Thesis statements in APA papers 1

Click on the sentence that would work well as the thesis statement for a research paper from five to ten pages long. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a five-to-ten-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

For help with this exercise, see Thesis statements.

Example

1 of 10

Question

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◯ American women who expect motherhood to be completely fulfilling will be seriously disappointed when they encounter the many unpleasant realities of child care.
◯ Because American culture usually depicts mother-child relationships as unambiguously positive, women who feel ambivalent about the sacrifices of motherhood can suffer from a depressing sense of isolation.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 1

2 of 10

Question

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◯ Psychologists who use their specialized knowledge to help advertisers target children should be censured by the American Psychological Association.
◯ It is unethical for psychologists to help advertisers find ways to convince consumers to buy a product.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 2

3 of 10

Question

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◯ Research has demonstrated that showing an eyewitness sequential photographs of suspects rather than a lineup reduces mistaken identifications, but for a variety of reasons most police departments in the United States do not want to change their methods.
◯ Many people are jailed—and some are even executed—in the United States based solely on eyewitness testimony, which can sometimes be mistaken, but little has been done to correct the problem.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 3

4 of 10

Question

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◯ According to a 1998 survey, 80% of the most popular video games contain violent or aggressive content.
◯ Studies have not conclusively proved that violent video games cause aggressive behavior, but new longitudinal research may lead to more conclusive results.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 4

5 of 10

Question

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◯ Although adults often believe that children are emotionally resilient, a child whose brain is still developing is more likely than an adult to suffer long-lasting psychological damage from exposure to a traumatic event.
◯ People who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may experience intrusive recollections of the traumatic event, feel less emotionally responsive than before the event occurred, and feel increased anxiety, irritability, and anger.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 5

6 of 10

Question

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◯ Many men and women have become so obsessed with body image that they are willing to turn to drugs, fad diets, and even surgery to achieve their goals.
◯ Rising rates of eating disorders among young women and girls in the United States are almost certainly linked to the pervasiveness of images of very thin models and actresses in American popular culture.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 6

7 of 10

Question

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◯ Milestone Comics, which was launched in February 1993, issued more than 200 titles in the four years of its existence.
◯ The failure of Milestone Comics, which published comic books featuring black superheroes created and drawn by blacks, occurred because distributors believed that their white clientele would not buy comics about black characters who were not stereotypes.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 7

8 of 10

Question

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◯ Although spending time online may cause people to have less face-to-face contact with their family and friends, online communities can offer as much intellectual stimulation and emotional support as real-world social contact does.
◯ When people spend a lot of time on the Internet, they become less involved in the communities in their lives, but the many benefits of being online may well make up for the social drawbacks.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 8

9 of 10

Question

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◯ Designed to prevent drug use by students, the DARE program has had an unintended consequence: As children learn more about drugs from sources outside of school, they become skeptical of the lessons they have been taught.
◯ Programs to prevent drugs and violence in schools, such as DARE and “zero-tolerance” policies, may do more harm than good.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 9

10 of 10

Question

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◯ Gays and lesbians should not face discrimination in housing, employment, health benefits, financial benefits, or any other aspect of life.
◯ Because marriage entitles the partners to share insurance benefits and pay lower taxes, states that do not allow same-sex couples to marry are discriminating financially against gays and lesbians.
Thesis statements in APA papers 1 – 10