The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Thesis Statement Kibin

8/15/2019 The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Thesis Statement Kibin

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T O W R I T I N G

T H E U L T I M A T E G U I D

A T H E S I S S T A T E M E N T

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Table of Contents

Introducing the All-Important Thesis Statement

The Quick and Dirty Formula to Writing a Fast, Good Thesis Statement

Different Types of Thesis Statements for Different Types of Essays

1. Personal narrative essays

2. Compare and contrast essays

3. Reaction and response essays

4. Research papers

Hot Tip: Why It’s Important to Create a Working Thesis BEFORE Doing Your

Research

5. Literary analysis essay s

6. Expository essays

7. Argumentative and persuasive essays

What Exactly Is a Thesis Statement?

How to Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Simple Steps

Step #1: Pick a topic

Step #2: Be specific

Step #3: Be arguable

Step #4: Create a mini-outline

Step #5: Choose your words wisely

How Writing a Thesis Statement Is Like Writing a Tweet (and Why You Shouldn’t Be

Intimidated)

Both a tweet and a thesis statement should be focused and specific

Both a good tweet and a good thesis statement are debatable

Both a tweet and a thesis statement should be intriguing

The Argumentative Thesis Statement Dissected

A great argumentative thesis is focused and not too broad

A great argumentative thesis is centered on a debatable topic


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A great argumentative thesis picks a side

A great thesis makes claims that will be supported later in the paper

35 Thesis Statement Examples

Topics and Thesis Statements on Issues Affecting Students

Topics and Thesis Statements on Issues Affecting Children

Topics and Thesis Statements on Social and Governmental Issues

How to Use These Argumentative Thesis Statement Examples in Your Next Essay

Now It’s Your Turn to Write an Argumentative Thesis Statement

About Kibin.com

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In fact, this guide will make it easy. Read it, and you’ll be a master of the thesis

statement in no time.

In this ebook, I will teach you everything you need to know to keep your teacher on the

edge of his seat! Here’s what we’ll cover:

1) First the quick and dirty way to write a FAST, good thesis statement.

2) You’ll learn how to write an expert thesis for ANY kind of essay.

3) I'll teach you skills that you can apply to every class and every paper for the REST

of YOUR ACADEMIC LIFE.

4) I’ll even give you 35 EXAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS to inspire your own

writing.

5) Finally, I’ll walk you through writing your own thesis statement in a flash using a

step-by-step guide.

Ready? Roll cameras.

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The Quick and Dirty Formula to Writing a Fast, Good

Thesis Statement

I know you’re in a hurry to get your paper started (and more importantly, finished) so

you can get on with your life.

Before we take a deep dive into all things thesis statement, let’s go over myquick and

dirty formula for writing a thesis statement . If you get nothing else from this book, at

least learn the formula.

(But read the rest too!)

Oh and if you are a math wiz, please don’t laugh at my formula!

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So here it is:

Topic = the topic of your paper

Stance = your position on the topic (do you agree or disagree?)

Claim = the claims that bolster your argument, which you will address in detail

later in your paper. (Note, I’ve listed 3 claims, but you may have more or fewer.)

That’s it! It’s just simple addition.

Math not really your thing?

Check out the Kibin Thesis Statement Builder

, which will help you

formulate your argumentative thesis statement in a few short minutes!

You might be thinking, hey, wait, I’m not supposed to be writing an

argumentative thesis statement! No worries, most thesis statements are built in a

similar way.

Here are some more formulas to help you out:

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Topics = the topics of your paper (there should be more than one)

Stance = your position on the topic (are the topics the same, different, or both?)

Similarity/Difference = the similarities and/or differences between the topics

Title + Author = the title of the work and name of the author/creator

Opinion = your reaction to the topic

Reason = the reasons why you reacted to a piece of work in a certain way


Conclusion = the conclusions drawn from your research

Support = the evidence that supports your conclusion, which you will address in

detail later in your paper

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Title + Author = the title and author of the work you are analyzing in your

paper

Literary element(s) = element(s) such as theme, symbolism, or plot found in a

literary work

Stance = your position on the meaning of the literary element

Support

= the evidence that supports your position or assertion, which you will

address in detail later in your paper


Assertion = your statement about the topic (what is the big deal about this

topic?)

Support = the evidence that supports your position or assertion, which you will

address in detail later in your paper

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Significance = why the topic is meaningful to your story

Notice a pattern here? These formulas are all quite similar. You can see that no matter

the type of essay you are writing, you’ll need to plug in the topic, your position,

assertion, or conclusion about the topic, and a summary of your supports or claims.

