Read the excerpt from the outline for an argumentative essay. 1. Thomas Edison A. [thesis statement] 2. Edison invented the ligh
t bulb. A. Inventors before Edison had already come up with the light bulb.
B. None of those light bulbs worked well. Edison invented a bulb that did.
C. Edison can rightly be considered the inventor of the light bulb.
3. Edison invented the alkaline battery. A. At first, Edison attempted to make lighter car batteries, since many cars in the 1890s were electric. B. He created and released a new car battery in 1903 that did not work well. C. He spent three years redesigning the battery, which ended up being extremely successful and used for many different things. Which thesis statement would best fill in the missing line? Edison was not as creative as many people think. Edison invented the alkaline battery. Edison greatly improved the light bulb. Edison’s creativity made him a great inventor.
In essays and other academic writings, a thesis statement consists of one or two sentences that reflect the author's position on the main idea or topic of the essay. The thesis statement that best fits the outline is “Edison's creativity made him a great inventor” because it reflects a stance or personal view on the topic (Edison's inventions), and it is also congruent with the outline, which does not talk about people's opinions about Edison (Option A) or in only one of his creations (Option B and C), instead it talks about how he managed to create and improve two great inventions: the light bulb and the alkaline battery.
