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Thesis Statement
Worksheet
A thesis statement is a sentence that tells your reader your topic, what you think about it, and possibly how you are going to prove it. Create a research question based on your class assignment. Start to read about your topic to generate more ideas for your research and writing. Collect facts from articles. Form opinions about articles. Generate your own ideas about the topic using these facts and opinions. Create a 1 to 2 sentence answer to your research question that tells the reader the main idea of the essay. Thesis statements can always be changed if you add new ideas and new information, or change the direction of your topic while you are working on your assignment. The topic of your assignment should be narrow. You need to give the reader all the information they will need about the topic within the length of the assignment (e.g. 4 pages). e.g. NO Physical exercise (general) YES 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise per day (narrow) It is possible to write a focused essay on “30 minutes of high intensity exercise per day” in 4 pages. However, writing 4 pages on everything the reader needs to know about “physical exercise” is impossible.
Medicine
Vegetables Field crop vegetables Food Genetically modified corn Intensively farmed vegetables
Definition Getting started General topics vs. Narrow topics
Exercise 1: Order the following ideas from general (1) to narrow (5).
Exercise 2: Narrow the following general topic.
Topics: the general subject of the essay e.g. Taking risks Thesis statement: 1 to 2 sentences that tell the reader your topic and what you will say about it. e.g. Biological need, social environment, and psychological satisfaction are three reasons why people take risks. Direct thesis statements outline the main idea and the organization of the essay for the reader. e.g. The main problems facing South American countries are a lack of job opportunities for citizens, increasing demand for better health care, and limited university programs for poor students. Indirect thesis statements introduce the topic, but they do not outline the supporting ideas. The reader must read the essay to learn about these points. e.g. The important problems facing South American countries today require immediate attention. Both types of thesis statements are possible, but some writers or instructors prefer a specific style. The thesis statement in an essay should answer your research question. e.g. Research question: Why do people become homeless? Thesis statement: The lack of affordable housing, inadequate public assistance, and the breakdown of the family are three causes of homelessness.
- Topic: the general subject of the essay e.g. Teenage Smokers
- Controlling idea: your opinion/belief/view/feeling about the topic e.g. Public health departments need aggressive promotional campaigns
- Sub-topics (Optional): the areas you will focus on to support your idea e.g. Damages the lungs, increases the risk of cancer, raises the chance of heart disease Thesis statement – Public health departments need to target teenage smokers with aggressive promotional campaigns in order to combat lung damage, cancer, and heart disease among this group.
- Stress in the fast-food workplace has led to serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems for employees.
- Women generally live longer than men as a result of their better overall concern about their health, and their better resistance to stress.
- Healthy lifestyles require individuals to get enough sleep, eat nutritiously and exercise regularly. Underline the topic, circle the controlling idea, and double underline the sub-topics in the following thesis statements. e.g. My roommate has her own unique systems for studying, writing essays, and cleaning our living room. Topics vs. Thesis statements Direct (stated) and indirect (implied) thesis statements Components of thesis statements Creating a thesis statement from a research question
Exercise 3: Order the following ideas from general (1) to narrow (5).
- During my first semester at university, I had to learn how to manage my time, my diet, and ______________
Thesis statement problems
Making announcements Announcements introduce the general topic of the essay, but they do not tell the reader the main point. e.g. NO The subject of this essay is …the rising crime rate. NO I am going to talk about … the rising crime rate. NO The rising crime rate … is the main topic of this paper. YES The recent increase in the rate of crime in the country is the result of political, social, and economic factors. General thesis statements cannot be fully supported in an essay because they need more space than most assignments require. e.g. NO Men and women are very different. YES Men and women are treated differently at work for three reasons Very focused statements cannot be supported for an entire essay. This is the same with facts. e.g. NO Ontario Tech University is located in North Oshawa at the corner of Conlin Road and Simcoe Street North. YES Ontario Tech University is ideally located to meet the needs of students in the Durham region and eastern Toronto. An essay should be about one single idea, so a thesis statement should clearly identify only one main idea. e.g. NO Studying in groups has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages. YES Studying with other benefits university students by increasing motivation, support, and better understanding of course content. Thesis statements should be debatable. They should be argued and supported by the writer. e.g. NO Canadian winters are longer and colder than Italian winters. YES Canadian winters offer the best climate for the development of amateur athletes in skiing, figure, skating, and hockey.
Using general statements
Using narrow statements
Including too many ideas
Stating a fact
Exercise 8: Choose the best thesis statement in the following pairs.
- A: I want to show how cardiology has changed in the last 20 years. B: The advances in cardiology over the last 20 years significantly impacted the eld of medicine.
- A: People are living longer than ever due to better diets, a cleaner environment, and improved medical care. B: The average person can now expect to live longer.
- A: Learning new skills can be difficult and frustrating. B: Learning to write takes work, patience, and determination.
Student Learning Centre
Call: 905.721.8668 ext. 6578 Email: [email protected] Website: ontariotechu.ca/studentlearning Downtown Oshawa Location: 61 Charles St. North Oshawa Location: Student Life Building Adapted from: Dollahite, N. E., & Haun, J. (2012). Sourcework: Academic writing from sources (2nd ed.). Boston: Heinle, Cengage Learning. Folse, K. S., Muchmore-Vokoun, A., & Solomon, E. V. (2010). Great writing 4: great essays (3rd ed.). Boston: Heinle, Cengage Learning. Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills with readings (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2006). Writing academic English (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education. Zemach, D. E., & Rumisek, L. A. (2003). College writing: From paragraph to essay. Oxford: Macmillan Education.
- A: Although universities offer courses in many European languages, many professors and students see the need to offer Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi as well. B: Many professors and students believe there is a need for university courses in Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi.
- A: In order to create a successful commercial, it is important to consider the target audience, placement, and media. B: Nike’s “Just do it” advertising campaign was created in 1988. This document is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). For more information visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
