Discuss the role of sea power in gaining the eventual victory over the British in the Revolutionary War. This type is the easiest to comprehend because it is the type of question which is used most frequently in everyday life. For instance, in answering the question about George Washington's contributions to the War effort, you may have contended that he was not indispensable. To you, that was a statement of your opinion, interpretation, point of view, etc. Every examination essay should have a thesis, a consistent and logical arrangement which runs throughout your entire essay.
Some questions lend themselves more readily to theses.
Nevertheless, if your essay is going to say anything worth reading, there should be a thesis consistently developed within. Most of you are familiar with the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, but if you listen closely to the Symphony, and the First Movement in particular, you will notice that Beethoven continually returns with those original four notes as if to remind his listeners of the boldness of the introduction. In presenting your answer to an examination question, there is a general format which, if mastered early in your academic career, will prove useful not only in history, but in any non-science course in which essay tests and term papers are assigned. From 1776 until eventual victory in 1783, Washington played a decisive role in prosecuting the war, a role which, in the long run, appears to have been indispensable. Certainly Washington made contributions to the Colonial effort, but in the long run, others in the Army could have performed at least equally as well as the Father of his Country.