Writing Sample Answer Key, Part 1

1. This particular statement is actually referring to the idea that politicians often have to "spin" the truth in order to further their political careers. In other words, "In politics, honesty is not the best policy" simply means that politicians need to outright lie or bend the truth in order to get ahead in politics. For example, if a politician is presented with a major problem, that politician may decide to try to convince people that the problem is not as severe as everyone originally thought. This is because the politician is hoping that he or she can avoid any damage to his or her image and ultimately his or her career that might ensue if the politician is unable to address the problem appropriately. This particular statement is actually the reverse of the old proverb "honesty is the best policy" and is simply suggesting the idea that the old proverb does not apply to politics.

2. There are a variety of different situations in which this particular statement would be incorrect and a politician might find that telling the truth rather than lying or omitting information would be more beneficial to his or her career. However, probably the most obvious situation in which lying or omitting information might be detrimental to a politician's ambitions is if the politician is presented with a major problem or a mistake that he or she has made in the past and information about that particular problem or mistake is readily accessible. For example, if a particular politician used illegal substances when he or she was much younger and was actually arrested for being in possession of illegal substances prior to becoming a legal adult, it may actually be a better idea for the politician to tell the truth about his or her past if he or she is asked. This is because it is relatively easy for the media to dig up information about prior offenses even if the records have been expunged.

3. The three most logical factors to consider for this particular statement are the risks associated with lying, the damage potentially caused by the truth, and the ethical, moral, and legal concerns associated with lying. Regardless of the specific situation, there is always a risk that people will find out about a lie that a politician makes, so it is important to consider how likely it is that someone else might be able to prove that the politician is actually lying. If it is likely that other people will have access to the information online or through the media, then this particular statement probably does not apply. There are also times where a politician may not need to lie because the truth may actually be far less damaging than the politician may believe, or may even help the politician's image. Finally, there are some situations in which it is illegal, unethical, or immoral for a politician to lie and it is simply safer and smarter for a politician to tell the truth.

4. This particular statement is actually referring primarily to the concept of reasonable doubt because this statement suggests that it is only necessary for a lawyer to convince a jury that someone may not be responsible for a particular act or may have not committed a particular crime. In other words, a lawyer does not need to prove that a particular individual is innocent or is not responsible, but rather that they might be innocent or they might not be responsible. This idea is especially important for an individual that is actually guilty of a crime, because it is the duty of a good defense lawyer to convince the jury that there is a chance that his or her client may actually be innocent, even if the evidence suggests otherwise.

5. There are a variety of different situations in which this particular statement would be incorrect and a lawyer might actually need to prove that his or her point of view is correct. However, the two most obvious examples would be a prosecutor attempting to prove that an individual is guilty and a civil lawyer trying to defend a client accused of causing some sort of major problem through the client's daily activities. For example, a prosecutor that is attempting to convict an individual of stealing from a jewelry store must actually prove to the jury that the individual on trial committed the crime and that there is virtually no chance that someone else may have actually stolen the jewelry. Another example would be a civil lawyer that had to prove that a chemical corporation's daily activities were not related to a sudden series of illnesses that recently appeared in the area in order to prevent the corporation from paying out a large sum of money for a lawsuit.

6. In order to determine whether this statement is true or not for a particular situation, the most important factor to consider is probably the type of case that the lawyer is attempting to win. This is because this particular statement usually only applies to defense lawyers in criminal cases, so prosecutors or civil lawyers within the United States may find that this statement does not actually apply. This is because the concept of reasonable doubt only applies to an individual that is on trial for a crime, as everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law if the case is related to a criminal matter. This means that a prosecutor must actually prove an individual's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict that individual and a lawyer in a civil court may actually need to prove that his or her client is not responsible for a certain act such as a chemical corporation causing people to become ill.

7. This particular statement is referring to the idea that a really good salesman, saleswoman, or marketing campaign can convince someone to purchase something that that person would normally never even consider purchasing. In other words, this statement is attempting to say that a good marketing pitch or a good marketing campaign is a way for a corporation to convince people to purchase items by convincing these consumers that they actually need a product when they probably don't really need it or don't really want it. For example, a car salesman that really wants to make a large sale may try to convince a potential buyer to purchase a vehicle that is significantly out of the individual's price range by convincing the individual that he or she can actually afford the car and that the individual should have the more expensive model because the model supposedly has features that the potential buyer simply cannot live without.

8. There are a variety of different situations in which this particular statement would be incorrect and it might actually be a good idea for a salesman, saleswoman, or marketing campaign to try to sell the product to a different person or a different group of people. However, one of the best examples of a situation where this statement would be incorrect is a salesperson that is attempting to sell a product to an individual that could not possibly pay for the product. For example, a salesperson that manages to convince a homeless man to purchase a big screen plasma TV on store credit may quickly realize that his or her marketing pitch may have been a bad idea. This is because the salesperson may not only lose the money for the TV, as the homeless man will most likely not be able to pay, but the salesperson may also never be able to recover the money because he or she cannot track down the individual that purchased the TV.

9. In order to determine whether this statement is true or false for a particular situation, it is important to consider a variety of different factors. However, some of the most important factors to consider include whether or not the sale makes financial sense, as well as the moral, ethical, and legal concerns associated with the sale. If it is more than likely that the salesperson will not receive the entire payment for the product, it is usually wise to seek a different customer. This is because the marketing campaign or pitch is designed to make the company money and if it doesn't do that because the customer can't pay and the company cannot recover the item or the money, it does not make financial sense. It is also important to consider the ethical, moral, and legal concerns because many people will avoid businesses that are pushy or that deliberately use questionable tactics, such as selling products to people that obviously can't afford them. Some marketing tactics are also outright illegal so it may not be good marketing to use them.

10. This particular statement is referring to the idea that a business that is trying to promote itself as an intelligent investment or an individual attempting to move up the corporate ladder does not necessarily need to act intelligently in order to appear intelligent. In other words, if an individual or business can make others simply believe that the individual or business is actually intelligent, it is possible to convince other people to hire the individual or convince an investor to invest in a particular business even when the activities or actions that the individual or business has taken in the past may not indicate that this is the case. For example, if an individual does not have a lot of experience performing a particular type of work, that individual may still convince a potential employer that he or she is competent by studying information about the company and the type of work that he or she needs to perform in order to make it appear as if the individual understands everything about the field.