A variation of EXPLAIN is EXPLAIN THE DEGREE TO WHICH. In this case, you're giving reasons but focusing on strengths and limitations. Let's try it with freshman year: Explain the degree to which freshman year influences how well you do in high school. Let's break that down: How does freshman year influence the rest of high school? Would you say it has a great influence, a moderate influence, very little influence? Why? What are the things from freshman year that potentially have a great influence over the rest of high school? What are things from freshman year that don't have a great impact on the rest of high school? Take a stand (great, moderate, very little) and support it. Be sure to acknowledge a strength of the "other side" if you're taking the stance of "great" or "very little." *