Which of the following is a thesis statement rather than a topic description or factual claim?
AThis paper examines the causes of World War I.
BWorld War I had many causes, including nationalism, militarism, and the alliance system.
CThe alliance system's rigidity transformed a regional Balkan crisis into a continental war, making it the primary structural cause of WWI.
DWorld War I began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
A thesis is a contestable, specific interpretive claim — not a description of a topic, a list of factors, or a factual statement. Option C makes a debatable causal claim (alliance rigidity as the *primary structural* cause) that can be supported with evidence and challenged by counterarguments. Options A, B, and D are, respectively, a topic announcement, a summary of factors, and a fact.
Question 2 True / False
A historical argument is strengthened primarily by citing as many sources as possible.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Quantity of citations does not determine argument quality. Evidence must be logically connected to the thesis — each source should directly support a specific claim. A weak argument with many footnotes is still weak. Good historical arguments are characterized by the relevance and logical connection of their evidence, not its volume.
Question 3 Short Answer
What does it mean for a historical argument to be 'falsifiable,' and why does this matter for historical reasoning?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: A falsifiable argument specifies what evidence would undermine it. This matters because it distinguishes genuine historical claims — which commit to being potentially wrong — from mere assertions that no evidence could challenge.
Falsifiability (from the philosophy of science) applies to historical reasoning: a good historian should be able to say 'if we found evidence X, I would need to revise my argument.' This commitment to being potentially wrong is what makes historical inquiry a disciplined practice rather than advocacy. Unfalsifiable claims — where no evidence could ever change the conclusion — are not historical arguments.