Short on time? This page is the recap. For explanations and worked examples, use the full study guide.
Recap
- A thesis statement expresses an interpretation of a literary text that requires a defence through textual evidence and a line of reasoning.
- A thesis may preview the line of reasoning but need not list the literary elements, the points or the quotations.
- A line of reasoning is the logical sequence of claims that work together to defend the thesis.
- Commentary explains how each piece of evidence supports its claim and how the claim supports the thesis. It is how a line of reasoning is communicated.
- Body paragraphs develop the reasoning, justify claims with evidence and link evidence to the thesis; topic sentences state the claim of a paragraph.
- Developing an interpretation is recursive: evidence can lead to a claim, or a claim to evidence.
Key relationships
| Part | Test it with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis | Could a reasonable reader disagree? Does it say why? | “Trust rests on being answerable, not on accuracy alone” |
| Line of reasoning | Does each claim build on the one before? | neutrality, then answerability, then care |
| Evidence | Is it short, accurate and chosen for a purpose? | “like a man standing between two quarrelling nations” |
| Commentary | Does it explain, connect and link to the thesis? | simile raises trade to diplomacy; trust is in a person |
| Level of thesis | Looks like |
|---|---|
| Summary | Retells the passage |
| Obvious | “The writer uses description to show…” with a truism |
| Developing | A claim with no reason |
| Defensible | An arguable idea with a reason and a hint of the reasoning |
Assumptions
- You write about what the passage suggests, with accurate quotations.
- You keep to the prompt: the thesis answers the question.
- Commentary is longer than the quotation and adds something the quotation does not say.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing a topic or a summary instead of a claim.
- Listing devices without saying what they do.
- Quoting a long passage and explaining nothing.
- Commentary that praises (“a powerful image”) or repeats (“this shows he is exact”).
- A line of reasoning in which each paragraph repeats the same point.
Quick self-check
- Is “The passage is about a weigher and a machine” a thesis? Why or why not?
- What three moves does strong commentary make after a quotation?
- Can a thesis exist without any preview of the line of reasoning?
- Why is the third claim of a good line of reasoning usually not a repeat of the first?
Answers. (1) No: it is a summary; it makes no arguable claim. (2) Explain what the evidence shows; connect it to the paragraph’s claim; link to the thesis. (3) Yes: a thesis may preview the reasoning but is not required to. (4) Because a line of reasoning is a logical sequence of claims that build; repeating the first claim adds nothing.
Ready for more? Try the practice questions and then the checklist.