Developing a Strong Thesis Statement
􀂄What is a Thesis Statement?
􀂄Three-Part or Multi-Level Thesis
Statements
􀂄Thesis Statements by Category
􀂄Beyond Stating the Obvious:
Exercises in Developing Thesis Statements
What is a Thesis Statement?
􀂄Answers the question, ““What is this paper trying
to prove to its audience?””
􀂄Compresses the critical crux of your paper into one
sentence.
􀂄Conveys your main argument in a nutshell.
􀂄Uses specific language and specific ideas.
􀂄Generates a multi-faceted argument.
􀂄Appears in your paper’s introduction.
What is NOT a Strong Thesis Statement?
􀂄NOT a statement of the inherently obvious.
􀂄NOT a vague or ambiguous statement.
􀂄NOT a simple factual sentence.
􀂄NOT a statement that doesn’t need any proof.
􀂄NOT a statement that doesn’t generate any
argumentation whatsoever.
􀂄Does NOT pass the “so what”test.
The “So What?” Test
After writing a thesis statement, ask yourself,
“So what? “
Example: Funding sources are available for
college tuition.
(So what?)
Revision: Funding sources available for college
tuition make private universities more affordable.
(So what, and so on . . . .)
Activity: Choose the Most Effective Thesis Statement.
􀂄My life is busy because I am a working student.
􀂄As a working student, my life bifurcates into both the
corporate world and the classroom.
􀂄Contrary to popular belief, working students do okay in
both worlds.
􀂄A working student’s life, bifurcated into the corporate
world and the classroom, demonstrates how these dual
roles enhance rather than detract from one another.
Activity: Choose the More Effective Thesis Statement.
􀂄I like it when professors encourage us to talk.
􀂄Interaction fosters collaborative learning.
􀂄The most effective learning occurs when professors
combine several teaching methods, such as lecture,
discussion, and hands-on
activities.
􀂄A variety of approaches to teaching works best.
􀂄Professors should accommodate a variety of learning
styles.
Three-Part or Multi-Level Thesis Statements: Developing
Your Thesis Statement for Specificity
One way to develop your thesis statement is by
increasing its specificity in three parts.
Example: Manual is the best school in the state.
Three-Part Revision: Manual is the best school in the state
because we have the best students, teachers, and course
offerings.
Three-Part Thesis Statements
􀂄Working students benefit from their dual roles, which
cultivate a mature sense of academic stewardship,
practical wisdom about finances, and an appreciation for
the value of both educational and vocational worlds.
􀂄Collaborative learning enhanced by projectoriented activities, problem-solving in small
groups, and frequent teacher-student
interaction results in more effective retention
of curricular material than lecture.
Turn the Following into Specific Three-Part Thesis
Statements
􀂄There is a way to solve world hunger.
􀂄The government can assist the homeless.
􀂄Manual should not have a dress code.
Thesis Statements by Category
Cause and Effect (If-then/because):
􀂄 If creative expression fosters learning, then students
in all classrooms, regardless of level, can benefit from
developing creative projects.
􀂄 Because creativity is a proven benefit to learning,
students should be encouraged to develop creative
projects.
More Examples
Comparison and Contrast:
􀂄 While Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath appear to
share little similarities, a closer look reveals they both
argue for the dignity of all humans, the importance of
hope, and the loss of innocence due to outside forces.
Examples of Thesis Statements by Category
􀂄Corrective: Contrary to popular belief, ice cream is
not junk food because it is a good source of calcium
and milk protein.
􀂄Problem and Solution: Although college tuition is
expensive, various funding sources such as
scholarships and low interest loans can lower the cost.
More Examples
􀂄Advantages and Disadvantages: Although ice cream is a
source of calcium and milk protein, its high sugar and
saturated fat content far outweigh any health benefits.
􀂄Analysis of Procedure: Revising the application process
by adding three steps during initial review would
increase efficiency without sacrificing thoroughness.
Go Beyond the Obvious: Exercise #1 in Developing Thesis
Statements
Revise using the three-part model for specificity. 􀂄 Tolerance is valuable.
