Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 265 · 40 questions

Writing tip (Main idea first): Read the detail sentences and ask: what are they ALL about? The topic sentence names that main idea in one sentence. A sentence about a different topic cannot open the paragraph, however nice it sounds.

1. 1.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Long roots hang down from its branches. Birds build nests in its branches. Villagers rest in its cool shade. (a) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (b) We must not waste water. (c) My best friend is Farhan. (d) We have a pet cat named Mishti.
2. 2.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ There is a giant wheel and a merry-go-round. Stalls sell bangles, toys and balloons. A magician does tricks for the children. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
3. 3.What is this paragraph mostly about?
   
   Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. Fruits give us many vitamins. Milk and curd make our bones strong. Dal and eggs build strong muscles. Too many sweets are bad for our teeth. (a) a cricket match (b) eating healthy food (c) grandma's garden (d) flying kites
4. 4.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Our desks are arranged in neat rows. A green board hangs at the front. We keep our classroom tidy every day. (a) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) Our classroom is bright and clean. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
5. 5.What is this paragraph mostly about?
   
   A fair comes to our village every winter. There is a giant wheel and a merry-go-round. Stalls sell bangles, toys and balloons. A magician does tricks for the children. We eat hot jalebis at the fair. (a) the village fair (b) a busy railway station (c) saving water (d) our school sports day
6. 6.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ There is a giant wheel and a merry-go-round. Stalls sell bangles, toys and balloons. We eat hot jalebis at the fair. (a) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (b) We spent a happy day at the beach. (c) Our school sports day was full of fun. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
7. 7.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Turn off the tap while you brush. Use a bucket, not a pipe, to wash the car. Take a quick bath with one bucket of water. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) We must not waste water.
8. 8.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Children fly kites from their rooftops. Kites of every colour dance in the wind. At night, people fly kites with small lights. (a) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) My grandmother has a lovely garden.
9. 9.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Dark clouds gather and rain pours down. Frogs croak loudly in the wet fields. The monsoon turns the dry fields green. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
10. 10.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    I got a new bicycle on my birthday. It is red with a shiny silver bell. Its seat is soft and comfortable. I ride it to the park every evening. I oil the chain of my bicycle every week. (a) a busy railway station (b) making a rangoli (c) my new bicycle (d) the rainy season
11. 11.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    The peacock is the national bird of India. It has a long, bright blue neck. Its tail feathers have beautiful eye spots. A peacock dances with its feathers spread. Peahens are smaller and brown in colour. (a) the rainy season (b) the peacock (c) my new bicycle (d) my best friend
12. 12.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Our school library is my favourite place. It has tall shelves full of storybooks. The librarian helps us find good books. We may borrow two books every week. Everyone reads quietly in the library. (a) our trip to the zoo (b) the old banyan tree (c) the vegetable market (d) the school library
13. 13.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. We saw a tiger resting on a big rock. The monkeys jumped from branch to branch. A giraffe ate leaves from a tall tree. We watched the zookeeper feed the bears. (a) a day at the beach (b) a busy railway station (c) the school library (d) our trip to the zoo
14. 14.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It has a long, bright blue neck. A peacock dances with its feathers spread. Peahens are smaller and brown in colour. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) The night sky is full of wonders.
15. 15.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Kunal bowled very fast. Our team scored fifty runs. Everyone cheered when we won the match. (a) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) The railway station is always busy.
16. 16.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    The monsoon is my favourite season. Dark clouds gather and rain pours down. Frogs croak loudly in the wet fields. Children float paper boats in puddles. The monsoon turns the dry fields green. (a) the peacock (b) a cricket match (c) the night sky (d) the rainy season
17. 17.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ He brings letters and parcels every day. The postman knows every house on our street. We always thank the postman with a smile. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) We must not waste water. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong.
18. 18.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. First we draw the pattern with white chalk. Then we fill it with bright coloured powder. We place small lamps around the design. Our neighbours stop to admire our rangoli. (a) grandma's garden (b) the rainy season (c) my new bicycle (d) making a rangoli
19. 19.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ They live together in an anthill. Ants can carry food heavier than themselves. Ants walk one behind the other in a line. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
