Question

Read this introduction paragraph from a sample essay about industrialization. [1] There are many examples of revolutions in human history that have resulted in tremendous change. [2] The transformation of manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution is one such example. [3] Although the revolution began in England, it soon spread to other countries in Europe, and the United States. [4] In each of the countries, the industrial revolution resulted in increased urbanization, changes in employment, and new technologies that changed the way people worked and lived. Which sentence in the paragraph includes the essay’s thesis statement?

Answer 1

The correct answer is nº4.

A thesis statement is used to summarize in 2-3 lines the main argument that will be developed along a much longer piece of text that usually comes right after. In this case, in nº 4 describes very broadly the most important characteristics of the Industrial Revolution (IR) period, including both some causes and consequences of this process. The new technologies that were implemented to enhance the productivity of the manufacturing activities led to new production systems, that required different type of employees and a big number of them. Industrial workers lived in cities so there was an important shift of population from rural to urban areas, that could offer more job positions than the agricultural industry in the countryside. All this meant a great change in society and in the way of life of the majority of the population in industrialized regions.

The other sentences in this introduction paragraph only mention specific aspects of the IR process. In turn, number 4 provides a relation of the main aspects that have to be commented for sure if speaking about industrialization.