􀂄Ehrenreich argues for a livable wage.
Go Beyond the Obvious: Exercise #2 in Developing Thesis
Statements
Revise using the if-then or because model.
􀂄 Consumers should be careful about buying products
over the Internet.
Go Beyond the Obvious: Exercise #3 in Developing
Thesis Statements
Revise using the corrective model.
􀂄Many seem to think teenagers are only interested in
instant gratification.
Go Beyond the Obvious: Exercise #4 in Developing
Thesis Statements
Revise using the comparison-contrast model.
􀂄Liberal and conservative political agendas will be
discussed in this paper.
Go Beyond the Obvious: Exercise #5 in Developing Thesis
Statements
Revise using any combination of models.
􀂄 A credit card has both advantages and disadvantages.
Summary
􀂄A thesis statement should go beyond stating the
obvious.
􀂄To develop a thesis statement, ask yourself the “so
what”question until you’re satisfied.
􀂄Apply the three-part thesis model and any
combination of thesis models to enrich your thesis
statement.
1. In hope of doing what is best for the treatment of human diseases, and in
effect what is best for human beings themselves, leftover embryonic stem cells
from in-vitro fertilization should be used for medical therapies and should be
funded by the federal government.
2. Even though there are some faults to stem cell research, it should be
funded and permitted in the United States.
3. The United States should legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally
ill patients because it preserves the freedom and autonomy of the patient,
improves the patient’s quality of life in the final days, and upholds the
Hippocratic Oath required by all physicians.
4. Legalizing same-sex marriage would benefit all members of society,
strengthen the idea of marriage and unify society as a whole. The United
States must legalize same-sex marriage in order to bring about these benefits.
5. In general, the benefits of sweatshops, including its fostering of economic
growth for individuals and for their countries, and the globalization of
production, outweigh their drawbacks; therefore, these sweatshops should
continue to be allowed and funded, and American consumers should not
boycott the support of these companies, although significant reform is certainly
necessary. Americans should, instead, protest the mistreatment of workers,
calling for legislation to prevent violation of the natural rights of humanity.
6. To avoid the issue of modification for purely vain reasons, designing
should be limited to just health causes.
7. Russia should develop and head a regional economic coalition with the
New Independent States focused on oil and natural gas production but also
supportive of other ventures that will strengthen existing bonds in the region
and create new ones without upsetting the current power, the United States.
Critical to the success of the common market is the membership of Iran.
8. Although Intelligent Design is often viewed as the so-called counter-theory
to evolution, this unscientific, creationist-based concept based purely on
speculation is not comparable to evolution on any level, and therefore should
not be taught alongside evolution in the public school classroom.
9. The purpose of American public education should be to give every student
the practical knowledge and skills to function in and contribute to a
democratic, capitalistic society, while emphasizing the formation and growth
of the entire individual intellect, through opportunities for critical thinking,
independent thought, and reflection. Such an educational aim is the one most
in keeping with the American ideal of individual freedom, would be most
beneficial for American society—politically and economically—and would
move the nation toward a more egalitarian existence.
10. A revision of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 could effectively solve
both issues by taking the matter outside the realm of the states and by
demanding a guiding code of principles pertaining to standardized coverage in
addition to implementing a universal definition of an eating disorder.
11. Although the facts remain unclear on whether meat consumption affects
world hunger, there is clear evidence that shows meat production does affect
the environment by contributing to deforestation, air and water pollution, and
inefficient land and resource usage. Eating less meat, and perhaps more
importantly, knowing where that meat comes from, will make a difference in
the negative impact that corporate animal agriculture has on the environment.
12. Due to the need for greater public safety and as a reaction to a changing
world, the USA must now interpret the Second Amendment as a collective
right meant primarily for governmental institutions.
13. Almost any method of change to our system could improve a feature of it
and yield some kind of positive result, but a solution that solves virtually all of
its problems is the most ideal. By this standard, a single-payer universal heath
care system would be the most practical choice for the United States. A singlepayer system would make insurance more accessible, more affordable, and of
higher quality, thus turning all of the negative aspects of the current system
into positive ones.