancing Study, Work, and Social Life.
  • Navigating Campus Diversity: Building Bridges and Fostering Inclusivity.
  • The Power of Mentorship: How Student Mentorship Programs Shape Futures.
  • The Digital Student: How Technology Is Reshaping Learning and Socializing.
  • Facing the Freshman Fears: Overcoming Anxiety and Adjusting to College Life.
  • Living Off-Campus: The Pros and Cons of Commuting vs. On-Campus Housing.
  • Student Activism: Channeling Passion into Social and Political Change.
  • Learning Beyond the Classroom: The Role of Student Clubs and Organizations.
  • The Art of Self-Care: Prioritizing Mental and Physical Well-Being in Student Life.

Personal essay topics explore your lifestyle, ideas, and encounters. Readers will gain insight into your most private life events and thoughts from this kind of paper. The secret to success is to try to merge viewpoints and storytelling. The ideas listed below might serve as inspiration for you.

Essay About YourselfEssay About Yourself

  • The Unexpected Influences: People and Experiences That Shaped My Identity.
  • The Art of Self-Reflection: Discovering My Strengths and Weaknesses.
  • Beyond the Comfort Zone: How Challenging Experiences Define Me.
  • My Multifaceted Passions: Exploring the Diverse Hobbies That Make Me Who I Am.
  • My Personal Growth Journey: Transformative Moments and Lessons Learned.
  • My Cultural Mosaic: How My Background and Heritage Influence My Life.
  • The Soundtrack of My Life: Songs and Lyrics That Speak to My Soul.
  • My Creative Universe: Exploring My Artistic Expression and Inspirations.
  • From Words to Worlds: How Writing Has Shaped My Thoughts and Perspective.
  • The Road Less Traveled: My Unique Travel Experiences and Their Impact.

My Hobby Essay

  • Exploring the Art of Watercolor Painting: A Creative Escape.
  • Percussion Passion: How Drum Circles Became My Rhythm of Life.
  • History Unearthed: Metal Detecting for Hidden Treasures and Stories.
  • Wild at Heart: Bird Watching and the World of Ornithology.
  • The Zen of Bonsai: Cultivating Miniature Trees as a Relaxing Hobby.
  • Culinary Adventures: The Joy of Experimental Cooking and Food Exploration.
  • My Green Sanctuary: Urban Gardening and Cultivating a Miniature Oasis.
  • The Dance of Words: How Poetry Became My Expressive Outlet.
  • Beyond the Lens: Capturing Moments and Emotions Through Photography.
  • Riding the Waves: Surfing as a Lifestyle and Connection with Nature.

Childhood Memories

  • The Magic of My Childhood Hideaway: Exploring My Secret Garden.
  • Through the Lens of Nostalgia: A Photo Journey of My Early Years.
  • The Treasure Box of Childhood: Forgotten Trinkets and Their Stories.
  • From Chalk to Chalkboard: A Walk Down Memory Lane in My First School.
  • Ice Cream Truck Melodies: A Sweet Soundtrack to My Summer Memories.
  • Games We Played: Recreating the Fun and Friendships of My Youth.
  • Sunday Morning Cartoon Rituals: Exploring My Weekend Escape.
  • When Dinosaurs Roamed: My Fascination with Prehistoric Childhood Adventures.
  • Blanket Forts and Imaginary Worlds: The Power of Childhood Creativity.
  • Grandma's Kitchen: The Aromas, Tastes, and Lessons of My Early Years.

My Best Friend Essay

  • A Lifelong Friendship: The Story of My Best Friend and Me.
  • Kindred Spirits: How My Best Friend and I Found Each Other.
  • Through Thick and Thin: The Unbreakable Bond with My Best Friend.
  • Adventures with My Partner in Crime: Tales from My Best Friend.
  • A Friendship Forged in Childhood: Growing Up with My Best Friend.
  • The Soundtrack of Our Friendship: Songs, Memories, and Shared Moments.
  • Beyond Words: How My Best Friend Understands Me Like No One Else.
  • Travel Companions: Exploring the World with My Best Friend by My Side.
  • Challenges and Triumphs: How My Best Friend and I Overcame Obstacles Together.
  • Lessons in Friendship: What My Best Friend Has Taught Me About Life.

Personal Essay Topics

Essay about yourself, ideas for an opinion essay.

You may think of topics for an opinion essay as types of sentences that sum up the entire piece. The same holds true for any piece of writing that expresses a viewpoint. Excellent discussion topics should relate to the core subjects and the student's strongest competencies. A good opinion essay poses an issue, formulates a question, and then makes a statement. Below are some inspirational opinion topic examples for essay writing.

  • The Impact of AI on Human Creativity: Friend or Foe?
  • The Role of Humor in Political Satire: Effectiveness and Boundaries.
  • The Future of Space Exploration: Public vs. Private Initiatives.
  • The Influence of Social Media on Democracy: A Blessing or a Curse?
  • Exploring the Appeal of Dystopian Fiction: Insights into Our Society.
  • The Ethics of Gene Editing: Should We Play with Our DNA?
  • The Future of Remote Work: Balancing Flexibility and Human Connection.
  • The Necessity of Renewable Energy: Is Fossil Fuel a Thing of the Past?
  • Cryptocurrency and Traditional Banking: Can They Coexist or Compete?
  • The Influence of Pop Culture on Body Image: The Power of Media.
  • The Debate on Universal Basic Income: A Solution to Income Inequality?
  • The Role of Art in Times of Crisis: Expression, Reflection, or Protest?
  • The Paradox of Internet Privacy: Convenience vs. Surveillance.
  • The Changing Landscape of Education: Traditional vs. Online Learning.
  • Cultural Appropriation in Fashion: Where Do We Draw the Line?
  • The Impact of Virtual Reality on Empathy and Desensitization.
  • The Controversy of Fast Fashion: Environmental Consequences and Alternatives.
  • The Ethics of Animal Testing in Scientific Research: Necessity or Cruelty?
  • The Value of Philosophy in the Modern World: Pragmatism or Idealism?
  • The Future of Work: Automation, Job Displacement, and the Human Touch.

Ideas for Nature Essay

Nature essay topics may examine how human activity affects the environment or how nature affects people. There are several directions that nature essays might go in. Ones that describe how beautiful nature is might motivate readers. On the other hand, an essay on pollution can be thought-provoking and encourage one to act. You may also use an informative essay on environmental pollution to explain how people harm the environment. Let's explore the next areas of nature essay ideas for more details.

Environment Essay

  • Eco-Anxiety and Climate Change: Navigating the Psychological Impact.
  • Rewilding Urban Landscapes: Restoring Biodiversity in the Concrete Jungle.
  • The Ecological Importance of Bees: Beyond Honey Production.
  • The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Sustainable Environmental Management.
  • The Sounds of Nature: How Noise Pollution Affects Ecosystems and Wildlife.
  • Marine Permaculture: Seaweed Farming and Carbon Sequestration.
  • Biomimicry in Design: Learning from Nature to Solve Environmental Problems.
  • Waste-to-Energy Innovations: Turning Trash into Renewable Resources.
  • Mycorrhizal Networks: The Wood Wide Web and Its Impact on Forest Health.
  • Eco-Friendly Funeral Practices: Sustainable Farewell to Loved Ones.
  • The Art of Upcycling: Transforming Trash into Treasure in the Circular Economy.
  • The Silence of the Night: Light Pollution's Effects on Nocturnal Environments.
  • Vanishing Water Bodies: Investigating the Disappearing Lakes and Rivers.
  • The Secret Lives of Trees: How Forests Communicate and Support Each Other.
  • Food Forests: Nourishing Communities Through Permaculture.
  • Silent Spring Revisited: Pesticides, Wildlife, and Ecosystem Resilience.
  • The Plight of Pollinators: Bee Decline and Impacts on Food Security.
  • E-Waste Recycling Challenges: Addressing the Electronic Waste Problem.
  • Desertification and Land Degradation: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions.
  • The Environmental Impact of Space Exploration: Beyond the Stars and Back to Earth.

Essay on Deforestation

  • Deforestation's Ripple Effect: Impact on Global Climate Patterns.
  • The Role of Indigenous Communities in Combating Deforestation.
  • Deforestation in the Amazon: Implications for Biodiversity and Indigenous Rights.
  • Deforestation and Food Security: The Link Between Forest Loss and Agriculture.
  • Urbanization and Deforestation: The Unseen Consequences of Rapid Development.
  • The Timber Trade: Addressing the Drivers of Illegal Logging and Deforestation.
  • Deforestation in Southeast Asia: Palm Oil Production and Its Environmental Costs.
  • Deforestation and Water Resources: How Forests Play a Critical Role in Watershed Protection.
  • Reversing Deforestation: Reforestation Initiatives and their Potential.
  • Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Forest Management: Lessons from Traditional Practices.

Pollution Essay

  • Air Pollution in Urban Environments: Impacts on Health and Well-Being.
  • Plastic Pollution in Oceans: The Silent Threat to Marine Life.
  • Noise Pollution: Unheard Consequences on Human Health and Wildlife.
  • Soil Contamination: The Effects of Pollutants on Agriculture and Ecosystems.
  • Light Pollution: Its Impact on Astronomy, Wildlife, and Human Circadian Rhythms.
  • Radioactive Pollution: Chornobyl, Fukushima, and the Long-Term Consequences.
  • Microplastics in the Food Chain: How Pollution Enters Our Diets.
  • Industrial Pollution: Case Studies of Notable Environmental Disasters.
  • E-Waste and Electronic Pollution: The Global Challenge of Discarded Electronics.
  • Emerging Pollutants: Exploring the Environmental Impact of Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals.

Water Pollution Essay

  • The Impact of Industrial Effluents on Water Quality and Aquatic Life.
  • From Source to Sea: Tracing the Path of Water Pollution in Rivers.
  • The Role of Agriculture in Water Pollution: Pesticides, Runoff, and Sustainable Practices.
  • Water Pollution in Developing Nations: Access, Contamination, and Health Impacts.
  • The Dead Zones: Causes and Consequences of Oxygen-Depleted Waters in Oceans.
  • Water Pollution and Endocrine Disruptors: Understanding the Hormonal Effects.
  • Groundwater Pollution: Sources, Contamination, and Remediation Efforts.
  • The Flint Water Crisis: Lessons in Drinking Water Contamination and Public Health.
  • Microplastics in Water: Tiny Pollutants, Big Environmental Concerns.
  • Innovative Technologies for Water Pollution Control and Treatment.

My Favorite Season

  • The Season of Blossoms: Why Spring Holds a Special Place in My Heart.
  • Embracing the Heat: Summer's Sun, Fun, and Adventures.
  • Fall's Fiery Colors: The Beauty of Autumn's Changing Leaves.
  • Cozy Winter Days: Celebrating the Chilly Season with Warmth and Comfort.
  • Seasonal Sensations: A Journey Through My Favorite Time of the Year.
  • My Ideal Season: Exploring the Allure of My Chosen Season.
  • Seasonal Delights: Savoring the Flavors and Culinary Traditions of My Favorite Time of the Year.
  • Nature's Beauty Unveiled: Capturing the Essence of My Beloved Season.
  • Seasonal Hobbies and Pastimes: The Activities That Define My Favorite Season.
  • A Season of Memories: Recollections and Experiences That Make It My Favorite.

A Raining Day Essay

  • The Serenity of Rainy Days: A Mood-Enhancing Experience.
  • Rain-Soaked Moments: Finding Beauty in Wet Weather.
  • A Day for Cozy Comfort: Embracing Rainy Weather as an Opportunity.
  • Rainy Day Adventures: Making the Most of Indoor Activities.
  • Refreshing Rain: Exploring the Positive Aspects of a Wet Day.

