Thesis+Statements


 *  Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to ask, "How?" or Why?"
 *  Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with "Duh!" or "So what?" or "Gee, no kidding!" or "Who cares?"
 *  Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as "all" or "none" or "every"?
 *  Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)?
 *  Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length of the paper or project?

If you cannot answer "YES" to these questions, what changes must you make in order for your thesis to pass these tests?

 ===**How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned.** ===

Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. Your first step, then, is to distill the assignment into a specific question. For example, if your assignment is “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class,” turn the request into a question like “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” After you’ve chosen the question your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question.


 * Q:** “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?”
 * A:** “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . . .”

//**OR**//


 * A:** “Using computers in a fourth-grade class promises to improve . . . .”

The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.


 * What is the main idea of your paper in 25 or fewer words?
 * What is the assignment asking? How can you answer that question AND focus on a small area of investigation?
 * What "code words" (such as "relative freedom" or "lifestyles") does the draft of my thesis statement contain? Are these words adequately explained?
 * As you read over your paper, have you supported the thesis or disgressed? Where? How?

� What should the **audience**/reader do/feel/believe? � Who are the major players on both/each side and how did they contribute to? � Which are the most important? � What was the impact of? � Can I compare? How is X like or unlike Y? � What if? Can I predict? � How could we solve/improve/design/deal with? � Is there a better solution to? � How can you defend? � What changes would you recommend to? � Was it effective, justified, defensible, warranted? � Why did this happen? Why did it succeed? Why did it fail? � What should be? What are/would be the possible outcomes of? � What are the problems related to? � What were the motives behind? � Why are the opponents protesting? � What is my personal response to? � What case can I make for? � What is the significance of? � Where will the next move(s) occur? � How is this debate likely to affect? � What is the value or, what is/are the potential benefit(s) of? � What are three/four/five reasons for us to believe?


 *  //[Something]// // [does something] // because //[reason(s)]//.


 * Because //[reason(s)]//, // [something] [does something] //.


 * Although //[opposing evidence]//, //[reasons]// show //[Something]// // [does something] //.

1. A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand.
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements: > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase //negative and positive aspects// is vague. > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements: > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**My family is an extended family.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a weak thesis because it merely states an observation. Your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading. > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example: > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or Web pages. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. One way to revise the thesis would be to write: > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint: a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like //because//, //since//, //so//, //although//, //unless//, and //however//.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">4. A strong thesis statement is specific.
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten page paper on hunger, you might say: > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**World hunger has many causes and effects.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, //world hunger// can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages. Second, //many causes and effects// is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this: > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a strong thesis statement because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic, and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">//Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">//[]//