Tests of a Strong Thesis

1. Does it clearly answer the question(s) of the prompt using the language of the
prompt?

Question: Why does Odysseus choose homecoming over immortality?

Weak: “Odysseus’ love for Penelope is strong enough to withstand any temptation.”

Stronger: Odysseus chooses homecoming because his love for Penelope is strong enough
to withstand even the temptation of immortality.

Weak: “As his conversation with Calypso shows, Odysseus has a good reason for
choosing homecoming over immortality.”

Stronger: “As his conversation with Calypso shows, Odysseus chooses homecoming over
immortality because . . .”

2. Can it be disagreed with? Or is it just an observation?

Question: Why does Odysseus have to interact with so many women on his journey
home?

Weak: “Homer portrays several different women in very different situations in his poem.”

Weak: “Odysseus interacts with numerous women: Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Athena,
Arete, and his wife Penelope.”

Stronger: “Odysseus has to interact with numerous women on his journey home because
he needs to learn to be a husband again.”

3. Can it be argued in the given space?

Question: Choose one of Odysseus’ adventures and explain what virtues and what flaws
are revealed by that adventure.

Weak: “Throughout his adventures, Odysseus reveals himself to be a man with a number
of virtues and a number of flaws.”

Stronger: “The adventure with Scylla and Charybdis reveals both Odysseus’ enormous,
self-sacrificial courage and his tendency to fight fate, even despite the explicit
instructions of the gods.

4. Does it provide reason(s) for your claim as well as the claim itself (often in a
“because” clause)?

Question: Is Odysseus a true hero? Explain.

Weak: “Odysseus is a true hero.”

Stronger: “Odysseus is a true hero because he has a goal he is pursuing.”

Even stronger: “Odysseus is a true hero because heroism means pursuing a worthy goal
despite obstacles and Odysseus fiercely pursues his homecoming in the face of numerous
impediments.”

Question: Why does Odysseus have to interact with so many women on his journey
home?

So-so: “Odysseus has to interact with numerous women on his journey home because he
needs to learn to be a husband again.”

Stronger: “Odysseus has to interact with numerous women on his journey home because
he has forgotten how to be a husband, and each of these women—Circe, Calypso, and
Nausicaa—teach him something about caring for a wife.

5. Does it provide an outline for the essay (i.e., do the parts of the thesis suggest the
paragraphs of the paper)?

See above examples.

6. Is it presented in one complete sentence?

It must be.