Psychology Topics for Essay

  • The Power of Human Memory: How We Remember and Forget.
  • Nature vs. Nurture: The Debate on Genetic and Environmental Influences.
  • Cognitive Development in Children: Piaget's Stages of Learning.
  • The Mind-Body Connection: Understanding the Impact of Mental Health on Physical Health.
  • Abnormal Behavior: Exploring Mental Disorders and Treatment Approaches.
  • Attachment Theory and Relationships: The Impact of Early Bonds on Adulthood.
  • The Halo Effect: How Physical Attractiveness Influences Perception.
  • The Placebo Effect: Unraveling the Mind's Role in Healing.
  • Emotional Intelligence: How Understanding and Managing Emotions Impacts Success.
  • The Obedience Experiments: Milgram's Shocking Insights into Human Behavior.
  • Positive Psychology: The Science of Well-Being and Happiness.
  • The Social-Cognitive Theory: How Observational Learning Shapes Behavior.
  • The Power of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: How Expectations Influence Outcomes.
  • Understanding Motivation: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Factors.
  • Cognitive Dissonance: Exploring the Tension Between Belief and Action.
  • Personality Theories: Freud, Jung, and the Complexities of Individual Differences.
  • The Role of Mirror Neurons in Empathy and Social Understanding.
  • Coping Mechanisms: How Individuals Adapt to Stress and Adversity.
  • The Stages of Grief: Kubler-Ross's Model of Emotional Response to Loss.
  • The Influence of Color on Emotions and Behavior.
  • Groupthink: The Dangers of Conformity in Decision-Making.
  • The Effect of Music on Mood and Cognitive Performance.
  • Understanding Sleep Disorders: From Insomnia to Sleep Apnea.
  • Parenting Styles: How Different Approaches Impact Child Development.
  • The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy.
  • The Role of Dopamine in Reward and Addiction.
  • The Zone of Proximal Development: Vygotsky's Theory of Learning.
  • The Power of Cognitive Biases: How Mental Shortcuts Affect Decision-Making.
  • The Uncanny Valley: The Intersection of Robots, Humanoids, and Human Emotion.
  • Sports Psychology: The Mental Aspects of Athletic Performance and Competition.

As psychology has several subfields, you must be aware of which ones to focus on while writing a strong essay. If you need ideas, have a look at the following psychological topics for essay:

Gender Equality Essay

There are many different concerns in the field of gender studies. Nonetheless, you must select an original gender equality essay topic from among them, such as the salary gap, the bias against women in the classroom, women empowerment essay topics, etc. Here are a few pointers that may help you choose an excellent topic.

  • Gender Equality in STEM Fields: Overcoming the Gender Gap.
  • Women in Leadership: Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Corporate America.
  • The Impact of Gender Equality on Economic Growth and Development.
  • Men and Mental Health: Destigmatizing Vulnerability and Seeking Help.
  • Gender Equality in Sports: Equal Pay, Opportunities, and Recognition.
  • The Intersection of Gender and Race: Understanding and Addressing Double Discrimination.
  • Parental Leave Policies: Supporting Both Genders in Balancing Work and Family.
  • Gender Equality in Education: Encouraging Girls to Pursue STEM and Boys to Embrace the Arts.
  • Gender-Neutral Language: Promoting Inclusive Communication and Representation.
  • LGBTQ+ Rights and Gender Identity: A Fight for Inclusivity and Acceptance.
  • Women's Rights in Conflict Zones: Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Displacement.
  • The Role of Men as Allies in the Fight for Gender Equality.
  • Gender Equality and the Aging Workforce: Challenging Ageism and Sexism.
  • Gender Equality and Technology: Bridging the Digital Gender Divide.
  • Gendered Marketing and Consumer Culture: Promoting Fair Representation.
  • Gender Stereotypes in Media: How Entertainment Shapes Perceptions.
  • Maternal Health and Gender Equality: Ensuring Safe Motherhood Worldwide.
  • Gender Equality and Aging: Examining Retirement Disparities and Social Support.
  • Gender and Environmental Sustainability: Women's Roles in Climate Change Mitigation.
  • Transgender Rights: Advocating for Legal Protections and Social Inclusion.

Proposal Essay Topics

Proposals can be prepared for a scholarly audience like your teacher or students or a broader audience like a government entity or corporation. Everyone studying in high school or college will find our list of proposal essay topics helpful; if you find one you like, feel free to take it and begin researching.

  • Implementing a Universal Basic Income: Addressing Income Inequality.
  • Creating Inclusive Curriculum: Promoting Diversity in Education.
  • A Sustainable Fashion Initiative: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clothing.
  • Expanding Mental Health Services in Schools: Fostering Student Well-Being.
  • Promoting Green Transportation: Incentives for Electric and Sustainable Vehicles.
  • Combatting Food Deserts: Strategies for Accessible and Affordable Nutrition.
  • Enhancing Cybersecurity in Small Businesses: Protecting Against Digital Threats.
  • Restorative Justice Programs in Schools: Reducing Disciplinary Measures.
  • Encouraging Community Gardening: Promoting Urban Agriculture and Sustainability.
  • Implementing a Four-Day Workweek: Balancing Productivity and Employee Well-Being.
  • Developing Sustainable Housing Solutions for Homeless Individuals.
  • The Adoption of Renewable Energy in Public Buildings: Lowering Carbon Emissions.
  • Establishing a Plastic Tax: Reducing Single-Use Plastic Consumption.
  • Expanding Telemedicine Services: Increasing Access to Healthcare in Remote Areas.
  • Promoting Financial Literacy in Schools: Equipping Students for Financial Success.
  • Enhancing Disaster Preparedness at the Community Level: A Call for Resilience.
  • A Zero-Waste Policy for Restaurants: Reducing Food and Packaging Waste.
  • Promoting Civic Engagement Among Youth: Strategies for Active Participation.
  • Encouraging Companies to Invest in Employee Well-Being Programs.
  • The Implementation of Green Roofs: Improving Urban Sustainability and Cooling.

Process Analysis Essay Topics

Outstanding process analysis essay topics are necessary for crafting a decent paper. Process essay topics allow you to format your piece effectively and offer your ideas to the target audience in a way they can grasp. Let's go through the list for inspiration:

  • Mastering the Art of Sourdough Bread Baking: A Step-by-Step Guide.
  • From Coffee Beans to Espresso: Crafting the Perfect Cup of Coffee.
  • DIY Home Brewing: Creating Your Signature Craft Beer.
  • The Process of Composting: Turning Food Scraps into Nutrient-Rich Soil.
  • Becoming a Minimalist: Simplifying Your Life, One Step at a Time.
  • Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: Overcoming Stage Fright and Captivating Your Audience.
  • From Sketch to Canvas: Creating a Stunning Oil Painting.
  • Starting Your Own Podcast: A Step-by-Step Guide to Podcast Production.
  • The Journey of Creating a Homemade Candle: Aromatic Creations at Home.
  • The Science of Chocolate Making: From Cacao Bean to Mouthwatering Bar.
  • Upcycling Old Furniture: Transforming Trash into Treasure.
  • The Art of Time Management: Strategies for Boosting Productivity and Efficiency.
  • Perfecting Your Yoga Practice: Aligning Mind, Body, and Breath.
  • Mastering the Art of Sushi Rolling: Crafting Delicious Japanese Cuisine at Home.
  • From Idea to Published Book: Navigating the Writing and Publishing Process.
  • Learning the Basics of Photography: Capturing Stunning Moments with Your Camera.
  • A Beginner's Guide to Gardening: Growing Your Own Vegetables and Herbs.
  • The Process of Making Homemade Ice Cream: Delicious Flavors in Your Kitchen.
  • Creating a Stunning Flower Arrangement: Designing Floral Beauty.
  • The Journey to a Digital Detox: Unplugging and Finding Balance in the Digital Age.

Essay Ideas on Stereotypes

Because stereotypes are such a pervasive societal problem, educators often encourage students to reflect on them. The only way to create stereotype topics for essays is to identify the societal and daily thought patterns, trace their links, and record them in writing. After learning how to create a stereotype essay, you can look for the ideal topic examples for essay. So, let's explore them together:

  • Stereotyping in the Workplace: Challenges and Solutions.
  • Cultural Stereotypes: Impact on Cross-Cultural Communication.
  • Media Portrayal of Villains: Unraveling the Stereotypical Archetypes.
  • Gender Stereotypes in Children's Toys and Their Consequences.
  • The Stereotype Threat: How Prejudice Affects Performance.
  • The Role of Education in Breaking Stereotypes: Curriculum and Beyond.
  • The Impact of Stereotypes on Mental Health: Addressing Stigma.
  • Breaking Racial Stereotypes: Stories of Resilience and Change.
  • Deconstructing the 'Lazy' Stereotype: Understanding the Socioeconomic Factors.
  • The Role of Language in Reinforcing Stereotypes: Linguistic Discrimination.
  • Disability Stereotypes: Shifting Perspectives on Abilities and Inclusion.
  • Stereotypes and the Elderly: Challenging Ageism in Society.
  • The Unseen Stereotypes of the LGBTQ+ Community: Hidden Biases and Myths.
  • The Role of Stereotypes in Political Discourse: Influences on Public Opinion.
  • Religious Stereotypes: Impact on Tolerance, Acceptance, and Interfaith Dialogue.
  • Beyond Beauty: The Stereotyping of Physical Appearance and Self-Esteem.
  • Counter Stereotyping: Strategies for Change and Empowerment.
  • Stereotypes in Literature and Pop Culture: Analyzing Subversion and Reinforcement.
  • The Role of Social Media in Perpetuating or Debunking Stereotypes.
  • Stereotypes in the Digital Age: The Consequences of Online Prejudice.

Ideas on Essay about COVID-19

The Coronavirus has overrun the planet, which has kept us indoors. Life, as we know it, has transformed. As a result, leaving us with far more questions than solutions. As the epidemic has affected practically every aspect of our lives, it is crucial to comprehend it by composing interesting essay topics on this matter:

  • The 'Infodemic': Analyzing the Impact of Misinformation during the Pandemic.
  • The Psychological Toll of Lockdowns: Examining Mental Health Challenges.
  • COVID-19 and the Global Economy: Economic Consequences and Recovery Strategies.
  • Pandemic Parenting: Balancing Work, Childcare, and Remote Learning.
  • The Vaccine Rollout: Successes, Challenges, and Equity Issues.
  • The Ethical Dilemmas of Vaccine Passports: Balancing Privacy and Public Health.
  • The Role of Telemedicine in Pandemic Healthcare: Opportunities and Limitations.
  • The Influence of COVID-19 on Climate Change: Lessons in Environmental Resilience.
  • COVID-19's Impact on Education: The Digital Divide and Future Learning Trends.
  • The Role of NGOs and Volunteerism in Pandemic Relief Efforts.
  • Pandemic-Induced Tech Acceleration: The Long-Term Effects on Digital Transformation.
  • Healthcare Disparities Exposed: Examining COVID-19's Impact on Vulnerable Communities.
  • Contact Tracing and Privacy Concerns: Balancing Surveillance and Public Health.
  • The Role of Artists in Documenting and Responding to the Pandemic.
  • COVID-19 Long Haulers: Exploring the Experiences of Prolonged Symptoms.
  • The Pandemic and Democracy: Lessons in Governance, Transparency, and Trust.
  • The Cultural Shifts Triggered by the Pandemic: Changes in Social Norms and Behavior.
  • The Future of Work: Remote Work, Hybrid Models, and Office Spaces Post-Pandemic.
  • COVID-19 and Global Travel: Balancing Tourism and Public Health.
  • The Ethical and Legal Implications of Pandemic Response: Balancing Civil Liberties and Public Safety.

Topics for Essay Based on Proverbs

Proverbs are a powerful tool for writing that may increase the impact of your points and assist your readers in believing you when you employ them. Let's examine some sayings that will make powerful topics for essays:

  • The Power of Actions: Examining the Real-Life Significance of 'Actions Speak Louder Than Words.'
  • The Art of Financial Decision-Making: A Deep Dive into 'Penny Wise, Pound Foolish.'
  • Risk and Reward: Exploring 'Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket' in Modern Investment Strategies.
  • Silver Linings in Hard Times: How 'Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining' Applies to Resilience.
  • Causality and Consequences: Analyzing 'You Reap What You Sow' in Various Aspects of Life.

Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Identifying and evaluating the distinctions and patterns between two subjects that fall under the same category is the focus of a compare and contrast essay. If you've been assigned to write such a paper, you should seek engaging comparative essay topics. So, take a look at some related essay questions examples created by our essay help platform:

  • The Surrealist Art of Salvador Dali vs. the Abstract Expressionism of Jackson Pollock.
  • The Novels of Jane Austen vs. the Novels of the Brontë Sisters: Themes and Characters.
  • The Harlem Renaissance vs. the Civil Rights Movement: Cultural and Political Impact.
  • Hinduism vs. Buddhism: Philosophical Differences and Spiritual Practices.
  • The French Revolution vs. the American Revolution: Causes and Outcomes.
  • Impressionist Painting vs. Pointillism: Techniques and Artistic Movements.
  • The Poetry of Langston Hughes vs. Maya Angelou: Themes and Styles.
  • The Victorian Era vs. the Edwardian Era: Social Norms and Fashion.
  • Realism in Literature vs. Magical Realism: Narrative Approaches and Themes.
  • The Films of Alfred Hitchcock vs. Stanley Kubrick: Cinematic Styles and Techniques.
  • Greek Mythology vs. Roman Mythology: Gods, Stories, and Cultural Influence.
  • Renewable Energy vs. Nuclear Energy: Environmental Impact and Sustainability.
  • Classical Music vs. Jazz: Origins, Instruments, and Musical Composition.
  • The Leadership Styles of Mahatma Gandhi vs. Nelson Mandela: Methods and Impact.
  • The Symbolism in William Faulkner's Works vs. Toni Morrison's Novels: Literary Analysis.
  • Gothic Architecture vs. Art Deco Architecture: Aesthetic Characteristics and Historical Context.
  • The Italian Renaissance vs. the Northern Renaissance: Artistic Techniques and Influences.
  • The Philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche vs. Jean-Paul Sartre: Existentialism and Morality.
  • The Writings of Edgar Allan Poe vs. H.P. Lovecraft: Horror Genre and Literary Themes.
  • The Classical Ballet vs. Contemporary Dance: Choreography and Expression.

