Question 1

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Select the topic sentence.
A) Using marijuana can cause problems with concentration, memory, thinking, and problem-solving.
B) Particularly for young people, marijuana can lead to increased anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and other mental health problems.
C) Smoking marijuana contributes to auto crashes that injure or kill.
D) Marijuana use harms people in a number of different ways.
E) Long-term use of marijuana can lead to respiratory and cardiac diseases, as well as cancer.

Accepted Answer

The other sentences provide examples and details of how marijuana use harms people in different ways. The topic sentence should introduce the general idea that marijuana use has negative effects, which is best captured by sentence D.

Question 2

Instructions: Check the following paragraph(s) for unity. Select the number of the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph. Identify the sentence that does not belong. (1) Bottled water is not necessarily any purer or healthier than the water you can get from your sink. (2) In fact, in many cities and towns, the testing requirements for tap water are much stricter than those for bottled water, and the bottled water may actually contain contaminants that the tap water is not allowed to have. (3) Plus, bottled water usually lacks fluoride, an important mineral that is added to tap water. (4) Another reason to drink tap water is the waste generated by consumption of bottled water. (5) While all of those empty plastic bottles can be recycled, most people just toss them into the trash, and they end up in landfills already overflowing with garbage. (6) Recycling glass, newspaper, and aluminum will also help to minimize America s waste problem. (7) Finally, bottled water costs a lot more than tap water. (8) In fact, it s often about 300 times more expensive.
A) Sentence 3
B) Sentence 6
C) Sentence 7

Accepted Answer

Sentence 6 does not belong because it shifts the focus from bottled water to recycling other materials, which is not directly related to the main topic of the differences between bottled and tap water.

Question 3

Instructions: Check the following paragraph(s) for unity. Select the number of the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph. Identify the sentence that does not belong. (1) In nineteenth-century America, chocolate was a rare, expensive treat. (2) It was Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey Foods, who made chocolate affordable and widely available. (3) He had built a successful caramel-making company before chocolate-making first fascinated him in 1893. (4) For years, he worked at perfecting a recipe for making milk chocolate, a process which up until then had been the secret of Swiss chocolate makers. (5) Hershey experimented with different combinations of milk, sugar, and cocoa until he found the right one. (6) Then, using mass-production techniques, he was able to make and sell large quantities of individually wrapped, affordably priced chocolate. (7) For decades after Hershey began manufacturing his Hershey bars in 1904, the candy cost only a nickel. (8) In the early 1900s, a nickel also bought a ride on the New York subway.
A) Sentence 6
B) Sentence 7
C) Sentence 8

Accepted Answer

Sentence 8 is not directly related to the topic of the paragraph, which is the history of chocolate and the role Hershey played in making it affordable and widely available in America. Sentence 8, on the other hand, is about the cost of a subway ride in New York during the early 1900s, which is not relevant to the main topic of the paragraph.

Question 4

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph. A study conducted by George Washington University and the National Endowment for the Arts showed that senior citizens who sing in a choir are physically healthier than senior citizens who aren t involved in an arts program. Plus, the singers are less likely to suffer from depression and mental deterioration. Dr. Graham Welch of the University of Surrey, who has spent over thirty years researching the effects of singing, claims that singing requires breathing deeply, so it s good aerobic exercise for the lungs, abdominal muscles, and circulatory system. Physician Eric Roter, who reviews the connection between music and health on his web site ermusic.org , agrees. He says that when people sing, the body responds as though it was getting a physical workout. Plus, singing just makes people feel good. Research from Manchester University suggests that singing stimulates a small organ in the inner ear called the saccule, which produces pleasure. Also, endorphins released during singing relax the body and lift the singer s spirits.
A) Singing in a choir is a lot of fun.
B) Singing appears to benefit physical and mental health.
C) Music is a very important part of life.

Accepted Answer

The paragraph discusses various studies and research that suggest singing has physical and mental health benefits, making option B the best topic sentence. Options A and C are not accurate summaries of the paragraph as they do not reflect the main focus on the health benefits of singing.

Question 5

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.
A) Body language can often reveal whether someone is lying.
B) In this paragraph, I will discuss the topic of teenage pregnancy.
C) Illiteracy is something we should all think about.

