Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 393 · 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?
   
   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 cricket match (b) my best friend (c) my new bicycle (d) elephants
2. 2.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) our trip to the zoo (b) a visit to an old fort (c) my best friend (d) my grandfather
3. 3.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) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) A fair comes to our village every winter. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) The railway station is always busy.
4. 4.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Sellers pile fresh vegetables on their carts. People bargain loudly over prices. By noon, most of the vegetables are sold. (a) My grandfather is seventy years old. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) The vegetable market near our house opens early.
5. 5.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Turn off the tap while you brush. Fix leaking taps quickly. Use a bucket, not a pipe, to wash the car. (a) The railway station is always busy. (b) We must not waste water. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
6. 6.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ She has soft white fur and green eyes. Mishti drinks milk from a blue bowl. Mishti chases balls of wool all day. (a) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (d) Our classroom is bright and clean.
7. 7.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) my grandfather (b) ants (c) saving water (d) the school library
8. 8.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) elephants (b) our pet cat (c) our trip to the zoo (d) our school sports day
9. 9.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ An elephant picks up food with its trunk. Elephants eat grass, leaves and fruit. Baby elephants stay close to their mothers. (a) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (d) Elephants are the biggest land animals.
10. 10.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Frogs croak loudly in the wet fields. Children float paper boats in puddles. The monsoon turns the dry fields green. (a) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
11. 11.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ There is a giant wheel and a merry-go-round. A magician does tricks for the children. We eat hot jalebis at the fair. (a) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (b) A fair comes to our village every winter. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) The night sky is full of wonders.
12. 12.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) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
13. 13.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) a busy railway station (b) our postman (c) a visit to an old fort (d) our classroom
14. 14.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. A giraffe ate leaves from a tall tree. (a) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
15. 15.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 busy railway station (b) eating healthy food (c) saving water (d) our postman
16. 16.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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
17. 17.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) My best friend is Farhan. (b) My grandfather is seventy years old. (c) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (d) I got a new bicycle on my birthday.
18. 18.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. Kunal bowled very fast. Our team scored fifty runs. Imran took the last wicket. Everyone cheered when we won the match. (a) our postman (b) saving water (c) my best friend (d) a cricket match
19. 19.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ She has soft white fur and green eyes. Mishti drinks milk from a blue bowl. She sleeps in a basket near the window. (a) We must not waste water. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
20. 20.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) The railway station is always busy. (b) We must not waste water. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
21. 21.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) My grandfather is seventy years old. (b) The peacock is the national bird of India. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) Our class visited an old fort on a hill.
22. 22.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Trains arrive and leave every few minutes. Tea sellers walk up and down the platform. Loud announcements tell people about the trains. (a) Our school library is my favourite place. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) We have a pet cat named Mishti.
23. 23.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) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) We must not waste water. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
24. 24.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Porters in red shirts carry heavy luggage. Tea sellers walk up and down the platform. Loud announcements tell people about the trains. (a) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) The railway station is always busy.
25. 25.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) Our school sports day was full of fun. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) Our school library is my favourite place. (d) The railway station is always busy.
26. 26.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ We saw a tiger resting on a big rock. A giraffe ate leaves from a tall tree. We watched the zookeeper feed the bears. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) Our school sports day was full of fun.
27. 27.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) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (c) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
28. 28.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ The monkeys jumped from branch to branch. A giraffe ate leaves from a tall tree. We watched the zookeeper feed the bears. (a) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (b) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (c) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (d) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong.
29. 29.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) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
30. 30.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) the village fair (b) grandma's garden (c) the old banyan tree (d) flying kites
31. 31.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Fruits give us many vitamins. Dal and eggs build strong muscles. Too many sweets are bad for our teeth. (a) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
32. 32.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) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) We must not waste water. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
33. 33.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) making a rangoli (b) my new bicycle (c) ants (d) our postman
34. 34.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Thousands of stars twinkle above us. The moon looks like a silver plate. Sometimes we spot a shooting star. (a) The night sky is full of wonders. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) The vegetable market near our house opens early.
35. 35.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. We keep our classroom tidy every day. (a) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
36. 36.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) making a rangoli (b) a busy railway station (c) the old banyan tree (d) a visit to an old fort
37. 37.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) ants (b) elephants (c) our pet cat (d) flying kites
38. 38.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) my best friend (b) making a rangoli (c) our trip to the zoo (d) ants
39. 39.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) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
40. 40.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ She grows tomatoes and chillies too. She sprinkles the plants every morning. Butterflies visit the marigold flowers. (a) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.

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