ENG099.

2521 | “Where I’m From” Student:_________________

LaGuardia Community College, Spring I 2011 Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel

THESIS STATEMENT EXERCISE

Adapted from the Bedford/St. Martin’s website to accompany A Writer’s Reference

Instructions: From each of the pairs of sentences below, choose the one that would work better as a
thesis statement for a two- to five-page paper. Then, explain in 1-2 sentences why your choice was
the better choice.

A recent trend in law enforcement known as “community policing” shows much

promise in deterring criminal activity.
 “Community policing” is a recent trend in law enforcement used in many
municipalities around the country.

 Because air pollution is of serious concern to people in the world today, many
countries have implemented a variety of plans to begin solving the problem.
 So far, research suggests that zero-emissions vehicles are not a sensible
solution to the problem of steadily rising air pollution.

 The Sex Pistols could not have succeeded without singer and lyricist Johnny
Rotten, who provided the stage presence, poetry, and authentic working-class rage
that galvanized the group’s young English audiences.
 The Sex Pistols were popular with young English audiences, and the singer and
lyricist Johnny Rotten was very important to their success.

 Because it has become outdated, the electoral college should be replaced by a

system that allows the US president to be elected by direct popular vote.
 Rather than voting for a presidential candidate, voters in a US presidential
election merely choose their state’s Electoral College representatives, who actually
vote for the president; in most states, all of the electoral votes go to the candidate
who wins the popular vote in that state, no matter how close the outcome.
ENG099.2521 | “Where I’m From” Student:_________________
LaGuardia Community College, Spring I 2011 Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel
 This paper presents the results of my investigation into electronic surveillance in
the workplace.
 Though employers currently have the legal right to monitor workers’ email and
voice mail messages, this practice can have serious effects on employee morale.

 In his autobiographical Narrative, Frederick Douglass draws on techniques used

in popular texts of his day—sentimental literature, the Bible, and oratory—to
persuade his audience to reject slavery.
 Frederick Douglass’s autobiographical Narrative is an interesting exploration of
the issue of slavery.

 Video games are not as mindless as most people think.

 Although they are widely ignored and derided as mindlessly violent, video
games are a form of popular art that deserves to be evaluated as seriously as
television and film.

 Judges should have discretion in sentencing drug offenders so that those

convicted of nonviolent or first-time offenses do not automatically go to prison.
 Currently judges do not have much discretion in sentencing drug offenders, so
even nonviolent or first-time offenders automatically go to prison.

 Social workers in New York City leave much to be desired.

 The social service system in New York City has broken down because today’s
workers are
underpaid, poorly trained, and overworked.