thesis statement pratice

Exercise 1 

The following exercise contains hypothetical thesis statements. On the blank line beside each statement, write “A” if the statement is arguable or “F” if the statement is a statement of fact. 

__F_____1. The amount of financial aid available to students should be proportionate to       the earning potential of the career fields for which their majors prepare them.  

___A____2. Tom Hanks should have won the Best-Actor award for his performance in       Castaway. 

____A___3. Frank Sinatra was loved and admired by many people. 

Writing Thesis Statements 3

___F____4. The United States contains citizens of many different ethnicities. 

____A___5. Sterling College should make coffee available to students in every building. 

___F____6. Driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous. 

____A___7. Penalties for drinking and driving should be more severe.  

___A____8. Television networks air a lot of reality shows nowadays. 

___A____9. The Harry Potter movies are better than the Indiana Jones movies. 

____F___10. Steroid abuse can lead to serious health problems

 

Exercise 2

Write three (3) to five (5) arguable thesis statements. 

PART 2: WRITING AN ARGUABLE AND NARROW THESIS STATEMENT AROUND AN ISSUE THAT EXCITES YOU

-          Even though, many people believe math isn’t an important concept to learn for the real world, I believe math is an important subject to learn because it helps with measuring, so you can cook and measure the exact amount, also for engineers and construction workers, and lastly, so you can help your kids or friends with a math type of problem if they need it.

-          Everyone has their own favorite food, that they enjoy having wherever they get the chance, I for one, have a few different favorite foods, but my all-time favorite is homemade ground beef casserole, this is my favorite food because it is delicious, homemade, and it has this flavoring that is to die for.

-          Although, many people like sweat shirts over hoodies, I would have to disagree with those people because I believe hoodies are the better option because they zip up or down, are warmer in my opinion, and they come in more colors and designs than sweat shirts.

-          Most people have that one favorite restaurant where they just wish they could eat there all the time, but usually people don’t, well my favorite restaurant is Red Robins because you can get endless root beer floats there, which are amazing if I might add, they have the worlds bet burgers and spaghetti, and their fruit salad is beyond good, it taste so good and they have a special flavoring making it better.

-          The topic about gun control is a very debatable in today’s time, you have the people who want stronger gun laws, but you also, have the people who don’t, I for one am in vote of having stronger gun law because I believe it is safer for the people and children, less violence mostly, and less children can get a hold of a gun and hurt themselves or someone else.

 

Exercise 3

Each item below contains a general subject and a narrower subject that is derivative of it. Write an arguable thesis statement for each group of words in the column labeled “Narrower Topic.”  

General Topic                    Narrower Topic                                               

1.  education                      distance education    ?                          

2. communication             the difference in people’s voices ?  

3. work                                 paid vacation time   ? 

4. dishonesty                     cheating in sports   ? 

5. community                    volunteerism    ? 

6. television                        reality shows    ? 

7. relationships                  fathers and sons   ? 

8. newspapers                  college newspapers   ? 

9. family               eating together    ? 

10. criminal justice             treatment of inmates   ?

 

Thesis Statements

1-      Education is a great place for a person to get a better education and learn new things to help them later on in life. 1- A distance education is a great way for you to do what you want and learn at your own pace because you won’t be in the regular classroom setting, it is also good for the shy, less talkative people, who don’t like being in groups.

2-      Communication is the perfect way for someone to get to know someone in a better way and learn things about them such as what they like or how many siblings they have. 2- Hearing a difference in people’s voice, is a wonderful thing to hear because you can then tell if someone is mad, upset, or excited about something.

3-      Work, is basically the only way you are going to make money, so you have to work in order to get what you want. 3- Don’t you love, when your job, gives you paid vacation time, it like the best feeling in the world, you get paid while having fun.

4-      One of the worst things someone can be is dishonest because then they lie and aren’t loyal, meaning they aren’t real friends. 4- You shouldn’t cheat in sports because it is wrong, dishonest, and not fair to the other players.

5-      A community is a place where people live, but you all live close to whether, you can talk and become friends. 5- Volunteerism, is such a great thing because it makes you feel good, you help people, and it’s nice to volunteer your time.

6-      Watching TV isn’t the worst possible thing for kids, but it by far not the best thing either because it rotes children’s brains, teaches some bad things, and they see things, a child should never do. 6- There are so many reality TV shows on TV today, it’s just crazy.

7-      Relationships are truly amazing, it’s a great feeling to be in a relationship with someone, but in order to have a good relationship, and you must be loyal, trustworthy, and kind. 7- There is no such kind of relationship, like a relationship a father and son share.

8-      Not used very much today is newspapers, an example of a print media. 8- I haven’t yet seen an actual college newspaper, but I am sure they exist and are pretty awesome.

9-      Family is truly amazing, one of the greatest things in the world, is your family because they stand by you and love you for who you are. 9- Many people don’t actually eat together in a home anymore, but I believe eating as a family is very valuable and should be done more often.

10-   Criminal justice is a very popular topic for college students to study today. 10- The treatment of inmates is by far too good because it is better than actual people who haven’t committed crime are treated.

 

EXERCISE 4

Write two arguable thesis statements, each with at least three supporting arguments. They do not need to be complicated. The important thing is that your thesis and supporting arguments logically align. 

 

 

1-      I believe the government needs to fix more Colorado roads because some roads are too dangerous to drive on, too many pot holes, and some roads are so bumpy, you move around so much and can get hurt.

2-      I believe every person should be treated equal no matter what their gender, sexuality or class they are in because it is fair, its follows the rules, and more people would be happy.

 

 

EXERCISE 5

Listed with the two thesis statements below are possible supporting arguments. Within each group of possible supporting arguments, one (1) does not align logically with the thesis. Circle each supporting argument that does not align.   

1. The media should be as hard on non-players as they are on players when it comes to cheating in baseball. 

(• Gamblers do a lot of damage to the game.) • Fans steal signals from opposing teams and relay them to players and coaches. • Non-starting players also steal signals.  • Groundskeepers have been known to “fix” fields for a home-team advantage. 

 

 

 

2. Kansas is a great place to live. 

(• The state has great roads and traffic is seldom congested). • Kansas City offers many fun attractions, especially east of State Line Road. • It has many community colleges that enhance local economies. • Kansans have a rich history of looking out for one another.