Title: Success Skills
Course: Question Banks

Q: According to the instructor in Raul’s orientation to college class, students who want to be highly successful in college should study __ outside of class for every hour in class.
- 4 hours (Incorrect. But if you need 4 hours to study for a difficult class, that’s fine.)
- 1 hour (Incorrect. But if you need you find 1 hour sufficient to do well in a class in which you excel, that can be okay.)
- 3 hours (Incorrect. But if you need 4 hours to study for a difficult class, that’s fine.)
- 2 hours (Correct! This is the accepted rule of thumb, but each class and student will vary.)
A: 2 hours

Q: Virginia is a first-generation college student, talking with her younger cousin about what she should expect in college. Which statement best reflects how Virginia might explain the idea that college success sometimes requires trade-offs?
- Only smart people can succeed in college. (Incorrect. College success isn’t linked to intelligence. Students’ success is more about hard work and effective strategies.)
- Success in college requires a lot of studying. (Incorrect. College does require a lot of studying. Can you explain to your friend or family member why the time studying might mean a trade-off and less time for movies or hanging out?)
- College students shouldn’t work outside of class. (Incorrect. A part-time job is actually associated with college success. But too many hours of work can get in the way of your studies. College success requires trade-offs and balance.)
- Success in college might require limitations to your social life. (Correct! Someone who isn’t attending college may not recognize that you can’t go out the night before a big exam.)
A: Success in college might require limitations to your social life.

Q: Faizz wants to make his studying more productive and more enjoyable. Which of the following strategies would you suggest he try?
- studying at work (Incorrect. Many students have to work while in college. Balancing work and academics can be challenging. Some students have a quiet environment at work that allows for focused studying, but for most, trying to work and study is not likely to be effective.)
- studying less (Incorrect. While it can be effective to study in shorter blocks of time, it’s still important for Faizz to give himself the full studying time he needs.)
- quitting his job (Incorrect. A part-time job is actually associated with college success. Too many hours of work may get in the way of Faizz’s studies, but he should probably try other strategies for success before he quits his job.)
- group study (Correct! Faizz may find it fun to study with others; studying in a group can also help him solidify his knowledge.)
A: group study

Q: Marcos loves to participate in class and group projects, but he is struggling to understand the information and complete his assignments. He wants to seek out extra help from his professor during office hours, but he isn’t sure how to go about that. How would you respond to his concerns?
- Marcos probably shouldn’t bother the professor outside of class time. (Incorrect! Professors hold office hours because they want students to ask additional questions.)
- Marcos could ask the professor a question before or after class, but office hours are usually reserved for students who are majors in that subject area. (Incorrect! Professors sometimes don’t have a lot of time before or after class; office hours are for all students and usually give professors time to talk at greater length with students.)
- Marcos should ask more questions during class or send the professor an email instead of attending office hours. (Incorrect! It’s a great idea for Marcos to ask more questions during class, but office hours exist so that students can discuss their questions and concerns in a more private setting with the professor. An email would be fine for a simple question, but if you need help, office hours are a great resource.)
- Professors hold office hours and he can go there,as these are intended for students who need extra help. (Correct! Don’t hesitate to visit your professor for extra help during office hours. That’s the purpose of office hours.)
A: Professors hold office hours and he can go there,as these are intended for students who need extra help.

Q: How can students use college resources to tap personal interests, develop a portfolio of experience, have fun, grow social connections, expand their awareness of diversity, and grow self-esteem?
- Keep in touch with friends from high school (Incorrect. It’s great to keep in touch with friends from high school, but developing connections within your college community is also an important way to grow while in college.)
- Get an apartment near campus where the parties are (Incorrect. You don’t need to live on campus or go to parties to be connected to your college community and to utilize college resources.)
- Study more than 2 hours a day (Incorrect. Studying is important but so too is student life. Engaging in activities on campus is important to your college success!)
- Get involved in campus activities (Correct! Co-curricular activities on campus can help you develop in all sorts of ways!)
A: Get involved in campus activities