Accepted Answer

Sentence A is the only sentence in this group that is specific and limited enough to be a topic sentence for a paragraph. B and C are too vague and broad.

Question 6

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph. One parent in Oklahoma, fed up with her daughter s poor grades and chronic tardiness, forced her daughter to stand at a busy intersection and hold a sign that read I don t do my homework and I act up in school. My parents are preparing me for my future. Will work for food. After her son was suspended from school for the seventh time, a Kansas City mom required her son to wear a sandwich board declaring that he was the class clown and pace for hours outside her workplace. In California, two parents were charged with abuse after they sent their son to school with dog excrement in his backpack to punish him for failing to clean up after his pet.
A) Some frustrated parents are using public punishments to try to correct their children for bad behavior.
B) When it comes to punishing kids for undesirable behaviors, some discipline techniques work better than others.
C) Public punishments are cruel and abusive.

Accepted Answer

The paragraph discusses multiple instances of parents using public punishments to discipline their children for poor behavior, indicating that some frustrated parents are resorting to this method. Option B is too broad and option C is too extreme, as not all public punishments are necessarily cruel and abusive.

Question 7

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Choose the topic sentence.
A) Most important, office e-mail is not private, so never disclose information that you wouldn t want your boss or co-workers to see.
B) To avoid information overload, send e-mails only to those who must see them.
C) All employees who use e-mail at work should follow certain professional guidelines.
D) The subject line should be business-like, not casual: PowerPoint Training, not Yo, Boris!

Accepted Answer

This choice presents the overall topic of the paragraph, which is about professional guidelines for using office e-mail. The other choices mention specific tips within this topic.

Question 8

Instructions: For each paragraph below, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) Volunteering doesn t just benefit those who receive help; it significantly improves the health and happiness of the volunteer, too. (2) According to several studies, elderly people who volunteer are less depressed and more physically healthy than elderly people who don t volunteer. (3) Plus, those same studies found that the volunteers lived longer. (4) However, it s not just senior citizens who benefit from volunteering. (5) The connection between volunteering and good health is so strong, as a matter of fact, that the Public Health Center at Harvard University created a media campaign to encourage new retirees to sign up to volunteer. (6) Child psychologists say that volunteer work helps adolescents and teenagers, too, by building their self-esteem and socialization skills.
A) Sentence 1
B) Sentence 2
C) Sentence 4

Accepted Answer

The topic sentence of the paragraph is sentence 1, which introduces the idea that volunteering benefits not only those who receive help, but also the volunteer themselves. The rest of the paragraph goes on to provide examples and evidence to support this claim.

Question 9

Instructions: Check the following paragraph(s) for unity. Select the number of the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph. Identify the sentence that does not belong. (1) Some very odd things have been sold on eBay, the online auction site. (2) One man recently sold his forehead for advertising space. (3) The winning bid was $37,000. (4) When pop singer Justin Beiber cut off his long, famous hair, the locks sold for over $40,668, and several sellers have offered buyers a chance to own singer Britney Spears s used chewing gum. (5) A cheese sandwich said to bear an image of the Virgin Mary went for $28,000. (6) A cinnamon bun that supposedly looked like Mother Teresa was stolen from a coffeehouse in Nashville, Tennessee. (7) One eBay shopper paid $4,550 for a vampire-killing kit, and another bought a serial killer s fingernails for $9.99. (8) The meaning of life sold for a mere $3.26, and another buyer got Nothing! Absolutely Nothing! for $1.03.
A) Sentence 4
B) Sentence 6
C) Sentence 7

Accepted Answer

Sentence 6 does not belong as it discusses a stolen cinnamon bun, which is unrelated to the theme of unusual items sold on eBay.