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Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

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Essay Topics – List of 500+ Essay Writing Topics and Ideas

List of 500+ essay writing topics and ideas.

Essay topics in English can be difficult to come up with. While writing essays , many college and high school students face writer’s block and have a hard time to think about topics and ideas for an essay. In this article, we will list out many good essay topics from different categories like argumentative essays, essays on technology, environment essays for students from 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grades. Following list of essay topics are for all – from kids to college students. We have the largest collection of essays. An essay is nothing but a piece of content which is written from the perception of writer or author. Essays are similar to a story, pamphlet, thesis, etc. The best thing about Essay is you can use any type of language – formal or informal. It can biography, the autobiography of anyone. Following is a great list of 100 essay topics. We will be adding 400 more soon!

But Before that you may wanna read some awesome Essay Writing Tips here .

500+ essay topics for students and children

Get the Huge list of 100+ Speech Topics here

Argumentative Essay Topics

  • Should plastic be banned?
  • Pollution due to Urbanization
  • Education should be free
  • Should Students get limited access to the Internet?
  • Selling Tobacco should be banned
  • Smoking in public places should be banned
  • Facebook should be banned
  • Students should not be allowed to play PUBG

Essay Topics on Technology

  • Wonder Of Science
  • Mobile Phone

Essay Topics on Festivals on Events

  • Independence Day (15 August)
  • Teachers Day
  • Summer Vacation
  • Children’s Day
  • Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
  • Janmashtami
  • Republic Day

Essay Topics on Education

  • Education Essay
  • Importance of Education
  • Contribution of Technology in Education

questions to write an essay about

Essay Topics on Famous Leaders

  • Mahatma Gandhi
  • APJ Abdul Kalam
  • Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Swami Vivekananda
  • Mother Teresa
  • Rabindranath Tagore
  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
  • Subhash Chandra Bose
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • Martin Luther King
  • Lal Bahadur Shashtri

Essay Topics on Animals and Birds

  • My Favorite Animal

Essays Topics About Yourself

  • My Best Friend
  • My Favourite Teacher
  • My Aim In Life
  • My Favourite Game – Badminton
  • My Favourite Game – Essay
  • My Favourite Book
  • My Ambition
  • How I Spent My Summer Vacation
  • India of My Dreams
  • My School Life
  • I Love My Family
  • My Favourite Subject
  • My Favourite Game Badminton
  • My Father My Hero
  • My School Library
  • My Favourite Author
  • My plans for summer vacation

Essay Topics Based on Environment and Nature

  • Global Warming
  • Environment
  • Air Pollution
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Water Pollution
  • Rainy Season
  • Climate Change
  • Importance Of Trees
  • Winter Season
  • Deforestation
  • Natural Disasters
  • Save Environment
  • Summer Season
  • Trees Our Best Friend Essay In English

Essay Topics Based on Proverbs

  • Health Is Wealth
  • A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
  • An Apple a Day Keeps Doctor Away
  • Where there is a will, there is way
  • Time and Tide wait for none

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Essay Topics for Students from 6th, 7th, 8th Grade

  • Noise Pollution
  • Environment Pollution
  • Women Empowerment
  • Time and Tide Wait for none
  • Science and Technology
  • Importance of Sports
  • Sports and Games
  • Time Management
  • Cleanliness is next to Godliness
  • Cleanliness
  • Rome was not Built in a Day
  • Unemployment
  • Clean India
  • Cow Essay In English
  • Describe Yourself
  • Festivals Of India
  • Ganesh Chaturthi
  • Healthy Food
  • Importance Of Water
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Value of Time
  • Honesty is the Best Policy
  • Gandhi Jayanti
  • Human Rights
  • Knowledge Is Power
  • Same Sex Marriage
  • Childhood Memories
  • Cyber Crime
  • Kalpana Chawla
  • Punctuality
  • Rani Lakshmi Bai
  • Spring Season
  • Unity In Diversity
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Online Shopping
  • Indian Culture
  • Healthy Lifestyle
  • Indian Education System
  • Disaster Management
  • Environmental Issues
  • Freedom Fighters
  • Grandparents
  • Save Fuel For Better Environment
  • Importance Of Newspaper
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri
  • Raksha Bandhan
  • World Environment Day
  • Narendra Modi
  • What Is Religion
  • Charity Begins at Home
  • A Journey by Train
  • Ideal student
  • Save Water Save Earth
  • Indian Farmer
  • Safety of Women in India
  • Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
  • Capital Punishment
  • College Life
  • Natural Resources
  • Peer Pressure
  • Nature Vs Nurture
  • Romeo And Juliet
  • Generation Gap
  • Makar Sankranti
  • Constitution of India
  • Girl Education
  • Importance of Family
  • Importance of Independence Day
  • Brain Drain
  • A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed
  • Action Speaks Louder Than Words
  • All That Glitters Is Not Gold
  • Bhagat Singh
  • Demonetization
  • Agriculture
  • Importance of Discipline
  • Population Explosion
  • Poverty in India
  • Uses Of Mobile Phones
  • Water Scarcity
  • Train Journey
  • Land Pollution
  • Environment Protection
  • Indian Army
  • Uses of Internet
  • All that Glitters is not Gold
  • Balanced Diet
  • Blood Donation
  • Digital India
  • Dussehra Essay
  • Energy Conservation
  • National Integration
  • Railway Station
  • Sachin Tendulkar
  • Health And Hygiene
  • Importance Of Forest
  • Indira Gandhi
  • Laughter Is The Best Medicine
  • Career Goals
  • Mental Health
  • Save Water Save Life
  • International Yoga Day
  • Winter Vacation
  • Soil Pollution
  • Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
  • Indian Culture And Tradition
  • Unity Is Strength
  • Unity is Diversity
  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Cruelty To Animals
  • Nelson Mandela
  • Of Mice And Men
  • Organ Donation
  • Life in a Big City
  • Democracy in India
  • Waste Management
  • Biodiversity
  • Afforestation
  • Female Foeticide
  • Harmful Effects Of Junk Food
  • Rain Water Harvesting
  • Save Electricity
  • Social Media
  • Social Networking Sites
  • Sound Pollution
  • Procrastination
  • Life in an Indian Village
  • Life in Big City
  • Population Growth
  • World Population Day
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Statue of Unity
  • Traffic Jam
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
  • Importance of Good Manners
  • Good Manners
  • Cyber Security
  • Green Revolution
  • Health And Fitness
  • Incredible India
  • Make In India
  • Surgical Strike
  • Triple Talaq
  • A Good Friend
  • Importance of Friends in our Life
  • Should Plastic be Banned
  • Nationalism
  • Traffic Rules
  • Effects of Global Warming
  • Fundamental Rights
  • Solar System
  • National Constitution Day
  • Good Mother
  • Importance of Trees in our Life
  • City Life Vs Village Life
  • Importance of Communication
  • Conservation of Nature
  • Man vs. Machine
  • Indian Economy
  • Mothers Love
  • Importance of National Integration
  • Black Money
  • Greenhouse effect
  • Untouchability
  • Self Discipline
  • Global Terrorism
  • Conservation of Biodiversity
  • Newspaper and Its Uses
  • World Health Day
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • A Picnic with Family
  • Indian Heritage
  • Status of Women in India
  • Child is Father of the Man
  • Reading is Good Habit
  • Plastic Bag
  • Terrorism in India
  • Library and Its Uses
  • Life on Mars
  • Urbanization
  • Pollution Due to Diwali
  • National Flag of India
  • Vocational Education
  • Importance of Tree Plantation
  • Summer Camp
  • Vehicle Pollution
  • Women Education in India
  • Seasons in India
  • Freedom of the Press
  • Caste System
  • Environment and Human Health
  • Mountain Climbing
  • Depletion of Natural Resources
  • Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
  • Health Education
  • Effects of Deforestation
  • Life after School
  • Starvation in India
  • Jan Dhan Yojana
  • Impact of Privatization
  • Election Commission of India
  • Election and Democracy
  • Prevention of Global Warming
  • Impact of Cinema in Life
  • Subhas Chandra Bose
  • Dowry System
  • Ganesh Chaturthi Festival
  • Role of Science in Making India
  • Impact of Global Warming on Oceans
  • Pollution due to Festivals
  • Ambedkar Jayanti
  • Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
  • Family Planning in India
  • Democracy vs Dictatorship
  • National Festivals of India
  • Sri Aurobindo
  • Casteism in India
  • Organ trafficking
  • Consequences of Global Warming
  • Role of Human Activities in Global Warming
  • Issues and Problems faced by Women in India
  • Role of Judiciary in the Country Today
  • Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan
  • PUBG Mobile Game Addiction
  • Role of Youths in Nation Building
  • Value of Oxygen and Water in Life/Earth
  • Farmer Suicides in India
  • Start-up India
  • Pollution Due to Firecrackers
  • Life of Soldiers
  • Child Labour
  • Save Girl Child
  • Morning Walk
  • My School Fete
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  • Child Marriage Essay
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  • Educational Assessment

Good Questions for Better Essay Prompts (and Papers)

  • April 8, 2020
  • Jessica McCaughey

Most professors would admit that they’ve found themselves frustrated when grading papers. Yes, sometimes those frustrations might stem from students ignoring your clear, strategic, and explicit instructions, but more often, I’d argue, “bad” papers are a result of how and what we’re asking of students, and how well we really understand our goals for them. Further, we often struggle to strike a balance between providing too much information and too little, and placing ourselves in a novice’s shoes is difficult. In an effort to combat these challenges, I present a series of questions to ask yourself as you begin developing or revising prompts.

1. What do you want your students to learn or demonstrate through this writing assignment? Is an essay the best way reach these goals? If so, do they understand those learning goals? Assigning an essay is, for many instructors, our go-to. But paper writing isn’t always the best assessment tool. Think hard about what it is you’re hoping for your students to take away from an assignment. Are there other, better forms the assignment might take? And if the answer is a resounding, “This paper is the right venue!” you should consider whether you are explicitly conveying to your students why you’re asking them to do certain work. Transparency benefits them tremendously. Transparent assignment design—being explicit about how and why you are facilitating their learning in the ways that you are—helps all students, but it particularly helps those students who may not have the experience, networks, or models in college that other students have, such as first-generation college students, minorities, or students with disabilities. Whether in class discussion or in the written prompt itself, strive to follow these transparent assignment design principles .       2. Who is the audience (real or imagined) for the assignment, and what is the purpose of the text? For most writing assignments, the “audience” is, of course, the instructor, and students strive to meet that instructor’s expectations, even if they’re guessing about what this instructor knows, wants, and expects.Even assignments as specific as “Write a letter to the Editor on X topic” beg for more detail. (Is this for my hometown paper or the New York Times ? Those letters will of course read very differently.) And when it comes to purpose or goals, while it might seem obvious to you what the purpose of this paper is, it might not be to your students. Work to be as explicit as possible as you can in what you’d like them to achieve in their paper. You might use language such as, “In this paper you are writing to an audience of scholars in X field, who are/are not familiar with your topic,” or “Your overarching purpose in this paper is to persuade your reader towards a specific, implementable solution to the problem at hand, and support your argument with scholarship in the field.”

3. Do you want to read their papers? This question may seem silly, but it’s not. In every field, professors have the capacity to set students up for authentic, engaging assignments. If you don’t feel excited to read the paper, you can likely imagine how difficult it will be for students to engage in the much more substantial process of writing it. So, consider retooling the assignment into something you look forward to spending time reading. Might you consider new genres, audiences, or purposes for their writing? Develop a traditional essay into a problem-solving task ?

