Question

(1) The nation's energy use is largely dependent on fossil fuels. (2) These fuels are nonrenewable resources, and they cause pollution. (3) We cannot continue our reliance on a fuel that will eventually run out. (4) Thus, we must find other ways to sustain our energy demands. (5) Pursuing alternative fuel sources is the key to solving our energy crisis. (6) Currently, about 1 percent of energy in the United States is produced by the sun, and solar energy has the potential to become a more widely used energy source. (7) Through different technologies, such as solar cells, scientists have learned to use the sun’s radiation to create electricity. (8) Solar energy is both inexhaustible and clean. (9) The major limit to this alternative source is that equipment is expensive. (10) Developing a cost-effective way to harness the power of the sun will be a significant development in solving our energy crisis.
Which sentence is the author's thesis statement?

sentence 1
sentence 2
sentence 5
sentence 6

Answer 1

Answer:

(5) Pursuing alternative fuel sources is the key to solving our energy crisis.

Explanation:

The main purpose of this passage is to convince the reader that using renewable sources of energy is a better choice than maintaining our reliance on fossil fuels. Therefore the thesis statement is sentence 5. The thesis statement is the sentence that contains the main claim that the author wants to prove. Sentence 5 tells us that switching to renewable energy sources is the key to solving our energy crisis. Therefore, this is the sentence that presents the author's main claim.

Answer 2

Answer:

(5) Pursuing alternative fuel sources is the key to solving our energy crisis.

Explanation:

The first 4 sentences are not a thesis statement, but sentences that lay the foundation of the Thesis statement that is to be presented. The thesis statement itself has to be a claim that is debatable. It is a strong affirmation that has no evidence to support, but opens the text enough for the evidence in favor and against to be presented.