Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 661 · 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?
   
   ___ The librarian helps us find good books. We may borrow two books every week. Everyone reads quietly in the library. (a) We spent a happy day at the beach. (b) Our classroom is bright and clean. (c) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
2. 2.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 grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
3. 3.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) the peacock (b) making a rangoli (c) our postman (d) the rainy season
4. 4.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) the school library (b) ants (c) grandma's garden (d) our postman
5. 5.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) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) A fair comes to our village every winter. (c) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
6. 6.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) We must not waste water. (b) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (c) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
7. 7.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) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.
8. 8.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 store food for the winter. (a) Our classroom is bright and clean. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
9. 9.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 must not waste water. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) Our school library is my favourite place. (d) Our class visited an old fort on a hill.
10. 10.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) my grandfather (b) our pet cat (c) the rainy season (d) saving water
11. 11.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) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
12. 12.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Red roses grow along the fence. She grows tomatoes and chillies too. Butterflies visit the marigold flowers. (a) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (b) Our classroom is bright and clean. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
13. 13.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) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) We must not waste water.
14. 14.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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) We must not waste water. (d) The railway station is always busy.
15. 15.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ It is red with a shiny silver bell. Its seat is soft and comfortable. I oil the chain of my bicycle every week. (a) My grandfather is seventy years old. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.
16. 16.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 monsoon is my favourite season. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) The peacock is the national bird of India. (d) The vegetable market near our house opens early.
17. 17.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 night sky is full of wonders. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) A fair comes to our village every winter. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
18. 18.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) a cricket match (c) our trip to the zoo (d) my best friend
19. 19.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) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) We spent a happy day at the beach. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
20. 20.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) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (b) We spent a happy day at the beach. (c) We must not waste water. (d) Our class visited an old fort on a hill.
21. 21.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) My grandfather is seventy years old. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
22. 22.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) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
23. 23.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 postman (c) our trip to the zoo (d) grandma's garden
24. 24.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) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
25. 25.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ 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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (d) We have a pet cat named Mishti.
26. 26.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 pet cat (b) my grandfather (c) saving water (d) ants
27. 27.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) We must not waste water. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) Our classroom is bright and clean.
28. 28.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) a day at the beach (b) our pet cat (c) our school sports day (d) the peacock
29. 29.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) ants (b) the vegetable market (c) the school library (d) grandma's garden
30. 30.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) flying kites (b) a day at the beach (c) a visit to an old fort (d) a busy railway station
31. 31.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) my grandfather (b) my new bicycle (c) the vegetable market (d) a cricket match
32. 32.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Our school sports day was full of fun. The day began with a march past. I ran in the hundred-metre race. Our house won the tug of war. The winners got shiny medals. (a) the rainy season (b) ants (c) elephants (d) our school sports day
33. 33.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. Peahens are smaller and brown in colour. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
34. 34.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ The day began with a march past. I ran in the hundred-metre race. The winners got shiny medals. (a) Our school sports day was full of fun. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) The night sky is full of wonders.
35. 35.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) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) We spent a happy day at the beach.
36. 36.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Our class visited an old fort on a hill. Its stone walls were very thick. We climbed up to the tower. The guide told us about the old kings. From the tower we could see the whole town. (a) flying kites (b) eating healthy food (c) a visit to an old fort (d) the village fair
37. 37.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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.
38. 38.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) the village fair (b) our postman (c) the old banyan tree (d) the night sky
39. 39.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) Our school sports day was full of fun. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) Elephants are the biggest land animals.
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) grandma's garden (b) ants (c) elephants (d) a busy railway station

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