4. What does good writing look like in your field? How can you convey this to students? We all know what good writing looks like in our fields, but students sometimes don’t even understand that writing forms, expectations, and conventions vary from discipline to discipline. Whether we like it or not, and whether we think we have time for it or not, it is our job to teach students about texts in our specific disciplines. Maybe that includes offering them annotated sample papers. Maybe this happens over a series of beginning-of-class conversations as they’re drafting. Maybe it’s showing them some of your own work or looking closely at the writing in a flagship journal. Regardless of how you do it, be sure that a part of the writing process for your students includes exposure and at least an introductory understanding to what “good” writing is to you and your field.

5. Are your grading criteria clear—and thoughtful and reasonable? We know that clear grading criteria—whether in the form of a rubric or a narrative—is key to student writer success, but it’s not as simple as assignment weights to columns such as “Grammar” and “Thesis.” In order to think deeply about how we’re grading, we also have to interrogate what assumptions we have about our student writers? What do we think they already know? Why do we think this? What do we prioritize in an essay, and more importantly, why is that the priority? Do our priorities align with our learning goals for students? These answers to these questions too should be transparent to students as they embark on your writing assignments.

6. What support and structure are you able to provide? Traci Gardner’s Designing Writing Assignments illustrates that the kinds of prompts that allow students to write strong papers share certain characteristics, and among the most important is providing support, both materially and in their process (35). How are you going to facilitate the writing that you want to see your students develop and showcase it in your prompt? Can the assignment be broken down into smaller, scaffolded steps? Or, if you want the students to practice managing projects and figure this out themselves, how can you serve as a guide as they work through time and resource management in order to do so? As scholars, we are not expected to create excellent work without feedback, and we shouldn’t expect it of our students either. We’re not only teaching content and, as noted above, what writing looks like in our discipline, but we’re also working to instill a writing process. Before assigning a paper, be clear about how you’ll build in steps, support, and this process of feedback and revision into your assignment.

7. Does it make sense for this particular assignment and your particular class to include a reflective element? Research shows that metacognition and reflection aid in the transfer of knowledge and skills , so building in some way for students to reflect on the writing and learning they’ve done through your assignment is a valuable way to help them take that knowledge forward, into other classrooms and, later, the workplace. 8. How can you go through the writing process yourself to create the most productive possible prompt? Ask for feedback from colleagues—or your students! There’s no shame in showing students a prompt and revising it based on their questions, perceptions, and, after the semester ends to benefit your next class, their writing.

Bio: Jessica McCaughey is an assistant professor in the University Writing Program at  George Washington University , where she teaches academic and professional writing. In this role, Professor McCaughey has developed a growing professional writing program consisting of workshops, assessment, and coaching that helps organizations improve the quality of their employees’ professional and technical writing. In 2016, she was nominated for the Columbian College’s Robert W. Kenny Prize for Innovation in Teaching of Introductory Courses, and in 2017, she won the Conference on College Composition and Communication’s Emergent Researcher Award.

References:

Elon Statement on Writing Transfer. (29 July 2013). Retrieved from http://www.elon.edu/ e-web/academics/teaching/ers/writing_transfer/statement.xhtml  

Gardner, Traci. (2008).  Designing Writing Assignments . National Council of Teachers of English.  https://wac.colostate.edu/books/gardner/  

  • Jessica McCaughey is an assistant professor in the University Writing Program at George Washington University, where she teaches academic and professional writing. In this role, Professor McCaughey has developed a growing professional writing program consisting of workshops, assessment, and coaching that helps organizations improve the quality of their employees’ professional and technical writing. In 2016, she was nominated for the Columbian College’s Robert W. Kenny Prize for Innovation in Teaching of Introductory Courses, and in 2017, she won the Conference on College Composition and Communication’s Emergent Researcher Award.

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  • Focus and Precision: How to Write Essays that Answer the Question

questions to write an essay about

About the Author Stephanie Allen read Classics and English at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, and is currently researching a PhD in Early Modern Academic Drama at the University of Fribourg.

We’ve all been there. You’ve handed in an essay and you think it’s pretty great: it shows off all your best ideas, and contains points you’re sure no one else will have thought of.

You’re not totally convinced that what you’ve written is relevant to the title you were given – but it’s inventive, original and good. In fact, it might be better than anything that would have responded to the question. But your essay isn’t met with the lavish praise you expected. When it’s tossed back onto your desk, there are huge chunks scored through with red pen, crawling with annotations like little red fire ants: ‘IRRELEVANT’; ‘A bit of a tangent!’; ‘???’; and, right next to your best, most impressive killer point: ‘Right… so?’. The grade your teacher has scrawled at the end is nowhere near what your essay deserves. In fact, it’s pretty average. And the comment at the bottom reads something like, ‘Some good ideas, but you didn’t answer the question!’.

questions to write an essay about

If this has ever happened to you (and it has happened to me, a lot), you’ll know how deeply frustrating it is – and how unfair it can seem. This might just be me, but the exhausting process of researching, having ideas, planning, writing and re-reading makes me steadily more attached to the ideas I have, and the things I’ve managed to put on the page. Each time I scroll back through what I’ve written, or planned, so far, I become steadily more convinced of its brilliance. What started off as a scribbled note in the margin, something extra to think about or to pop in if it could be made to fit the argument, sometimes comes to be backbone of a whole essay – so, when a tutor tells me my inspired paragraph about Ted Hughes’s interpretation of mythology isn’t relevant to my essay on Keats, I fail to see why. Or even if I can see why, the thought of taking it out is wrenching. Who cares if it’s a bit off-topic? It should make my essay stand out, if anything! And an examiner would probably be happy not to read yet another answer that makes exactly the same points. If you recognise yourself in the above, there are two crucial things to realise. The first is that something has to change: because doing well in high school exam or coursework essays is almost totally dependent on being able to pin down and organise lots of ideas so that an examiner can see that they convincingly answer a question. And it’s a real shame to work hard on something, have good ideas, and not get the marks you deserve. Writing a top essay is a very particular and actually quite simple challenge. It’s not actually that important how original you are, how compelling your writing is, how many ideas you get down, or how beautifully you can express yourself (though of course, all these things do have their rightful place). What you’re doing, essentially, is using a limited amount of time and knowledge to really answer a question. It sounds obvious, but a good essay should have the title or question as its focus the whole way through . It should answer it ten times over – in every single paragraph, with every fact or figure. Treat your reader (whether it’s your class teacher or an external examiner) like a child who can’t do any interpretive work of their own; imagine yourself leading them through your essay by the hand, pointing out that you’ve answered the question here , and here , and here. Now, this is all very well, I imagine you objecting, and much easier said than done. But never fear! Structuring an essay that knocks a question on the head is something you can learn to do in a couple of easy steps. In the next few hundred words, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned through endless, mindless crossings-out, rewordings, rewritings and rethinkings.

Top tips and golden rules

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told to ‘write the question at the top of every new page’- but for some reason, that trick simply doesn’t work for me. If it doesn’t work for you either, use this three-part process to allow the question to structure your essay:

1)     Work out exactly what you’re being asked

It sounds really obvious, but lots of students have trouble answering questions because they don’t take time to figure out exactly what they’re expected to do – instead, they skim-read and then write the essay they want to write. Sussing out a question is a two-part process, and the first part is easy. It means looking at the directions the question provides as to what sort of essay you’re going to write. I call these ‘command phrases’ and will go into more detail about what they mean below. The second part involves identifying key words and phrases.

2)     Be as explicit as possible

Use forceful, persuasive language to show how the points you’ve made do answer the question. My main focus so far has been on tangential or irrelevant material – but many students lose marks even though they make great points, because they don’t quite impress how relevant those points are. Again, I’ll talk about how you can do this below.

3)     Be brutally honest with yourself about whether a point is relevant before you write it.

It doesn’t matter how impressive, original or interesting it is. It doesn’t matter if you’re panicking, and you can’t think of any points that do answer the question. If a point isn’t relevant, don’t bother with it. It’s a waste of time, and might actually work against you- if you put tangential material in an essay, your reader will struggle to follow the thread of your argument, and lose focus on your really good points.

Put it into action: Step One

questions to write an essay about

Let’s imagine you’re writing an English essay about the role and importance of the three witches in Macbeth . You’re thinking about the different ways in which Shakespeare imagines and presents the witches, how they influence the action of the tragedy, and perhaps the extent to which we’re supposed to believe in them (stay with me – you don’t have to know a single thing about Shakespeare or Macbeth to understand this bit!). Now, you’ll probably have a few good ideas on this topic – and whatever essay you write, you’ll most likely use much of the same material. However, the detail of the phrasing of the question will significantly affect the way you write your essay. You would draw on similar material to address the following questions: Discuss Shakespeare’s representation of the three witches in Macbeth . How does Shakespeare figure the supernatural in Macbeth ?   To what extent are the three witches responsible for Macbeth’s tragic downfall? Evaluate the importance of the three witches in bringing about Macbeth’s ruin. Are we supposed to believe in the three witches in Macbeth ? “Within Macbeth ’s representation of the witches, there is profound ambiguity about the actual significance and power of their malevolent intervention” (Stephen Greenblatt). Discuss.   I’ve organised the examples into three groups, exemplifying the different types of questions you might have to answer in an exam. The first group are pretty open-ended: ‘discuss’- and ‘how’-questions leave you room to set the scope of the essay. You can decide what the focus should be. Beware, though – this doesn’t mean you don’t need a sturdy structure, or a clear argument, both of which should always be present in an essay. The second group are asking you to evaluate, constructing an argument that decides whether, and how far something is true. Good examples of hypotheses (which your essay would set out to prove) for these questions are:

  • The witches are the most important cause of tragic action in Macbeth.
  • The witches are partially, but not entirely responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, alongside Macbeth’s unbridled ambition, and that of his wife.
  • We are not supposed to believe the witches: they are a product of Macbeth’s psyche, and his downfall is his own doing.
  • The witches’ role in Macbeth’s downfall is deliberately unclear. Their claim to reality is shaky – finally, their ambiguity is part of an uncertain tragic universe and the great illusion of the theatre. (N.B. It’s fine to conclude that a question can’t be answered in black and white, certain terms – as long as you have a firm structure, and keep referring back to it throughout the essay).

The final question asks you to respond to a quotation. Students tend to find these sorts of questions the most difficult to answer, but once you’ve got the hang of them I think the title does most of the work for you – often implicitly providing you with a structure for your essay. The first step is breaking down the quotation into its constituent parts- the different things it says. I use brackets: ( Within Macbeth ’s representation of the witches, ) ( there is profound ambiguity ) about the ( actual significance ) ( and power ) of ( their malevolent intervention ) Examiners have a nasty habit of picking the most bewildering and terrifying-sounding quotations: but once you break them down, they’re often asking for something very simple. This quotation, for example, is asking exactly the same thing as the other questions. The trick here is making sure you respond to all the different parts. You want to make sure you discuss the following:

  • Do you agree that the status of the witches’ ‘malevolent intervention’ is ambiguous?
  • What is its significance?
  • How powerful is it?

Step Two: Plan

questions to write an essay about

Having worked out exactly what the question is asking, write out a plan (which should be very detailed in a coursework essay, but doesn’t have to be more than a few lines long in an exam context) of the material you’ll use in each paragraph. Make sure your plan contains a sentence at the end of each point about how that point will answer the question. A point from my plan for one of the topics above might look something like this:

To what extent are we supposed to believe in the three witches in Macbeth ?  Hypothesis: The witches’ role in Macbeth’s downfall is deliberately unclear. Their claim to reality is uncertain – finally, they’re part of an uncertain tragic universe and the great illusion of the theatre. Para.1: Context At the time Shakespeare wrote Macbeth , there were many examples of people being burned or drowned as witches There were also people who claimed to be able to exorcise evil demons from people who were ‘possessed’. Catholic Christianity leaves much room for the supernatural to exist This suggests that Shakespeare’s contemporary audience might, more readily than a modern one, have believed that witches were a real phenomenon and did exist.

My final sentence (highlighted in red) shows how the material discussed in the paragraph answers the question. Writing this out at the planning stage, in addition to clarifying your ideas, is a great test of whether a point is relevant: if you struggle to write the sentence, and make the connection to the question and larger argument, you might have gone off-topic.

Step Three: Paragraph beginnings and endings

questions to write an essay about

The final step to making sure you pick up all the possible marks for ‘answering the question’ in an essay is ensuring that you make it explicit how your material does so. This bit relies upon getting the beginnings and endings of paragraphs just right. To reiterate what I said above, treat your reader like a child: tell them what you’re going to say; tell them how it answers the question; say it, and then tell them how you’ve answered the question. This need not feel clumsy, awkward or repetitive. The first sentence of each new paragraph or point should, without giving too much of your conclusion away, establish what you’re going to discuss, and how it answers the question. The opening sentence from the paragraph I planned above might go something like this:

Early modern political and religious contexts suggest that Shakespeare’s contemporary audience might more readily have believed in witches than his modern readers.

