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Topic Sheet K Temple University Placement Test Topics

Directions:

Each of the topics below quotes a writer’s position on some issue. Choose one of the two topics assigned by the online application. In an

organized essay of about 350 words, (1) explain in your own words what the writer is saying AND (2) take a position on the writer’s

argument. (Issues you might wish to address include: Do you agree or disagree totally with the writer’s opinion or only to a certain

extent? Is the evidence used to support the writer’s argument convincing or weak? If weak, can you offer a better argument? Can you

cite a personal experience that either supports or undermines what the writer has said?) As you write your essay, you should periodically

refer to statements in the passage you are discussing. However, everything you write should be in your own words except, perhaps, for a

phrase or two from the passage that you may wish to quote.

Only the first few lines of the essay topics will be displayed by the online application. Therefore, be certain to have this printed at test

time. Choose only one topic from the two assigned by the online Placement Test Website.

K1. When the SyFy channel recently premiered its newest series Helix, we were once again confronted with the specter of what

happens when science—and scientists—go bad. This new series is representative of many of the stories we see told in the popular media,

in which science and technology are viewed with fear and suspicion, more often illustrating their misuse for evil rather than their use for

good. Hollywood frequently portrays scientists in a negative light, a characterization that is not only unfounded, but also a disservice to

young Americans who might consider a career in science. Scientists often seem to be “mad” with power and trying to play God, or

haplessly unable to control the results of their research, or corrupt in the service of a supervillain or the almighty dollar . According to

Discover magazine, a survey of more than 1,000 horror films shown between 1931 and 1984 found that scientists or their creations were

the villains in 41 percent of the films, while scientists were heroes in only one percent of them. There are laudable examples of scientists

as heroes, but even in these cases, the scientists are generally portrayed as fumbling and quirky, or arrogant and egotistical. Rarely are

scientists portrayed as selfless heroes working tirelessly to make the world a better place. But it is really less important that scientists be

portrayed as heroes than it is that science itself be portrayed as a force for good rather than something to be feared. From Frankenstein

to The Terminator to The Matrix to Jurassic Park to Spider Man, the antagonists of the films are the result of scientific and technological

innovations that have run amok and out of control. This recurring theme is symptomatic of an overall unease or fear of topics that are

poorly understood by the general public. People fear and distrust what they don't understand and quite often Hollywood inflames and

reinforces these fears rather than dispelling them. The negative effects of a public mistrust, misperception, and misunderstanding of

science can be very real, as exemplified by the irrational and unfounded refusal of many parents to immunize their children. Likewise, a

recent Pew Research poll indicated that only 69 percent of Americans believe there is solid evidence that climate change is real, only 44

percent believe that it is due to human activity, and only 40 percent believe that it is a major threat. Negative portrayals of science and

technology by Hollywood undermine attempts to encourage improved understanding and education in science and mathematics.

Stereotypes of scientists as socially inept or morally questionable make it less likely that students will pursue majors and careers in the

science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields in which future job demand is growing. While not all scientists may be

completely altruistic since they are, after all, human beings, real scientists tend to be much less menacing than they appear on television. Adapted from an article by Carlos S. Moreno

K2. In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the main character is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her clothing as punishment

for committing the crime of adultery. While some people today maintain that adultery is indeed immoral, few would likely argue that it

should be illegal. Yet our legal codes still reflect America’s Puritan past with regards to prostitution. Every country in the world has

prostitution, the longest running profession. The only difference within prostitution is how it is regulated. Despite the fact that

prostitution is illegal in the United States (with the sole exception of Nevada), the Bureau of Justice reports over sixty thousand arrests for

prostitution in 2010 alone. So forget the argument that criminalizing prostitution stops it. While law enforcement does attempt to go

after the pimps who create illegal businesses using—and often abusing—prostitutes, more often clients and the prostitutes themselves are

arrested. Much of the American public is against legalizing prostitution according to recent polling. Nonetheless, society should not ban

something simply because many people view it as morally heinous if both parties involved are consenting and not harming others.

Prostitution does have a victim if it is not legalized and regulated. When prostitution is illegal, prostitutes are often under aged or

substance-addicted and forced to work or face severe consequences; thus the laws themselves negate consent. The pimps run an

underground empire of sorts, in which they profit off the suffering of others. Philosophers such as John Stuart Mill recognized this, and

believed that the government should not, and cannot, legislate morals. He ultimately believed that people should not be forcibly

prevented from acting in any way they choose provided their acts are not invasive of the free acts of others. This clearly describes

prostitution. In eight European countries (Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Hungary and Latvia),

prostitution is legal and regulated. Instead of spending money on criminal enforcement for prostitution, the government focuses on health

care for the prostitutes and going after underage prostitution. Legal prostitutes in The Netherlands receive health care and union rights,

and those who attempt to run illegal businesses or brothels are prosecuted. In an economic downturn many young women and men turn

to prostitution to earn some money. While few people wish to turn to prostitution as their primary methods of achieving fina ncial

success, there are many who need to have jobs. If we were to give prostitutes employment rights, and require all prostitutes to take

regular health exams, it would actually reduce the burden to the government. No doubt many Americans will hold on to their Scarlet

Letter mentality when thinking about prostitution, but that is no reason for it to be illegal.

Adapted from an article by Daniel Raphael

Print this sheet and have it available when taking your online Placement Test.

