When I took the SAT we didn’t have an essay requirement.
And if we had, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have been about pop culture.
But if you took the SAT March 12th, you might have written to this prompt:
Reality television programs, which feature real people engaged in real activities rather than professional actors performing scripted scenes, are increasingly popular.
These shows depict ordinary people competing in everything from singing and dancing to losing weight, or just living their everyday lives. Most people believe that the reality these shows portray is authentic, but they are being misled.
How authentic can these shows be when producers design challenges for the participants and then editors alter filmed scenes?
Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms of entertainment harmful?
But then again, I took the SAT 50 years ago this fall, so what do I know?
Did they have TV back then?
Yes, and I had a 2-year old brother named John then, too.
Who?
Oh, how I would love to answer that question on a test! It would be a scathing indictment of “reality” TV. Why pay any writers and actors of quality to perform their arts when you can get a bunch of yokels to entertain the masses for so much less?
However, I do like that they are asking students to form an intelligent argument and defend it, even if it is just a fluff topic.