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step before writing a thesis. However, in most cases — and on the AP Exam — you’ll
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have a prompt that provides a focus for you, such as the one we’ve been discussing.
While an effective thesis doesn’t have to be a single sentence or even explicitly
stated, in timed and test situations it’s typically easiest to express your thesis directly in
a thesis statement. Let’s begin by considering three common types of thesis state-
Argument
ments: closed, open, and counterargument. A closed thesis is a statement of the main
idea of the argument that also previews the major points the writer intends to make. It is
“closed” because it limits the number of points the writer will make. A closed thesis in
response to our sample prompt might look something like the following two examples:
EXAMPLE 1 Early start times for American high schools are necessary to accommodate
extracurricular activities and participation in sports during after-school
hours and to ensure that the buses are available to pick up the younger
students later in the morning.
EXAMPLE 2 Because early start times have detrimental effects on the health and education
of our adolescents, high schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

If, however, you are writing a longer essay with five, six, or even more main points,
then an open thesis is probably more effective. An open thesis is one that does not list
all the points the writer intends to cover in an essay. If you have six or seven points in an
essay, for instance, stringing them all out in the thesis statement would be awkward;
plus, while a reader can remember two or three main points, it’s confusing to keep track
of a whole series of points made way back in an opening paragraph. The following two
examples provide an open thesis in response to the prompt we’ve been working with:

EXAMPLE 1 Early start times for American high schools show that convenience and
cost are more important concerns than the health and academic growth
of our students.
EXAMPLE 2 Early start times for American high schools are economically viable and
necessary to accommodate the busy lives of our students.

A variant of the open and closed thesis is the counterargument thesis, in which a
summary of a counterargument, usually qualified by although or but, precedes the writ-
er’s opinion. This type of thesis has the advantage of immediately addressing the coun-
terargument. Doing so may make an argument seem both stronger and more reasonable.
It may also create a seamless transition to a more thorough concession and refutation of
the counterargument later in the argument. The thesis that considers a counterargument
can also lead to a position that is a modification or qualification rather than an absolute
statement of support or rejection. Here are two examples of a counterargument thesis
that respond to our prompt:

EXAMPLE 1 While the health and education of students should be the chief concerns
of American school districts, economic realities and scheduling
imperatives necessitate early start times for high schools.

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