Topic Sentence Worksheet

Writing skills lesson 9: Topic sentence · Set 987 · 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?
   
   ___ They live together in an anthill. Ants can carry food heavier than themselves. Ants store food for the winter. (a) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (d) Ants are tiny but very hard-working.
2. 2.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) the village fair (c) our postman (d) our pet cat
3. 3.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) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) An old banyan tree stands in our village. (d) The night sky is full of wonders.
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) our trip to the zoo (b) a cricket match (c) my grandfather (d) the peacock
5. 5.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 vegetable market (b) our school sports day (c) the village fair (d) our postman
6. 6.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
   
   ___ First we draw the pattern with white chalk. We place small lamps around the design. Our neighbours stop to admire our rangoli. (a) The peacock is the national bird of India. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (d) Our class visited an old fort on a hill.
7. 7.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) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (d) Elephants are the biggest land animals.
8. 8.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) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (b) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
9. 9.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) making a rangoli (b) the school library (c) the peacock (d) the old banyan tree
10. 10.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) The railway station is always busy. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) In January, the sky fills with kites. (d) My grandmother has a lovely garden.
11. 11.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 night sky is full of wonders. (b) The peacock is the national bird of India. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) The railway station is always busy.
12. 12.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 cricket match (b) a visit to an old fort (c) ants (d) the village fair
13. 13.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) making a rangoli (b) a busy railway station (c) flying kites (d) our classroom
14. 14.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) The night sky is full of wonders. (b) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) My grandfather is seventy years old.
15. 15.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) eating healthy food (b) grandma's garden (c) the school library (d) our school sports day
16. 16.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) the rainy season (b) flying kites (c) our trip to the zoo (d) the school library
17. 17.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) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) The monsoon is my favourite season. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
18. 18.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) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) Our classroom is bright and clean. (d) My best friend is Farhan.
19. 19.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) flying kites (b) the village fair (c) our trip to the zoo (d) our postman
20. 20.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) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) My grandmother has a lovely garden. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
21. 21.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) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) Our class visited an old fort on a hill. (d) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday.
22. 22.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) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (b) Our school library is my favourite place. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) The vegetable market near our house opens early.
23. 23.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) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
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) A fair comes to our village every winter. (b) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (c) Ants are tiny but very hard-working. (d) Ramesh is the postman in our area.
25. 25.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 school sports day (b) the night sky (c) our pet cat (d) a cricket match
26. 26.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. We buy strong string for our kites. (a) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (b) The monsoon is my favourite season. (c) My best friend is Farhan. (d) In January, the sky fills with kites.
27. 27.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ I ran in the hundred-metre race. Our house won the tug of war. The winners got shiny medals. (a) The vegetable market near our house opens early. (b) I got a new bicycle on my birthday. (c) Our school sports day was full of fun. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
28. 28.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) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo. (b) My best friend is Farhan. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) The railway station is always busy.
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) the old banyan tree (b) the rainy season (c) elephants (d) a visit to an old fort
30. 30.What is this paragraph mostly about?
    
    We spent a happy day at the beach. The waves splashed over our feet. We built a big sandcastle. Dad bought us fresh coconuts. We collected shells near the shore. (a) the night sky (b) flying kites (c) saving water (d) a day at the beach
31. 31.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) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) Healthy food keeps our bodies strong. (c) We have a pet cat named Mishti. (d) Our school library is my favourite place.
32. 32.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) the village fair (b) my grandfather (c) a cricket match (d) a visit to an old fort
33. 33.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) The monsoon is my favourite season. (b) We spent a happy day at the beach. (c) Our street had a cricket match on Sunday. (d) Last Sunday, our class went to the zoo.
34. 34.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) the village fair (b) a cricket match (c) saving water (d) the peacock
35. 35.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) 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) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli.
36. 36.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) the peacock (b) our trip to the zoo (c) flying kites (d) the school library
37. 37.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ Children fly kites from their rooftops. We buy strong string for our kites. At night, people fly kites with small lights. (a) Every Diwali, my sister and I make a rangoli. (b) In January, the sky fills with kites. (c) Elephants are the biggest land animals. (d) My grandmother has a lovely garden.
38. 38.Which sentence is the best opening (topic sentence) for this paragraph?
    
    ___ The waves splashed over our feet. We built a big sandcastle. We collected shells near the shore. (a) Ramesh is the postman in our area. (b) The railway station is always busy. (c) We spent a happy day at the beach. (d) Elephants are the biggest land animals.
39. 39.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) a busy railway station (b) the night sky (c) the vegetable market (d) the peacock
40. 40.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) 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) Elephants are the biggest land animals.

Free writing skills lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/english-writing-skills