Q: If you were wanting to get help with your classes, what campus academic resources might you look for?
- Sport teams, Spiritual Life, and Food Services (Incorrect. While sports, spirituality, and food are important to your well-being, they might not give you the specific help you need to succeed with your classes.)
- Campus Health Centers, Campus Counseling, and Career Services (Incorrect. While your physical and mental health are important to your well-being, the first two resources might not offer you the specific help you need to succeed with your classes. And the career center is likely to offer you help with internships and your future career goals, but not with your classes.)
- Office hours, Tutoring, and Food Services (Incorrect. Office hours and tutoring might be great resources, but food services, while important to our overall well-being, is probably not going to give you the specific help you need to succeed with your classes.)
- Advising, Tutoring and Writing Centers, and Library Reference Desks (Correct! Each of these resources might help you succeed!)
A: Advising, Tutoring and Writing Centers, and Library Reference Desks

Q: Is it important to create a daily and long-term schedule?
- Not necessarily. Professors usually put the due dates of major assignments on the syllabus. (Incorrect! Yes, professors do put due dates on the syllabus. But you have multiple classes with multiple assignments and due dates as well as work, family, and other activities. You need a schedule!)
- Not at all. Many students can continue their high school study practices by cramming for exams and completing assignments the night before they are due. (Incorrect! In college, you are much more responsible for your own schedule, and you also are likely balancing more things in addition to your classes: living on your own or commuting, work, family, and other activities. You need a schedule!)
- Maybe. Some students need a fixed schedule but other students can manage without one. (Incorrect! A fixed schedule can be great, if your different activities and requirements are regular and unchanging. Other students may find a variable schedule is more useful. But trying to succeed without any kind of schedule is not a recipe for success!)
- Yes. Even if you have a photographic memory, it is easy to lose track of time when you have multiple classes and assignments, not to mention work, family, and other activities. (Correct! A daily and long-term schedule can be critical to your success balancing on the things on your plate while you are in college.)
A: Yes. Even if you have a photographic memory, it is easy to lose track of time when you have multiple classes and assignments, not to mention work, family, and other activities.

Q: College success requires you to manage multiple deadlines, different priorities, and a variety of academic and non-academic activities. Which of the following is likely to help you achieve this success?
- Following the rule that you should study 2-3 hours outside class for every hour in class. (Incorrect! While it’s important to devote time outside of class to studying, you also need to think about how you are going to manage your schedule and balance all the demands on your time. A schedule might help with that.)
- Cramming or studying immediately before an exam. (Incorrect! Usually students who don’t manage their time well find themselves cramming or studying right before an exam. A schedule can help you plan ahead and study more efficiently and effectively - and more successfully!)
- Creating a variable daily schedule and a fixed long-term schedule. (Incorrect! If you need a variable schedule each day, then a variable long-term schedule probably doesn’t make sense for you. If your schedule changes frequently, it’s all the more important that you plan and manage your time effectively.)
- Creating a daily and long-term schedule. (Correct! Creating a daily and long-term schedule can help you manage your time effectively.)
A: Creating a daily and long-term schedule.

Q: What should you do if your life and school requirements seem to change every week?
- Winging it has gotten you this far. You are smart enough to make it work. (Incorrect! If your life and school requirements change every week, you need a schedule to keep track of things even more. Take the time to make and revise your schedule on a regular basis.)
- You really need to put school first. Make a strict schedule and stick to it. The rest of your life will work itself out. (Incorrect! Your life doesn’t allow a strict and unchanging schedule. That doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. If your life and school requirements change every week, you need a schedule to keep track of things even more. Take the time to make and revise your schedule on a regular basis.)
- Make a flexible daily schedule and a fixed long-term schedule. (Incorrect! It sounds like you need a flexible rather than a fixed long-term schedule because your life and school change every week. You may be able to make a fixed daily schedule, but that too may need to change each week.)
- Make a flexible schedule and adjust it frequently. (Correct! If your life and school requirements change every week, you need a schedule to keep track of things even more. Just remember to make the time to revise and adjust as your life changes.)
A: Make a flexible schedule and adjust it frequently.

