Q Structure Analysis Worksheet Your name: Directions: Please read the essay below and then answer the questions that follow. The purpose of this assignment is to help you better understand essay construction. Sacrifices for College (Sample Student Essay) Yesterday, I dropped my books on the way to class. When I looked at the soggy, rain-soaked pile of my textbooks on the sidewalk, I burst into tears. The other students walking past seemed to sympathize. College is quite hard work! College students sacrifice money, time, and mental health for their educations. First, college students sacrifice their money. Sometimes, students need to cut back on work hours to attend classes. In many jobs, this means that they lose money. In addition, financial aid packages don’t always cover the full cost of attendance, including textbooks. Students have to pay the rest out of pocket. Also, there are additional logistic expenses, such as paying for food on campus as well as bus fare or extra gas. College students also sacrifice their time. One of the first things that college students give up is sleep. Between class attendance and homework, there is often not enough time to rest adequately. In addition, college students are often too busy to visit with their friends often. Sometimes they even lose out on quality time with their children and partners. Students are hard pressed to find time for themselves, whether it be reading quietly for fun, watching their favorite shows on Netflix, playing video games, or shopping. Furthermore, college students sacrifice their mental well-being. Students often struggle trying to balance their personal lives, careers, and educational commitments. Trying to prioritize and schedule can be very stressful. In addition, a full-time student is often taking four or five courses at once. Each class has its own grading scheme, due dates, and policies. This can be quite overwhelming. Furthermore, students are often so invested in their educations that poor performance can result in low self-esteem and high blood pressure. In exchange for an education, college students must give up their money, time, and mental health. These sacrifices will pay off in two years when students have new, well-paying jobs in their chosen fields. 1. The thesis statement sentence in an essay tells the reader what the essay will be about. Please highlight the thesis statement in this essay. 2. A thesis statement should share the essay’s topic and the point that will be made about that topic. What is the essay’s topic? What is the point that the author will make about this topic? 3. Which technique did the author use as an attention getting opener: an anecdote, a fact, or a quote? 4. The author provides a map of the three major points made in the body paragraphs of the essay. Please find the map of major points at the end of the thesis and write those three points here. a. b. c. 5. Each body paragraph in this essay illustrates one of the three major points listed in the map. The topic sentence of each body paragraph states which point will be illustrated in that particular paragraph. Please highlight the topic sentence for each of the three body paragraphs. 6. Each topic sentence includes a transition to help the reader understand the connection between ideas throughout the essay. What are the three transition words used in the topic sentences? a. b. c. 7. The conclusion includes summary of the man points of the paper. Please highlight the sentence that restates the thesis and major points.