As you get better with writing thesis statements, you can play with the formulas a bit,

but you’ll still likely want to keep all of these elements.

Now that you have the formulas, let’s break down the different types of thesis

statements even further.

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Different Types of Thesis Statements for Different

Types of Essays

Have you ever realized that you forgot your workout sneakers after you already made it

to the gym? You probably had to turn around, go home, and eat chocolate chip cookies

instead.

I’m just saying, it’s pretty much impossible to run a treadmill wearing loafers or high

heels.

While shoes are always meant to be worn on your feet, their specific purpose will change

depending on what type of shoes you are wearing.

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You can walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins, but I would not recommend running a

mile in penny loafers.

Same goes for the thesis statement. While a thesis statement is always used to set up

your paper, its specific purpose will change depending on what type of essay you are

writing.

An argumentative thesis statement might not be the right fit for your compare and

contrast essay and vice versa.

Let me break this down for you by giving you some examples of thesis statements for

different types of essays. I’ve color coded them so you can follow along.

1. Personal narrative essays

Personal narrative essays require you to tell a story about an experience or event from

your own life that ultimately changed you in a meaningful way.

By the way, you might notice that personal narrative essays are different than most

other essays. For one, the thesis statement is a little more loosey goosey, and, for two,

you usually write the personal narrative essay infirst person--since it’s about YOU and

all.

(Need more help? Read: How to Write a Narrative Essay That Stands Out)

Your personal narrative thesis statement should

● State the topic

● State the significance of the topic (what did you learn?)

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For example:

At 5 foot nothing, 100 and nothing pounds, I was hardly your typical football player.

But, that didn’t stop me from believing that I could play for Notre Dame. It turns out,

the most important part of achieving my dreams is believing in myself.

2. Compare and contrast essays

Compare and contrast essays ask you to look at the similarities (compare) and

differences (contrast) between two or more items or concepts.

There are a bazillion different topics that you can compare (Dogs v. Cats! Madonna v.

Lady Gaga! Lady Gaga v. Cats!)--If you need ideas for your essay,here are 49 of them .

(Need more help? Read How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay .)

Your compare and contrast thesis statement should

● State the topics

● State your stance (are the topics similar, different, or both?)

● Include your supporting similarities/differences

For example:

My experiences in two clinical rotation facilities for nursing school were very different

from each other as one was a large, urban hospital and the other was a small, rural

health clinic.

OR

My experiences in two clinical rotation facilities for nursing school were very similar to

each other as both dealt with an overwhelmingly impoverished population.

OR

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My experiences in two clinical rotation facilities for nursing school had some similarities

as both dealt with overwhelmingly impoverished populations and some differences

because one was a large, urban hospital, while the other was a small and rural health

clinic.

3. Reaction and response essays

Reaction and response essays ask you to respond to a piece of art, literature, film, or

other subject and explain how you feel about the work. Usually this involves formulating

your opinion of the work and supporting it with good reasons. (For example, you can’t

say “Twilight

was an awful book because it was just so bad.”)

Your reaction or response thesis statement should

● State the title of the work and author or creator

● State your opinion on the subject

● Include your reasons

For example:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is the worst book on vampires ever written because the

characters are not likeable or believable, the dialogue is dull, and, most importantly,

vampires shouldn’t sparkle.

4. Research papers

Research papers are in-depth forays into a topic that require you to reallyknow your

stuff . They are the culmination of many research hours mixed with many more gallons

of coffee and manic typing (and sometimes banging your head) on your laptop.

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(For more help--and if you’re writing a research paper, I know you need it!--readHow to

Write a Research Paper: a Step-by-Step Guide .)

Your research paper thesis statement should

● Summarize the research topic

● State the main conclusions

● Include your supporting points

For example:

Over one-third of American adults are obese, which leads to higher incidences of heart

disease and diabetes and burdens the healthcare system. Several researchers have

concluded that obesity is caused by genetic factors; however, after comparing obesity

rates in the U.S. with obesity rates in China, and cross-examining cultural and genetic

factors in both populations, our studies conclude that obesity is primarily caused by

Western lifestyle choices such as the consumption of processed and fast foods and an

overwhelmingly sedentary lifestyle directly resulting from the typical American

workday .

Hot Tip: Why It’s Important to Create a Working Thesis BEFORE Doing Your

Research

Knowing what you want to write about is important, but it’s just as important (or

maybe even more important) to know what you want to say about the topic.

