Patterns for Writers: Thesis Statements
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Stephen Hawking's physical disability has not prevented him from becoming a world renowned physicist.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment (Watch your spelling of renowned. The test has it 'reknowned', which is incorrect.)
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Many people were saddened by the space shuttle Columbia tragedy in February.
answer
Poor: It's just a statement of fact. A thesis needs something which can be argued.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Facebook attracts many college students.
answer
Poor: Fact. No point of persuasion. Plus, it's incorrect. No one under 30 uses Facebook any more ;-) Tumblr for the win.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? In today's society, child abuse is an awful thing.
answer
Poor: Fact. No point of persuasion. No one is going to argue that child abuse is ever a good thing.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? People use lawn chemicals.
answer
Poor: Fact. No point of persuasion.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? When I first got married, I used to cook three or four nights a week, but in more recent years my wife has ended up cooking dinner most nights.
answer
Poor: Statement of fact. No argument.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Hemingway's stories helped create a new prose style by employing extensive dialogue, shorter sentences, and strong Anglo-Saxon words.
answer
Good: Specific topic and point. Even if he IS boring.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Gerbils are 72% cuter than hamsters.
answer
Poor: Unquantifiable.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? I want to share some thoughts with you about our space program.
answer
Poor: It's an announcement. Plus, you don't need "I think" or "I want to share" in an essay -- of COURSE it's what YOU think.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Cell phones are becoming increasingly popular and are in use almost anywhere one goes.
answer
Poor: No point of persuasion.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? The capital of Illinois is currently Springfield; at one time, it was Vandalia.
answer
Poor: Fact. No point of persuasion.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Conflict resolution should be taught to help prevent violence in America's schools.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Of the songs played on station WXQP, all too many depict sex, crudely sanction the beating or rape of women, or foster gang violence.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? A seventeen inch computer monitor is easier to read than a fifteen inch monitor.
answer
Poor: No persuasive argument.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our environmental problems.
answer
Poor: Just an announcement. Plus, you never want to have to spell out what your thesis is. If the reader can't tell, it's a poor thesis.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Although sawmills certainly dominated the countryside, the early American landscape was changed primarily by the introduction of the railroad.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? College students should be more careful of what material they put on their Facebook pages because prospective employers routinely check them.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment. And... duh.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Social Security and Old Age.
answer
Poor: Not a sentence; there is no verb.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? The individual's role in democracy is very important.
answer
Poor: It's too general. HOWEVER, you might get a pass using this type of thesis sentence IF your points are very strong. -- but an individual in a democracy is one vote. An individual in a Republic has the power of law behind him. Democracy = lynch mob. The minority has no power.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? The most important thing any maternal or paternal figure can do for human offspring is assist them in articulating the language messages that they are likely to encounter in published works of literature; this is particularly important in the foundational years of existence before the offspring enters a formal educational environmental.
answer
Questionable --- When I took my exam, I marked this as Poor because it was too convoluted and lacked focus. It was marked wrong -- as if it was a good sentence. I checked some of the other universities that had the same question on their study sheets, and they all marked it Poor. It's not a good sentence.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? The primary problem in the American steel industry is the lack of funds to renovate oudated plants and equipment.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? The American steel industry has many problems.
answer
Poor: Too general.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? For many people, a community college makes more sense than a four year university.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote "Self-Reliance."
answer
Poor: Fact. Nothing to argue or persuade.
question
Good or Poor Thesis Statement? After a careful examination of the rhythm of Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall," we can see how the meter of each line contributes to the overall meaning of the poem.
answer
Good: Specific topic and comment.