Q: A procrastinator is someone who
- sets a study plan at the beginning of the quarter and sticks to it. (Incorrect! It can be hard to stick to a study plan, but it’s worth it. All those procrastinators out there should try it!)
- readies a paper for proofreading a week before it is due. (Incorrect! A procrastinator doesn’t typically get the paper done early enough to have time to do careful proofreading. That means the final work is not as polished!)
- makes a careful and correct estimate of how long it will take to complete the assignment. (Incorrect! A procrastinator often underestimates how long it will take to complete the assignment, and that means that the procrastinator panics and/or runs out of time!)
- stays up all night to complete an assignment due the next day. (Correct! How stressful! Procrastinators often say that they do their best work under pressure but this is a rationalization we make for our unhealthy behavior.)
A: stays up all night to complete an assignment due the next day.

Q: Procrastination is a conflict between the emotional side of the brain and the decision-making side of the brain. As a result, procrastination is best thought of as
- laziness. (Incorrect! Procrastinators may appear to be lazy, but that’s not a useful way of thinking about how our brains produce procrastination nor does it help us avoid procrastination.)
- lack of motivation. (Incorrect! Procrastinators may appear to lack motivation, but that’s not a useful way of thinking about how our brains produce procrastination nor does it help us avoid procrastination.)
- lack of priority. (Incorrect! Procrastinators may appear to lack priorities, but that’s not a useful way of thinking about how our brains produce procrastination nor does it help us avoid procrastination.)
- a battle. (Correct! The two parts of your brain may be battling each other. You may want to use different tricks to fool your brain into NOT procrastinating.)
A: a battle.

Q: Roberto needs help combating procrastination. What strategies would you suggest he try?
- Roberto should allow himself more time at the gym. (Incorrect! While making time for his overall mental and physical health is important, Roberto may need to cut back on his free time in order to get all his work done. If he enjoys going to the gym, he might use a trip to the gym as a reward for a productive day of studying.)
- Roberto should reward himself, but only if he completes all his work. (Incorrect! That might work for some people, but incremental rewards are a more effective way for Roberto to trick his mind into battling procrastination.)
- Roberto should play some soothing music. (Incorrect! Music might actually be distracting to Roberto. Instead, he might try to focus only on his work and shut off any distractions - as he would in a movie theater.)
- Roberto should break up studying into bite-sized chunks. (Correct! Splitting up your tasks or your time into smaller chunks can feel more manageable.)
A: Roberto should break up studying into bite-sized chunks.

Q: Julie needs to contact her professor to ask a question about an assignment. Which of the following is the best initial sentence for her email?
- This is Julie; how are you? (Incorrect! Julie needs to remember that her professor may not know which class she is a student in. Julie should include more information about herself in her sentence.)
- Hey professor, what’s up? (Incorrect! This kind of informal language isn’t appropriate when reaching out to a professor with a question about an assignment.)
- I need help with the assignment. (Incorrect! While Julie might clarify who she is and what help she seeks in a subsequent sentence, it’s best to be as clear, direct, and informative in professional communication.)
- This is Julie Braverman; I’m a student in your Tuesday, 7 p.m. section of English Composition and I have a question about the annotation assignment. (Correct! Julie has identified herself, the class she is in, and the purpose of her email.)
A: This is Julie Braverman; I’m a student in your Tuesday, 7 p.m. section of English Composition and I have a question about the annotation assignment.

