✍️ English Grammar and Writing · Essay Writing
Writing a Thesis Statement flashcards
Say the answer out loud before you flip. Cards you miss come back sooner; cards you know come back later. That spacing is what builds long-term memory.
All 17 flashcards at a glance
Card 1
What is a thesis statement?
The main point of an essay, written in one or two sentences. It answers the prompt, makes a claim (or states a controlling idea), and often previews the main reasons.
Card 2
What is the difference between a topic and a thesis?
A topic names a subject (recycling). A thesis says something about it: a claim, usually with a reason (or, in an informative essay, a controlling idea), such as Our school should post lunch menus a week ahead because families can plan around them.
Card 3
Why is a fact not an argumentative thesis?
A fact is already settled, so there is nothing to argue or prove. Facts work as evidence in the body paragraphs.
Card 4
Why is In this paper, I will discuss pollution. not a thesis?
It is an announcement. It says what the writer will do, not what the writer claims. Replace it with the claim itself.
Card 5
Can a question be a thesis?
No. A question raises the issue, and the thesis is the answer. A question can work as a hook in the introduction.
Card 6
What is the recipe for an argumentative thesis?
Topic + claim + because. State the topic, add your claim, and finish with the reason or reasons. (An informative thesis names a controlling idea instead.)
Card 7
What are the three steps for revising a weak argumentative thesis?
Add a claim, make it specific, and add the reason (then tighten it to one clear claim).
Card 8
What does arguable mean for a thesis?
A reasonable reader could disagree with it, so it needs reasons and evidence to support it.
Card 9
What is the thesis in an argumentative essay?
A claim that the writer will defend with reasons and evidence, and that a reasonable reader could disagree with.
Card 10
What is the thesis in a literary analysis?
A claim about how a work shows an idea or uses a technique, supported by evidence from the text. It is not a plot summary.
Card 11
What is a controlling idea?
The central point of an informative essay that organizes what you explain. It states a specific main idea, and it is not a debate.
Card 12
Where does the thesis usually go?
At the end of the introduction, after the hook and the background.
Card 13
What is a road-map thesis? Is it required?
A thesis that names the main reasons in the order the body paragraphs follow. It is optional.
Card 14
The five checklist questions are: answers the prompt, arguable, specific, one clear claim, and supportable. Which one does this thesis fail? Students should have shorter tests, a longer lunch, and a new mascot.
One clear claim. It makes three unrelated claims, so no single set of body paragraphs could support all of them.
Card 15
What is the job of a body paragraph?
To support one part of the thesis. It begins with a topic sentence, then gives evidence and explains it.
Card 16
Is In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie travel to a ranch to find work. a plot summary or a thesis?
A plot summary. It describes events and makes no claim about what the book shows, so there is nothing to argue.
Card 17
Why is Video games have both good and bad effects. a weak thesis?
It is a hedge that nobody could disagree with. Almost anything has good and bad effects. A strong thesis picks a position and gives a reason.