Stating the topic of an MBW essay (FOSBOS)

If you attend a Fachoberschule or a Berufsoberschule, you should not end the introduction with a paraphrase of the topic of your essay as a direct or indirect question.

Here are some phrases you can use to introduce the essay question in an MBW introduction:

• …, which raises the question of whether …

• That is why the question arises of whether …

• The contrast between … and … prompts the question … / This prompts the question …

Please pay attention to the spelling in the examples above: raise is not the same as arise.

Punctuation and grammar: Remember that indirect questions embedded in declarative sentences end with a full stop, not a question mark. Moreover, note that in indirect questions, subject and verb no longer invert. Here are some examples (which do not use paraphrases to show the grammatical change):

• What can schools do to minimise their students’ screen time at school? > This raises the question of what schools can do to minimise their students’ screen time at school.
• Should schools try to minimise their students’ screen time at school? > That is why the question arises of whether schools should try to minimise their students’ screen time at school.

Examples:

• Task: Write a comment on whether sugary drinks should have warning labels and higher taxes.

  End of the introduction: The adverse health effects of a diet high in sugar prompt the question of whether Germany should introduce a tax on sugary drinks and require warning labels on these beverages.

• Task: Discuss whether sports superstars are suitable role models for young people.

  End of the introduction: Prominent examples of athletes’ questionable behaviour raise the question of to what extent children and adolescents should look to athletes for guidance and inspiration.

• Task: Discuss whether the juvenile justice system should focus on rehabilitation over punishment.

  End of the introduction: There is a high rate of young offenders in the U.S. who are re-arrested within three years of their release from incarceration. That is why the question arises of whether it may be more important to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents than to punish them.