Course  Week 3: Thesis Stat…  What is a Thesis Sta…  What Isn't a Thesis …

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What Isn't a Thesis Statement?

A Fact or Observation is NOT a Thesis Statement

A thesis makes an argument or analysis. If you state something that is obvious,

or that everyone accepts as a fact, you do not have a thesis.

Examples:

In Moby Dick, Melville writes about a sailor named Ishmael.  [This is true.]

The largest country by land area is Russia, and the smallest is Vatican City. [These are facts about
cities. No one could argue with this.]

Philosophy is the study of knowledge and reality. [Someone could argue that philosophy includes
other topics, but no one could argue that knowledge and reality are not part of the study of
philosophy.]

In 2006, Pluto was reclassi ed as a dwarf planet. [Some people disagree with Pluto's reclassi cation,
but they cannot argue that it was reclassi ed.]

These four statements are all facts or observations. That is, they are simply "true", and therefore
don't leave much to write about.

An Explanation of the Subject is NOT a Thesis Statement

A thesis has a point of view. It has an opinion about the subject, but it is not the subject.

Explanations vs. Thesis Statements

Explanation Thesis statement

My thesis is about the best The best place for a perfect vacation is Paris because of the beautiful
place to take a vacation. architecture, wonderful restaurants, and abundance of museums. 
I want to share some of my By narrowing the educational gap between the wealthy and the
ideas about education. underprivileged, everyone can have an equal chance to become successful
and contribute to society.

The topic of this paper is the Children should be prevented from playing video games for more than an
e ect of video games on hour a day, as it may keep them from developing their creativity.
young children.

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