If you want to be stressed out, overworked, and frustrated beyond belief because

you just can’t find any “good” sources, then feel free to start researchingwithout

a working thesis.

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If you want to work harder than you have to, then start researchingwithout a

thesis.

But if you want to make your life less stressful,develop a thesis before you begin

researching .

Here’s why: A thesis is the controlling idea of your paper. It provides readers

(and you) with a road map of your paper.

Without a strong thesis, your paper lacks direction.

If you don’t at least develop a working thesis before you begin researching, you’ll

lack direction, too. (But you’ll have no lack of frustration.)

Still don’t believe me that you need a working thesis?

Look at this example: Let’s say you decide to write about social media. (Note: in

this example, you’re starting your search without a working thesis.)

Googling “social media” will produce a list of all kinds of results, from a list of

different types of social media sites, to social media in the news, to social media

in schools.

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Are these results useful? Probably not. “Social media” is too broad of a search

and doesn’t include any focus.

Try the search again with a working thesis , such as “Social media can cause

teens to feel isolated.”

Suddenly, your results change. Rather than a list of random and likely useless

sites, you’ll see a list of more relevant sources.

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This tip not only increases your relevant search results but decreases your

frustration levels!

/End bonus tip. We will now proceed with our regularly scheduled programming.

5. Literary analysis essays

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Literary analysis essays require you to dissect a short story, poem, novel, or other type of

literature and draw conclusions and observations about the theme, characters, plot,

and/or other literary elements.

● State the title of the work and author

● State the element of the work you will dissect

● State your conclusion/observation about the element


For example:

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses The Beast as a symbol for the evil and malice

that reside within everyone , and The Beast only gets more powerful as the boys succumb

to their savagery .

6. Expository essays

Expository essays educate your reader on a given topic while often making and

defending an assertion about the topic.

(For more help, read How to Write an Expository Essay That Pops)

Your expository thesis statement should

● State the topic

● State your assertion


For example:

The Potawatomi tribe's oral traditions and religious beliefs completely shaped the tribe's

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organization as evidenced by the location of their villages near bodies of water and the

division of clans under a patriarchal structure.

7. Argumentative and persuasive essays

Argumentative and persuasive essays tackle a debatable topic and aim to prove one side

over another in order to convince your readers to accept your viewpoint as valid.

(Need more help? Read The Secrets of a Strong Argumentative Essay )

Your argumentative thesis statement should

● State the topic

● State your position or stance on the topic

● Include your supporting arguments

For example:

Vaccinations against diseases such as polio, rubella, and mumps should be mandatory,

without exception, for all children in the U.S. who wish to attend school. These

vaccinations are critical to the control and eradication of deadly infectious diseases.

As you can see, when it comes to thesis statements, one size does not fit all, but they do

have a lot in common.

Namely, most thesis statements, no matter the type of essay, will require you to state

your topic, offer your position, stance, assertion, or argument, and include some

supporting points or claims.

If you do that much, you’ll be way, waaaay ahead of your game.

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Now that you know a little bit more about the different types of thesis statements out

there, let’s go back a little bit and talk about the definition and purpose of a thesis

statement.

What Exactly Is a Thesis Statement?

The short answer

A thesis statement informs readers of

● the subject of your paper and

● your claim (or opinion) of the topic.

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The longer answer

The thesis statement is usually the last part of the introduction, following the hook and

background information. It tells your readers what you’re writing about and tells your

readers your opinion, stance, or learnings about a given topic.

The thesis essentially serves as a mini outline for your paper.

Don’t think you really need an effective thesis? Think again!

Have you ever read the first one or two paragraphs of a paper and wondered, “What’s

the point?” or “So what?”

Has someone ever read one of your papers and said, “I don’t get it. What’s this paper

about?”

If so, chances are the paper is missing a thesis statement. Without a thesis statement,

readers are unlikely to understand the main point of the paper.

When writing an essay--whether it’s argumentative, analytical, expository, or any other

type of essay for that matter--you need to formulate a strong, clear, and concise thesis

statement.

In the end, readers should know exactly what your paper is about just by reading your

thesis statement.

Great, so now that you understand the most important components of a thesis

statement, let’s go through the step-by-step process of writing one! Resistance is futile!

You’re going to have to start writing sooner or later.

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How to Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Simple Steps

Step #1: Pick a topic

To write an effective thesis statement, you first need a topic for your paper. I’m hungry,

so our example topic might be a little food-centric, sorry in advance!