Question 10

Instructions: For each paragraph, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) A well-written resume is a critical component for a successful job search. (2) To write a resume that gets results, always include action verbs that clearly reveal your skills and abilities. (3) Specific action verbs help potential employers understand how your experiences match their needs, so these action words should always begin your descriptions of duties you performed at previous jobs. (4) As you are listing these duties, use verbs such as analyzed, calculated, delivered, wrote, monitored, and purchased to describe the actions you have performed in the past. (5) In addition, make sure that, as much as possible, the verbs in your resume match the employer s description of the position. (6) If the position description states that good organizational skills are required, make sure to use the verb organized to describe at least one duty that you ve performed in past jobs. If the position description asks for a supervisor, and you have supervisory experience, use the word supervised to describe one of your previous responsibilities.
A) Sentence 1
B) Sentence 2
C) Sentence 3

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: For each paragraph, select the number...

Question 11

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Select the topic sentence.
A) Muslims say a brief ritualistic prayer five times a day while facing the direction of Mecca, kneeling, and bowing their heads to the ground.
B) Jews pray three times a day and even more often on holy days.
C) Hindus sing or recite a prayer called the Gayatri mantra on a daily basis.
D) All of the world s major religions include some form of prayer.
E) Followers of the Christian faith usually pray during worship services, before meals, and before going to sleep at night.

Accepted Answer

The topic sentence is a general statement that encompasses all of the sentences in the paragraph. Sentence D states that all of the world's major religions include some form of prayer, which establishes this idea as the main theme of the paragraph. The other sentences provide examples of specific religious practices related to prayer, but they do not serve as an overarching topic sentence.

Question 12

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.
A) This paper will be about college.
B) Pollution is a really big problem in the world today.
C) Loud noise may be harmful to our physical health.

Accepted Answer

The other choices are too broad and do not give a specific focus for the paragraph. C, on the other hand, is specific and focused on one potential harm from loud noise.

Question 13

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.
A) This paragraph will be about the Internet.
B) Psychology is a very interesting topic to explore.
C) The federal minimum wage should be increased to at least $9.00 per hour.

Accepted Answer

Sentence C is the only sentence that presents a specific topic that can be developed in a paragraph. Sentence A is too broad and sentence B is off topic.

Question 14

Instructions: For each paragraph below, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) Statistics show that the average American generates about 4 pounds of trash every day. (2) When you multiply that by the number of people living in the United States, you realize we throw away about 210 million tons of stuff each year. (3) That s a lot of trash. (4) However, we can all combat this problem by taking three steps: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. (5) Reduce refers to lessening the amount of trash you generate. Buy only the amount you need. (6) Persuade manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they use. (7) Mow your lawn with a mulching mower and leave the clippings on the grass. (8) Reuse means finding other locations for items besides the garbage can. (9) Figure out other ways you can use things like cans or plastic bags. (10) Share unused portions with neighbors or charities. (11) Donate unwanted items to others rather than throwing them away. (12) If you can t reuse, recycle . (13) The recycling process can be applied to glass, paper, plastics, steel, and cardboard, which can be made into useful products rather than thrown into an overflowing landfill.
A) Sentence 1
B) Sentence 4
C) Sentence 13

Accepted Answer

The topic sentence of this paragraph is sentence 4, as it introduces the three steps that can combat the problem of generating too much trash. Sentence 1 gives a statistic but does not introduce the main idea of the paragraph. Sentence 13 discusses recycling, but it comes at the end of the paragraph and does not introduce the main idea.

Question 15

Instructions: For each paragraph, select the number of the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph below. (1) Playing video games may give doctors an advantage in the operating room, helping them save lives. (2) A 2004 study at New York s Beth Israel Medical Center tested thirty-three doctors on video game tasks that measured their motor skills, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. (3) These are the same skills that are essential to performing laparoscopic surgery, which involves using a joystick to maneuver a tiny video camera inserted into a patient s body. (4) Researchers found that doctors who used to play video games for more than three hours a week were 37 percent less likely than nongamers to make mistakes. (5) They also finished procedures 27 percent faster than nongamers.
A) Sentence 1
B) Sentence 2
C) Sentence 3

Accepted Answer

The topic sentence of the paragraph is the first sentence, which introduces the topic of how playing video games can benefit doctors in the operating room. The subsequent sentences provide evidence and support for this claim, such as the study at Beth Israel Medical Center and the specific skills required for laparoscopic surgery.

