Recognizing Thesis Statements

A thesis statement should...

• use more than one topic

• be the main idea of an essay

• be broad

• be wordy or very long

This is a good example of a thesis statement: In this essay I will discuss the crime rate in Mountain City.

• True

• False

The ____ = topic + idea/opinion + explanation.

The TOPIC of your essay is found in ...

• the quotation box

• the stories

• the last sentence on the page

• the prompt

Actions are more powerful than words when speaking to people because you can make them feel better or worse.

_{Is this a good thesis statement?}

• Yes

• No

Which of the following is a strong thesis statement?

• Violent video games are harmful for young people to play.

• Violent video games are harmful to young people, and it should be stopped.

• Violent video games are harmful for young people to play because  it promotes a sedentary lifestyle, encourages violence, and can cause children to become desensitized to death.

• Violent video games are harmful for young people because they should be reading a book.

Where should a thesis statement appear?

• first paragraph

• anywhere in the essay

• last paragraph

• the first sentence of every paragraph

Which of the following makes the best thesis statement?

• Even though marriage is a strong and respected institution in Russia, more and more people are choosing to live together before marriage, despite the cultural pressures. 

• I am going to explain why many couples in Russia are choosing to live together rather than get married.

• Marriage in Russia

Which sentence would be the better thesis statement for the introductory paragraph of an argumentative essay?

• The Hunger Games is a science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins.

• The Hunger Games is a morality tale about the dangers of a political system that is dominated by the wealthy.

Which sentence would be the better thesis statement for the introductory paragraph of an essay?

• There is no question that cell phones have changed our lives in a very big way.

• While cell phones provide freedom and mobility, they can also become a leash, compelling users to answer them anywhere and at any time.