Writing Analysis

Which statement correctly describes a thesis?

• A thesis expresses a viewpoint about a topic.

• A thesis asks a question about a topic.

• A thesis states a fact about an issue.

• A thesis addresses both sides of an issue.

Hakeim is writing a literary analysis and reads this passage from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.

Spotlights pick out markings carved into the surface of the stone, and close up you can tell that these marks are writing. At the top are fourteen lines of hieroglyphs – pictures of animals, birds, and geometric shapes. Below them you can make out thirty-two lines written in an unfamiliar script. And below that, at the bottom of the slab, are fifty-four more lines written in the letters of the Greek alphabet.

Which thesis best fits into Hakeim’s essay?

• To have an appreciation for the Rosetta Stone, it is important to view the artifact up close.

• James Cross Giblin describes that hieroglyphs are representations of such images as birds, cats, and other shapes.

• James Cross Giblin effectively describes how the Rosetta Stone presents carved data that were important for understanding ancient writing.

• More than one hundred lines of textual information are included on the Rosetta Stone.

Read this thesis from a rhetorical analysis of James Cross Giblin’s The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.

James Cross Giblin effectively uses description in The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone to help the reader visualize the events in the book.

Which detail from the text is the strongest evidence to support the thesis?

• A party of fourteen, including several artists and architects, accompanied Champollion. Deciding to dress like natives, they wore turbans on their heads, gold-embroidered jackets, and yellow boots.

• Champollion helped to provide the world with that knowledge, which scholars today are still adding to.

• Working steadily, Champollion in the next month deciphered more than eighty cartouches. He succeeded in reading the names of all the Greek and Roman leaders who had ruled Egypt since the time of Alexander.

• It took more than a hundred years, and the efforts of many scholars, to translate all three passages of writing on the Rosetta Stone.

Which choice shows an opinion that is well supported with evidence?

• Carletta Wilson brilliantly portrays Abraham Lincoln as a man who is gifted with words, stating that he “inspired unity with his Second Inaugural Address” and that he “exhibited perfection in speech with the Gettysburg Address.”

• Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which states that “all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State . . . shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

• By giving amazing descriptions of Lincoln as a brave reformer and a strong leader, Carletta Wilson creates a character whom the reader can really admire.

• I did not like the book by Carletta Wilson about Abraham Lincoln, because it is too long and the language she uses is too difficult for the average reader to understand.

Which answer choice shows an opinion that is well supported with evidence?

• The main character of the book is a man who wins millions of dollars in the lottery and travels all over the world to learn about different cultures.

• Before leaving for his trip around the world, the main character tells his brother, “I will be back when I spend all my money.”

• The main character of the book is physically and emotionally weak, because he “struggles to carry his baggage” and he “panics when he gets lost.”

• Readers will not like the main character of the book, because he is physically and emotionally weak, and readers do not like weak characters.

Which answer choice can be used as evidence to support the main points in a literary analysis?

• a thesis

• a reason

• a quotation

• an argument

Which is the best example of a thesis statement for a literary analysis?

• Apollo 11 is the name of the 1969 space mission that put the first humans on the moon.

• Samuel Chang, in his novel Lunar Discovery, captures well the suspense of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

• Lunar Discovery, by Samuel Chang, is a novel about the Apollo 11 space mission to the moon.

• The Apollo 11 space mission was one of the most important historical events of the twentieth century.

The thesis statement for our literary analysis needs all of the following except:

• author's name

• short story title

• 3 pieces of evidence

• state the prompt

Jermaine was assigned to write a literary analysis of a book he read about dogs that are trained to help police catch criminals. Jermaine enjoyed the book, because it was fast-paced and exciting. He believed he learned a lot about dogs because there was information about how sensitive the dogs’ sense of smell is and how the dogs are trained to track down wanted criminals.

Jermaine’s thesis statement for his literary analysis is "Police dogs are heroes because they use their superior sense of smell to help get dangerous criminals off the streets.”

Which choice best describes Jermaine’s thesis statement?

• Jermaine’s thesis is acceptable because it expresses a viewpoint and has text evidence.

• Jermaine’s thesis is acceptable because it contains details about the topic.

• Jermaine’s thesis needs revision because it expresses a position that cannot be proven with text evidence.

• Jermaine’s thesis needs revision because it contains quotations about the topic.

James Cross Giblin effectively uses description in The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone to help the reader visualize the events in the book.

Which detail from the text is the strongest evidence to support the thesis?

• A party of fourteen, including several artists and architects, accompanied Champollion. Deciding to dress like natives, they wore turbans on their heads, gold-embroidered jackets, and yellow boots.

• Champollion helped to provide the world with that knowledge, which scholars today are still adding to.

• Working steadily, Champollion in the next month deciphered more than eighty cartouches. He succeeded in reading the names of all the Greek and Roman leaders who had ruled Egypt since the time of Alexander.

• It took more than a hundred years, and the efforts of many scholars, to translate all three passages of writing on the Rosetta Stone.