Today’s paper topic: Taco Bell.

Now that you have a topic for your paper, think about what you want to say about the

topic.

This is where you’ll begin to develop an effective thesis statement.

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Step #2: Be specific

Let’s say you started developing your ideas with the following working thesis: A lot of

people go to Taco Bell.

The first problem with this thesis is that it’s not specific at all. Ask yourself “ Who goes

to Taco Bell?” Ask “ Why do they go to Taco Bell?”

Let’s try again: College students often go to Taco Bell late at night because it’s

open 24 hours.

This time, you’ve managed to be a bit more specific, but readers are still going to say,

“So what?” You’ve introduced a topic, but you haven’t yet included your opinion about

the topic.

Let’s move on to the third component and revise again.

Step #3: Be arguable

Our most recent revision ( College students often go to Taco Bell late at night because

it’s open 24 hours) doesn’t provide any form of argument. It’s merely a statement.

Think about how you could create an argument about Taco Bell. What is it you want to

say about Taco Bell?

Pretend you and a group of friends are sitting around late at night trying to think of

where you should go to eat. A friend mentions another fast food restaurant, but you

argue for Taco Bell. What would you say to convince your friend that you should eat

there?

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Let’s try thesis statement revision #2: College students like to go to Taco

Bell because it’s one of the best fast-food restaurants around.

Now we’re getting somewhere. We have aspecific statement that is arguable.

But it’s still missing something; it doesn’t explain why Taco Bell is so great and doesn’t

tell readers the key points of your paper.

Because the thesis statement still isn’t perfect, we’ll move on to the next essential

component.

Step #4: Create a mini-outline

A basic thesis statement will provide readers with a clear outline of your paper. It will

tell readers what to expect in the upcoming paragraphs.

Your thesis doesn’t do that yet.

When your readers see your current thesis, they know the subject and the stance of your

paper, but they don’t yet know what they’ll be reading in the body of the paper.

Let’s revise again.

Thesis revision #3: College students like to go to Taco Bell because it’s one of

the best fast-food restaurants around and has cheap prices, good food, and is

open 24 hours.

This thesis statement seems to meet all of the requirements, right? It includes a topic

and offers your opinion. It is specific and arguable, and it creates a mini-outline for your

paper.

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While your thesis does include all of the required elements, the wording is less than

perfect, and you still need to revise for clarity and style.

Step #5: Choose your words wisely

"Are we done yet?"

Not yet. Let’s look at your current thesis statement again: College students like to go to

Taco Bell because it’s one of the best fast-food restaurants around and has cheap

prices, good food, and is open 24 hours.

Ask yourself these questions to refine your wording.

● Do all college students go to Taco Bell? Clearly not all college students do, so

you might revise to say “UMKC students…” or whatever school you are from.

● Are the words “cheap” and “good” the most effective word choices? Probably

not . These words are boring and general. Use more specific wording. You

might try “inexpensive” and “delicious” instead.

Let’s try our 4th (and hopefully final) revision: UMKC students choose Taco

Bell over other fast-food restaurants because it is inexpensive, offers delicious food,

and is open 24 hours.

Great! Now that’s a strong thesis statement.

Writing a thesis statement may seem kind of intimidating, but it turns out that it

shouldn’t be any more intimidating than writing a tweet. Yeah, I’m talking about social

media here.

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In both cases, your goal is to summarize a lot of information into a small amount of

space in order to paint a larger picture. Let’s dig into this idea some more.

How Writing a Thesis Statement Is Like Writing a

Tweet (and Why You Shouldn’t Be Intimidated)

For many of you, the phrase “thesis statement” strikes fear in your heart.

But, chances are that most of you reading this guide have also tweeted a time or two.

Most likely you did so without a lot of handwringing or worry.

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So what is it about the prospect of writing a thesis statement that prompts students to

wake up in a cold sweat?

Let’s take a moment to compare the beloved tweet with the maligned thesis statement.

You’ll find that they’re more alike than you might think.

Both a tweet and a thesis statement should be focused and

specific

As you know, a tweet must be focused merely because of the 140 character limit. Yet, it

should also be focused as a way to inform the reader. If a tweet is too broad, the reader

will not expect to receive any new information from reading further.

Instead, it is important to narrow your tweet to a specific point that can be expanded

later. This will intrigue the reader, inspiring him to read further.

