• Stanton College Preparatory

• ENGLISH AP Languag 

Prompt Dissection and S.M.E.L.L. Analysis

Step 1: Dissect the Prompt

Steps of Prompt

Dissection

What does the prompt say? (Use this

column to record the specific wording

of each step from the prompt.)

What does this mean

to you? (Use this

column to state each

part in your words.)

1. Determine the

context or

background

information.

Many recent college graduates have faced

record levels of unemployment. This

situation has led people to question what

they value about higher education. Some

high school students and their parents are

wondering if a college education is worth

the cost. Others, however, believe that a

college education prepares students for

more than just a job or career.

People are beginning

to question if college is

really worth all of the

time and money as a

source of preparing

young adults for the

professional world.

2. Locate the

sources that you

will draw from to

inform or support

your argument.

Source A (Crawford)

Source B (Roth)

Source C (chart)

Source D (Leonhardt)

Source E (Wieder)

Source F (Pew)

These are the

available documents to

answer the prompt with