The Write Stuff.

• Position: CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE

When you tackle short-answer questions about an article or other text, the best thing to do is R.A.C.E. to the finish. No, that doesn't mean you should hurry through the writing process! It means you should follow the steps of Restating and Answering the question, Citing evidence from the text, and Explaining what the evidence means. Check out the example below, then try the same technique to write a one-paragraph response to the prompt that follows.

SAMPLE:

Question: Why do experts characterize North Korea's Kim Jong Un regime as repressive?

Answer: Kim Jong Un's regime is considered one of the most repressive governments in the world because of the sweeping steps it has taken to control the people of North Korea. As the Upfront article "Can North Korea Be Stopped?" notes, Kim's government keeps people under its thumb by closing them off from the rest of the world and punishing them severely when they challenge the regime. According to author Patricia Smith, North Korea's government limits citizens' access to information by not allowing internet access and teaching them only government doctrine. Smith notes, "the government tries to keep all information about the outside world from reaching its citizens." When citizens do challenge the government in some way, such as watching smuggled American movies, they are "treated...