Analyzing Thesis and Evidence

A thesis statement is...

• Something your teacher makes you write.

• A sentence to introduce yourself to the reader.

• Your opinion on the topic/answer to the question.

• Grabs the readers' attention.

The purpose of a thesis statement is to...

• explain what the essay will be about.

• introduce the reader to the topic.

• wrap up your essay.

• provide evidence to support your opinions.

Where does your thesis statement need to appear in your essay?

• At the beginning of your introduction

• In your body paragraphs

• At the end of your introduction

• At the end of your entire essay

Which of the following is the strongest argumentative thesis statement?

• Friendship is cool.

• It is important to have a good friend because they'll be the ones who will be with you when you take your last breath in the end.

• Friends are the most important people in your life.

• Having friends is important.

What is evidence (in informational text)?

• Evidence is the description of the thesis.

• Evidence is support or proof of the thesis or main idea.

• Evidence is what is used to convict a criminal.

• Evidence is the controlling idea.

Evidence comes from text in the form of...

• a direct quote

• a paraphrase

• all of the above

• a graph, picture or other media

What is the controlling idea?

• controls the ideas of the article

• supports the evidence

• identifies the topic

• summarizes the text

A concluding statement...

• explains the evidence

• is always the last sentence of text

• opens the topic

• is a restated thesis