7th grade Write a clear thesis statement worksheet

Write a clear thesis statement

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Buses on Sundays (draft essay)

   [1] On Sundays in the town of Harlow, the bus stops are empty and the schedule boards are blank. [2] The town runs buses from Monday to Saturday, and the council last reviewed the schedule eleven years ago. [3] Public transportation is important for a town.

   [4] One reason is that many workers need rides on Sundays. [5] The hospital and two grocery stores in Harlow are open all day Sunday, and together they employ about 220 people who do not own cars, according to the town's job office. [6] Another reason is that older residents depend on buses to reach church and family. [7] A survey by the senior center found that 48 of 90 members would use a Sunday bus at least once a month.

   [8] A third reason is that Sunday service would help shops, because shoppers without cars cannot visit them. [9] The Chamber of Commerce reports that Sunday sales at the Main Street shops are 30 percent lower than Saturday sales. [10] The council should therefore act this year.

2. 1.

   Ari sees that thesis [3] is wider than the three body paragraphs. Which revision fits them without claiming more?

   • Harlow should replace its buses with a train line that connects the town to nearby cities and its biggest employers.
   • Public transportation helps a town grow and should be a priority for local governments, because it links people and jobs.
   • Harlow should run Sunday buses, because workers, older residents and shops all depend on riders without cars.
   • Harlow should run a Sunday bus to the hospital so that its staff can reach their shifts and visitors can arrive.
3. 2.

   Bo will read this draft to the Harlow town council. Which thesis suits that audience and still takes a position?

   • The Harlow council should fund Sunday bus service this year, because workers, older residents and shops need it.
   • Students at Harlow Middle School should ask their parents to sign a petition for Sunday buses before the fall term.
   • Sunday bus service is something that some people in Harlow may or may not want the council to discuss at some point.
   • Harlow's buses are totally useless on Sundays, and the council has to get its act together before more people suffer.
4. 3.

   Esme wants to replace the vague word “important” in [3] with a specific claim. Which revision does?

   • The Harlow council should add Sunday buses because it would be a very good decision for the town and its people.
   • Public transportation matters a great deal to the people of Harlow and to the town's future growth and well-being.
   • This essay is about public transportation and why a town such as Harlow needs it on Sundays and other days.
   • Without Sunday buses, Harlow strands workers and older residents and loses sales, so the council should add them.
5. 4.

   Jun wants thesis [3] to name all three reasons, in the order of the body paragraphs. Which revision does?

   • Harlow should add Sunday buses, and the three reasons in this essay explain why the town needs them on Sundays.
   • Harlow should add Sunday buses to help workers reach jobs, older residents reach family, and shops reach shoppers.
   • Harlow should add Sunday buses to help workers reach their jobs and older residents reach church and family on time.
   • Harlow should add Sunday buses to help workers reach jobs, older residents reach family, and students reach school.

6. Four More Minutes (draft essay)

   [1] The hallways at Cedar Middle School are crowded for the four minutes between classes, and many students arrive late. [2] The bell schedule gives students four minutes to pass, and the building has three floors and a separate gym wing. [3] Passing time could be better.

   [4] First, longer passing time would reduce tardies. [5] The attendance office logged 312 tardies in October, and the assistant principal says that most happened within the first minute after a bell. [6] Second, it would make the halls safer. [7] The nurse's log recorded 14 hallway collisions last semester, mostly in the middle of the passing period.

   [8] Third, it would give students time for needed stops, such as lockers and the water fountain. [9] In a student council poll, 71 percent of the 230 respondents said they cannot visit a locker and reach class in four minutes. [10] Adding two minutes to each of five passing periods would take ten minutes from the school day, which the principal agrees is possible.

7. 5.

   Luz will read this draft to Cedar's principal and teachers. Which thesis suits that audience and still takes a position?

   • Four minutes between classes is a joke, and the teachers know the halls are a zoo at the start of each day.
   • Cedar's principal and teachers should lengthen passing time by two minutes to reduce tardies and hallway collisions.
   • Some students think passing time is short, while some teachers think it is about right, so opinions are mixed.
   • Cedar students should hurry to class and stop talking at their lockers so that fewer students are late to each period.
8. 6.

   Milo wants to replace the vague phrase “could be better” in [3] with a specific claim. Which revision does?

   • Passing time at Cedar could use some changes that would make school life better for the people who walk the halls each day.
   • Cedar's four-minute passing period is too short for three floors, so students need six minutes to reach class safely.
   • This essay is about passing time at Cedar Middle School and whether four minutes is long enough for students.
   • Cedar should add two minutes to passing time because it would be the right thing to do for the whole school.
9. 7.

   Noah wants thesis [3] to name all three reasons, in the order of the body paragraphs. Which revision does?

   • Cedar should lengthen passing time to reduce tardies and make the halls safer for students and teachers alike.
   • Cedar should lengthen passing time to reduce tardies, make the halls safer and give students time for lockers.
   • Cedar should lengthen passing time, and three reasons in the paragraphs that follow show why the change is needed.
   • Cedar should lengthen passing time to reduce tardies, make the halls safer and give teachers time to set up.

10. Save the Rialto (draft essay)

    [1] On Main Street in the town of Brandt, the old Rialto theater has been boarded up since a fire in 2009. [2] The building is owned by the town, which has received two offers to tear it down and replace it with a parking lot. [3] The Rialto is a good thing for the town.

    [4] The first reason is that the theater could host events. [5] The high school drama club says it has no auditorium large enough for its spring show and would rent the Rialto's stage. [6] The second reason is that repairs would create jobs. [7] A contractor's estimate states that restoring the building would require about 15 workers for eight months.

    [8] The third reason is that a restored theater could draw visitors who would also eat at nearby restaurants. [9] A neighboring town with a restored theater reports a 12 percent increase in restaurant tax receipts. [10] The town should keep the Rialto and not sell it for a parking lot.

11. 8.

    Pia sees that thesis [3] is vague and wide for the three body paragraphs. Which revision fits them without claiming more?

    • Old buildings are valuable to communities and should be protected from demolition by law, because they hold a town's history.
    • Brandt should let the high school drama club use the Rialto stage for its spring show, because the school has no large auditorium.
    • Brandt should build a new community center on the Rialto site and keep the old theater closed, because the town needs meeting space.
    • Brandt should restore the Rialto instead of building a parking lot, because it can host events, create jobs and draw visitors.
12. 9.

    Ren will read this draft at a town meeting in Brandt. Which thesis suits that audience and still takes a position?

    • The Brandt council should keep and restore the Rialto, because the theater would bring events, jobs and visitors.
    • Tearing down the Rialto would be a total disaster, and anyone who votes for a parking lot is clueless and foolish.
    • Members of the high school drama club should save their money to rent the Rialto's stage when the theater someday reopens.
    • There are good points on both sides about whether the Rialto should be restored or removed from Main Street.
13. 10.

    Zee wants thesis [3] to name all three reasons, in the order of the body paragraphs. Which revision does?

    • Brandt should restore the Rialto because the theater could host events, repairs would create jobs, and visitors would eat nearby.
    • Brandt should restore the Rialto because the theater could host events and repairs would create jobs for local workers and builders.
    • Brandt should restore the Rialto because the theater could host events, repairs would create jobs, and taxes would fall for residents.
    • Brandt should restore the Rialto, and each body paragraph that follows will explain a different reason for doing so.