The sentence establishes that I’m going to discuss Jacobean religion and witch-burnings, and also what I’m going to use those contexts to show. I’d then slot in all my facts and examples in the middle of the paragraph. The final sentence (or few sentences) should be strong and decisive, making a clear connection to the question you’ve been asked:

  Contemporary suspicion that witches did exist, testified to by witch-hunts and exorcisms, is crucial to our understanding of the witches in Macbeth.  To the early modern consciousness, witches were a distinctly real and dangerous possibility – and the witches in the play would have seemed all-the-more potent and terrifying as a result.

Step Four: Practice makes perfect

The best way to get really good at making sure you always ‘answer the question’ is to write essay plans rather than whole pieces. Set aside a few hours, choose a couple of essay questions from past papers, and for each:

  • Write a hypothesis
  • Write a rough plan of what each paragraph will contain
  • Write out the first and last sentence of each paragraph

You can get your teacher, or a friend, to look through your plans and give you feedback . If you follow this advice, fingers crossed, next time you hand in an essay, it’ll be free from red-inked comments about irrelevance, and instead showered with praise for the precision with which you handled the topic, and how intently you focused on answering the question. It can seem depressing when your perfect question is just a minor tangent from the question you were actually asked, but trust me – high praise and good marks are all found in answering the question in front of you, not the one you would have liked to see. Teachers do choose the questions they set you with some care, after all; chances are the question you were set is the more illuminating and rewarding one as well.

Image credits: banner ; Keats ; Macbeth ; James I ; witches .

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20 important questions to consider when writing an essay

1. who is your audience.

Every writer should consider their audience when writing. However, when writing for your own blog or website, it is important to understand who you are writing for.

Your audience may be an individual, a specific group, or a larger group. Your writing should be based on what they are looking for and what they are seeking out. For example, if you are writing a blog post about how to lose weight, you may be targeting people interested in losing weight.

However, you may also be targeting people who are interested in writing, as you may be writing on the topic of losing weight and writing at the same time.

Every writer should always consider their audience, as you want to provide them with the best material possible.

2. What is the purpose of your paper?

I’ve seen some pretty funny responses to this question, but you’ll get a better grade if you provide the instructor with a purpose statement that’s clear, concise, and logical. In other words, give your instructor an answer they can understand.

You could simply say that you’re writing a persuasive essay in order to convince readers to adopt your viewpoint. If you’re writing a research paper, you could say that you’re providing evidence to support a claim, or that you’re trying to answer a specific question. If you’re writing a memoir or a novel, you could say that you’re telling a story or creating characters that readers can relate to.

As long as your purpose statement is clear and logical, you’ll get points for providing the instructor with a response that they can understand and relate to.

3. What is the main argument or point you are trying to make?

The question of “What is the main argument or point you are trying to make?” is one of the most popular questions from an editor, reviewer, and reader. It’s also one of the most difficult to answer. When writing an essay, article, or book, we tell ourselves that we want to write about X. We believe that X is the problem, and we’re the hero who has discovered the solution. Then, we get stuck when we start writing and realize that the solution we’re presenting isn’t actually a solution at all. We have no idea how to fix X! Then, we panic, and we start to think that maybe X isn’t the problem after all. We think maybe we’ve misunderstood the problem or misdiagnosed it. This is why the question of “What is the main argument or point you are trying to make?” is so difficult to answer. Because we’re moving the goalposts as we write. We discover new problems and new solutions as we write, so the answer to the question changes over time.

For example, let’s say I write a book about how to manage your email. I tell myself that the main argument is that you can’t manage your email if you have to check it all the time. So, I need to show readers how to batch their email so that they can leave it for blocks of time. Then, I start writing, and I discover that many people have multiple email addresses, so they can check one address for personal and one for work. So, I need to teach people how to manage multiple accounts. Then, I discover that people use Gmail, Outlook, and other types of email, so I need to explain how to manage all of these different types. Then, I discover that some people don’t want to give up their email access because they rely on it for work. So, I need to explain how to set a boundary between work and personal email. The goalposts keep moving, and the main argument changes as I write.

The lesson is that you don’t need to know exactly what your main argument is before you start writing. Because you’re likely to discover things along the way. The important thing is to start writing and see where the story takes you. Use writing to clarify your thinking.

4. What evidence or examples will you use to support your argument?

When you’re writing an argumentative essay, you must use evidence to back up your argument. That evidence can take the form of statistics, examples, or expert opinion. The key is to make sure that your reader understands exactly why your argument is valid and true. Evidence is the key to making that connection with your reader, so be sure to use it!

For example, let’s say you’re writing an argumentative essay about why college athletes should be paid. You might use statistics to show how much money the university is making off of these athletes, and how little these athletes are getting for all of their hard work and effort. You could also use examples of other college athletes who were paid and how their performance improved as a result. Or, you could use expert opinion, with quotes from college athletic directors and coaches who support paying college athletes. All of these examples are forms of evidence, and they all help to make your argument stronger and more persuasive.

5. How well do you know the subject matter?

No matter what you’re writing about, whether it’s a book or a blog post, you should always do your research beforehand. When it comes to writing engaging content, it’s important to look beyond just Wikipedia and use other sources as well. Using multiple sources not only makes your writing more credible, but it also helps you find new information that you might not have known about otherwise.

For example, say you’re writing a blog post about “how to declutter your home.” If you just used Wikipedia as your only source, you would only know information related to the topic of decluttering. But if you used multiple sources and looked at related topics like “how to organize your home,” you would learn about different ways to organize your home and different tools that can help you do so.

6. What are the counterarguments or opposing view points?

To write an effective counter-argument, you must first understand the opposing viewpoint’s main points and how it differs from your argument. Next, you must address the main points of the opposing argument in a logical, factual manner, and support your counterargument with more evidence or facts. Finally, you must wrap up your counterargument in a way that segues into your original argument.

When writing a counterargument, it is important to remember that your writing should address the opposing argument directly, and not just be a list of arguments that you like better. Your counterargument should address the opposing argument’s main points, not just the points that are easy for you to refute.

7. How will you refute them?

This is a question that requires you to think about your opponent and what they’re saying. If you can refute their argument, you’ll be able to support your own and win the argument. Even if you don’t, knowing what the other person is saying can help you prepare for the conversation. If you know what they’re saying, you can prepare counter-arguments or ask more questions to help you understand their perspective more. So, try to think about what the other person is saying, and what you can say to refute that. Then, you can use that to help you in your own argument!

8. What is your thesis statement?

Always be open to suggestions and feedback. I have been a freelancer writer for over 15 years and have never once written an article that did not have to be revised at least once. I have learned over the years that when approaching the writing of a thesis statement that consensus is key. When you are writing a thesis statement, you are opening up your thoughts and ideas to be critiqued by your editors and by your readers.

When you begin your writing process, make sure that your editors know what your thesis statement is and what your thoughts are on the topic at hand. You may be surprised to see that your editors see things from a different perspective than you, and when they do, they are trying to bring the best version of your work out, and by including them in the writing process, you are opening yourself up to their feedback and ideas, which in turn, makes for a better thesis statement and overall piece of writing.

9. Is it clear and concise?

Read your content out loud. This will help you determine if your content is clear and concise. When you read your content, you want it to flow easily. Your writing should sound natural and not forced. If you can’t read it out loud without stumbling over your words, it’s not clear and concise. Make sure your content is easy to understand and doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary words or phrases. If you can’t read it out loud without stumbling over your words, it’s not clear and concise.

10. Does it accurately reflect the main points of your paper?

Readers want to know that your argument is logical and organized. Do you jump around too much, or not enough? Do you use subheadings and transitions effectively, or do you rely too much on paragraph breaks? Think about how you used your space to create a clear argument and then make sure that your paper actually accomplishes that.

The easiest way to check this is by comparing your word count to your actual paper. If you have 2,500 words but you feel like you said a lot more, you might need to add more subheadings or add more information to a few of your existing ones. If you have too many words and not enough headings, you may need to split some of your longer paragraphs or remove a few altogether.

11. Have you chosen the right words to convey your ideas?

Writing is a process, and you should never think that what you have written is perfect and complete because you will always find ways to improve it. You will learn new words, better ways to say things, and more effective ways to explain topics. Even if you already feel satisfied with your writing, keep working and improving because there is always something else to learn.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t know what word to use, ask someone else. If you want feedback on your writing, ask someone else. If you are confused about something, ask someone else. There is no such thing as asking too many questions.

12. Are your sentences clear and free of errors?

The best way to make sure your writing is clear and free of errors is to read it out loud. When you read it out loud it helps you to focus on the rhythm and flow of your writing. Reading it out loud also helps you to catch spelling and grammatical errors because you’re more focused on what you’re reading.

Also, reading your writing out loud helps you to make sure that you’re using the right words to convey your message. Sometimes when you’re just reading your writing silently, it can be easy to miss mistakes or not be as clear with your message. By reading it out loud you have a better chance of making sure that your writing is clear and free of errors.

13. Is your paper well-organized?

A well-organized paper must have a clear beginning and end. A paper’s beginning should set the context of the paper. The middle should address the main argument and the end should tie up any loose ends and provide the paper with a final conclusion that supports the main argument. The paper is organized to help the reader follow the argument and understand the paper’s thesis.

A well-organized paper should have a clear and logical structure. A paper’s introduction should do more than just state the topic of the paper. It should provide context, set the tone, and make a clear argument for the paper’s thesis. The body should address the main argument, include relevant evidence, and support the argument with a logical progression. Finally, the conclusion should restate the main argument, restate the paper’s thesis, and provide a sense of closure for the reader.

14. Does it flow smoothly from one point to the next?

Flow is important to a good essay, but not at the expense of a unique voice. If you’re trying to go back and add transitions, you may be tempted to add transitions that are too similar to your original writing. This can sound unna##tural and draw the reader out of your essay. Instead, focus on what makes your voice unique and how you can better use it to guide your reader through your arguments.

Remember that your essay is a reflection of your thoughts and ideas, not just a reflection of your ability to follow a format or write in a certain style. If you’re having trouble making your essay flow, take a step back and make sure that you haven’t lost your voice in the process.

15. Are your transitions effective?

This is a tough question. One way to answer it is to show the piece in progress to a few people and get their feedback. You can loop them in over a few rounds of edits, with the last round being the one you show to the questioner. Most people I know are happy to give feedback on something they’re reading if they know it’s a work in progress.

But you can also consider the question on your own. What are some things you do to move smoothly from one idea to the next? That’s a good start. Ask yourself, as you read your own piece, if you’re confused by the transitions. If so, what might you do to make them clearer?

16. Have you included an introduction and conclusion?

Since these sections usually carry the most weight in a writing assignment, it’s important that writers are able to make these sections meaningful and engaging. The introduction should set up the topic and the conclusion should summarize the topic with a call to action. For example, if the topic was about how to travel in style, the introduction would be about the importance of traveling and what it means to travel in style. The conclusion would be about the tips of traveling in style and how one can do so.

Including an introduction and conclusion is crucial because these sections help the reader understand and remember the topic. If the introduction and conclusion are not well written, then the entire body of work could fall apart.

17. Do they accurately preview and summarize the main points of your paper?

The reviewer should be able to get a good grasp of your paper’s important points, so this is a good place to start. Your introduction and conclusion are likely the most important parts of your paper and should be written with that in mind, so this is a great place to start the preview and summary process. The reviewer should be able to understand the purpose of your paper, why it is important, and where it fits in the current literature. Start there and work your way through your paper in a way that gives the reviewer a comprehensive overview of your work.

18. Have you proofread your paper for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors?

Grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors do not have to be a cause for concern, especially if you have a solid understanding of the English language. If you have any experience as a writer, it is likely that you have proofread your own work. This is because you understand the language and grammar rules. You know what mistakes to look for and how to correct them. When asked this question, it is important to point out your experience as a writer and your understanding of the English language. This will help your employer to see that you are the perfect candidate for the job.

19. Have you cited all of your sources?

If you’re writing a college research paper, you’ll be required to cite your sources. As a writer, you should be aware of the different citation styles and choose the one that’s best suited to your needs. Do your research on which style is most commonly used in your field. By doing this you’ll be able to save time and effort by following a format that’s already been used effectively by others in your niche.

