SOCC Writing Center

Questions for Prewriting

Devising a thesis sentence

1. What is the subject of your paper?
2. Why do you want to tell readers about this subject?
3. What will you say that is new about this subject?
4. What primary question will your paper answer?

Developing your thesis sentence

5. What interrogatory word does your question begin with (such as how, why, when, who what)?
6. Does your question ask a yes/no question (beginning with words such as is, was, were, does, has, have, and other verbs)? If so, revise it to begin with an interrogatory word.
7. What method of development does your question imply? Here are samples: you can suggest others:

   How ? means, method, process
   Why ? reasons, causes, explanations
   What ? description, causes, explanations
   What (or why) should? reasons, persuasions
   What (or why) can? exploration, explanation
   What (or why) must? (future) necessity, urgency, persuasion, (past) conjecture, means, process
   Who? identification, praise, blame

8. Underline other key words in your question.
9. What do you need to say to answer your question?
10. Write a sentence that answers your question and uses your key words.
11. What does this sentence tell you about how to develop your paper? ”

Questions for Prewriting.” Teaching English in a Two-Year College Feb. 1996:36