Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 815 · 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?
   
   ___ Sellers pile fresh vegetables on their carts. Shoppers pick the best onions and potatoes. By noon, most of the vegetables are sold. (a) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
2. 2.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) saving water (b) a busy railway station (c) our trip to the zoo (d) eating healthy food
3. 3.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) my new bicycle (b) a visit to an old fort (c) the night sky (d) our postman
4. 4.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) a cricket match (b) a visit to an old fort (c) our trip to the zoo (d) my best friend
5. 5.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 vegetable market (b) saving water (c) the peacock (d) the old banyan tree
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. A magician does tricks for the children. (a) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (b) A fair comes to our village every winter. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
7. 7.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 best friend (b) my grandfather (c) our classroom (d) our postman
8. 8.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) our postman (b) eating healthy food (c) ants (d) our classroom
9. 9.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) our trip to the zoo (b) our postman (c) my new bicycle (d) our school sports day
10. 10.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ They have long trunks and big ears. An elephant picks up food with its trunk. Baby elephants stay close to their mothers. (a) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (b) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) The monsoon is my favourite season.
11. 11.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) Our school library is my favourite place. (b) The night sky is full of wonders. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) We must not waste water.
12. 12.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 best friend (b) a visit to an old fort (c) the rainy season (d) our pet cat
13. 13.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) We spent a happy day at the beach. (b) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
14. 14.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) a visit to an old fort (b) our trip to the zoo (c) my new bicycle (d) eating healthy food
15. 15.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) grandma's garden (b) my new bicycle (c) our pet cat (d) a busy railway station
16. 16.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) We must not waste water. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) The peacock is the national bird of India. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
17. 17.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) Our school sports day was full of fun. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) We spent a happy day at the beach.
18. 18.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) The night sky is full of wonders. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
19. 19.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) a visit to an old fort (b) our pet cat (c) a day at the beach (d) grandma's garden
20. 20.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) My grandfather is seventy years old. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong.
21. 21.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 peacock (b) a visit to an old fort (c) my new bicycle (d) grandma's garden
22. 22.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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
23. 23.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) My grandfather is seventy years old. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) Our classroom is bright and clean.
24. 24.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    Elephants are the biggest land animals. They have long trunks and big ears. An elephant picks up food with its trunk. Elephants eat grass, leaves and fruit. Baby elephants stay close to their mothers. (a) the rainy season (b) the night sky (c) the village fair (d) elephants
25. 25.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 library is my favourite place. (b) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) A fair comes to our village every winter.
26. 26.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) my best friend (b) our trip to the zoo (c) our postman (d) the village fair
27. 27.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Red roses grow along the fence. She sprinkles the plants every morning. Butterflies visit the marigold flowers. (a) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) In January, the sky fills with kites. (d) My grandmother has a lovely garden.
28. 28.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) We spent a happy day at the beach. (b) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (c) My best friend is Farhan. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
29. 29.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) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) My grandmother has a lovely garden.
30. 30.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 vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) We have a pet cat named Mishti.
31. 31.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) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (d) We have a pet cat named Mishti.
32. 32.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) We must not waste water. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) We spent a happy day at the beach.
33. 33.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) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (b) The peacock is the national bird of India. (c) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (d) Elephants are the biggest land animals.
34. 34.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) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
35. 35.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) In January, the sky fills with kites. (b) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
36. 36.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) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (b) We must not waste water. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
37. 37.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) the peacock (c) the vegetable market (d) my new bicycle
38. 38.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ First we draw the pattern with white chalk. Then we fill it with bright coloured powder. We place small lamps around the design. (a) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) An old banyan tree stands in our village.
39. 39.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 new bicycle (b) making a rangoli (c) a day at the beach (d) our postman
40. 40.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) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) We must not waste water. (d) Our classroom is bright and clean.

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