250 Part VI: Putting Your Skills to the Test: GED Practice Test 1

Sample Extended Response

The following sample essay would receive solid marks. It isn’t perfect, but as the GED
Testing Service tells you, you’re not expected to write the perfect essay. You’re expected to
write a good, first-draft-quality response. When you prepare your essay, consider using a
schedule similar to this: 10 minutes to read and analyze the source passages; 10 minutes to
put together the quotes you intend to use to back your argument, 10 minutes to prepare
your rough draft, and the remaining 15 minutes to write your actual essay, proofread it,
and make any final adjustments.
Compare the following sample to the response you wrote, and check out Chapter 7 for the
scoring criteria and what evaluators look for in a response.
By its very nature, this issue is extremely emotional. And that makes it very difficult to
prepare a rational argument. The first article describes the harm caused by cyberbullying
and describe some unsuccessful efforts to intervene and later punish. The second article
explains why criminalizing cyberbullying is unnecessary. Despite the harm cyberbullying
causes, the second article is the better argued. It presents a rational case, backed by
facts, without resorting to emotional prodding of one’s conscience.
The first article very clearly makes the case that cyberbullying should be a crime. There’s
very little argument about the nature of the horrible crime the first article describes it,
nor are the events in dispute. Nor would anyone argue that cyberbullying does no harm.
The article further states that often intervention at the parent or school level has little
effect. Again, this is not in dispute. However, the passage does use emotionally loaded
terms, such as “hounding” and “community outrage.” Further, while it presents one case
in detail, it does not present little further evidence, neither examples nor statistics to
back the case.
In contrast, the second article goes through the arguments against criminalizing cyberbul-
lying in a logical manner. The first argument is the problem of defining what exactly cyber-
bullying is. It points out that mere name-calling is not a crime. It goes on to state that if
and when such actions go too far, there’s always recourse to existing laws. Harassments,
libel, and slander are all covered under existing laws. Luring someone into self-harm is a
criminal offense. Passing on nude or seminude photographs of someone can lead to child
pornography charges. In most cases, existing laws will cover cyberbullying when it
crosses a line.
The second article also examines the issue of self-harm as it arises from cyberbullying.
Just because someone ─ sadly ─ commits suicide when bullied, either using electronic
media or the old-fashioned bully in the school hallway, that does not automatically
mean that the bullying was the cause. Most of us have endured bullying of some form
in our lives and have dealt with it without suicide.
The final point that the second article raises, which the first passage ignores, is the
right to free speech. While there are obviously reasonable limitations on free speech,
we have to be very careful before considering restrictions of such a basic right.
While cyberbullying is an unfortunate reality of the life of today’s teens, it is not neces-
sary to expand criminal laws to cover such events. Existing laws will deal with extreme
cases, an education, with parental and school involvement, will help limit such events.
Finally, the removal of anonymity from social media should have an effect, again with-
out limiting free speech or criminalizing such activities.

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