Read the following introduction for a research paper on novels and answer the question. 1The word novel is borrowed from the Italian word novella (Henry 235). 2Defining exactly what a novel is can be hard work. 3The standard dictionary definition is "a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters" ("Novel"). 4Novels in some way represent life. 5The representations, however, occur in a narrative about life and experience. 6Since the novel can represent life, such fiction can be serious. 7The seriousness begins when the novel deals with humankind in a way that shows its importance and significance within the fictional world of the novel. 8The world of a novel varies greatly from author to author because each writer creates a new fictional world for a new work. 9That world may be all the relationships of a whole nation or of a very small town. 10That world may be as confined as the captain's cabin on a ship or as open as a little island. 11That world may also be as withdrawn as the farthest recesses of the human mind. 12Novels are important as they entertain and instruct the readers through a variety of life experiences. What is the thesis of the paper?

A thesis statement can be defined as the one statement that conveys the main idea or the central idea of a research paper or an essay. It summarizes the points and evidences that are to be made in the paper. A thesis statement can be found at the end of the first paragraph of the paper.

In the given question, the statements provided are of the introduction of a research paper and since a thesis statement is stated at the last of the first paragraph, the correct answer would be the 12th statement.

Since a thesis statement is a road map of the research paper, the apt statement is 12th as it is helping the readers to know that the research paper is going to speak about the importance of the novel.

So, the correct answer is the 12th statement.