Every strong thesis needs to have a Debatable Opinion (Your position/argument statement) along with a rationale (set of reasons

that prove that your opinion is true). Check the following theses to find out what is missing. Circle the Debatable Opinion and underline the Rationale. Example: The Cold War is not over because communist North Korea threatens to bomb the United States on a daily basis, tension still exists between the United States and Russia, and Cuba is the only country that Americans are still not allowed visit. Debatable Opinion In Italics Rationale Underlined Strong Thesis: Yes

1. The Renaissance did not actually happen because scholars had maintained the classic Greek works, art had always been a part of European culture, and the rebirth had only affected a small, wealthy population in Italy. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

2. Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

3. The Scientific Revolution was the turning point in modern world history because it paved the way for the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the way humans conduct experiments. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

4. The Third Estate was fed up with the lack of a political voice, the sansculottes were starving and the Third Estate paid all of the taxes while they made up only 98% of the population. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

5. The Industrial Revolution was responsible for the birth of communism. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

6. Imperialism was necessary for cultures around the globe to become civilized. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

7. Nationalism caused countries to go to war, militarism was responsible for nations competing for superior weaponry, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the beginning of the conflict. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

8. World War Two was not a just war because the allied countries went to war to maintain their own economic interests, the genocide of the Jews was not an apparent cause for the allies to get involved, and the myth that the war was fought to end racism is a myth since the armed forces were segregated. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N

9. The Israelis had a right to take the land because they have historical ties to the land, the British promised it to them during WWI, and many Jewish were already living there. Debatable Opinion ____ Rationale _____ Strong thesis? Y N