e body paragraphs

E X E R C I S E 2

Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org 348

Refer to the previous exercise and select three of your most compelling reasons to support the thesis

statement. Remember that the points you choose must be specific and relevant to the thesis. The

statements you choose will be your primary support points, and you will later incorporate them into the

topic sentences for the body paragraphs.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

When you support your thesis, you are revealing evidence. Evidence includes anything that can help

support your stance. The following are the kinds of evidence you will encounter as you conduct your

research:

1. Facts. Facts are the best kind of evidence to use because they often cannot be disputed. They can

support your stance by providing background information on or a solid foundation for your point of

view. However, some facts may still need explanation. For example, the sentence “The most populated

state in the United States is California” is a pure fact, but it may require some explanation to make it

relevant to your specific argument.

2. Judgments. Judgments are conclusions drawn from the given facts. Judgments are more

credible than opinions because they are founded upon careful reasoning and examination of a topic.

3. Testimony. Testimony consists of direct quotations from either an eyewitness or an expert

witness. An eyewitness is someone who has direct experience with a subject; he adds authenticity to

an argument based on facts. An expert witness is a person who has extensive experience with a topic.

This person studies the facts and provides commentary based on either facts or judgments, or both.

An expert witness adds authority and credibility to an argument.

4. Personal observation. Personal observation is similar to testimony, but personal observation

consists of your testimony. It reflects what you know to be true because you have experiences and

have formed either opinions or judgments about them. For instance, if you are one of five children

and your thesis states that being part of a large family is beneficial to a child’s social development, you

could use your own experience to support your thesis.

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