Q: Which of the following represents the best closing signature information for an email with a college administrator?
- Juan Gonzales (Incorrect! Juan has identified himself, but he has not included his id and school email address. What if there is more than one Juan Gonzales?)
- Juan (Incorrect! Juan should identify himself more fully and include his school id and email address.)
- Juan Gonzales, 3456, @jgonzales (Incorrect! Juan has included all the relevant information, but he hasn’t formatted that information clearly and the recipient might not be able to make sense out of it.)
- Juan Gonzales, Student ID: 3456, jgonzales@SmallCollege.edu (Correct! Juan has identified himself and included his id and school email address.)
A: Juan Gonzales, Student ID: 3456, jgonzales@SmallCollege.edu

Q: Which of the following represents the best way to think about how attendance works in college?
- Check the syllabus to see whether attendance counts as part of your grade. (Incorrect! While it’s true that the professor will usually indicate whether or not she counts attendance on the syllabus, as a student, you also need to remember that attendance is critical to your ability to learn, whether or not the professor counts it as part of your grade.)
- If you miss class, you are unlikely to succeed. (Incorrect! That isn’t necessarily the case. Students need to miss class for all sorts of reasons. But if you do have to miss class, be sure to check with peers for notes, email the professor about changes to the syllabus, and try to visit the professor during office hours for extra help.)
- Unlike high school, attendance doesn’t really matter in college. (Incorrect! In some ways, attendance matters more in college. You have fewer contact hours (or class meetings), so missing class is even more of an issue. And remember, you may not realize what you are missing out on if you miss class.)
- Attendance may or may not count as part of your grade, but if you miss class, you are responsible for understanding what you missed and making up any work. (Correct! Each professor and/or institution may have a different attendance policy, but it’s important for you to recognize that, as a student, regardless of the reason for your absence, you need to do what you can to understand the work you missed.)
A: Attendance may or may not count as part of your grade, but if you miss class, you are responsible for understanding what you missed and making up any work.

Q: If you sometimes struggle with writing, what is a strategy you might employ to make writing easier for youself?
- You might try to focus on other subjects and resign yourself to the fact that some students aren’t good writers. (Incorrect! You may find other subjects more enjoyable, but every student can be a successful writer. And even good writers sometimes find writing to be a struggle.)
- You might try to plan out your entire essay in your head before you begin writing. (Incorrect! If you find writing to be a struggle, planning everything out before you write a word on the page might make the process even more stressful. Instead, why not brainstorm a chunk and then write that chunk out on paper or on the computer?)
- You might wait until the last minute, so that the pressure of the deadline inspires you to get to work. (Incorrect! This is a common lie we tell ourselves, but waiting until the last minute does not allow us to engage in the full writing process, is very stressful, and does not actually produce our best results. Don’t kid yourself!)
- You might break the assignment into small chunks, join a study group, or establish a comforting ritual (like a certain drink) for writing, (Correct! Any of these stategies might make writing less stressful for you.)
A: You might break the assignment into small chunks, join a study group, or establish a comforting ritual (like a certain drink) for writing,

Q: “What are the consequences of the legalization of medicinal marijuana on drug use in the U.S.?” might be an implied question for which of the following writing prompts?
- Discuss the crime in the U.S. (Incorrect! You might consider the legalization of medicinal marijuana in an essay on crime, but this prompt asks you to think about the connection between the legalization of medicinal marijuana on drug use, so crime is probably not an implied question in this prompt.)
- Discuss recent rulings of the Supreme Court. (Incorrect! While the Supreme Court might have been involved in rulings on the legalization of medicinal marijuana, a consideration of these rulings is not an implied question suggested by this prompt.)
- Discuss critical issues in the current political arena. (Incorrect! This prompt is not asking you to consider the political arena; it is focused on the relationship between the legalization of medicinal marijuana and drug use.)
- Discuss causes of drug use in the U.S. (Correct! In an essay exploring drug use, you might consider how drug use has been influenced by the legalization of medicinal marijuana so this certainly could be one of the implied questions in the prompt.)
A: Discuss causes of drug use in the U.S.

