Writing a Thesis Statement
& Understanding the Prompt
Name: ___________________________
Date: ______________ Per: ___
A. Examples of Questions
The following are essay and DBQ questions that have appeared on the A.P. test in the last several decades:
(1995) Assess the relative importance of THREE of the following in the American decision to declare war on
Germany in 1917.
German naval policy
American economic interests
Woodrow Wilson’s idealism
Allied propaganda
America’s claim to world power
(1995 DBQ) Analyze the changes that occurred during the 1960’s in the goals, strategies, and support of the
movement for African American civil rights.
(1996 DBQ) In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and
1877 amount to a revolution?
(1994 DBQ) To what extent was late 19th-century and early 20th-century United States expansionism a
continuation of past United States expansionism and to what extent was it a departure?
(1991) “From the 1840’s through the 1890’s, women’s activities in the social, economic, and political spheres
effectively challenged traditional attitudes about women’s place in society.” Assess the validity of this
statement.
B. Characteristics of Questions
Here is one way to describe the above questions (and almost all AP essay questions):
(1) THEY ASK YOU TO TAKE A POSITION
The question will never be one with a single, correct factual answer (“Who was president during the Civil War?”), or
even one asking you simply to produce a list from a set of possible answers (“List the causes of the American
Revolution.”). Instead, it will ask for YOUR judgment, or interpretation, about something. Does that mean that any
answer is equally good? No. Because you must defend your answer with detail from the historical period. But
they are not looking for a particular answer; they are looking for a clear and well-supported argument.
(2) THEY ARE OPEN-ENDED BUT SPECIFIC
While there is no one right answer, there is a specific question you must address. For the 1995 essay question
(about World War I) listed above, you MUST do three things:
 discuss three of the things from the list provided (German naval policy, etc.)
 explain how each played a role in leading to America’s decision to declare war; and
 take a position on which was more important (and defend your position) [That’s what “relative
importance” means – how important they were compared to each other.]
(3) THEY HAVE A BUILT-IN STRUCTURE
The questions often give you the structure of your essay by listing the topics to be addressed. FOLLOW IT! Ex. For
the 1991 question (above), you need to discuss the social sphere, the economic sphere, and the political sphere.
The simplest approach is to make these three topics the three body paragraphs of your essay:
¶ 1:
¶ 2:
¶ 3:
¶ 4:
¶ 5:
Introduction (with thesis statement)
Social sphere
Economic sphere
Political sphere
Conclusion
(4) THEY UTILIZE ONE OF THE FOUR MAIN HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS
Every AP exam question (multiple choice and free response questions) will assess one or more of the nine historical
thinking skills central to the course (outlined in a previous handout). Free response questions will center on four:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Historical Causation (Explaining causes and/or evaluating impact of events)
Patterns of Continuity and Change Over Time (How and why things change or stay the same)
Periodization (Analyzing turning points and characterizing eras)
Comparison (Explaining how and why events are similar and/or different)
Other skills are important for how you write your essay (example: argumentation and synthesis).
Exercise: review the questions listed on page one and determine which thinking skill they address.
C. Components of a Thesis Statement
Your thesis statement must do ALL THREE of these things:
1
2
3
Fully address the question
Take a position on the question asked; and
Provide partitions for the essay:
These partitions are your organizational categories, and they will be the three body paragraphs that
follow the thesis. The thesis statement gives the reader a road map to the rest of your essay.
If…
Then…
Your “thesis” statement does no more than repeat the topic you are writing about
Your “thesis” statement poses a question without proposing an answer
Your “thesis” statement merely articulates a fact or series of facts
Your “thesis” statement simply reflects a personal belief or preference
It is not a thesis.
It is not a thesis.
It is not a thesis.
It is not a thesis.
Your “thesis” statement: proposes an answer to a question you have posed AND
asserts a conclusion with which a reader might disagree, and which can be
supported by evidence from various sources
It is an effective thesis.
D. Addressing and Understanding the Prompt
Much of your writing will be prompted by an assignment, essay or exam question. Students often do worse than they
should in examinations or when writing assignments, not because their writing skills are weak or because their
knowledge of the subject matter is insufficient, but because they have not fully understood what they have been asked
to do. To score high marks in an examination or an assignment, it is important to fully understand what a question or
brief means and how it should be answered.
Key words tell you the approach you should take when answering an essay question. There are three types of key words:
Task words: Tell you what you have to do; the action you need to perform
Content words: Tell you what the topic area is and what you should write about
Limiting words: Limit and focus the essay, making it workable
Example essay question: Computers have had a significant impact on education in the 20th century. Discuss the
changes they have made.
Task word: DISCUSS
Content word: education, computers
Limiting word: changes, significant impact, 20th century
Implied or complex questions
Some assignment questions are more complex than that above. They might have a number of parts or may not include a
clear task word, which can make them appear confusing. Some tasks are implied rather than explicitly stated. In order to
understand what you must do, you need to work out your task by looking at the entire question. Look for clues in the
limiting and content words and in the relationships between words, phrases, and parts of the question.
Other questions may include guidelines as to the scope of the essay, specifying a time period, location, or framework for
discussion. Finally, you may have a number of related questions which may have a number of task words or specific
questions. Be sure to answer each part of these questions or you will not earn full credit.
“Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s) and the outbreak of
the Civil War.”
“Analyze the causes of growing opposition to slavery in the United States from 1776 to 1852. In your response,
consider both underlying forces and specific events that contributed to the growing opposition.”
“Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social, political, and economic tensions in the United States.
Focus your answer on the period 1964 to 1975.”
E. Commonly used task words/verbs in writing prompts and how to approach them
Analyze
Assess the validity
Evaluate
To what extent
Discuss or Consider
Compare/Contrast
Explain
Explain how AND why something occurred
by examining the component parts (social,
political, economic) and their relationship
with one another.
“Analyze the major technological changes
that took place in America from 1870 to
1900 and describe what significant social
ramifications they had.”
Any question that uses “how” and/or
“why” is an analysis question even if the
word “analyze” is not in the prompt.
How true is the statement? Pay attention to
positive, negative, and disputable aspects,
citing the judgment of known authorities
and your own.
“Assess the validity of the following
statement: ‘Thomas Jefferson’s political
philosophy can best be described as
revolutionary.’”
You must take a stance here—how true is
the statement and why?
Which factor was most important? You
usually need to rank several events or
factors and specify which is most and which
is least significant.
This prompt frequently requires you to
specify a cause and effect relationship and
then state which causes were more
important. Or, indicate the criteria on which
you base your judgment and cite specific
instance of how it applies in this case.
These are frequently used in free response
prompts. They should be written as analysis
essays. Examine key points and possible
interpretations, giving reasons for and
against the case. Draw a final conclusion.
Identify the characteristics or qualities of
two or more things, comparing what they
have in common (compare) and differences
(contrast).
Tell how things work or how they came to
be, including descriptions or analysis. This
must have DETAIL to give it meaning.
(See prompt below)
“Discuss the extent to which nineteenthcentury Transcendentalism was or was
not a conservative cultural and intellectual
movement.”
“Compare the religious revival of the First
Great Awakening to that of the Second.”
“Contrast the Federalist and Antifederalist
arguments for or against the ratification of
the new Federal Constitution.”
“Explain how economic, political, and
religious factors promoted European
explorations from 1450 to 1525.”
After you are clear as to your task (analyze, evaluate, etc.) sketch out a quick, informal outline of how you are going to
proceed. This is very important to guaranteeing that you cover the whole prompt and develop an effective thesis.