Television wastes time, pollutes minds, destroys brain cells, and turns some viewers into murderers. Thus runs the prevailing talk about the medium, supported by serious research as well as simple belief. But television has at least one strong virtue, too, which helps to explain its endurance as a cultural force. In an era when people often have little time to speak with one another, television provides replacement voices that ease loneliness, spark healthful laughter, and even educate young children.
このサンプルエッセイの topic sentence は1文目。 Television wastes time, pollutes minds, destroys brain cells, and turns some viewers into murderers. (テレビは時間の無駄、心も汚すし、脳もダメにする、さらに視聴者を殺人者にする!)
そして thesis statement は最後の文。 In an era when people often have little time to speak with one another, television provides replacement voices that ease loneliness, spark healthful laughter, and even educate young children. (コミュニケーションの時間が少ないこんな時代、テレビは寂しさをまぎらわしたり、 人々を笑わせたりするだけでなく、子供の教育までしてしまう!)