"prompt"

[Charles C Doyle]

That usage is ubiquitous among current students--usually in reference to essay assignments (in-class or out-of-class).

When questioned, some students have attributed the currency of the usage to jargon from the Educational Testing Service and SAT prep courses.

--Charlie

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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Jonathan Lighter [wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 4:28 PM
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Read what her students think:
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1406022&all=true

Notable is the way one of them uses "prompt" to mean "examination question"
:

2011: "She gives you the prompts a week before hand for the inclass final
essays so you can plan them and definitely get an A."

Last time "prompt" (n.) was cited here, from the active vocabulary of a
professor of English, it seemed to mean "poetic occasion or source of
poetic inspiration."

JL

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