There are several different citation styles to choose from, including the Chicago Manual of Style, the American Psychological Association (APA), the Modern Language Association (MLA), and the American Medical Association (AMA). The best way to learn which style is most appropriate for your writing is to ask your professor or do some research online.

20. Have you checked for plagiarism ?

This is a difficult question for every writer who wants to get their work published in reputable journals and magazines. There is little doubt that these days it is much easier to search for an article’s text somewhere on the internet, rather than write it from scratch.

This is why it is important to convince the editor that your work is unique and that you have not copied it from anywhere else. It is essential to provide evidence that you have carried out a thorough, independent research, conducted interviews with experts and participants, and used your own analytical skills. In addition, it is advisable to write about your personal experience of researching the topic or producing this kind of work in the past, in order to convince the editor that you are an experienced writer.

About Rephrasely

Getting your wording just right.

Paraphrasing is a natural part of the writing process as it helps you clarify your thinking and suit your words to your audience. Using a Rephrasely helps structure and streamline this work, and our paraphrase tool offers 20 modes, many of them free, for accomplishing just this. The 20 modes we offer are diverse, including a summarize tool, a free grammar checker, a mode to simplify text, and a sentence shortener. There are sentence rephrasers and paraphrase rephrase tools, and we pride ourselves on having both, since our reword generator accounts for context at both the sentence and paragraph levels.

When you google paraphrase you will get a variety of results, from a free Rephrasely , to an article spinner, to a general phrase tool, and it can be hard to determine which of these rephrase tools will best help you complete your work. If you simply need to get a word rephrase, that is, reword only small elements within the sentence, many tools will suffice, but there is the risk that you end up with a tool that does not consider context and produces very awkward and ungrammatical sentences. Rephrasing is very much an art, and we’ve built our paraphrase bot to produce the most correct results in 20 modes in over 100 languages, making it the best paraphrasing tool at an exceptionally low cost. So whether you need to paraphrase deutsch, paraphrase greek, or paraphrase bahasa melayu, the next time you think, I need something to paraphrase this for me, you’ll know where to turn.

From keywords to paragraphs

Generating paragraphs with unique ideas can be challenging, and too often writers get stuck at this stage of the writing process. With our paragraph tool, you can enter keywords and let our AI generate paragraphs for you, so that you can have something to work with, refine the output, and become more engaged in your writing.

A paragraph generator creates links between your ideas, such that the output is sensible, unique, and stimulating, very close to what you would expect a thoughtful human paragraph writer to produce.

Paragraph makers are nice, but what about a short story generator? Because our AI is generalized, it serves a story generator, an essay generator, a poem generator, and much more. To generate compelling stories, you should provide the story generator with useful keywords from which it can develop plot elements, including characters, setting details, and any situational information. To generate reasonably good essays, you should likewise provide the essay maker with details around argumentative positions and any other pertinent ideas. If you more specifically want an introduction paragraph generator or conclusion paragraph generator, you can provide starter text and keywords that will best enable our essay creator to produce them.

You may well ask, “is this essay generator free?” Everything on this site is free within a 3-day trial, so you can test and develop confidence in our products. You may also be wondering where this is an essay automatic writer or if it will take a while to get results. All results appear within a matter of seconds, so you can move through your work as quickly as possible.

You may have professional needs for creating paragraphs as well, such as those needed for cover letter. Most of the time a cover letter template includes information that is not relevant to you; by using your own keywords, we can produce cover letter examples that are relevant to your use case and often require very little editing. By using this service, you can also learn how to write a cover letter and achieve the cover letter format you need.

Plagiarism checker free

Like everything else on our site, you can check plagiarism free within a trial, which is a great opportunity for those who want to check a paper for plagiarism without committing to paying before they see results. This free plagiarism checker is great for students and clearly indicates how to check for plagiarism by highlighting areas of similarity between the two texts. Just to be sure you are not accidentally plagiarizing, be sure to check all of your paraphrases as well.

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How to ask a question in an essay (with tips and examples)

An essay question is designed to test your understanding of a given subject. It is typically framed as a statement, or series of statements, that require you to answer with an essay-length response. The purpose of asking questions in an essay is to explore ideas, concepts, and topics in greater depth, enabling you to demonstrate your knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Essay questions are often composed of several parts. The introduction sets the stage, giving the reader an overview of what’s to come. The body of the question will typically contain the main points you need to discuss in your response. Finally, the conclusion will ask for your overall thoughts on the topic and provide you with a final chance to drive home the overall argument of your essay .

Sometimes an essay question can be divided into two or more sections, each containing a separate, but related, set of instructions. This type of question requires you to break down the topic into chunks, focusing on one element at a time before connecting them together in a cohesive way.

Essay questions are a great way to show off your understanding of the material, so make sure to read the question carefully and provide thoughtful, comprehensive answers. Think about the key concepts and relationships that are being addressed and focus on the underlying message or point of the question. Doing so will ensure that you are providing the best possible answer to the essay question.

Asking the right questions can be a major factor in writing a successful essay . The goal is to craft questions that are both thoughtful and direct – questions that will help you uncover and explore the key ideas within the essay topic. Here are some tips on how to ask questions in an essay:

How to ask question in an essay

Focus on the Big Picture

When crafting questions, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind. Start by thinking broadly about the topic and narrowing it down to a specific question. Ask yourself, “what overall insight can I gain from this topic?” or “what relevance does this topic have to the present world?”

Use Open-ended Questions

Open-ended questions allow for more creative exploration of the topic than closed-ended questions. An open-ended question is one that requires the reader to think critically and offer more than a single answer, while closed-ended questions are ones where the reader sees only one possible answer. Examples of open-ended questions include: “What are the most important considerations to make when exploring this topic?” and “How could this topic impact future generations?”

Be Mindful of the Structure

Questions should have a clear structure and logical flow. When crafting questions, make sure that each subsequent question builds upon and expands upon the previous ones. This helps to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Think Critically

Asking critical questions encourages deeper thinking and analysis. Questions that require the reader to reflect on the implications or consequences of their answers are especially effective. Examples of critical questions include: “What are the ethical implications of this topic?” and “How can this topic be used to better the world?”

Incorporate Problem-solving Questions

Problem-solving questions are those that challenge the reader to consider an issue from multiple points of view and to develop an appropriate solution. In addition to being interesting and thought-provoking, these types of questions also allow the reader to apply their own knowledge and skills towards solving the issue. Examples of problem-solving questions include: “What steps can be taken to reduce environmental damage?” and “What legal policies should be instituted to prevent discrimination based on gender or race?”

By following these tips, you can ensure that your questions are well-crafted and thoughtfully constructed. Asking the right questions will enable you to uncover important insights and make your essay a success!

Tip 1: Read the Prompt Carefully and Analyze Keywords

Understanding the essay prompt is key to coming up with questions that are relevant and meaningful. You should begin by carefully reading the prompt and evaluating any keywords or topics to consider. This will help you to stay focused on the task at hand and ensure that your questions address the relevant points.

It is a good idea to make a list of all the keywords in the prompt and then come up with a few questions for each keyword. This will help you to tailor your questions to the specific points of the essay and ensure that you don’t miss any important details. Additionally, make sure to focus on the main topic and try to avoid getting sidetracked by tangential topics.

Finally, it is important to remember that the essay question should be clear and concise, so you need to make sure that your questions provide an effective way to explore the topic in depth. Avoid asking too many questions that are overly general or provide little insight into the subject matter.

Tip 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Brainstorming is an important step in the essay writing process. It involves generating ideas and topics related to the essay prompt or topic. Brainstorming can help you come up with a range of possible questions related to the essay prompt, as well as the many ways those questions could be addressed.

First and foremost, it’s important to carefully read the essay prompt and analyze any keywords or key topics within the prompt. Then, think of broader topics that may relate to the prompt. For example, if the prompt is about the history of the civil rights movement in the United States, consider what specific events, people, or legislation could be included in an essay about this topic.

It can also be helpful to generate ideas related to the prompt by doing research online or by consulting additional texts. This way, you can find new facts, data, or examples that can be used when forming questions and developing arguments for your essay. Additionally, conducting research and familiarizing yourself with other essays on the same topic can help you gain a better understanding of vocabulary and sentence structure related to the prompt.

Finally, brainstorming can involve coming up with multiple questions from a single prompt. This means exploring different angles on the same topic and creating questions that can be answered in various ways. For instance, if the prompt is asking you to write an essay on the effect of the civil rights movement on public education, consider how this topic can be approached and what unique points you can make using evidence and facts.

Seeking Feedback to Ask Engaging Questions

When you are writing an essay , it is easy to get stuck on coming up with the right questions. Seeking feedback from peers or editors can be a great help in this process. Having someone else read your work can help identify areas that need improvement or need more thought. It also gives you the opportunity to get outside perspectives and develop new ideas for asking questions.

Having feedback from others can help you answer questions more effectively. It can also help you see your own essay from a different angle, helping you to come up with more engaging questions. Sometimes, even just talking about the essay idea to someone else can provide insight into the topic and help you come up with new and interesting questions.

When seeking feedback, it’s important to explain your goal: to come up with engaging questions. That way, the person reviewing your work can offer more help in that area. Additionally, it can be helpful to share any research you’ve already done, sources you’ve consulted, or any reading material you’ve found that could support your ideas.

To get the most out of feedback, it’s important to ask questions that will help you better develop your ideas. You might want to ask questions such as “What other questions could I ask to explore this topic further?” or “Are there any other points I could make to support my ideas?” Asking these types of questions will help you get the most out of the feedback and gain valuable insight into the topic.

Seeking feedback from peers and/or editors is a great way to improve your essay and come up with engaging questions. By leveraging feedback from others who are familiar with the essay topic , you can gain valuable insight, identify potential gaps in your understanding, and develop better questions. Ultimately, seeking feedback can help you write a better essay and ask questions more effectively.

Tip 4: Ask Clarifying Questions

Asking clarifying questions about the essay prompt or topic can be extremely helpful when trying to select the right question. It is important to focus on the key elements of the essay and try to understand the overall message or purpose being conveyed in the prompt. This can help guide you in finding the best question to ask in order to get the most out of your essay.

What Are Clarifying Questions?

Clarifying questions are questions that are used to help better understand a given topic or prompt. They are asked to gain a clear, concise understanding of what is being asked in the essay. For example, if the prompt for an essay was “Describe the changes that occurred in the economy during the Industrial Revolution”, a clarifying question might be “Which countries are being referenced when discussing economic changes during the Industrial Revolution?”.

How Can Asking Clarifying Questions Help?

Asking clarifying questions can help you hone in on the right question to ask in your essay. It can also help to provide context which can make it easier to craft an effective essay. Crafting the right questions before starting the actual writing of the essay can give you an advantage over other students who may not have put in the same time and effort to think through their essay topics.

Tips for Asking Clarifying Questions

When asking clarifying questions there are a few tips to keep in mind to make sure you get the necessary information from the prompt:

  • Be precise – use precise language that is easy to understand and doesn’t leave room for interpretation.
  • Ask why – don’t just ask what, but also ask why the prompt is asking what it is.
  • Be specific – make sure the questions you are asking directly relate to the essay prompt.

Asking clarifying questions can help you develop a deeper understanding of the essay topic and ensure that you are crafting the best question for your essay. Taking the time to ask clarifying questions will be well worth the effort as it can help you construct an engaging and effective essay.

Tip 5: Be Specific

Writing effective questions for an essay requires some thought and consideration. Asking the right question can mean getting the most comprehensive answer or uncovering significant detail. For this reason, it’s important to be specific and avoid vague descriptions when writing your questions.

The difference between a specific and a general question can be seen in the wording and detail provided. A specific question will ask for detail, analysis, and examples, while a general question will provide broad statements or multiple choice answers.

For example, let’s say you are writing an essay about the Revolutionary War. A specific question might be, “What role did African Americans play during the Revolutionary War?” This question requires more detailed research and thinking as it is specific. A general question such as, “Who fought in the Revolutionary War?” is much too broad and does not require any further thought on the matter.

When writing your question, consider what information you need to answer the prompt. A good rule of thumb is to write out a sentence that contains the main idea or point of the question and then break it down into two or three parts. Each part should ask for more detail or analysis. For instance, a more detailed question than the one above could be, “What contributions did African Americans make to the Revolutionary War effort, and how did this influence the outcome of the war?”

In addition, be sure to avoid creating questions that have no real answer. Your questions should always be able to be answered with evidence and/or research. For example, avoid questions like “Do you think the Revolutionary War was good or bad?” as there is no clear answer or evidence to back up either side.

