Argumentative Thesis Statements A whole essay in one sentence!

Thesis must be Debatable Bad: Pollution is bad for the environment. Good: At least twenty-five percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution. Good: America’s anti-pollution efforts should focus on privately owned cars.

Thesis must be Narrow Bad: Drug use is detrimental to society. Good: Illegal drug use is detrimental because it encourages gang violence.

Results Best: America’s anti-pollution efforts should focus on privately owned cars because it would allow most citizens to contribute to national efforts and be invested in the outcome. Best: Illegal drug use is detrimental because it encourages gang violence which impacts and damages a large portion of America’s population.

Types of claims Fact or Definition: What is the definition or is it a settled fact? What some people refer to as global warming is actually nothing more than normal, long-term cycles of climate change. Cause and Effect: Claims that one person or event caused a thing or event to occur. The popularity of SUV’s in America has caused pollution to increase.

Types of claims Value: What is something worth? Can we find value in it? How could we rate or categorize it? Global warming is the most pressing challenge facing the world today. Solutions or Policies: Argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem. Instead of drilling for oil in Alaska, we should be focusing on ways to reduce oil consumption such as researching renewable energy sources.