Thesis Statements
   This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis
   thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you'll
What is a thesis statement?
   A thesis statement:
     * directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an
       Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the
   thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may
   not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your
   instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an
   likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it
How do I get a thesis?
   A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a
   thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay
   thinking, you will probably have a "working thesis," a basic or main
   of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to
How do I know if my thesis is strong?
   to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your
   own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask
       constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that
       your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could,
     * Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are
       too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis
     * Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first
     * Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without
       wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem
       your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the
     * Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? If a reader's first
       response is "how?" or "why?" your thesis may be too open-ended and
   This weak thesis restates the question without providing any
   are heading. A reader of this weak thesis might think, "What reasons?
   Now you have a working thesis! Included in this working thesis is a
   characterize these differences more precisely, and your working thesis
   issues. You end up revising the working thesis into a final thesis
   Compare this to the original weak thesis. This final thesis presents a
   strong and weak thesis statements and strong and weak uses of
   Why is this thesis weak? Think about what the reader would expect from
   Here's a working thesis with potential: you have highlighted an
   This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary
          What is a thesis statement?
          How do I get a thesis?
          How do I know if my thesis is strong?
          Thesis Statements