By taking the time to create specific questions for your essay, you are ensuring that you are asking the right questions and getting the most out of the research and thought process. Being specific will also help focus your research and answer the essay prompt more efficiently.

Overall, when writing questions for an essay, you must be sure to create specific questions that ask for detailed answers and provide evidence to back them up. Avoid general questions and questions that can’t be answered with evidence or research. With practice and careful consideration, you will be well on your way to creating specific and effective essay questions.

Tip 6: Avoid Vague Descriptions

When asking questions in an essay, it’s important to avoid making statements that are too vague. Vague descriptions can easily lead to confusion and may cause the reader to misinterpret the intention of the question.

By avoiding vague descriptions, you can ensure that your essay is clear and concise. This will also make it easier for readers to understand the message that you are trying to convey.

Vague descriptions generally contain words or phrases that have unclear meaning. These may include words such as “many”, “some” or “most”, as well as phrases like “it varies”. It’s important to avoid these types of words and phrases when asking a question in an essay .

In some cases, you may need to use a vague description. In these cases, it’s important to provide additional context so that the reader can interpret the intention of the question. You can do this by providing specific examples or additional details about the topic.

For example, if you wanted to ask how technology has changed our lives, you could provide an example of a specific type of technology and ask how it has impacted our lives. This would provide clarity on the exact question that you are asking and make it easier for the reader to understand.

Overall, avoiding vague descriptions is essential when asking questions in an essay. This will help ensure that your questions are clear, concise and easy to understand. Additionally, provide additional context and examples if you do need to use a vague description. This will make it easier for readers to interpret the message of the question and understand the point that you are trying to make.

Examples of Good Questions to Ask in an Essay

Asking the right question can make all the difference when writing an essay. A good question will do more than just state a fact—it will help you to explore an idea, argue a point, or provide insight. That’s why it’s important to understand what makes a good question.

When asking a question in an essay, it should be direct, pointed and relevant to the topic. Here are few examples of good questions to ask in an essay:

  • What is the historical context of this issue?
  • How does this argument fit into current debates on the topic?
  • What are the implications of this argument for future research?
  • What do other scholars have to say about this issue?

When using example-based questions, it’s important to make sure that the example is relevant to the subject and that the question being asked isn’t too broad or difficult to answer. Here are some examples of good example-based questions:

  • How did John F. Kennedy’s speech on civil rights inform current policy debates?
  • What impact did the invention of the printing press have on the spread of literacy?
  • What role did the French Revolution play in the development of modern democracy?
  • What are the implications of the Eurozone crisis for economic growth in Europe?

These types of questions encourage deeper exploration of a topic and can help you to develop a more nuanced argument. Remember to always focus on asking relevant questions that are directly related to the essay prompt.

Conclusion:

Writing an essay is a great way to answer questions, express your opinion, and tell a story. It’s important to make sure you ask the right questions in your essay. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself what you are trying to get out of this essay. Will it help you prove a point? Explain something? Move the reader’s understanding along? If you can answer these questions, you’ll be better prepared to pick the best questions for your essay.

Here are some key takeaway points to remember when asking questions in an essay:

  • Read the prompt carefully and analyze keywords.
  • Brainstorm ideas and develop multiple questions from one prompt.
  • Seek feedback from peers and/or editors to refine your thoughts.
  • Ask clarifying questions to help guide your question selection.
  • Be specific when asking questions.
  • Avoid vague descriptions.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to easily identify the right questions to ask in any essay. Asking the right questions will help you get clear answers and move the conversation forward. This will ultimately help you write a better essay that expresses your thoughts more effectively.

Making sure you reference the sources of information that you use in your essay is important for acknowledging the work of others and also for avoiding plagiarism. Including references in your essay can help to support your arguments, add credibility and make your writing more compelling.

When writing an essay, it is important to look for outside sources of information or data that backs up your argument, but always make sure to cite them properly. You should include a list of references at the end of your essay, providing details such as the authors’ names, the year the source was published, and the title of the source.

When formatting your reference list, check with your teacher or professor to find out if there is a preferred style, such as MLA or APA. The format may vary depending on the type of sources you used. For example, books require different information than online sources.

  • For books: author name(s), title, edition number, publisher name, place of publication, date of publication.
  • For articles: author name(s), title of article, name of magazine or journal, volume and issue number, page numbers, date of publication.
  • For websites: author name(s) (if available), title of page/article, website name, web address, date of publication or last update.

It is good practice to cross-check your reference list with the in-text citations that you have used throughout your essay. Make sure the two match up. If you have any doubt about whether something should be referenced, it’s best to include it. It is also important to keep track of all information used in your research, so you can easily create a comprehensive list of references.

  • Last Edit 01 MAY 2023

Nick Radlinsky

Nick Radlinsky

Nick Radlinsky is a devoted educator, marketing specialist, and management expert with more than 15 years of experience in the education sector. After obtaining his business degree in 2016, Nick embarked on a quest to achieve his PhD, driven by his commitment to enhancing education for students worldwide. His vast experience, starting in 2008, has established him as a reputable authority in the field.

Nick's article, featured in Routledge's " Entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe: Development through Internationalization ," highlights his sharp insights and unwavering dedication to advancing the educational landscape. Inspired by his personal motto, "Make education better," Nick's mission is to streamline students' lives and foster efficient learning. His inventive ideas and leadership have contributed to the transformation of numerous educational experiences, distinguishing him as a true innovator in his field.

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IB Internal Assessment Rubric and Grading Criteria

The IB IA rubric is carefully structured to assess students’ understanding, skills and application of subject matter in a nuanced and comprehensive manner. Each subject rubric, whether for sciences such as Biology and Chemistry, humanities such as History and Psychology, or Mathematics, emphasizes a unique set of criteria tailored to assess specific competencies and skills.

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Visual Arts IA Topics: The Best Topic Ideas

In the vast world of art, the possibilities for your IA topic are nearly limitless. Yet, this abundance of choice can sometimes feel overwhelming. Whether you’re drawn to traditional painting techniques, the avant-garde movements of the 20th century, or the intersection of digital media and art, your chosen topic should ignite a spark of curiosity and passion within you.

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Theatre IA Topics: SL and HL Topic Ideas

Choosing the right topic for IA in the IB Theatre course is a crucial step that significantly influences your research process and overall learning experience. Whether in the Standard Level or Higher Level track, selecting your topic requires careful thought and consideration, aiming to balance personal interest with academic rigor. This guide offers a rich array of topic ideas and research questions to spark your creativity and intellectual curiosity in the vast world of theatre.

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Music IA Topics for SL and HL Students

When selecting a topic for your IB Music Internal Assessment, both SL and HL students face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. As a seasoned IB educator with years of experience guiding students through this process, I’ve come to recognize the importance of choosing a topic that aligns with the IB criteria and resonates with your musical interests and strengths.

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Film IA Topics: SL and HL Topic Ideas

Choosing a topic for your IB Film Internal Assessment (IA) can be exciting and daunting. Whether you’re enrolled in the Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL), the key is to select an option that not only intrigues you but also meets the criteria of the IB Film course. In this article, we dig into a variety of creative and thought-provoking ideas for both SL and HL Film IA topics.

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IB Dance IA Topics: SL and HL Ideas

When it comes to the IB Dance Internal Assessment (IA), students face the exciting challenge of exploring a topic that resonates with their interests and meets the academic rigor of the IB curriculum. I’ve seen how choosing the right topic can set the stage for an enriching learning experience. In this article, I’m thrilled to share some engaging topic ideas for both SL and HL students aimed at sparking creativity and intellectual curiosity.

questions to write an essay about

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Can you ask Questions in an Essay? How to Blend them Well

How to Blend Questions in Your Essay

How to Blend Questions in Your Essay

Sometimes when writing an essay, you might have a point or an argument that is best presented through a simple or rhetorical question. In this post, we explore questions that can be asked in essays. We expound on the tips to follow when asking questions in an essay and how to do it.

For those who would need personalized help writing essays with questions, we have a team of expert essay writers who can guide you further or even write the whole assignment for you. Just check out that page. However, read on if you want to handle it yourself.

You must provide a satisfactory answer whenever you ask questions in an essay. If you cannot answer it, you must explain why the question cannot be resolved effectively.

questions to write an essay about

Can you ask Questions in an essay?

my question is

In academic writing, it is preferable to specify your research question as you start your paper and address it in the conclusion.

The question should not be so dramatic to spark interest among readers.

The question should be specific and as simply answerable as possible. The questions you consider using in your research should not in any way confuse readers.

Ideally, you can ask questions in an essay, provided they are relevant and add value to the arguments of a paragraph.

A question in an essay should always contribute something substantial to the arguments you make in the essay. Questions should not bring idle speculations that may drop the essay’s tone.

Questions are often very debatable and may change with time. Therefore, be sure of the questions you will use. This will help you put across clear and genuine arguments about the question.

As long as you can defend your argument, your critics will have to accept your points even if they are unconventional.

Questions that are not supported by strong existing debates and are mainly set up with the thought of pulling them down, later on, should be followed by a caution. This keeps you safe from attacks of those who may wish to fault your arguments.

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How to format a question in an essay?

According to the MLA writing format, questions in essays should be formatted as follows:

Use a colon to precede single questions that are contained in a sentence. This is done only if the word that comes before the question is not a verb. Capital letters should be used to start the questions.

Direct questions that are long with internal punctuations that are contained in a sentence should begin with a capital letter and set off with a comma.

Using questions in an essay

Incorporating questions in sentences should be done correctly to avoid errors that can distort the information in a question.

For questions incorporated in series in sentences, lowercase letters should be used to begin the questions.

These questions in the series are not capitalized because they do not begin with proper nouns and are incomplete.

Complete questions should always start with a capital letter and end with a question mark.

Questions in the APA format are to be formatted as APA requires. This includes using the size 12 Times New Roman font, double-spacing the text, and using one-inch margins.

For question-and-answer essays, use numerals followed by periods to show the position of the question. Hit enter to write the answer and hit enter again after the answer to write the next question.

There is no need to differentiate the answer and the question, for example, by making the question bold.

Can you Start or End an Essay with a question?

You can start your essay with a question. Questions have proved to be a good method of getting readers hooked to your essay. They place the reader in doubt.

The reader is likely to mull over the issue rather than have their thoughts contradicted. Questions at the beginning of the essay also let the readers think about the issues discussed in the essay.

This keeps them involved as they go through the paper as well as gives you a nice opportunity to use a different angle to answer the question.

Questions also can excellently introduce striking news. Questions starting an essay should be related to the concept you are writing about.

The questions should be answered in the introduction part. The answer forms the thesis of your essay.

As long as it is used effectively, ending your essay with a question is not wrong. Questions can be used to involve readers and have their say on the topic discussed in the essay.

The question at the end of the essay should reflect on the issues discussed in the essay.

Ways of Ending an Essay with a Question

Concluding your essay can be effective in the following ways:

last question

  • Questions usually make further discussions possible. Readers can start a discussion and explore more on questions asked at the end of essays.
  • Readers will always think and talk about essays that end with questions. They will always try to answer the question posed.
  • It is easy for readers to connect and relate with your essay through questions used to end essays because they make the essay more intriguing.
  • The questions also bring the reader close to your essay and can earn you some extra credit.
  • Choosing a question that relates to your essay helps you easily summarize the ideas you included in your essay and understand them clearly. Readers also are likely to familiarize themselves with the whole concept.
  • When you need a reader to remember your essay, using a question to end your essay is one of the perfect strategies. Finishing your essay with a question is a unique element that can help your essay stand out.

Can you use Rhetorical Questions in Academic Writing?

Rhetorical questions have no room in academic writing. Rhetorical questions are not in the third person as academic writing should be.

They are in first-person, which is a big error in academic writing. Academic writing needs to be direct to the point, and there should be no room for posting questions, causing uncertainty, or entertaining the reader.

Suspense is also not allowed in academic writing. This makes the use of rhetorical questions unacceptable in academic writing.

Academic writing should always be informative and is not a form of creative writing.

Need Help with your Homework or Essays?

How to ask a rhetorical question in essays.

Rhetorical questions in essays can be asked in the following circumstances. When emphasizing a point, rhetorical questions can be used after statements to drive the message home.

Example: Almost 100 million is lost every year in government sponsorships. How much more will we lose in the name of support?

In persuasive essays, rhetorical questions are used to evoke emotions in readers. By managing to do so your essay can be regarded as effective. Example: Isn’t everyone a sinner?

The most important reason rhetorical questions are used in essays is that they serve as the best hooks to grab the reader’s attention. The reader can predict where you are headed in the essay. Example: What is the world without feminists?