A thesis is similar in that you don’t want to use it to present a broad topic, because the

reader won’t know which part of the topic your paper will be focusing on. Instead, show

the reader in this one uber-important sentence the precise direction your essay will be

going. Inspire the reader to read further with a clear signpost

Do this by articulating in your thesis statement only the main points of your essay,

which will be supported later in the paper by evidence. Don’t include anything in your

thesis that won’t be addressed later in the essay .

Both a good tweet and a good thesis statement are debatable

You may notice that a lot of opinionated tweets tend to go viral. People love to either

reinforce their opinions or disagree with those on the other side of the aisle. The best

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tweets play on this desire. And, they aren’t difficult to write, because you have the beliefs

to back them up.

If you are like me, you love reading other peoples’ opinions on Twitter. A tweet that

makes a debatable claim tends to draw my attention. I am much more likely to click on

the adjoining link if the tweet is controversial or challenges my current thoughts on a

matter.

Depending on the type of paper you write, a thesis statement should present a debatable

argument. If written well, your thesis will incite an opinion in your reader. And, if you’ve

done your legwork, it will be easy to write because you’ll have the research on hand to

back it up.

Whether your readers agree or disagree with your opinion is not important; what

matters is that they are sufficiently roused into reading further. Once that happens, you

can use the evidence in the rest of your paper to drive home your opinion, possibly

swaying their original beliefs.

Both a tweet and a thesis statement should be intriguing

When we take to the Twittersphere, we try to come up with tweets that will intrigue

people. There’s no reason to tweet to your followers information that they already know.

Instead, we look for interesting tidbits that will make them take notice.

Instead of tweeting, “Saddam Hussein was a bad man,” you might write, “Saddam

Hussein was once given the key to Detroit.” This is tweeting 101, or as we say in the

physical realm, common sense.

So why would a thesis statement be any different?

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Intrigue your readers! Remember, the thesis will generally be the last sentence of your

introduction. So, if you want your readers to continue beyond the first paragraph, you

have to give them a reason to continue reading.

It doesn’t have to be difficult. Think about what readers already know and what will

catch their interest. By the time they finish reading your introduction, they should have

an overview of the topic you are discussing, as well as a clear, concise, and debatable

focal point.

If written well, after reading that final sentence in your introduction your reader will

WANT to read further in order to learn more about your stance. So, use your common

sense. Put yourself in the reader's shoes, and write an intriguing thesis.

In the end, writing a great thesis will be good for your essay grade too.

Not only is tweeting fun and anxiety free, it can teach us a lot about those pesky thesis

statements that seem to cause so much distress.

Instead of dousing yourself with holy water at the thought of writing a thesis statement,take a deep breath. You’ve been doing this the whole time on Twitter (or your preferred

social media site), and you didn't even know it.

So, remember the elements of a good tweet the next time you are tackling the most

important sentence(s) of your essay. You’ll end up with a strong thesis that grabs your

reader’s attention and gives your essay the boost it deserves.

Now that you realize that a thesis statement is nothing to be feared, let’s dissect the

main components of a great argumentative thesis statement.

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This statement is too general and would be nearly impossible for you to defend. It leaves

a lot of big questions to answer. Is all fast food bad? Why is it bad? Who should avoid it?

Why should anyone care?

Do write, “Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food

because the fast food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as

diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.”

In this example, I’ve narrowed my argument to the health consequences related to a diet

of fast food. I’ve also chosen to focus on Americans rather than everyone in the universe.

(Because, as we all know, inhabitants of the faraway planet Doublepatty 5 require the

starches and fats inherent in fast food to survive).

A great argumentative thesis is centered on a debatable topic

Back in the ‘80s, teens loved to say “ that’s debatable” about claims they didn’t agree

with (such as “you should clean your room” and “you shouldn’t go to that movie”). This

age-old, neon-colored, bangle-wearing, peg-legged wisdom holds true today—in yourthesis statement.

Don’t write, “There are high numbers of homeless people living in Berkeley,

California.”

No one can argue for or against this statement. It’s not debatable. It’s just a fact.

An argument over this non-debatable statement would go something like this:

“There are lots of homeless people in Berkeley.”

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“Yes, there sure are a bunch of them out there.”

“Yup.”

As you can see, that’s not much of an argument.

Do write, “Homeless people in Berkeley should be given access to services, such as

regular food donations, public restrooms, and camping facilities because it would

improve life for all inhabitants of the city.”

Now that’s debatable .

Opponents could easily argue that homeless people in Berkeley already receive adequate

services ( “just look at all those luxurious sidewalks!” ), or perhaps that they shouldn’t be

entitled to services at all ( “get a job, ya lazy loafers!” ).

