Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement?

• Sentence that answers the prompt, explains the claim, and the provides the reasons that support your claim.

• Sentence that gets the reader's attention.

• Sentence that is the first sentence of a paragraph, it provides the subject of the paragraph.

• Sentence that provides a specific detail or example.

True or False: Your thesis statement states the main idea of the essay in one sentence.

• True

• False

True or False: You write the thesis statement in the last sentence in the conclusion paragraph

• True
• False

Cats should be subject to leash laws.

• Good thesis

• Bad thesis

Cats should be subject to leash laws because they are inveterate wanderers.

• Good thesis

• Bad thesis

Writing classes should be abolished.

• Good thesis

• Bad thesis

Although gifted high school graduates should be exempt from writing classes, most entering students need help in attaining college‐level writing skills.

• Good thesis

• Bad thesis

Prompt: "Write an essay explaining why it is important to keep the promises you make." Which of the following is the best thesis statement for this prompt?

• It is important to keep the promises you make because keeping promises builds trust, encourages people to be responsible, and ensures healthy relationships.

• It is important to keep promises you makes because keeping promises helps build trust like in the novel, "Ghost" where a young boy builds trust by returning shoes he stole.

• It is important to keep the promises you make because you never know when you will need them, you never know how much help they will give you, and you get to be a better person.

• It is important to keep the promises you make because it helps a lot.

Prompt: "Write an essay explaining whether it is important to laugh." Which of the following is the best thesis statement?

• It is important to laugh because laughing has social, health, and emotional benefits.

• It is important to laugh because you need to laugh every day, you need to laugh when you're sad, and you need to laugh when they are being mean.

• It is important to laugh because laughing helps people, like in the story, "The Tale-Tell Heart" where the man laughs to help him deal with his crime, or in the story "Lamb to the Slaughter," where the laughing helps the lady get away with murder.

• It is important to laugh because laughing helped me through a really tough time when I was a kid. I remember when my grandmother was sick, but she still had a good sense of humor. It was good to see her laugh!

Prompt: "Write an essay explaining why success often takes time." Choose the BEST thesis statement for this prompt.

• Success often takes time because a person needs to plan out their actions, work towards a short term goal, and then work for a long term goal.

• Success often takes time because you have to work hard, you have to work efficiently, and you have to spend time doing it,

• Success often takes time. I remember a time in my life when I had to work really hard towards a goal. It took time, a lot of it. I was eventually successful and I wouldn't trade that experience in for anything.

• Success often takes time because taking time will ensure success.