20. 20.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    We must not waste water. Turn off the tap while you brush. Fix leaking taps quickly. Use a bucket, not a pipe, to wash the car. Take a quick bath with one bucket of water. (a) our trip to the zoo (b) the old banyan tree (c) saving water (d) the peacock
21. 21.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It has big windows that let in sunlight. Our desks are arranged in neat rows. A green board hangs at the front. (a) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
22. 22.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Mishti drinks milk from a blue bowl. She sleeps in a basket near the window. Mishti chases balls of wool all day. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) We must not waste water.
23. 23.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It has tall shelves full of storybooks. The librarian helps us find good books. Everyone reads quietly in the library. (a) Our school sports day was full of fun. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) Our school library is my favourite place. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
24. 24.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Shoppers pick the best onions and potatoes. People bargain loudly over prices. By noon, most of the vegetables are sold. (a) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) My grandfather is seventy years old. (c) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
25. 25.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It has a long, bright blue neck. Its tail feathers have beautiful eye spots. A peacock dances with its feathers spread. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
26. 26.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    We spent a happy day at the beach. The waves splashed over our feet. We built a big sandcastle. Dad bought us fresh coconuts. We collected shells near the shore. (a) making a rangoli (b) saving water (c) a day at the beach (d) the rainy season
27. 27.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ He brings letters and parcels every day. He carries a big brown bag of letters. We always thank the postman with a smile. (a) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
28. 28.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Our classroom is bright and clean. It has big windows that let in sunlight. Our desks are arranged in neat rows. A green board hangs at the front. We keep our classroom tidy every day. (a) our classroom (b) the old banyan tree (c) our trip to the zoo (d) my new bicycle
29. 29.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    My grandmother has a lovely garden. Red roses grow along the fence. She grows tomatoes and chillies too. She sprinkles the plants every morning. Butterflies visit the marigold flowers. (a) our pet cat (b) grandma's garden (c) making a rangoli (d) the school library
30. 30.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Its tail feathers have beautiful eye spots. A peacock dances with its feathers spread. Peahens are smaller and brown in colour. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.
31. 31.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Stalls sell bangles, toys and balloons. A magician does tricks for the children. We eat hot jalebis at the fair. (a) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
32. 32.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It has tall shelves full of storybooks. The librarian helps us find good books. We may borrow two books every week. (a) My best friend is Farhan. (b) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) Our school library is my favourite place. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
33. 33.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Then we fill it with bright coloured powder. We place small lamps around the design. Our neighbours stop to admire our rangoli. (a) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
34. 34.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Farhan sits next to me in class. My friend always shares his lunch with me. Farhan and I play football after school. (a) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
35. 35.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    The vegetable market near our house opens early. Sellers pile fresh vegetables on their carts. Shoppers pick the best onions and potatoes. People bargain loudly over prices. By noon, most of the vegetables are sold. (a) our pet cat (b) a cricket match (c) the vegetable market (d) our postman
36. 36.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Its branches spread very wide. Long roots hang down from its branches. Villagers rest in its cool shade. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
37. 37.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Ramesh is the postman in our area. He brings letters and parcels every day. He carries a big brown bag of letters. The postman knows every house on our street. We always thank the postman with a smile. (a) grandma's garden (b) the old banyan tree (c) our postman (d) making a rangoli
38. 38.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    My grandfather is seventy years old. My grandfather goes for a walk every morning. Grandpa tells us stories of his childhood. Grandpa reads the newspaper after breakfast. My grandfather loves to play chess with me. (a) elephants (b) the village fair (c) my grandfather (d) grandma's garden
39. 39.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Sellers pile fresh vegetables on their carts. Shoppers pick the best onions and potatoes. By noon, most of the vegetables are sold. (a) Our classroom is bright and clean. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
40. 40.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    In January, the sky fills with kites. Children fly kites from their rooftops. Kites of every colour dance in the wind. We buy strong string for our kites. At night, people fly kites with small lights. (a) eating healthy food (b) flying kites (c) our classroom (d) elephants

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