Invention: Exercises 8 and 9 from Pages 47-48

Pages 47-48

Exercise 8

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the following as thesis statements.

1. My instructor has an attendance policy.

2. My instructor should change her attendance policy because it is bad.

3. My instructor should change her attendance policy because it is unreasonable, inflexible, and unfair.

4. For many people, a community college makes more sense than a four year college or university.

5. Some children show violent behavior.

6. Violence is a problem in our society.

7. Conflict-resolution courses should be taught to help prevent violence in America’s schools.

8. Social networking sites such as Facebook can cause problems.

9. Facebook attracts many college students.

10. College students should be careful of what material they put on their Facebook pages because prospective employers routinely check them.

Answer

1 My instructor has an attendance policy.

• Strength: States a fact.
• Weakness: Not argumentative or specific; fails to provide a stance or direction.
• Recommendation: Revise to include an evaluative or argumentative claim about the policy.

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2. My instructor should change her attendance policy because it is bad.

• Strength: Takes a position.
• Weakness: Vague and subjective; lacks reasons or evidence to support the claim.
• Recommendation: Specify why the policy is "bad" and provide concrete reasons.

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3. My instructor should change her attendance policy because it is unreasonable, inflexible, and unfair.

• Strength: Clear position and provides specific criticisms of the policy.
• Weakness: Lacks detailed explanation or evidence supporting the criticisms.
• Recommendation: Elaborate on why the policy is unreasonable, inflexible, and unfair.

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4. For many people, a community college makes more sense than a four-year college or university.

• Strength: Provides an evaluative claim that could be argued.
• Weakness: Too general; lacks specifics about why community college makes more sense.
• Recommendation: Specify reasons, such as cost, flexibility, or career-focused programs.

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5. Some children show violent behavior.

• Strength: States a fact.
• Weakness: Not argumentative or specific; lacks a clear stance.
• Recommendation: Turn into an argumentative claim, such as examining causes or solutions for violent behavior.

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6. Violence is a problem in our society.

• Strength: States a claim that most would agree with.
• Weakness: Too broad and lacks focus; doesn’t suggest a specific direction for discussion.
• Recommendation: Narrow the scope to a specific aspect of violence, such as its causes, consequences, or solutions.

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7. Conflict-resolution courses should be taught to help prevent violence in America’s schools.

• Strength: Specific, clear, and proposes a solution.
• Weakness: Could benefit from elaboration on why conflict-resolution courses are effective.
• Recommendation: Support the claim with examples or evidence showing the success of such programs.

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8. Social networking sites such as Facebook can cause problems.

• Strength: Acknowledges an issue.
• Weakness: Too vague and lacks specific examples or explanation of "problems."
• Recommendation: Specify the type of problems, such as privacy concerns, addiction, or social alienation.

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9. Facebook attracts many college students.

• Strength: States a fact.
• Weakness: Not argumentative or specific; doesn’t provide a claim to debate or analyze.
• Recommendation: Turn into a claim about Facebook’s impact on college students or its appeal.

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10. College students should be careful of what material they put on their Facebook pages because prospective employers routinely check them.

• Strength: Clear, specific, and provides a directive based on a valid concern.
• Weakness: Could benefit from evidence or examples to strengthen the claim.
• Recommendation: Support with statistics or anecdotes showing how social media posts have affected job prospects.

 

 

 

Page 48

Exercise 9

Rewrite the following factual statements to make them effective thesis statements. Make sure each thesis statement is a clearly and specifically worded sentence.

1. Many hospitals will not admit patients without health insurance because they are afraid that such patients will not be able to pay their bills.

2. Several Supreme Court decisions have said that art containing explicit sexual images is not necessarily pornographic.

3. Many women earn less money than men do, in part because they drop out of the workforce during their child-rearing years.

4. People who watch more than five hours of television a day tend to think the world is more violent than do people who watch less than two hours

of television daily.

5. In recent years, the suicide rate among teenagers — especially middle- and upper-middle-class teenagers — has risen dramatically.

 

Answer

1 Hospitals should revise their admission policies to prioritize healthcare access for all patients, regardless of insurance status, as current practices unfairly exclude those unable to pay.

 

2 Supreme Court rulings affirm that art with explicit sexual imagery should be judged on its artistic and social value, challenging the assumption that such content is inherently pornographic.

 

3 The persistent wage gap between men and women can be attributed to systemic inequalities, including the impact of child-rearing responsibilities on women's career progression.

 

4 Excessive television consumption fosters a distorted perception of violence, with heavy viewers perceiving the world as more dangerous than those with minimal viewing habits.

 

5 The alarming rise in teenage suicide rates, particularly among middle- and upper-middle-class adolescents, highlights the urgent need for mental health awareness and intervention strategies.