BEGIN WITH A STRONG THESIS STATEMENT

Thesis statement = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION

Create a thesis statement: QUIZ 1 ANSWERS

1. Discuss the influence that advertising has had on your life of the lives of your friends. 
   
   Hint: Note the word OR.  Choose to talk about advertising effects on you or on your friends, but not both. 
   
   ANSWER: Advertising has had a significant influence on my life.

2. How does a person make a good first impression in an interview? Discuss.
   
   Hint: Note that you don't list all the steps to make a good impression in your thesis statement. Just write a general statement that answers the question and use your topic sentences to state the ways to make a good impression.  
   
   ANSWER: By following a few simple steps, anyone can make a good first impression in an interview.

3. It has been said that computers are taking over our lives. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
   
   Hint: You can always narrow the question. An essay about how you're being affected by your computer could be easier to write than an essay about computers taking over the lives of everyone.   
   
   ANSWER: My computer is taking over my life.

4. Discuss the influence that a relative (other than a parent) has had in your life. 
   
   Hint: Make sure you read the question carefully so you don't write about a parent.  In addition, don't list the ways in the thesis; write a general statement and save the ways for your topic sentences.  
   
   ANSWER: My husband has influenced my life in several ways.

5. If you could influence the way products are advertised in the United States, what recommendations, if any, would you make? Discuss.
   
   Hint: When you choose a hypothetical question, begin your thesis with if. 
   
   ANSWER:  If I could influence the way products are advertised in the United States, I would make several recommendations.

6. How has the women's movement affected relationships between men and women? Discuss.
   
   Hint: You should narrow the topic.  This is waaaaaaaay too broad! 
   
   ANSWER: The women's movement has affected the way men and women date.

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Find the thesis statement: QUIZ 2 ANSWERS

Since the beginning of rock and roll in the 1950s, Americans have protested the distribution, promotion, and broadcast of popular music. People have suggested that government agencies, record companies, and radio stations edit or ban objectionable music. They believe that these measures would maintain core American values in our society and prevent the influence of popular music on young people. Some have acted on these suggestions and presented their complaints about popular music to the government, who has consequently forced radio stations to edit songs and pressured the Recording Industry Association of America to place Parental Advisory labels on controversial releases. These forms of censorship, however, violate First Amendment rights and promote the same types of music that some find objectionable.

As reporters of information to the general public, journalists must accurately represent the people and events of which they write. To achieve this objective in their writing, journalists learn techniques and rules regarding style, grammar, and objectivity that their editors expect them to follow. Unfortunately, not all journalists adhere to these standards, and some publications do not correct their errors. Containing stylistic problems, grammatical deficiencies, and subjective opinions, a 2001 Rolling Stone article entitled "Britney's Just Like A Woman But She Breaks Just Like A Little Girl" exemplifies these journalistic issues, and it shows how they can degrade the integrity and authority of a publication.