OW14-K Page 2 of 2

Topic Sheet K Temple University Placement Test Topics

Directions:

Each of the topics below quotes a writer’s position on some issue. Choose one of the two topics assigned by the online application. In an

organized essay of about 350 words, (1) explain in your own words what the writer is saying AND (2) take a position on the writer’s

argument. (Issues you might wish to address include: Do you agree or disagree totally with the writer’s opinion or only to a certain

extent? Is the evidence used to support the writer’s argument convincing or weak? If weak, can you offer a better argument? Can you

cite a personal experience that either supports or undermines what the writer has said?) As you write your essay, you should periodically

refer to statements in the passage you are discussing. However, everything you write should be in your own words except, perhaps, for a

phrase or two from the passage that you may wish to quote.

Only the first few lines of the essay topics will be displayed by the online application. Therefore, be certain to have this printed at test

time. Choose only one topic from the two assigned by the online Placement Test Website.

K3. Audiences are flocking to Disney’s latest animated film, Frozen, which features a somewhat subversive plot: the story focuses

on the relationship between two sisters and turns Prince Charming into The Villain. Some parents have voiced concerns that the plot

twist—finding out that the person who’s won you over is, in fact, rotten to the core—is too scary for younger children who need a more

clearly defined hero-versus-villain trope. Even so, critics have praised the film’s attempt to counter the barrage of helpless princesses and

happily-ever-after marriages that have been the staple of animated fairytales for decades. But there’s another argument to be made

against Frozen’s villain, and it has to do with the implicit notion that there was something wrong with the Prince Charming fantasy in the

first place. The assumption is that providing girls with idealized images of romance and romantic partners is inherently bad for them.

But was Prince Charming himself ever really bad? There’s a counter-argument to be made that he merely provided a safe object of desire

for young girls, many of whom have amorous desires but are immature and unready to deal with sexual relationships. In this light, Prince

Charming is a harmless romantic idol who can help usher girls into adulthood, in the same category as boy bands and teen actors.

Furthermore, it's insulting to assume that girls can't separate fantasy from reality. Most people don’t assume boys will try to leap tall

buildings in a single bound by watching Superman, so why don’t parents or other adults think girls can maintain the same cognitive

dissonance? What the Prince Charming fantasy does is encourage girls to aim for good guys. It is aspirational, the way superhero films

encourage boys to emulate honor and honesty. Unfortunately, though, it has become all too common in our culture to shame gir ls for

their fantasies. Much of the vitriol aimed at boy bands, romantic comedies, and Twilight is precisely because girls enjoy them. If it is

assumed to be a “girl” priority, popular wisdom seems to imply, then it must be silly. But why do “boy” priorities get a pass when they

are equally silly? The world of superheroes is replete with ridiculous dialogue, magical powers, and over-the-top plots, yet comic books

and films based on comic books are annually treated with more seriousness and reverence by scholars and critics alike. This is despite the

fact that the world of superheroes is often heavy on violence and scant on romance. Which is more likely to be a relatable experience:

falling in love, or killing a supervillain to save the planet? “Boy” fantasies frequently have little application to the real world, while “girl”

fantasies are at least grounded in real-world desires. Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with girls (or boys) dreaming of Prince

Charming, as long as it’s not the only dream we give them.

Adapted from an article by Akash Nikolas

K4. At no point in history has it been this easy to destroy your entire life so quickly in such few words. As the recent saga of

InterActiveCorp PR Executive Justine Sacco showed, if you end up on the wrong side of public opinion on the internet, your re putation

will be thoroughly destroyed... and you may not even have a chance to respond until its already over. What happened is quite simple: a

PR executive at a large technology company tweeted something racist before boarding a long flight. Her comment went ignored until it

was posted on Valleywag. From there, it was picked up by all the major tech blogs, and within a few hours, there were detailed pieces on

The New York Times and CNN websites explaining her behavior and her employer's shocked response. However, it didn't end there—

because she was mid-air and unable to respond the entire time, the story drew hordes of people who marveled at the circumstances,

stupidity, and irony of her situation. When she finally did land and turn on her phone, she was informed of her new reality: she was a

trending target. She received tens of thousands of angry tweets while being condemned by major media outlets. And of course, she was

fired from her job. It's easy not to feel sorry for someone who went out of her way to create such a scandal. Sacco quickly apologized,

but nobody seemed to care much. We were outraged, then we laughed; everyone watched joyfully as her life fell apart in a few hours.

But in reality, she was just a passing thought to us. Most people won't remember her name in a few weeks even though her und oing will

be cataloged on Google forever. It may appear that a type of justice has been served, yet we should not rejoice in what has happened

here. The Sacco episode is a chilling example of how people can be treated when the public finds their predicament to be amusing.

Shaming and criticism on the internet is nothing new; but the intensity of internet "mobs" and the severity of collective punishment is

taking a disturbing direction. Sacco's comment was terrible and indefensible, but there is no shortage of offensive things said frequently

in public across the internet. Just as we've enjoyed watching the lives of celebrities and politicians rise and fall, we now extend the same

courtesy to internet micro-celebrities, whether they want the attention or not. We've "democratized" witch-hunts; paparazzi are nothing

compared to the digitally-empowered righteous mob. The next Sacco might not be such a clear case and instead of pointing and laughing

now, we'd be better served by recognizing the true motivation of most “indignant” internet mobs. The dark reality is that the Sacco case

wasn't really about fairness— it was about entertainment.

Adapted from an article by Tarun Wadhwa

Print this sheet and have it available when taking your online Placement Test.