23-24: A Learning Check on Thesis Statements

Which of the following statements is FALSE when writing a literary-analysis essay?

• Students should maintain a formal, detached voice in their writing.

• Usage of first- and second-person pronouns is acceptable anywhere in the essay. Students should use "I" to explain their ideas.

• Students can use first- and second-person pronouns, but only if these words are in directly quoted material in textual evidence.

• Students can use first- and second-person pronouns, but only if these words are found in a quote--which can be used for the lead (first sentence of introduction paragraph) or clever closer (last sentence of conclusion).

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which of the following statements is FALSE about the thesis statement in a multi-paragraph essay?

• A thesis statement serves as the foundation in any essay.

• It is used to “set up” a piece of writing to guide the reader while establishing a purpose for the piece.

• The following are required parts to the thesis statement: topic, claim verb, direction (prongs of the fork), qualifier (also a verb), and message.

• Students should identify a purpose for their writing through the usage of "I."

  Example: I am writing this essay because...

Which thesis statement does NOT meet the 8th-grade requirements discussed in class? (Pay close attention to capitalization and punctuation as well.)

• In the dystopian book Matched, author Ally Condie uses dystopian characteristics and power struggles to develop a theme: too much power can lead to limited freedom.

• The dystopian novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding uses power struggles and dystopian elements to illustrate the theme of living in constant fear can lead to destruction.

• In the novel "Red Queen," author victoria aveyard uses dystopian characteristics and power struggles to exemplify a theme: inequality leads to the toppling of the powerful.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

Which thesis statement does NOT meet the 8th-grade requirements discussed in class?

• In the book titled Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury uses dystopian characteristics and power struggles to illustrate the following theme: censorship in a society can lead to the destruction of its government and people.

• The book titled Fahrenheit 451 uses dystopian characteristics and power struggles to illustrate the following theme: censorship in a society can lead to the destruction of its government and people.

• Ray Bradbury uses dystopian characteristics and power struggles to illustrate the following theme: censorship in a society can lead to the destruction of its government and people; this was done in the book titled Fahrenheit 451.

Which of the following statements is TRUE about punctuating book titles in our literary-analysis essay?

• Italicize book titles when typing.

  Example: Lord of the Flies

• Underline book titles when typing.

  Example: Lord of the Flies

• Use quotation marks around book titles when typing.

  Example: "Lord of the Flies"

• Use both underlining and quotation marks around book titles when typing.

  Example: "Lord of the Flies"

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Which of the following statements is TRUE about capitalizing book titles in our literary-analysis essay?

• Capitalize only the important words. Unless the first word of the title, the following parts of speech are not capitalized: articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.

• Capitalize ALL words in a book title, regardless of their part of speech.

• Capitalize the first word only of a book title.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Which of the following statements is FALSE about the introduction paragraph of a literary-analysis essay?

• The lead is the first type of sentence, and its purpose is to engage the reader without giving away thesis information.

• The bridge is the second type of sentence, and its purpose is to build on the lead without giving away thesis information

• The thesis statement is the third type of sentence, and its purpose is to "set the stage" for the essay, identifying the topics of the body paragraphs.

• The introduction paragraph must be a minimum of two sentences.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3