Question 16

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Choose the topic sentence.
A) In about 25 percent of people, sunlight triggers sneezing because of a link between the eye s optic nerve and nerves associated with the sneeze response.
B) Light, or the lack of it, affects some people in interesting ways.
C) People who wear contact lenses or take certain medications are often more sensitive to sunlight.
D) During winter months, some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or feelings of depression due to reduced amounts of light.

Accepted Answer

The topic sentence of this group is "Light, or the lack of it, affects some people in interesting ways." The other three sentences provide further details about how light affects certain groups of people or causes certain conditions.

Question 17

Instructions: Check the following paragraph(s) for unity. Select the number of the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph. Identify the sentence that does not belong. (1) Many cities have adopted or toughened their laws that protect trees because trees benefit cities and their inhabitants in several ways. (2) They clean air by filtering out carbon monoxide, ozone, and other pollutants and then producing oxygen. (3) They also prevent rain from washing oil, vehicle coolant fluid, pesticides, and other chemicals into rivers and lakes. (4) Therefore, they reduce the need for cities to install huge, multibillion-dollar storm-water systems to handle the runoff that occurs in areas with fewer trees. (5) Trees also provide cooling shade, thus reducing the need for air conditioning in homes and businesses. (6) If it weren t for air conditioning, many cities in Florida, such as Miami and Orlando, would never have grown so large. (7) Because trees save money on energy costs, many cities encourage their residents to protect the trees surrounding their homes and businesses.
A) Sentence 4
B) Sentence 5
C) Sentence 6

Accepted Answer

While sentence 6 acknowledges the importance of air conditioning in certain cities, it does not directly relate to the topic of tree protection and benefits in cities. The other sentences all contribute to the main idea of why protecting trees is important for cities and their inhabitants.

Question 18

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph. It dates back to ancient Egypt, when players tried to knock down pins by rolling a ball made of stone or wood at them. One historian claims that Germans were playing the game by 300 A.D. By the Middle Ages, bowling had become so popular that in 1366, England s King Edward III banned the sport because it was distracting his soldiers from archery practice. English, Dutch, and German settlers all imported different variations of the game when they immigrated to America. Today, almost 70 million Americans go bowling every year, making it the most popular participatory sport in the United States.
A) Bowling has long been a popular game all over the world.
B) Bowling is a lot of fun.
C) Bowling balls have changed a lot over the years.

Accepted Answer

The paragraph discusses the history and popularity of bowling in different regions of the world, making A the most accurate topic sentence. B and C are not accurate as they focus on personal opinions and details about the equipment used in bowling, respectively.

Question 19

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.
A) This paragraph will be about teenage pregnancy.
B) People who want to lose weight should seriously consider joining a gym.
C) I want to write about television.

Accepted Answer

The sentence "People who want to lose weight should seriously consider joining a gym" is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph because it clearly identifies the specific topic, weight loss through gym membership, and provides a clear focus for the rest of the paragraph. The other two sentences are too broad and do not provide specific direction for the paragraph.

Question 20

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph. For example, a substance in chocolate is a cardiac stimulant that can increase a dog s heart rate and cause it to beat irregularly. Dogs that eat large quantities of chocolate may even die. Onions and garlic, too, contain an ingredient that is toxic to dogs. Onion poisoning causes the dog s red blood cells to burst while they circulate in its body. Vomiting and diarrhea will be followed by breathlessness as the dog s blood loses its ability to carry oxygen. Another toxic food is macadamia nuts, which can cause muscle weakness and pain in a dog s limbs. Other potential hazards for dogs include broccoli, raisins, grapes, potato peelings, and yeast dough.
A) Several common foods are actually quite poisonous.
B) Certain foods are toxic to dogs.
C) Pets have serious reactions to people foods.

Accepted Answer

The paragraph discusses various foods that are toxic to dogs, making "Certain foods are toxic to dogs" the most accurate topic sentence.

Quiz 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Select the topic sentence.

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Choose the topic sentence.

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Select the topic sentence.

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.

Instructions: Each group of sentences below could be unscrambled and written as a paragraph. Read each group, and select the letter of the topic sentence for each. Choose the topic sentence.

Instructions: For each group of sentences below, select the letter of the sentence that is limited enough to be the topic sentence of a good paragraph. Select the good topic sentence.