A great argumentative thesis picks a side

I went into a lot of detail about the importance of picking sides in my postThe Secrets of

a Strong Argumentative Essay . Picking a side is pretty much the whole entire point of an

argumentative essay.

Just as you can’t root for both the Yankees and the Mets, you can’t argue both sides of a

topic in your thesis statement.

Don’t write, “Secondhand smoke is bad and can cause heart disease and cancer;

therefore, smoking should be outlawed in public places, but outlawing smoking is unfair

to smokers so maybe non-smokers can just hold their breath or wear masks around

smokers instead.”

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A wishy-washy statement like this will make your reader scratch his head in puzzlement.

Are you for smoking laws or against them? Yankees or Mets? Mets or Yankees?

Pick a side, and stick with it!

Then stick up for it.

Do write, “Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher

prevalence of cancer and heart disease. What’s worse, people who inhale secondhand

smoke are doing so without consent. For this reason, smoking in any public place should

be banned.”

A great thesis makes claims that will be supported later in the

paper

As I explained in my blog post How to Create a Powerful Argumentative Essay Outline ,

Your claims make up a critical part of building the roadmap to your argument.

It’s important to first include a summary of your claims in your thesis statement. During

the course of your essay, you will back each of your claims with well-researched

evidence.

Don’t write, “Humans should relocate to Mars.”

This statement doesn’t include any supporting claims. Why should humans move toMars? What are the benefits of moving to a planet without oxygen or trees?

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Do write, “It is too late to save earth; therefore, humans should immediately set a

date for their relocation to Mars where, with proper planning, they can avoid issues of

famine, war, and global warming.”

This statement includes some thought-provoking claims. The reader will wonder how

the author plans to defend them. (“ Famine, war, and global warming can be easily

avoided on Mars? Go on…”)

Now that you know how to write a thesis statement, I’m going to show you 35

argumentative thesis statement examples so you can get an idea of potential topics and

ways to approach them.

35 Thesis Statement Examples

Here are 35 debatable, supportable, and focused thesis statements for you to learn from.

Feel free to copy these and customize them for use in your own argumentative essays.

Beware!

1. I have not done the research needed to support these claims. So some of the

claims may not be useable once you dig into them.

2. Be careful not to use these thesis statements word-for-word; I wouldn’t want

you to get in trouble if your teacher did a copy/find Google maneuver on you!

3. Of course, because each topic is debatable, so is each thesis statement. This

means you may either agree or disagree with the statement. As you write yourown thesis statement, consider your stance on the subject and how you might

craft a thesis statement that is appropriate for your own essay.

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4. In some cases, I’ve included a links to example essays written on the topic for

further inspiration.

Ready? Here we go.

Topics and Thesis Statements on Issues Affecting Students

#1. Topic: Is a college degree necessary for success?

Thesis : A college degree is necessary for most people to achieve success in today’s

society because many entry-level jobs won’t hire people without a degree, and it gives

graduates more options in case their high school rock band doesn't make it out of thegarage; while there are other avenues one could take, the majority of career paths will

require college education.

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#2. Topic: Should a college education be free for everyone?

Thesis : A college education should not be free for everyone because it will not increase

graduation rates and will cost the taxpayers too much money.

#3 . Topic: Is the cost of tuition appropriate?

Thesis : Lowering the cost of tuition by at least 50% would lead to less student debt and

allow more students to attend college, which, in turn, would increase the amount of

educated people in the general public.

#4. Topic:

Should guns be permitted on college campuses?

Thesis : Guns should not be permitted on college campuses due to the increased

likelihood of violence and criminal activity.

#5. Topic: What affect does Facebook have on a person’s social life?

Thesis : College students who overuse Facebook may have interactive online lives, but

in reality, they are more isolated than ever because they are missing out on true

face-to-face interaction with their peers.

#6. Topic: Is our school too dependent on technology?

Thesis : Our school’s dependence on technology has caused a greater prevalence of

mood disorders, memory loss, and loneliness among students. Educators should combat

these issues by requiring students to participate in regular technology detoxes.

#7. Topic: Should school officials fight cyberbullying?

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Thesis : Bullying has extended far beyond school and into cyberspace. Even though

these acts of aggression take place outside of school boundaries, school officials should

have the authority to discipline students who engage in cyberbullying without fear of

reprisal. Doing so will help improve the online behavior of students and decrease

incidences of cyberbully-related suicide attempts.

