Handout 2

Practice with Persuasive Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements
Express and support an opinion, a proposal, a position, an evaluation, a cause-and-
effect statement, or an interpretation.
Criteria for Thesis Statements for Persuasive Writing
A. Is it an arguable conclusion? Does it take a stand rather than just announce a
topic? Could reasonable people disagree with it?
B. Is the assertion more than simply your opinion? Can you back it up persuasively
with evidence, reasons, examples?
C. Is it specific rather than vague? Is it narrow enough to fully support rather than
being too broad or too general? Is the scope appropriate for the length of paper
you will be writing?
D. Does it give the reader a guide or “map” to the argument or organization of your
paper? Will the reader know what to expect in the paper by reading the thesis?
E. Is it written in the third person or the first person “I” or “me”?

Working with a partner, evaluate these statements using the criteria above. Write GOOD
beside the ones that meet all the criteria for good thesis statements. For others write
WEAK AND REWRITE
1. I support that college education is not the right choice for everyone, as many
students graduate with a large amount of student debt and limited job
opportunities.
2. In my view, marine animals should not be kept in captivity because of the
damage to their physical and mental health

3. I think that that it is cruel to release marine animals born and raised in captivity
because they lack the foraging, defensive and social skills they would need to
thrive in the wild.

4. Due to increasing over-dependence on technology, many people struggle to think

for themselves.

5. In my opinion, childhood vaccinations should be mandatory, as they are safe,

reduce the risk of illness, and protect other people from contagious diseases.

6. Charity deeds are valuable.

7. Though security cameras are a necessary and valued part of society, I reckon
that strict regulations need to be mandated in order to maintain citizens’ rights
to privacy and limit the abuse of power among underprivileged societies.
8. Adolescents’ brains are not fully developed, and they are not yet capable of
making adult decisions; thus, adolescents should not be sentenced as adults.

9. Animal abuse is cruel to animals.

10. Though the paparazzi should be allowed to photograph celebrities in public

places, they should respect the right of celebrities not to be filmed on private
property.

11. Evidence indicates that children mimic and internalize television programming,
and because viewing violence can affect their emotional health, children’s
programming should not contain any form of violence.

On your own: Working individually, write two persuasive thesis statements on topic(s)
of your own choosing. You might write about topics we have talked about today, or any
others.