Thayer Academy Research Center: Examples: Thesis /title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="researchcenter.css"/> </head> <body> <table align="center" width="50%" border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <tr> <td width="19%" align="center" valign="middle"> <a href="http://www.thayer.org/podium/default.aspx?t=38167" target="_blank" class="header3"> Library<br />Home</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.thayer.org/tech/library/rc/index.htm" target="_blank" class="header3"> Research<br />Guide</a></td> </td> <td class="subtopic" align="left"><div align="center">Thayer Academy Research Center<br /> <br /> Examples: Thesis Statements<br /> </div></td> <td width="19%"><img src="tinytigger.png" /></td> </tr> </table> <table align="center" width="50%" border="5" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <tr> <td> <p class="detail"> <strong>Analytical Paper:</strong><br /> We talked about a paper on Mount Everest, and how the topic could be narrowed to answer the following question: <strong>“ What impact has the exploration of Mount Everest had on the local culture? </strong>” This is a research question. Your research might focus on the extent of exploration on Mount Everest, the local culture in and around Kathmandu , Nepal (religion, food, economic structure), and evidence of the impact of western mountaineers on the local villages. You would then analyze your findings and answer your research question. </p> <p class="detail"><strong>Argumentative Paper:</strong><br /> Using the Mount Everest example you will see that a thesis statement is very different from a research question. A thesis for the research on Mount Everest would be: <strong>"Extensive exploration of Mount Everest by mountaineers has had a negative impact on the local culture in villages in Nepal."</strong></p> <p class="subtopic">Weak vs. Strong Thesis Statements:</p> <ul> <li class="detail"><strong>Weak:</strong> Drug abuse is a big problem.<br /> <strong>Strong:</strong> Heroin, long regarded as a street drug, is fast becoming the drug of choice among middle class urban professionals.</li><br /> <li class="detail"><strong>Weak:</strong> Many people write personal letters on the typewriter or word processor.<br /> <strong>Strong:</strong> While many regard type-written personal letters as the end of common courtesy as we know it, they actually preserve the ancient art of letter writing.</li><br /> <li class="detail"><strong>Weak:</strong> There is a lot of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.<br /> <strong>Strong:</strong> Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl. </li> </ul> <br /> </table> <body> </body> </html>