Q: Anna wants to be sure she writes a strong paper. What advice would you give her for how to employ the writing process as she attempts her essay?
- Work through all of the steps in order and be prepared to revisit some of the steps as necessary. (Incorrect! It isn’t necessary to work through all the steps nor is it necessary to work through the steps in order. The writing process is not linear; it is recursive.)
- Think, pre-write, organize, draft, edit, revise, and re-draft. (Incorrect! It would be good if Anna engaged in most of these steps in her writing process. But there is no perfect formula for the steps in the writing process that she needs to employ. The process is recursive.)
- Work through each of the stages in the writing process. After you have completed each stage, you are done and your essay will be complete! (Incorrect! Anna may decide to move through the stages in a different order, and she may need to revisit previous stages; the writing process is not linear.)
- Work through most of the steps but not necessarily in order and revisit some of the steps as necessary. (Correct! The writing process is recursive, so good writers tend to switch frequently among the steps as they work. And it can be okay to skip a step, with the understanding that you may need to return to it later in your process.)
A: Work through most of the steps but not necessarily in order and revisit some of the steps as necessary.

Q: Basic word processing skills include creating and opening documents, saving and sharing documents, basic editing in documents (such as cutting, pasting, and copying), formatting layout, and printing. What changes would you make using the Edit or Home tab?
- Changing the document layout, setting margins (Incorrect! These features may be found under the Layout tab.)
- Inserting images, creating tables and headers (Incorrect! These features may be found under the Insert tab.)
- Inserting page breaks, applying the spelling check, using track changes (Incorrect! These features may be found under the review tab.)
- Cutting, pasting, copying, replacing (Correct! You know your tools!)
A: Cutting, pasting, copying, replacing

Q: Intermediate word processing skills include setting line and paragraph spacing, checking spelling and grammar automatically, inserting and formatting headers and footers, inserting page numbers, tracking changes and counting the words in the document. What actions could you take from the Insert tab?
- Check spelling and grammar, track changes, do a word count, and merge documents (Incorrect! These features may be found under the Review tab.)
- Print multiple copies of the document, export the document into a different file format (Incorrect! These features may be found under the File tab.)
- Cutting, pasting, copying, replacing (Incorrect! These features may be found under the Home tab.)
- Insert a header and footer, insert a table, and add graphics (Correct! You know your tools!)
A: Insert a header and footer, insert a table, and add graphics

Q: What are OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and Google Drive?
- Cut-rate alternatives to Dropbox (Incorrect! These are great, free tools to be aware of as alternatives to Word.)
- Free versions of Word that expire after 60 days (Incorrect! What will you do after 60 days? You need these tools for the whole semester and beyond, so check out these great, free tools to be aware of as alternatives to Word.)
- Microsoft Office products (Incorrect! Microsoft Office products are not free; these are alternative, free tools to be aware of.)
- Free alternatives to Word (Correct! These are great, free tools to be aware of as alternatives to Word.)
A: Free alternatives to Word

Q: Xavier strongly disagrees with a discussion forum posting by Martin. He is not sure how to title the subject line of his response. What advice would you give him?
- Xavier might title his response: “Disagreement" (Incorrect! Yes, but it probably would be helpful to clarify that Xavier is disagreeing with Martin to help readers keep track of the back and forth of the discussion.)
- Xavier might title his response: “Response Martin." (Incorrect! This subject line doesn’t give the reader any understanding of where Xavier is coming from in his response to Martin.)
- Xavier might title his response: “Martin is an idiot." (Incorrect! It’s important to be civil, professional, and generous in discussion forum postings, even when you disagree with someone.)
- Xavier might title his response: “Disagreement with Martin" (Correct! Good. This allows readers to understand that Xavier is offering his ideas as a contrast to Martin’s.)
A: Xavier might title his response: “Disagreement with Martin"

Q: Your cousin Anna has seen you writing posts and responses on the discussion forum. She is curious about the purpose of this work. How best might you describe for her the purpose of an online discussion?
- Online discussions are a way for professors to give additional instructions to the class. (Incorrect! Your professor may or may not participate in the online discussion, but usually discussion boards are student-centered.)
- Online discussions take the place of exams and allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the material. (Incorrect! Online discussions can be a part of your grade and they can be a place for students to demonstrate mastery, but usually they are used for formative assessment and as spaces for students to offer preliminary ideas.)
- Online discussions are private interactions between the instructor and the student. (Incorrect! Online discussions typically occur among all students in the class and among groups of students, and there is generally no expectation of privacy for posts.)
- Online discussions allow students to test out and debate ideas. (Correct! These discussions allow students to debate and discuss outside of class time and asynchronously.)
A: Online discussions allow students to test out and debate ideas.

