A strong essay eliminates weak or unnecessary material. Determining what information contributes to an essay and what information should be deleted is a skill readers and writers of informational text must develop. Class members practice these skills with a learning exercise that asks them to identify the thesis of an article and then indicate sentences that are irrelevant and do not support the thesis. The subject of the model essay, balancing the power between church and state, would probably appeal more to high school learners.