Exploring Writing 2nd Edition by John Langan

Exercise 23

Each group of sentences below could be written as a short paragraph. Circle the letter of the topic sentence in each case. To find the topic sentence, ask yourself, "Which is a general statement supported by the specific details in the other three statements "
Begin by trying the example item below. First circle the letter of the sentence you think expresses the main idea. Then read the explanation.
EXAMPLE
a. If you stop carrying matches or a lighter, you can cut down on impulse smoking.
b. If you sit in no-smoking areas, you will smoke less. You can behave in ways that will help you smoke less.
d. By keeping a record of when and where you smoke, you can identify the most tempting situations and then avoid them.
EXPLANATION: Sentence a explains one way to smoke less. Sentences b and d also provide specific ways to smoke less. In sentence c , however, no one specific way is explained. The words ways that will help you smoke less refer only generally to such methods. Therefore, sentence c is the topic sentence; it expresses the author's main idea. The other sentences support that idea by providing examples.
1. a. "I couldn't study because I forgot to bring my textbook home."
b. "I couldn't do my homework because my printer ran out of toner."
c. Students give instructors some common excuses.
d. "I couldn't come to class because I had a migraine headache."
2. a. Its brakes are badly worn.
b. My old car is ready for the salvage yard.
c. Its floor has rusted through, and water splashes on my feet when the highway is wet.
d. My mechanic says its engine is too old to be repaired, and the car isn't worth the cost of a new engine.
3. a. The last time I ate at the restaurant, I got food poisoning and was sick for two days.
b. The city inspector found roaches and mice in the restaurant's kitchen.
c. The restaurant on 23rd street is a health hazard and ought to be closed down.
d. The toilets in the restaurant often back up, and the sinks have only a trickle of water.
4. a. Part-time employees can be easily laid off.
b. Most part-time employees do not receive fringe benefits.
c. A part-time employee earns 25 to 40 percent less than a full-time employee.
d. Part-time employment has several disadvantages.
5. a. In early colleges, students were mostly white males.
b. Colleges of two centuries ago were quite different from today's schools.
c. All students in early colleges had to take the same courses.
d. The entire student body at early schools consisted of only a few dozen people.