Keep analysis focused on the issue rather than unrelated anecdotes. | Ideas and Analysis | ACT Writing

Use examples only when they help prove the issue, not when they distract from it.

Core Idea

Examples should prove the claim, not distract from it. An anecdote helps only when the writer explains how it supports the issue under debate.

Understanding

Anecdotes are useful only when they prove something about the issue. The moment a paragraph starts reading like a private memory with no argumentative payoff, the analysis has drifted.

What belongs: details that illustrate the claim and can be generalized back to the issue.
What to cut: sentimental setup, family backstory, or colorful detail that never helps the reader judge the policy or perspective.
Revision move: after any anecdote, add a sentence that begins This matters because .... If you cannot finish that sentence clearly, the anecdote probably is not carrying real analytical weight.

Scorers reward the logic extracted from the example, not the vividness of the story itself.

Step by Step

State the claim before introducing the example.
Keep only the details that help prove that claim.
Explain why the example matters for the issue as a whole.

Question

Worked Example

An essay argues that remote work will reshape cities. Which sentence keeps the analysis focused on the issue instead of drifting into anecdote?

Select an answer to see the explanation