Writing Assignment and Checklist: Evaluating Your Topic

Review your narrowed topic (Practice 1) and some ideas about it (Practice 2). Use the checklist that follows to evaluate your topic and to understand the process of narrowing and exploring a general topic. If necessary, spend some more time clarifying your topic or generating ideas before moving on to Chapter 3.

CHECKLIST

Evaluating Your Topic

FOCUS

  • Read the assignment carefully and consider your audience and purpose.

ASK

  • Review the “Questions for Finding a Good Topic” in “Finding, Narrowing, and Exploring Your Topic.”
  • Is the topic too big for a short essay, if that is the assignment?
  • If it is too big, what are some more limited parts of the topic?
  • Once I have a narrowed topic, ask the “Questions for Exploring a Topic” in “Exploring Your Topic.”
  • Do I or my audience have any assumptions or biases relating to my topic that I should be aware of? If so, what are they?
  • What can I say about my topic? What ideas do I have about my topic?
  • Use a prewriting technique to explore ideas about your narrowed topic.