which of the following would make the best thesis statement for an argumentative essay

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Thesis Statements

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• Multiple Choice Edit Please save your changes before editing any questions. 20 seconds 1 pt Where should a thesis statement appear? first paragraph anywhere in the essay last paragraph the first sentence of every paragraph
• Multiple Choice Edit Please save your changes before editing any questions. 2 minutes 1 pt 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.

• Multiple Choice Edit Please save your changes before editing any questions. 45 seconds 1 pt 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.

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.

The iPad has revolutionized the mobile-computing landscape and created a huge profit stream for Apple.

The iPad, with its relatively large high-definition screen, has helped to revitalize the comic book industry.

Before choosing a position or side, you should

develop a thesis

write the introduction

consider all the evidence

What is the first part of creating a thesis statement?

Rewrite the prompt as a question

List 3 facts.

Combine your answer & reasons.

What should you avoid in your thesis statement?

Picking a side

Using "I" or "me" or "my"

Which of the following is a major component of any thesis in an argumentative essay?

making a claim/picking a side

providing an amusing anecdote

being at least three sentences

only providing facts

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Information Literacy, Chapter 1

Investigating.

Have you ever heard a song and really wanted to have it in your own collection? How did you go about satisfying that need? Chances are, you had to:

• Investigate to find out the song’s title: (“E.T.,” “The Lazy Song,” “Born This Way,” “Latinoamérica”)
• Investigate to find out who performed the song: (Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Kanye West, Calle 13)
• Investigate to find out what CD that song was on: ( Teenage Dream , Doo-Wops & Hooligans , Born This Way , Entren Los Que Quieran )
• Investigate to find out where—or if—you could buy that CD or mp3s.

You can’t—and won’t—get what you want without investigating .

And it’s really no different with researching. To find what you want and need, you will have to investigate .

Why Is Investigating So Important in Your Research?

Researching takes a lot of your time and your effort.

The wrong approach can waste your time and effort and result in a paper you know your professors won’t want—and a grade you don’t want.

So, Where Do You Start Investigating?

Researching is a process:

• Identifying a topic
• Analyzing the assignment so you know what you are expected to accomplish
• Writing a thesis statement
• Searching for important information to support your thesis statement
• Working the information you find into the paper you are writing

Investigating Step 1 : Analyzing the Assignment

Resist the temptation to start researching immediately. Don’t waste your time diving into research until you know what the assignment requires.

• Is it a report?
• Is it an analytical paper?
• Is it an argumentative essay?

You need to know before you begin! The type of assignment will determine what kind of research you need to do, and how you need to organize and present that research in your paper. Even an “A” quality report can earn an “F” if the assignment is to write an argumentative essay.

Consider the differences in these assignments:

• Basic Report:  Pretty easy. You’ll simply have to find information on your topic and present it as it appears.
• Analytical Paper:  A little harder. You’ll have to explore multiple aspects of your topic and present your research findings objectively without attempting to persuade the reader to take a stand.
• Argumentative Paper:  You’ll have to take a “stand” on a particular issue in your topic and use your research to support your argument.

Most professors will tell you explicitly what they want for an assignment. If they don’t, you can tell a lot by looking for certain terms in the assignment instructions.

Examples of Papers on Tattooing

• Report: This paper will explore the history of tattooing in the United States.
• Analytical paper: This paper will explain differences in attitudes toward tattooing in the 1960s and 1990s.
• Argumentative paper: This paper will argue that tattoos present serious health risks to adolescents.

Investigating Step 2 : Identifying a topic

Deciding on a topic to research can be frustrating.

What SHOULD you choose for a topic? Your answer may be “I have no idea what I want.” But don’t let this bog you down. Topics are all around you every day.

Choose your topic as carefully as you would choose someone you wanted to date. Would you enjoy dating someone who was dull, annoying, or had totally different interests from you? Then why spend a few days, weeks, or even months with a topic you don’t like only to be graded on it?

Topics don’t have feelings, but you do, so try to choose something that interests you . Even if your professor assigns you a topic, you can choose an aspect of that topic that interests you.

Investigating Step 3 : Writing a working thesis statement

A working thesis statement helps you concentrate on what you want and ignore information that is irrelevant. Consider the following working thesis statement.

