How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak One. (From the Writing Center at Indiana University !.

" strong thesis takes some sort of stand. Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements There are some negative and #ositive as#ects to the $anana Her% Tea S&##lement. !his is a weak thesis. First, it fails to take a stand. "econd, the phrase #negative and positive aspects$ is vague. $eca&se $anana Her% Tea S&##lement #romotes ra#id weight loss that res&lts in the loss of m&scle and lean %ody mass' it #oses a #otential danger to c&stomers. !his is a strong thesis because it takes a stand. (. " strong thesis )&stifies disc&ssion. %our thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. &f your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements *y family is an e+tended family. !his is a weak thesis because it states an observation. %our reader won't be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading. While most "merican families wo&ld view consang&ineal marriage as a threat to the n&clear family str&ct&re' many Iranian families' like my own' %elieve that these marriages hel# reinforce kinshi# ties in an e+tended family. !his is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. ( good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show

that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point. ,. " strong thesis e+#resses one main idea. Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. &f your thesis expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example Com#anies need to e+#loit the marketing #otential of the Internet' and we% #ages can #rovide %oth advertising and c&stomer s&##ort. !his is a weak thesis statement because the reader can't decide whether the paper is about marketing on the &nternet or web pages. !o revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. )ne way to revise the thesis would be to write $eca&se the Internet is filled with tremendo&s marketing #otential' com#anies sho&ld e+#loit this #otential %y &sing we% #ages that offer %oth advertising and c&stomer s&##ort. !his is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like #because,$ #since,$ #so,$ #although,$ #unless,$ and #however.$ -. " strong thesis statement is s#ecific. ( thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you write a paper on hunger, you might say World h&nger has many ca&ses and effects. !his is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, #world hunger$ can't be discussed thoroughly in five or ten pages. "econd, *many causes and effects* is vague. %ou should be able to identify specific causes and effects. ( revised thesis might look like this H&nger #ersists in "##alachia %eca&se )o%s are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely #rofita%le.

!his is a strong thesis because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

(From the Writing Center at U.C/Cha#el Hill " thesis statement0

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. is a road map for the paper+ in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. directly answers the ,uestion asked of you. ( thesis is an interpretation of a ,uestion or subject, not the subject itself. !he subject, or topic, of an essay might be -orld -ar && or .oby /ick+ a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel that others might dispute. is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. !he rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organi0es evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

How do I know if my thesis is strong? &f there1s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the -riting 2enter to get some feedback. 3ven if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. -hen reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the ,uestion prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the ,uestion. Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? !hesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. &f your thesis contains words like *good* or *successful,* see if you could be more specific -hy is something *good*+ -hat makes something *successful*4

Does my thesis pass the 'So What?' test? &f a reader1s first response is, *"o what4* then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue. Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? &f your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary. Does my thesis pass the how or why test? &f a reader1s first response is *how4 or why4 your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. "ee what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.