#8. Topic: Should all high school students be required to complete

parenting classes?

Thesis : In order to both educate teens about life as a parent and to help prevent

teenage pregnancy, high school students should be required to complete parenting

classes.

#9. Topic: Does the school day start too early?

Thesis : Starting the school day at a later time will help increase students’ attentiveness

because more sleep will make them more alert and focused, and being more focused will

improve grades.

#10. Topic: Should standardized tests be eliminated?

Thesis : Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be

evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and

volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests,

allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are

better in other areas a greater chance to further their education.

#11. Topic: Are extracurricular activities important in high school?

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Thesis : Extracurricular activities such as sports, music, art, and theater are extremely

important because they can give students a better sense of belonging, an idea of what

they want to do for a living, and the confidence to perform well in other subject areas.

#12. Topic: Should students be graded on homework?

Thesis : Students should only be graded on homework completion, not the correctness

of their homework, because it will allow students more time to fully grasp a concept,

they will feel less stressed about their overall homework load, and they will have the

chance to get an answer wrong every once in a while without fear of punishment.

#13.

Topic:

Should college football players get paid to play?

Thesis : College football players should get paid to play because they put at least as

much time into practicing as most college students put into working, they don’t have

time for a side job, and not paying them creates a double standard in regards to paying

professional athletes.

#14. Topic:

Should schools be segregated by sex?

Thesis : Schools should not be segregated by sex because co-ed environments teach kids

valuable social and dating skills and expose them to different perspectives and ways of

thinking within the classroom.

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Topics and Thesis Statements on Issues Affecting Children

#15. Topic: Do children benefit if everyone on the team receives a trophy?

Thesis : Handing out trophies to everyone on a team has created a generation of

children who feel entitled and who do not understand the value of competition and hard

work.

#16. Topic: Should childhood vaccinations be mandatory?

Thesis : Childhood vaccinations should be mandatory as they are safe, reduce the risk of

illness, and protect other people from contagious diseases.

#17. Topic: At what age should children stop getting an allowance?

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Thesis : Children should stop receiving allowance at age 15 because they are able to

work outside of the home at this age, they will have three years to adjust to a job

environment before they are legally an adult, and it creates less burden on the parents

because the children will be able to pay for more of their own needs.

#18. Topic: At what age should kids have cell phones?

Thesis : Parents should allow their kids access to cell phones when the children start

going out on their own. Cell phones give kids the ability to call a parent if they are lost or

in trouble, teaches kids responsibility, and saves them from possible ridicule from peers

about not having what has become a basic piece of technology.

#19. Topic: Should parents reward children for good grades and punish

them for bad grades?

Thesis : Parents should reward children for good grades, but not punish them for bad

grades; rewarding children will make them want to get more good grades, but punishing

them can possibly make them feel inadequate and less likely to seek help to improve

those grades.

#20. Topic: Is it ethical to sentence juveniles as adults?

Thesis : Juveniles should not be sentenced as adults because adolescents’ brains are not

fully developed, and they are not yet capable of making adult decisions.

#21. Topic: Should corporations be allowed to advertise in schools?

Thesis : Advertising should not be allowed in public schools as it increases a perceived

importance on materialism, leads to conflicts over appropriate messaging in schools,

and deemphasizes the importance of education in favor of corporate culture.

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#22. Topic: Should minors be allowed to get tattoos if they have parental

permission?

Thesis : Even with parental permission, minors should not be allowed to get tattoos

because minors are likely to regret the choice as adults, and the tattoo will fade over

time requiring expensive reworking or laser removals later.

#23. Topic: What is the right amount of television that kids should watch

per day?

Thesis : Kids should be able to watch television for the same amount of time that they

put into reading for the day. This rule would ensure that kids read more, that their free

time isn’t completely dominated by the television, and it would give them a greater

sense of autonomy by enabling them, in effect, to choose how much television they are

able to watch based on their reading time.

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Topics and Thesis Statements on Social and Governmental

Issues

#24. Topic: Is government surveillance harmful?

Thesis : Government surveillance programs do more harm than good because they

invade civil liberties, lead innocent people to suffer unfair punishments, and ultimately

fail to protect the citizens that they are designed to safeguard. For these reasons,

programs such as PRISM operated by the NSA should be discontinued.

#25. Topic: Are security cameras an invasion of privacy?

Thesis

: Though security cameras are necessary and a valued part of society, strict

regulations need to be mandated in order to maintain citizens’ rights to privacy.

#26. Topic: Should organ donors be financially compensated?

