(1) After Sean was arrested for breaking into a pawnshop, I began to wonder. (2) Why did some kids from my neighborhood end up in trouble while most of us didn't? (3) I started out with a question: What causes young people to make bad choices? (4) Now, after two years of research, I've arrived at the conclusion that there is no simple answer. (5) There is no one reason why good kids go bad, but there are typical reasons.

Question

(1) After Sean was arrested for breaking into a pawnshop, I began to wonder. (2) Why did some kids from my neighborhood end up in trouble while most of us didn't? (3) I started out with a question: What causes young people to make bad choices? (4) Now, after two years of research, I've arrived at the conclusion that there is no simple answer. (5) There is no one reason why good kids go bad, but there are typical reasons.

(6) According to my research, teenagers are most likely to get into trouble if they hang out with a bad crowd. (7) That's because people learn their values from the people they associate with. (8) So a very big reason for bad behavior is imitating one's peers. (9) But there are other important factors as well. (10) Kids who get in trouble are often school dropouts. (11) Also, kids being raised by a single mother are more likely to get in trouble than kids raised in an intact family. (12) Substance abuse also plays a role, especially when it comes to alcohol and legal or illegal drugs.

In which sentence or sentences do you find the thesis statement in this excerpt?
A. 2
B. 4 and 5
C. 3
D. 5

I think it is B, but I'm not sure.

Answer 1

A thesis statement is usually just one sentence. I vote for D.

Answer 2

I agree with Ms. Sue.

And ... a new paragraph should begin with sentence 6.

Answer 3

The thesis statement in this excerpt is found in sentence D: "Now, after two years of research, I've arrived at the conclusion that there is no simple answer."

Answer 4

The thesis statement in this excerpt is found in sentence D: "Now, after two years of research, I've arrived at the conclusion that there is no simple answer." This sentence introduces the main idea of the passage, which is that there is not a single clear cause for young people making bad choices.