Q: Faizz is working on a discussion board posting for his class. What steps should he take to complete his task?
- Review the prompt, write a response, post. (Incorrect! Even though discussion board postings are more informal than other kinds of academic writing, you still need to take the time to edit. Also, it’s a good idea to write your response in a word processing program, so you can save and edit it before posting.)
- Draft a response, edit, and post. (Incorrect! Don’t forget to take the time to review the prompt carefully. Also, it’s a good idea to write your response in a word processing program, so you can save and edit it before posting.)
- Review the prompt, draft a response in a word processing program, post. (Incorrect! Even though discussion board postings are more informal than other kinds of academic writing, you still need to take the time to edit.)
- Review the prompt, draft a response in a word processing program, edit, and post. (Correct! It’s particularly important to follow each of these steps to create a successful post.)
A: Review the prompt, draft a response in a word processing program, edit, and post.

Q: What is the best way to think about the concept of your digital footprint?
- A collection of all the websites you’ve visited. (Incorrect! Your digital footprint includes this track, but it includes many more elements of your digital past, available to anyone with the inclination to search out your past.)
- A way to think about your academic use of social media. (Incorrect! Your professor may ask you to use social media as part of your work in class, but your digital footprint is the record of all the traces of yourself and your past that you’ve left on the web.)
- A collection of your academic Twitter posts made over the course of the semester. (Incorrect! Your professor may ask you to use social media as part of your work in class, but your digital footprint is the record of all the traces of yourself and your past that you’ve left on the web.)
- The path you leave on the web, displaying traces of your past, available for anyone to find. (Correct! Think about creating a positive digital footprint that displays your excellence to the world.)
A: The path you leave on the web, displaying traces of your past, available for anyone to find.

Q: Richard is thinking about keys to academic Twitter use. Which of the following qualities are important when writing Tweets in higher education?
- Short, meaningful, perfect writing (Incorrect! Your Tweets don’t need to be perfect; they should be short, meaningful, and reflect care.)
- Short, meaningful, formal writing (Incorrect! Your Tweets don’t need to be formal; they should be short, meaningful, and reflect care.)
- Short, meaningful, perfect writing, with two to three hashtags per Tweet (Incorrect! There is no magic formula to the number of hashtags you should include. You may or may not include hashtags; doing so allows you to emphasize a word and to make your Tweet more searchable.)
- Short, meaningful, careful writing (Correct! Your Tweets don’t need to be perfect, but they should be short, meaningful, and reflect care.)
A: Short, meaningful, careful writing

Q: Which of the following might you focus on to make your tweet more effective?
- Use hashtags and remove any and all images; images might distract your reader. (Incorrect! Hashtags are effective, but so are images. You don’t want distracting images but you do want to use images effectively to capture your readers’ eyes and attention..)
- Use short, meaningful writing and the @ sign. (Incorrect! Short, meaningful writing is key; use the @ sign to tag relevant people.)
- Use links, hashtags, images, and complete paragraphs. (Incorrect! You may not have the space to write a complete paragraph. Links, hashtags, and images are great. Try your best to keep your writing short and meaningful.)
- Use links, images, and tag others (Correct! Links, images, and tags can make your Tweets more effective..)
A: Use links, images, and tag others