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Thesis : People who sign up for organ donation freely give their hearts and other

organs, but this free system limits the number of available donors and makes it difficult

for recipients to access lifesaving transplants. Thus, organ donors should be financially

compensated to produce more available organs and, at the same time, to decrease

profitable, illegal organ harvesting activities in the black market.

#27. Topic: Should the U.S. media work to depict alternative family

structures?

Thesis : The U.S. media depicts the traditional family as being comprised of a mother,

father, and children; however, this notion of the traditional family is outdated and can

be harmful to children who look to this as the gold standard. The U.S. media should,

therefore, expand and redefine the definition of the traditional American family to

include divorced and remarried parents, extended families living together, and families

with same-gender parents. This will increase the overall sense of happiness and

well-being among children whose families don’t necessarily fit the mold.

#28. Topic: Should marijuana be legalized in all 50 U.S. states?

Thesis : Marijuana has numerous medical applications, such as treating symptoms of

epilepsy, cancer, and glaucoma. Legalizing the use of marijuana in the U.S. will greatly

benefit the medical sector by giving physicians access to this lifesaving drug.

#29. Topic: Should the minimum wage be increased?

Thesis : The minimum wage must be raised as doing so will help workers out of poverty

and act as an economic stimulus.

#30. Topic: Should citizens be allowed to keep exotic pets?

Thesis : People should not be allowed to keep exotic pets, as it is unhealthy for the

animal, dangerous for the owner, and dangerous for the community.

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#35. Topic: Should China’s One-Child Policy be reversed?

Thesis : China’s one-child policy was intended to help control population growth.

Instead, it has led to unintended and negative consequences, such as a diminishing

labor force, an aging population, the neglect of basic human rights, and an unbalanced

gender population. To improve China’s situation, the policy should be reversed.

How to Use These Argumentative Thesis Statement Examples in

Your Next Essay

These thesis statement examples are meant to serve as inspiration--don’t use them

verbatim. That would be plagiarism, and besides, it would rob the world of your unique

thoughts about the issues at hand.

Look at each example and note what they have in common--each states a clear position

on a given issue and then lists a few reasons for that position. Each of those reasons will

serve as the topic sentences for your body paragraphs.

You should be ready to conquer thesis statement writing! The following exercise will

walk you through your thesis statement.

Now It’s Your Turn to Write an Argumentative Thesis

Statement

Step 1: Choose a debatable topic

(Hint: This needs to be a topic that someone candisagree with! Test whether your topic

is debatable by rewriting it from the alternative viewpoint.)

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-Example: Student debt is a national problem that is stifling the U.S. economy.

-Example alternative viewpoint: Student debt is necessary to a strong education, and

it helps the U.S. economy.

-Your topic :

-Test alternative viewpoint:

Step 2: Pick a stance

(Hint: what should or shouldn't be done about this topic? Again, test whether your

stance is debatable by rewriting it from the alternative viewpoint.)

-Example: Student loans should be forgiven in cases where students are unable to

repay their debts.

-Example alternative stance: Student loans should not be forgiven in cases where

students are unable to repay their debts.

-Your stance:

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-Test alternative stance:

Step 3: Choose your focus

(Hint: you can't focus on everyone ; a narrow focus is better.)

-Example: American students who have graduated from universities with excessive

debt burdens.

-Your focus:

Step 4: Make your claims

(Hint: choose 3 or more claims that you can support later in your essay.)

-Example: Debt forgiveness will benefit the growth of the economy by

1. Increasing tax revenues

2. Unfreezing credit markets

3. Creating jobs

-Your claims:

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Step 5: Put it all together

(Hint: combine your topic + stance + focus + claims. )

-Example: Student debt is a national problem that is stifling the U.S. economy , and

American students are graduating from universities with excessive debt burdens.

Student loans should be forgiven in cases where students are unable to repay their

debts because this will benefit the growth of the economy by increasing tax revenues,

unfreezing credit markets, and creating jobs

.

-Your draft thesis statement:

Step 6: Edit and refine

(Hint: edit to be more specific and to use more articulate language.)

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-Example: Crippling student debt is stifling the growth of the U.S. economy because it

inhibits graduates from being able to spend money on consumer goods and home

purchases. To alleviate this, lenders should be required to forgive student loans in

cases where students are unable to repay their debts, as doing so will benefit the

growth of the economy by increasing tax revenues, unfreezing credit markets, and

creating jobs.

-Your revised thesis statement:

Woohoo! You did it!

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