Forming Thesis Statements
Practice forming thesis statements in the activity below. The more practice you have turning topic prompts into workable theses, the faster you will be able to form a thesis with your next assignment.
Read each general topic prompt below. Then write at least one thesis statement from each topic prompt. Practice writing the subject first and the assertion second. In some cases, reverse the order with the assertion first and the subject second. Note the sample thesis statements but form your own.(15 points)
Sample Topic Prompt: Something found in nature that should be preserved.
Sample Thesis:
Subject: The Amazon rain forest, now threatened with destruction from clear cutting and diseases,
Assertion: should be preserved because of its importance to the ecological balance of nature in our world.
1. An entertainment personality who is a positive or negative role model
Sample: Bill Cosby offers a positive model of a good husband and father in his ever-popular television character Dr. Cliff Huxtable and in his best selling books about his own family life.
2. An issue in the news that affects society
Sample: Poor voter turnout in local, state, and national elections allows special interest groups, rather than the majority, to determine public policy.
3. A person who influences young people
Sample: In twenty years at Florida High, Mary Sanchez has influenced her students by making science come alive, by encouraging all her students to stay in school, and by coaching the women’s track team to several state championships.
4. An invention that should never have been created.
Sample: Because of its potential for wiping out life on this planet, the atomic bomb should n ever have been invented.
5. A law or social practice that should be changed.
Sample: A little-known law requiring state sales tax to be paid on items bought through out of state catalogs should be repealed because it is impossible to enforce.