Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 322 · 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.What is this paragraph mostly about?
   
   We have a pet cat named Mishti. She has soft white fur and green eyes. Mishti drinks milk from a blue bowl. She sleeps in a basket near the window. Mishti chases balls of wool all day. (a) my best friend (b) our school sports day (c) my grandfather (d) our pet cat
2. 2.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Its stone walls were very thick. We climbed up to the tower. The guide told us about the old kings. (a) The railway station is always busy. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
3. 3.What is this paragraph mostly about?
   
   Ants are tiny but very hard-working. They live together in an anthill. Ants can carry food heavier than themselves. Ants walk one behind the other in a line. Ants store food for the winter. (a) ants (b) our pet cat (c) a day at the beach (d) eating healthy food
4. 4.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Thousands of stars twinkle above us. The moon looks like a silver plate. Some stars make shapes in the sky. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) Our classroom is bright and clean.
5. 5.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Grandpa tells us stories of his childhood. Grandpa reads the newspaper after breakfast. My grandfather loves to play chess with me. (a) We spent a happy day at the beach. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
6. 6.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) our classroom (b) a busy railway station (c) the village fair (d) our postman
7. 7.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Milk and curd make our bones strong. Dal and eggs build strong muscles. Too many sweets are bad for our teeth. (a) We must not waste water. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong.
8. 8.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ It is red with a shiny silver bell. I ride it to the park every evening. I oil the chain of my bicycle every week. (a) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
9. 9.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) my best friend (b) eating healthy food (c) a day at the beach (d) the peacock
10. 10.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) my grandfather (b) making a rangoli (c) my best friend (d) saving water
11. 11.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ They have long trunks and big ears. Elephants eat grass, leaves and fruit. Baby elephants stay close to their mothers. (a) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
12. 12.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Trains arrive and leave every few minutes. Porters in red shirts carry heavy luggage. Loud announcements tell people about the trains. (a) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) My grandmother has a lovely garden.
13. 13.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 day at the beach (b) flying kites (c) my new bicycle (d) the vegetable market
14. 14.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) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (b) We must not waste water. (c) Our school sports day was full of fun. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
15. 15.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Kunal bowled very fast. Our team scored fifty runs. Imran took the last wicket. (a) Our school library is my favourite place. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
16. 16.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) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (b) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (c) Our school library is my favourite place. (d) We must not waste water.
17. 17.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. Children float paper boats in puddles. (a) My best friend is Farhan. (b) A fair comes to our village every winter. (c) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.
18. 18.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Trains arrive and leave every few minutes. Porters in red shirts carry heavy luggage. Tea sellers walk up and down the platform. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) The railway station is always busy.
19. 19.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Fruits give us many vitamins. Milk and curd make our bones strong. Dal and eggs build strong muscles. (a) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) We must not waste water.
20. 20.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) saving water (b) making a rangoli (c) the old banyan tree (d) the vegetable market
21. 21.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ The waves splashed over our feet. Dad bought us fresh coconuts. We collected shells near the shore. (a) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
22. 22.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) the night sky (b) the peacock (c) our school sports day (d) making a rangoli
23. 23.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ My grandfather goes for a walk every morning. Grandpa tells us stories of his childhood. Grandpa reads the newspaper after breakfast. (a) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) A fair comes to our village every winter. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
24. 24.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) The night sky is full of wonders. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
25. 25.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Our team scored fifty runs. Imran took the last wicket. Everyone cheered when we won the match. (a) We must not waste water. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) I got a new bicycle on my birthday.
26. 26.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    The railway station is always busy. Trains arrive and leave every few minutes. Porters in red shirts carry heavy luggage. Tea sellers walk up and down the platform. Loud announcements tell people about the trains. (a) the school library (b) a busy railway station (c) the village fair (d) the vegetable market
27. 27.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) Our classroom is bright and clean. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) An old banyan tree stands in our village.
28. 28.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) our trip to the zoo (b) our classroom (c) the vegetable market (d) the night sky
29. 29.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Dark clouds gather and rain pours down. Children float paper boats in puddles. The monsoon turns the dry fields green. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) The railway station is always busy.
30. 30.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) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.
31. 31.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    My best friend is Farhan. Farhan sits next to me in class. My friend always shares his lunch with me. Farhan and I play football after school. He is a true friend who helps me. (a) the old banyan tree (b) a busy railway station (c) my best friend (d) our school sports day
32. 32.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Kites of every colour dance in the wind. We buy strong string for our kites. At night, people fly kites with small lights. (a) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) We spent a happy day at the beach. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) I got a new bicycle on my birthday.
33. 33.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Thousands of stars twinkle above us. Sometimes we spot a shooting star. Some stars make shapes in the sky. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) The peacock is the national bird of India. (d) The night sky is full of wonders.
34. 34.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ We built a big sandcastle. Dad bought us fresh coconuts. We collected shells near the shore. (a) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) We must not waste water. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
35. 35.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It has tall shelves full of storybooks. We may borrow two books every week. Everyone reads quietly in the library. (a) Our classroom is bright and clean. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
36. 36.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Farhan sits next to me in class. Farhan and I play football after school. He is a true friend who helps me. (a) We must not waste water. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
37. 37.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    The night sky is full of wonders. Thousands of stars twinkle above us. The moon looks like a silver plate. Sometimes we spot a shooting star. Some stars make shapes in the sky. (a) grandma's garden (b) the night sky (c) our trip to the zoo (d) the village fair
38. 38.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ We saw a tiger resting on a big rock. The monkeys jumped from branch to branch. We watched the zookeeper feed the bears. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
39. 39.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ She has soft white fur and green eyes. She sleeps in a basket near the window. Mishti chases balls of wool all day. (a) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (b) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
40. 40.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) my new bicycle (d) eating healthy food

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