Using this statement for a paper allows you to skip over the sources:

• that do not deal with profiling.
• that do not deal with the apprehension of serial killers.
• that deal only with the injustices of “racial profiling.”

A good working thesis statement saves you time and keeps you focused.

Avoiding Poor Thesis Statements

It is important not only to have a thesis statement, but to have a good one.  An inadequate thesis statement is almost as bad as not having one at all.

Here are examples of thesis statements you’ll want to avoid—because they’ll lead to weak papers with poor grades:

Why Is This Unsuitable?

• Way too vague and broad.
• What constitutes “major impact”?
• What aspects of the environment are we talking about?
• What century are we talking about?
• Even if it is true, it is too local and narrow to be supported with national or scholarly research.
• Sources would probably be limited to local newspaper articles and personal interviews.
• Can you make those sources “stretch” across a 10 page research paper? Not likely.
• Because the statement is largely an unfocused opinion.
• What exactly is “horrible”?
• How does Miley Cyrus fall into that category?
• Do you think there are many books or research articles that could support this topic? Probably not.

Forming Your Research Question

• Working thesis statement: Younger basketball players “turning pro” continue to ruin the quality of the NBA.
• Research question: How have younger professional basketball players ruined the quality of the NBA?
• Working thesis statement: The rise in teenage obesity is directly related to the fast food industry.
• Research question: What has the fast food industry done to contribute to the rise in teenage obesity?

Notice that neither of these questions can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.” The quest of your research efforts is to find sources that answer your research question.

Turn Your Topic into a Question

When you’ve chosen a topic, it’s time to ask some questions. Using “environmental issues” as our general research interest, let’s ask some questions about environmental issues and agriculture.

• How:  How do government agricultural subsidies impact the price of food?  How does the use of pesticides affect food safety?
• Who:  Consumers, farmers, farm workers
• What:  Food safety, pesticides, food prices, genetically modified food, organic farming
• Where:  United States, developing nations, European Union
• Why:  Why does the European Union ban the sale and distribution of genetically modified food?

Which is Better?

For each pair, select the better research question:

• Is global warming harmful? OR  What are the adverse effects of global warming?
• What factors influence the operating costs of physicians? OR  Do doctors charge too much?
• What are the adverse effects of global warming?
• What factors influence the operating costs of physicians?

Not every thesis statement can be supported. You may search for sources to support your thesis statement and come up empty.

Investigating Step 4 : Searching for Information

Some topics may be too current or too obscure for coverage in academic journals. Or you may find too many articles to wade through if your research question is broad. Be flexible with your topic, thesis statement, and research question. Revising them early in the process based on what you DO find will save you time in the long run.

Review of the Investigating Process

• Plan! Plan! Plan! You will save time and effort if you do.
• Not all papers are created equal.  Examine each assignment carefully and pick research resources accordingly.
• Be flexible.  If you feel as if you are spinning your wheels, re-evaluate your topic, thesis, or research question and revise if necessary.

Test Yourself!

• Is fast food bad for children?
• Do fast food companies focus their advertisements on children?
• How do fast food companies create effective advertisements aimed at children?
• basic report
• analytical paper
• argumentative paper
• Air pollution in urban areas
• Respiratory diseases in children in high density areas
• Environmental consequences of California’s October 2007 forest fire.
• Renewable energy in the United States.
• Citing your sources
• Searching a database
• Reading a scholarly article about the topic
• Analyzing the assignment
• A good thesis statement saves you time and keeps you focused.
• Every thesis statement can be supported by research.
• A thesis statement helps you concentrate on what you want and ignore information that is irrelevant.
• A good thesis statement can often be converted into a question.
• 1.3; Questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no” generally do not make the best research question. It is preferable to start your question with “How”, “What”, or “Why.”
• 3.2 is a good topic that you can continue to refine as you learn more about it.
• 4.4; The type of assignment will determine what kind of research you need to do so you should begin by first analyzing the assignment.
• 5.2; A good thesis statement will save you time and keep you focused and will help you concentrate on the information you need; A good thesis statement can often be converted into a question. However, not every thesis statement can be supported by research because the topic may be too current or too obscure.
• Investigating. Authored by : Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame. Provided by : University of Notre Dame. Located at : http://library.nd.edu/instruction/potofgold/investigating/?page=1 . Project : Information Literacy Tutorial. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Which o the following would make the best thesis statement?