Q: Michael claims that he is a fantastic critical thinker. If so, we might expect Michael to excel at which of the following?
- test-taking (Incorrect! A critical thinker may or may not be a good test-taker. The two are not necessarily related. A critical thinker is someone who is able to use clear, reasonable, reflective thinking.)
- memorization (Incorrect! A critical thinker may or may not be good at memorization. The two are not necessarily related. A critical thinker is someone who is able to use clear, reasonable, reflective thinking.)
- note-taking (Incorrect! A critical thinker may or may not be a good note-taker. The two are not necessarily related. A critical thinker is someone who is able to use clear, reasonable, reflective thinking.)
- questioning (Correct! Questioning is a key component of critical thinking.)
A: questioning

Q: Diego wants to define the concept of critical thinking. Which of the following words best describe the concept of critical thinking.
- Memorization (Incorrect! Memorization is an important skill, but it is not an important part of critical thinking.)
- Biases (Incorrect! Critical thinkers try to seek out and uncover biases, both their own and those underlying other people and their ideas.)
- Subjective (Incorrect! While one could argue that we are always influenced by our own ideas, experiences, and subjectivity, critical thinkers strive to get outside their own subjectivity, understand their biases, and in so doing develop a more critical understanding of the ideas and problems they encounter.)
- skepticism (Correct! Critical thinking involves skepticism about ideas and information.)
A: skepticism

Q: A critical thinker is looking at a piece of information. Which of the following questions might he ask about this information?
- Has a celebrity endorsed this information? (Incorrect! Just because a celebrity has endorsed the information, does not necessarily mean it’s true or not true. A critical thinker might not necessarily value the endorsement of a celebrity.)
- Is this information useful to me? (Incorrect! A critical thinker isn’t necessarily interested in the usefulness of the information; instead, a critical thinker is more likely to examine whether the information is true.)
- Is this information relevant to me? (Incorrect! A critical thinker isn’t necessarily interested in the relevance of the information; instead, a critical thinker is more likely to examine whether the information is true.)
- What is the source of this information? (Correct! A critical thinker would definitely want to examine the source of the information.)
A: What is the source of this information?

Q: Which of the following is a good reason to engage in reflection?
- To identify the things you’ve always been good at (Incorrect! Reflection is less about identifying what you are good at and more about learning about your strengths and weaknesses in order to grow and learn.)
- To become a better writer (Incorrect! Many people find it useful to reflect through reflective writing, but reflection itself does not necessarily make one a better writer.)
- To practice (Incorrect! The practice of reflection will not only make one better at reflection but also should help you make sense out of your experiences, learn, and grow.)
- To help you make sense of something and learn (Correct! Reflection is a valuable part of learning and growing.)
A: To help you make sense of something and learn

Q: George did poorly on his most recent math exam. How might he use reflection to help improve his performance on his next math test?
- George could join a study group, so that he improves his understanding of the math content and does better on the next exam. (Incorrect! George might reflect on his math study habits and decide that he is better on studying in a group. But reflection is the act of thinking through his study habits. Before George changes his study habits, he needs to reflect on and analyze why he thinks he did poorly on the last exam and how he might change his study habits to improve his performance.)
- George should get a math tutor. (Incorrect! George might reflect on his math study habits and decide that he needs the help of a tutor. But reflection is the act of thinking through his study habits. Before George changes his study habits and enlists the help of a tutor, he needs to reflect on and analyze why he thinks he did poorly on the last exam and how he might change his study habits to improve his performance.)
- George needs to spend more time studying. The key to success is math is putting in the hours. If George doubles the number of hours he spends working on his math homework, he should be able to substantially improve his score on the next exam. (Incorrect! George might need to spend more time studying. But reflection is the act of thinking through his study habits. Before George doubles the number of hours he spends studying, he needs to reflect and analyze why he thinks he did poorly on the last exam and how he might change his study habits to improve his performance.)
- George might review both the problems he missed and the ways in which he went about preparing for the last exam in order to think about how he might improve both his understanding of the math content and his study habits. (Correct! Hopefully, George can learn from his math mistakes and improve his math study habits.)
A: George might review both the problems he missed and the ways in which he went about preparing for the last exam in order to think about how he might improve both his understanding of the math content and his study habits.

