Analytical Writing Expansion

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Date:

📚 Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which sentence best expands a simple claim into analytical detail?

The character is sad because bad things happen.

The character’s sadness is shown through short, clipped sentences that mirror their fragmented thoughts, suggesting a loss of control.

The character enjoys nature, which is pretty.

The character is sad; the author must want readers to feel sad too.

2. Which technique most deepens analysis of a quote?

Paraphrasing the quote only

Explaining how the quote reveals character, theme or technique and why that matters

Adding extra unrelated facts

Repeating the quote verbatim several times

3. Check all elements that belong in a focused analytical paragraph:

A clear topic sentence or claim

Specific evidence (quote, detail, statistic)

Explanation of how the evidence supports the claim

Long personal anecdotes unrelated to the text

✏️ Part 2: Short Answers & Expansion

4. Identify the claim in this thesis: "In the novel, isolation drives the protagonist to make risky choices that reveal the community's failure."

5. Suggest a specific piece of evidence you could use to support that claim (give a line reference or short quote):

6. In one or two sentences, explain why you should analyse language (word choice, sentence structure, imagery) rather than only summarise events.

7. Expand this single-sentence point into a focused analytical paragraph (aim for 4–6 sentences). Use evidence and explain its effect: "The narrator feels isolated."

8. Revise and add a linking sentence to connect analysis to the poem's wider theme (write one sentence): Original sentence to link from: "This image of a locked door shows the speaker's separation."