Writing SOL Prompt Practice 1

Master SOL writing prompts with this practice worksheet! Focus on specific details and examples.

The following are quotes that are included in the SOL writing prompts. To familiarize yourself with them, match the quote with its meaning. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” It's always good to do something nice. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” If you want the world to be different, you need to work to change it. “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” If you try your best, you can overcome any problem. "Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself." Your own advice is usually the best advice to follow. "Don't judge book by its cover." The way something looks doesn't tell everything about it. Read the prompt:Is it better to take risks and perhaps make some mistakes or remain cautious and risk nothing? Explain using specific details and examples in your response. Select which statement below uses the most specific details or examples as support. Taking that risk let me experience a new activity that showed me something about myself. Taking that risk ended up being a good thing. Taking that risk and learning to skydive showed me that I'm not really afraid of heights if I can see the ground. Read the prompt:Some people enjoy public speaking while others are frightened by it. Using specific details and examples, explain how you feel about public speaking. Select which statement below uses the most specific details or examples as support. The idea of public speaking makes me queasy, and when I have to speak in front of others, my hands get all sweaty, and it's hard to breathe. Public speaking makes me uncomfortable, and I hate when teachers make me do it. I don't like public speaking. Read the prompt:What improvement would make your community better? Use specific details and examples to convince the mayor of your community to accept your idea for improving where you live.Select which statement below uses the most specific details or examples as support. Our community could be improved with more space to socialize in a new park. The community would be so much better if there was more green space where we could enjoy the outdoors and do social things. An improvement to the community would be another park. Some of the SOL prompts ask you to write about one thing while others ask you to write about two or more things. In order to do your best on the writing portion, you need to write to all parts of the prompt. Look at the prompts below and decide if they are asking you to write about just one thing or more than one thing. One main topic to write about When people ask for advice, they sometimes talk to more than one person. Explain why seeking multiple opinions can help someone make a better choice. Use specific details and examples in your response. People often credit their successes to having good attitudes. Explain the benefits of having a good attitude, even during a difficult time. Provide examples from your own experience or from having witnessed this in others. Thoughtful acts can take many forms, such as unexpected help or even just a kind word. Explain how a thoughtful act can benefit those involved. Use specific details and examples in your response. What makes someone a success? Explain how you define success, using specific details and examples in your response. Some schools have a program that pairs older students with younger students. The older students are available to assist the younger students. How would this program help both the older and the younger students? Explain the effects of such a program on the students involved. Competition is a constant presence in today’s schools, where students not only compete with one another in the classroom but also in sports and in various extracurricular activities. Explain how competition can improve life or make it more difficult for students. Use specific details and examples in your response. Everyone has a talent or skill. Identify a talent or skill you have, and explain how you develop and use it. Use specific details and examples in your response. Two or more topics to write about Most schools offer a variety of activities, classes, and clubs. Identify one of these that students enjoy and explain why they enjoy it. Include specific details and examples in your response. Identify an enjoyable educational activity. It could be participating in a play, completing a science experiment, playing an instrument, or something else. Use specific details and examples to explain why the activity is enjoyable. Your assignment is to design a neighborhood of the future. Explain what you would include in a neighborhood of the future and why. Include specific details and examples in your design. Sometimes people recognize similarities between themselves and a character from a book or a movie. Write about a character from a book or a movie who you think is similar to you. What do you have in common with this character? Use specific details and examples in your response. What is something you would like to accomplish in the future? Perhaps you would like to learn how to play an instrument, graduate at the top of your class, or visit the ocean. Identify one thing you would like to accomplish, and include specific details and examples to help explain why it is important. There is a common saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Think of something that has an unattractive appearance but that has special meaning to someone for other reasons. It might be an old car, a well-used toy, a faded photograph, or something else. Identify the object and explain why it has special meaning. Your school is considering making a change to the dress code. What is one change that you would recommend, and why is it important? Use specific details and examples to justify this change.