As you complete these drills, be sure to include both the conclusion and the primary premise. In other words, your thesis statement should always back its claim with evidence.
Example
3.1 Thesis Statement Drill
Write three thesis statements that answer the following prompt. Remember to include both claim and evidence.
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, how does the title relate to the dominant themes of conquest and power?
Answer:
1. In a tale of conquest, where the English attack and Africans are subdued, all human beings — whether victorious or defeated — lie subject to the greater power of ideas, as symbolized by the “dark heart” of the African jungle.
2. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness uses the untamed realness of the African jungle to depict a world in which human beings, whether conquerors or conquered, must deal with the higher power of ideals.
3. In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, every individual — whether a conquering Englishman or a conquered African — ultimately submits not to men and women but to the higher power of ideas, a power symbolized by the dark, untamed jungle.