Tail-wagging in dogs is actually a sophisticated method of communicating emotional responses.

Vanessa Williams ∙

One of the reasons Benjamin Franklin believed the turkey should symbolize the United States is because turkeys are native to North America .

Add your answer:

What would be the best thesis statement for an analytical essay?

The thesis statement depends on what you're doing the report on! You'll have to do your own assignment.

What would be best thesis statement for an analytical essay?

Which of the following sentences would be the best thesis statement for an essay.

for a variety of reasons, cotton is arguably the most important fabric known to umankind

What is the best definition of a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is the main point of an essay.

Which would best develop this thesis statement?

furthur explanation about the books theme.

What is the best thesis statement?

john proctor is the best thesis stament

Which would be the best thesis for a cause-effect essay?

Your thesis statement depends on what your essay is about-- you'll have to do your own assignment on this.

What would be a good thesis statement for Christina Aguilera?

Christina Aguilera is the best singer of all time.

Which of the following responses to the research question would work best as the thesis statement of a research essay What is the best approach to decreasing global warming?

Type your answer hC.In order to decrease global warming we must outlaw automobiles.ere...

Which of the following reponses to the research question below would work best as the thesis statement of a research essay?

often you wont know how you are going to answer your research question until youve compiled and analyzed your data

What best explains what a thesis statement is?

The main point of the essay.

What is the best definition of the thesis statement?

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Writing Tutorial Services

How to write a thesis statement, what is a thesis statement.

Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement.

Why Should Your Essay Contain a Thesis Statement?

• to test your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or two
• to better organize and develop your argument
• to provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument

In general, your thesis statement will accomplish these goals if you think of the thesis as the answer to the question your paper explores.

How Can You Write a Good Thesis Statement?

Here are some helpful hints to get you started. You can either scroll down or select a link to a specific topic.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

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 . . .”

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

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

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How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned

Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about.

A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:

• take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
• deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment
• express one main idea
• assert your conclusions about a subject

Let’s see how to generate a thesis statement for a social policy paper.

Brainstorm the topic . Let’s say that your class focuses upon the problems posed by changes in the dietary habits of Americans. You find that you are interested in the amount of sugar Americans consume.

You start out with a thesis statement like this:

Sugar consumption.

This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about sugar consumption.

Narrow the topic . Your readings about the topic, however, have led you to the conclusion that elementary school children are consuming far more sugar than is healthy.

You change your thesis to look like this:

Reducing sugar consumption by elementary school children.

This fragment not only announces your subject, but it focuses on one segment of the population: elementary school children. Furthermore, it raises a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree, because while most people might agree that children consume more sugar than they used to, not everyone would agree on what should be done or who should do it. You should note that this fragment is not a thesis statement because your reader doesn’t know your conclusions on the topic.

Take a position on the topic. After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide that what you really want to say about this topic is that something should be done to reduce the amount of sugar these children consume.

You revise your thesis statement to look like this:

More attention should be paid to the food and beverage choices available to elementary school children.

This statement asserts your position, but the terms more attention and food and beverage choices are vague.

Use specific language . You decide to explain what you mean about food and beverage choices , so you write:

Experts estimate that half of elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

This statement is specific, but it isn’t a thesis. It merely reports a statistic instead of making an assertion.

Make an assertion based on clearly stated support. You finally revise your thesis statement one more time to look like this:

Because half of all American elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools should be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with healthy alternatives.

Notice how the thesis answers the question, “What should be done to reduce sugar consumption by children, and who should do it?” When you started thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind, but as you became more involved in the topic, your ideas became more specific. Your thesis changed to reflect your new insights.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

1. a strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand..

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:

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague.

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.

This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific.

2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.

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:

My family is an extended family.

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.

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.

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.

3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.

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:

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

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:

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.

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 .

4. A strong thesis statement is specific.

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:

World hunger has many causes and effects.

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:

Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

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.

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