Rhetorical questions can be used to bring about a smooth transition in an essay. You can pose a question to emphasize, conclude, or introduce a point.

This is usually a hard skill to master. Example: Do you know that corruption is the main form of misuse of funds? 20% of the national budget was lost to corruption in the previous financial year .

How to Introduce a Question in an Essay?

To introduce an essay with a question, you have to know what you will talk about in the essay. This helps you use a question that fits your essay’s words. Questions that appear in between the essay should connect well with your content.

inserting questions into paragraphs

Always have correct answers to the questions you want to introduce in your essay. The questions should make the readers doubt their knowledge of that particular area.

This can include a question with facts and striking facts about the topic involved. You can learn more about writing good essays by reading our blog on how to write good paragraphs for essays and papers.

Also, check whether you can italicize essays and essay titles to get another perspective on essay writing and different ways of formulating titles.

Alicia Smart

With over 10 years in academia and academic assistance, Alicia Smart is the epitome of excellence in the writing industry. She is our managing editor and is in charge of the writing operations at Grade Bees.

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Writing a Response to an Essay Question

An essay is, in general, a written piece that deliver the author’s main argument, but it is often obscure, sometimes overlapping with that of an guide, letter, magazine, book, paper, and a brief story. Essays are traditionally been divided into formal and academic. In a formal essay, the style is typically very structured and built on strong foundations – historical and sociological context, development of subject, use of basic vocabulary, and expression of thoughts. On the flip side, in an academic article, the design can be more elastic and more experimental, using a variety of kinds of writing construction like the dependent, sequential, parallel, and multilayered types.

Writing an essay normally necessitates the writing of one paragraph. However, unlike a lengthy introduction in which the whole paragraph is concerned about one idea or concept, an essay normally requires more than one paragraph to cover its topic. The introduction is supposed to attract readers and maintain interest; the body to present the thesis statement, its logic and main point, as well as supporting arguments. Most writing manuals suggest at least one paragraph describing the topic, the logic behind it, and the background and purpose of the essay . The conclusion paragraph should summarize the subject matter and call for comments.

Along with this introduction, the body of this essay may comprise many different arguments or statements all expressing a frequent theme. It might also have a listing or a set of quotations, illustrations, music, art, etc., which collectively form a single thesis statement. The writing process should create a consistent pattern that guides the author through the various arguments and statements. Essay questionnaires frequently ask a string of questions which summarize the different concepts which make up a specific essay. The initial step is to invent the article question; many sample essays require the essay author to provide a very clear and distinct answer to the essay question posed.

After answering the essay question, the essay could continue with the introduction and finish paragraphs where appropriate support is introduced to your thesis statement. It’s important to understand that both the introduction and the completion need to look in support of the main ideas presented during the essay. Since the student completes the article, he/she must critically examine his/her thoughts and ideas with all the tools supplied in the Essay Question Details guide. Writing an essay can be challenging but it’s every bit as important to process essay writing in a structured way that guides the writer through the development of each paragraph and promotes critical thinking.

The next step in the process is to compose a first draft and compile a group of notes which support the key idea(s) of the essay subject. A second form of writing begins after the first round of writing and reviewing has been completed. This stage includes the conclusion of a ai essay writer website central argument or idea, which serves as the focus of this essay. A logical structure is used to arrange the essay topic to support the main idea and provides a logical sequence of events, activities, and conclusions. A variety of essay subjects are indicated in writing a composition, but some of the most frequent include cultural studies, homeschooling, history, government, mathematics, science, and the surroundings.

Essays written for the purposes of defending a thesis statement are usually more involved, since another set of standards have to be implemented for each of the different arguments introduced. Nonetheless, to be able to successfully defend a thesis, the essay should provide significant support and proof to support one or more particular statements or ideas. Students often find it difficult to effectively create a unified and well articulated essay shield. With a little guidance, however, essay writing may become a tool that facilitates the process of reviewing and writing original essays.

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  • How to write an essay outline | Guidelines & examples

How to Write an Essay Outline | Guidelines & Examples

Published on August 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay outline is a way of planning the structure of your essay before you start writing. It involves writing quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will cover in each paragraph , giving you a picture of how your argument will unfold.

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Table of contents

Organizing your material, presentation of the outline, examples of essay outlines, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay outlines.

At the stage where you’re writing an essay outline, your ideas are probably still not fully formed. You should know your topic  and have already done some preliminary research to find relevant sources , but now you need to shape your ideas into a structured argument.

Creating categories

Look over any information, quotes and ideas you’ve noted down from your research and consider the central point you want to make in the essay—this will be the basis of your thesis statement . Once you have an idea of your overall argument, you can begin to organize your material in a way that serves that argument.

Try to arrange your material into categories related to different aspects of your argument. If you’re writing about a literary text, you might group your ideas into themes; in a history essay, it might be several key trends or turning points from the period you’re discussing.

Three main themes or subjects is a common structure for essays. Depending on the length of the essay, you could split the themes into three body paragraphs, or three longer sections with several paragraphs covering each theme.

As you create the outline, look critically at your categories and points: Are any of them irrelevant or redundant? Make sure every topic you cover is clearly related to your thesis statement.

Order of information

When you have your material organized into several categories, consider what order they should appear in.

Your essay will always begin and end with an introduction and conclusion , but the organization of the body is up to you.

Consider these questions to order your material:

  • Is there an obvious starting point for your argument?
  • Is there one subject that provides an easy transition into another?
  • Do some points need to be set up by discussing other points first?

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Within each paragraph, you’ll discuss a single idea related to your overall topic or argument, using several points of evidence or analysis to do so.

In your outline, you present these points as a few short numbered sentences or phrases.They can be split into sub-points when more detail is needed.

The template below shows how you might structure an outline for a five-paragraph essay.

  • Thesis statement
  • First piece of evidence
  • Second piece of evidence
  • Summary/synthesis
  • Importance of topic
  • Strong closing statement

You can choose whether to write your outline in full sentences or short phrases. Be consistent in your choice; don’t randomly write some points as full sentences and others as short phrases.

Examples of outlines for different types of essays are presented below: an argumentative, expository, and literary analysis essay.

Argumentative essay outline

This outline is for a short argumentative essay evaluating the internet’s impact on education. It uses short phrases to summarize each point.

Its body is split into three paragraphs, each presenting arguments about a different aspect of the internet’s effects on education.

  • Importance of the internet
  • Concerns about internet use
  • Thesis statement: Internet use a net positive
  • Data exploring this effect
  • Analysis indicating it is overstated
  • Students’ reading levels over time
  • Why this data is questionable
  • Video media
  • Interactive media
  • Speed and simplicity of online research
  • Questions about reliability (transitioning into next topic)
  • Evidence indicating its ubiquity
  • Claims that it discourages engagement with academic writing
  • Evidence that Wikipedia warns students not to cite it
  • Argument that it introduces students to citation
  • Summary of key points
  • Value of digital education for students
  • Need for optimism to embrace advantages of the internet

Expository essay outline

This is the outline for an expository essay describing how the invention of the printing press affected life and politics in Europe.

The paragraphs are still summarized in short phrases here, but individual points are described with full sentences.

  • Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages.
  • Provide background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press.
  • Present the thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.
  • Discuss the very high levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe.
  • Describe how literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites.
  • Indicate how this discouraged political and religious change.
  • Describe the invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg.
  • Show the implications of the new technology for book production.
  • Describe the rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
  • Link to the Reformation.
  • Discuss the trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention.
  • Describe Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation.
  • Sketch out the large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics.
  • Summarize the history described.
  • Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period.

Literary analysis essay outline

The literary analysis essay outlined below discusses the role of theater in Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park .

The body of the essay is divided into three different themes, each of which is explored through examples from the book.

  • Describe the theatricality of Austen’s works
  • Outline the role theater plays in Mansfield Park
  • Introduce the research question : How does Austen use theater to express the characters’ morality in Mansfield Park ?
  • Discuss Austen’s depiction of the performance at the end of the first volume
  • Discuss how Sir Bertram reacts to the acting scheme
  • Introduce Austen’s use of stage direction–like details during dialogue
  • Explore how these are deployed to show the characters’ self-absorption
  • Discuss Austen’s description of Maria and Julia’s relationship as polite but affectionless
  • Compare Mrs. Norris’s self-conceit as charitable despite her idleness
  • Summarize the three themes: The acting scheme, stage directions, and the performance of morals
  • Answer the research question
  • Indicate areas for further study

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

  • Ad hominem fallacy
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  • Appeal to authority fallacy
  • False cause fallacy
  • Sunk cost fallacy

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You will sometimes be asked to hand in an essay outline before you start writing your essay . Your supervisor wants to see that you have a clear idea of your structure so that writing will go smoothly.

Even when you do not have to hand it in, writing an essay outline is an important part of the writing process . It’s a good idea to write one (as informally as you like) to clarify your structure for yourself whenever you are working on an essay.

If you have to hand in your essay outline , you may be given specific guidelines stating whether you have to use full sentences. If you’re not sure, ask your supervisor.

When writing an essay outline for yourself, the choice is yours. Some students find it helpful to write out their ideas in full sentences, while others prefer to summarize them in short phrases.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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Guest Essay

José Andrés: Let People Eat

A woman wearing a head scarf sits on a cart next to a box of food marked “World Central Kitchen.”

By José Andrés

Mr. Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen.

In the worst conditions you can imagine — after hurricanes, earthquakes, bombs and gunfire — the best of humanity shows up. Not once or twice but always.

The seven people killed on a World Central Kitchen mission in Gaza on Monday were the best of humanity. They are not faceless or nameless. They are not generic aid workers or collateral damage in war.

Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, John Chapman, Jacob Flickinger, Zomi Frankcom, James Henderson, James Kirby and Damian Sobol risked everything for the most fundamentally human activity: to share our food with others.

These are people I served alongside in Ukraine, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Mexico, Gaza and Israel. They were far more than heroes.

Their work was based on the simple belief that food is a universal human right. It is not conditional on being good or bad, rich or poor, left or right. We do not ask what religion you belong to. We just ask how many meals you need.

From Day 1, we have fed Israelis as well as Palestinians. Across Israel, we have served more than 1.75 million hot meals. We have fed families displaced by Hezbollah rockets in the north. We have fed grieving families from the south. We delivered meals to the hospitals where hostages were reunited with their families. We have called consistently, repeatedly and passionately for the release of all the hostages.

All the while, we have communicated extensively with Israeli military and civilian officials. At the same time, we have worked closely with community leaders in Gaza, as well as Arab nations in the region. There is no way to bring a ship full of food to Gaza without doing so.

That’s how we served more than 43 million meals in Gaza, preparing hot food in 68 community kitchens where Palestinians are feeding Palestinians.

We know Israelis. Israelis, in their heart of hearts, know that food is not a weapon of war.

Israel is better than the way this war is being waged. It is better than blocking food and medicine to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces.

The Israeli government needs to open more land routes for food and medicine today. It needs to stop killing civilians and aid workers today. It needs to start the long journey to peace today.

In the worst conditions, after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it’s time for the best of Israel to show up. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this war by starving an entire population.

We welcome the government’s promise of an investigation into how and why members of our World Central Kitchen family were killed. That investigation needs to start at the top, not just the bottom.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said of the Israeli killings of our team, “It happens in war.” It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by the Israel Defense Forces.

It was also the direct result of a policy that squeezed humanitarian aid to desperate levels. Our team was en route from a delivery of almost 400 tons of aid by sea — our second shipment, funded by the United Arab Emirates, supported by Cyprus and with clearance from the Israel Defense Forces.

The team members put their lives at risk precisely because this food aid is so rare and desperately needed. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative, half the population of Gaza — 1.1. million people — faces the imminent risk of famine. The team would not have made the journey if there were enough food, traveling by truck across land, to feed the people of Gaza.

The peoples of the Mediterranean and Middle East, regardless of ethnicity and religion, share a culture that values food as a powerful statement of humanity and hospitality — of our shared hope for a better tomorrow.

There’s a reason, at this special time of year, Christians make Easter eggs, Muslims eat an egg at iftar dinners and an egg sits on the Seder plate. This symbol of life and hope reborn in spring extends across religions and cultures.

I have been a stranger at Seder dinners. I have heard the ancient Passover stories about being a stranger in the land of Egypt, the commandment to remember — with a feast before you — that the children of Israel were once slaves.

It is not a sign of weakness to feed strangers; it is a sign of strength. The people of Israel need to remember, at this darkest hour, what strength truly looks like.

José Andrés is a chef and the founder of World Central Kitchen.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

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