Independent Essay - 69
e. Idiom Hook

When using an idiom hook, make sure you state the idiom verbatim, for example:

Correct: My mother always said, “The early bird catches the worm.”

Incorrect: My mother always said, “The morning bird catches the worm.”

f. Anecdote Hook

An anecdote is a very short story used to introduce the main topic of your essay.
An anecdote can be either humorous or serious, for example:

I have been speaking English for twenty years, but I still have a hard time
pronouncing some words. Take yesterday for example. I asked a waitress for
a “bowel.” She looked at me like I was crazy until my American friend said
“bowl.”

Last year, my friend Hiroshi took an online MBA course. It cost a lot of
money, but he enrolled anyway because he could finish in six months. The
day after he started studying, the school suddenly closed and Hiroshi lost all
his money.

g. Provocative Hook

When using a provocative hook, make sure you can support what you are claiming.

Did you know that a gun is the best form of personal protection?
70 - Independent Essay

The first part of this introduction is a complex hook, specifically a statistic.

hook A report in Pediatrics states that by age sixteen teenagers who
watch TV shows with a high degree of sexual content are twice as
likely to have babies out of wedlock than those teens who watch TV
with a low degree of sexual content.

Next comes the transition.

transition This evidence proves that television is indeed having a negative
influence on the youth of America.

The transition is followed by the test-taker’s opinion.

opinion It also supports my belief that parents are failing to monitor their
children’s viewing habits.

Notice how the transitions “This evidence” and “It also” connect the three parts of
this introduction, grammatically and topically (OPDU
L=C). This, in turn,
demonstrates coherence (OPDUL=C
). Look at the following introduction. Can you identify the problem?

extinct? Personally, I think that all governments should ban the
logging of old growth forests.

Independent Essay - 71
Sometimes there is a transition. However, the transition is not topically or
grammatically connected to the hook or the opinion, for example:

hook Did you know that more people are telecommuting these days?

transition I would love to do this. It would be great.

opinion Personally, I think that there are advantages to working from home. A good hook is hard to write. If you are not confident using hooks, do
not waste time trying to write one on test day. Instead, state your
opinion, then concentrate on developing each body paragraph (3TiC).

Why is a hook an effective advanced strategy? Because your introduction (hook +
transition + opinion) will look like an inverted (upside down) pyramid in which the
ideas progress from general to specific.

general (hook) Some people think that we do not
need zoos while others think that
we do.

Personally speaking,

P

transition
Warning!!
72 - Independent Essay

Does this introduction demonstrate development?
The hook introduces the general topic of zoos and whether we need them
or not. The test-taker’s opinion focuses the topic by specifically stating, “I
think that we need zoos.” The test-taker’s opinion is arguable, supportable,
a complete sentence and not a question. Combined, this demonstrates
introduction development. Yes
√ No _

a. Does this introduction demonstrate topical unity?
The topic of zoos in the hook and in the opinion are the same. This
demonstrates topical unity. Yes
√ No _

b. Does this introduction demonstrate grammatical unity?
The transition, “Personally speaking,” connects the hook and the opinion,
and is grammatically correct. All other grammar is correct. This
demonstrates grammatical unity. Yes
√ No _

Does this introduction demonstrate proficient language use?
The sentence, “Some people think that we do not need zoos while others
think that we do” is a complex sentence. This demonstrates proficient
language use.
Yes √ No _

D

U

L

C

Advanced Thesis Strategies

Predictor Thesis

Independent Essay - 73

A predictor thesis is a complex sentence. A complex sentence has two parts:
independent clause and dependent clause. An independent clause has a subject
and a verb. Together, they form a complete idea. In a predictor thesis, the
independent clause states your opinion
about the topic in the prompt. The
independent clause connects to the dependent clause with a conjunction. The
dependent clause contains the predictors. The predictors are reasons. You will
develop each reason using an example in each body paragraph. The reasons, in
turn, will support your opinion and conclusion.

independent clause = Personally, I think that we need zoos
conjunction = because