Q: Diego claims he is really good at math and it comes easily to him. Why would reflection be useful to Diego?
- Diego might reflect on his approach to his work in math and then try to change his approach. (Incorrect! If Diego is successful in math, he probably doesn’t need to change his approach for that subject matter. Instead, Diego might reflect on his success with math and become even more successful in his learning generally.)
- George should celebrate the fact that math comes easily to him and then focus on his weaker subjects. (Incorrect! Diego needs to celebrate but also reflect on his success with math. That exercise can help him become even more successful in his learning generally.)
- George needs to understand that students can’t be successful in every subject. (Incorrect! Hopefully, Diego can reflect on his success with math and learn why he approach to that subject has worked well for him. He might become more successful in his other subjects by applying what he has learned about himself through this reflection to his learning generally.)
- Diego might reflect on his approach to his work in math and then try to apply that approach to his other classes. (Correct! Hopefully, Diego can reflect on his success with math and become even more successful in his learning generally.)
A: Diego might reflect on his approach to his work in math and then try to apply that approach to his other classes.

Q: Description should comprise how much of a reflective response or essay?
- About the same as analysis (Incorrect! Although there is no magic formula, remember that a reflective response should assess what happened and describe the event (description), explain why the event was significant (analysis), and then use that information to inform your future practice (analysis).)
- Much more than analysis (Incorrect! Although there is no magic formula, remember that a reflective response should assess what happened and describe the event (description), explain why the event was significant (analysis), and then use that information to inform your future practice (analysis).)
- No description should appear (Incorrect! Although there is no magic formula, remember that a reflective response should assess what happened and describe the event (description), explain why the event was significant (analysis), and then use that information to inform your future practice (analysis).)
- Less than analysis (Correct! Although there is no magic formula, remember that a reflective response should assess what happened and describe the event (description), explain why the event was significant (analysis), and then use that information to inform your future practice (analysis).)
A: Less than analysis

Q: A reflective piece of writing combines:
- Feelings with emotions (Incorrect! Your feelings and emotions about the event are important, but so too is your careful description of the event and your attempt to think critically about it.)
- Third-person perspective with description (Incorrect! Your description of the event is important, and you might want to write about it from the third person. But consider using the first person, as your analysis should be based on your feelings and experience and your attempt to think critically about those.)
- Research studies with graphs (Incorrect! A reflection is less about research and data than about description and analysis. Although if you are analyzing your study time in relation to your test scores, you might include a graph charting the relationship between those two as part of your reflection. But you don’t need to do any research for a reflective piece of writing.)
- Personal perception with critical thinking (Correct! You combine your perception of the event (description) with your critical thinking about the event (analysis).)
A: Personal perception with critical thinking

Q: Which of the following short passages does the best job at getting into the "so what" rather than just the "what," as good reflective writing should do?
- In preparing for my research paper, I read several articles that dealt with my topic. (Incorrect! This sentence is purely description. Although the student may go on to analyze and reflect, this sentence doesn’t display that work.)
- Ever since I was in first grade, I have never done well with writing. Most of my grades in classes with writing have been bad. (Incorrect! This student reflects on her past trouble with writing, but this sentence does not contain any reflection about the causes of her failure or a plan on how she hopes to improve her work.)
- The first step for every writing project in the class was to do an outline, which then turned into a first draft of the actual paper. (Incorrect! This sentence is purely description. Although the student may go on to analyze and reflect, this sentence doesn’t display that work.)
- Writing an analysis essay in English class showed me that I have the ability to look much deeper at issues. This has helped in my Political Science class, as I now approach the course readings with a more analytic eye. (Correct! This student reflects on how she gained the ability to look deeply at issues in one class and then applied those skills to her work in another class.)
A: Writing an analysis essay in English class showed me that I have the ability to look much deeper at issues. This has helped in my Political Science class, as I now approach the course readings with a more analytic eye.