Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 938 · 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?
   
   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 village fair (b) elephants (c) ants (d) a visit to an old fort
2. 2.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) our pet cat (c) my new bicycle (d) a visit to an old fort
3. 3.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) We must not waste water. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) Our classroom is bright and clean.
4. 4.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) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (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.
5. 5.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) making a rangoli (b) eating healthy food (c) saving water (d) my best friend
6. 6.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ Its seat is soft and comfortable. I ride it to the park every evening. I oil the chain of my bicycle every week. (a) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (d) I got a new bicycle on my birthday.
7. 7.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) our classroom (b) our pet cat (c) a cricket match (d) the night sky
8. 8.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) my new bicycle (b) our school sports day (c) the peacock (d) the vegetable market
9. 9.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) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) A fair comes to our village every winter. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
10. 10.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. My grandfather loves to play chess with me. (a) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
11. 11.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) saving water (b) our trip to the zoo (c) flying kites (d) our classroom
12. 12.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) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
13. 13.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) a cricket match (b) my new bicycle (c) the school library (d) the old banyan tree
14. 14.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) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
15. 15.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Fruits give us many vitamins. Milk and curd make our bones strong. Too many sweets are bad for our teeth. (a) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
16. 16.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) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) We must not waste water. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
17. 17.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) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
18. 18.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) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) Our school sports day was full of fun. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
19. 19.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) a cricket match (b) my grandfather (c) the rainy season (d) a day at the beach
20. 20.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ We climbed up to the tower. The guide told us about the old kings. From the tower we could see the whole town. (a) My best friend is Farhan. (b) A fair comes to our village every winter. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) Our class visited an old fort on a hill.
21. 21.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) the peacock (b) my new bicycle (c) a busy railway station (d) a visit to an old fort
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) grandma's garden (b) ants (c) our trip to the zoo (d) making a rangoli
23. 23.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) Our classroom is bright and clean. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (d) Elephants are the biggest land animals.
24. 24.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) the rainy season (d) ants
25. 25.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Fix leaking taps quickly. Use a bucket, not a pipe, to wash the car. Take a quick bath with one bucket of water. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) We must not waste water.
26. 26.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 vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) Our school library is my favourite place. (d) An old banyan tree stands in our village.
27. 27.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) the rainy season (c) ants (d) making a rangoli
28. 28.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) elephants (c) making a rangoli (d) the rainy season
29. 29.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    An old banyan tree stands in our village. Its branches spread very wide. Long roots hang down from its branches. Birds build nests in its branches. Villagers rest in its cool shade. (a) eating healthy food (b) flying kites (c) the old banyan tree (d) the rainy season
30. 30.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) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) My grandfather is seventy years old. (d) I got a new bicycle on my birthday.
31. 31.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) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (b) Our classroom is bright and clean. (c) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
32. 32.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) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) The railway station is always busy. (d) We have a pet cat named Mishti.
33. 33.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) My best friend is Farhan. (b) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) We must not waste water.
34. 34.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) The railway station is always busy. (b) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) Our school sports day was full of fun. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
35. 35.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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (c) The night sky is full of wonders. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
36. 36.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 postman (b) our pet cat (c) elephants (d) the rainy season
37. 37.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) flying kites (b) grandma's garden (c) elephants (d) our school sports day
38. 38.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) Our classroom is bright and clean. (b) We spent a happy day at the beach. (c) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (d) I got a new bicycle on my birthday.
39. 39.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Red roses grow along the fence. She grows tomatoes and chillies too. She sprinkles the plants every morning. (a) We spent a happy day at the beach. (b) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (c) A fair comes to our village every winter. (d) The night sky is full of wonders.
40. 40.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) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) The peacock is the national bird of India.

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