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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.
Exercise C1-4
Thesis statements
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In each of the following pairs, which sentence might work well as a thesis for a short paper? What is the problem with the other one? Is it too factual? Too broad? Too vague? Use the problem/strategy approach in section C1-c to evaluate each thesis. Type your answers in the boxes below.

Click Submit after each question to see feedback and to record your answer. After you have finished every question, your answers will be submitted to your instructor’s gradebook. You may review your answers by returning to the exercise at any time. (An exercise reports to the gradebook only if your instructor has assigned it.)

1 of 5

  • a. By networking with friends, a single parent can manage to strike a balance among work, school, a social life, and family.
  • b. Single parents face many challenges as they try to juggle all of their responsibilities.
Answer:
Suggested revision: 1. a would make a better thesis; b is too broad.

2 of 5

  • a. At the Special Olympics, athletes with disabilities show that, with hard work and support from others, they can accomplish anything—that they can indeed be winners.
  • b. Working with the Special Olympics program is rewarding.
Answer:
Suggested revision: 2. a would make a better thesis; b is too vauge.

3 of 5

  • a. History 201, taught by Professor Brown, is offered at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
  • b. Whoever said that history is nothing but polishing tombstones must have missed History 201, because in Professor Brown’s class history is vibrantly alive.
Answer:
Suggested revision: 3. b would make a better thesis; a is too factual.

4 of 5

  • a. So far, research suggests that zero-emissions vehicles are not a sensible solution to the problem of steadily increasing air pollution.
  • b. Because air pollution is of serious concern to many people today, several US government agencies have implemented plans to begin solving the problem.
Answer:
Suggested revision: 4. a would make a better thesis; b is too broad

5 of 5

  • a. Anorexia nervosa is a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder occurring mainly in young, upper-middle-class teens.
  • b. The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is rarely cured by one treatment alone; only by combining drug therapy with psychotherapy and family therapy can the client begin the long journey to wellness.
Answer:
Suggested revision: 5. b would make a better thesis; a is too factual.