College Composition / Unit 13 CMP 0316 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Matching Thesis and Body
The idea
Matching thesis and body means checking that the paper delivers what the thesis promises, and nothing else.
In practice
Work in order. First, write the thesis at the top of a page. Second, list each body paragraph's main point. Third, mark any point the thesis does not cover; it is a tangent to cut or a sign the thesis is too narrow. Fourth, mark any part of the thesis that no paragraph develops; it is a promise the paper does not keep. Fifth, decide whether to change the body or the thesis, depending on which better reflects the writer's real point. Sixth, check that the paragraphs appear in the order the thesis implies.
Where people slip
When a revision item asks whether a sentence should stay, the deciding question is usually this one: does it serve the thesis? A true and interesting sentence that does not is still a candidate for deletion.
Your place on the trail
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