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EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements

In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

Example

1 of 10

A law enforcement program known as “community policing” has had significant success in deterring criminal activity in downtown Greenville.

“Community policing” is a law enforcement program used in many municipalities across the country.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 1 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

2 of 10

Because air pollution is of serious concern to people in the world today, many countries have implemented a variety of plans to begin solving the problem.

So far, research suggests that zero-emissions vehicles are one solution to the problem of steadily rising air pollution.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 2 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

3 of 10

The Sex Pistols could not have succeeded without singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten, who provided the stage presence, poetry, and authentic working-class rage that appealed to the group’s young English audiences.

The Sex Pistols were popular with young English audiences, and the singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten was very important to their success.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 3 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

4 of 10

Because it has become outdated, the electoral college should be replaced by a system that allows the US president to be elected by direct popular vote.

Rather than voting for a presidential candidate, voters in a US presidential election merely choose their state’s electoral college representatives, who actually vote for the president. In most states, all of the electoral votes go to the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state, no matter how close the outcome.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 4 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

5 of 10

This paper presents the results of my investigation into electronic surveillance in the workplace.

Though employers currently have a legal right to monitor workers’ e-mail and voice mail messages, this practice can have negative effects on employee morale and is not worth the risk.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 5 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

6 of 10

In his autobiographical Narrative, Frederick Douglass draws on techniques used in popular texts of his day—sentimental literature, the Bible, and dramatic oratory—to persuade his audience to reject slavery.

Frederick Douglass’s autobiographical Narrative is an interesting exploration of the issue of slavery.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 6 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

7 of 10

Video games are not as mindless as most people think.

Although they are widely criticized as mindlessly violent, video games are a form of popular art that deserves to be evaluated as seriously as television and film.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 7 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

8 of 10

Judges should have discretion in sentencing drug offenders so that those convicted of nonviolent or first-time offenses do not automatically go to prison.

Currently judges do not have much discretion in sentencing drug offenders, so even nonviolent or first-time offenders automatically go to prison.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 8 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

9 of 10

Instead of repealing the estate tax altogether, Congress should raise the current exemption significantly so that wealthy estates are taxed but those of the vast majority of Americans are not.

The US system of taxation is unfair to taxpayers who have worked hard all their lives to provide a secure future for their families.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 9 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.

10 of 10

Social workers in Hamilton leave much to be desired.

The social service system in Hamilton has broken down because the social workers are underpaid, poorly trained, and overworked.

EXERCISE 1–5 Thesis statements - 10 of 10: In each pair, click on the passage that would work better as a thesis statement for a three-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a three-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused. Click Save to save your work and return to it. Click Submit to see your score and item-by-item explanations; your activity will be recorded in your instructor's gradebook.