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Class 6 English — Topic sentences

Find the topic sentence of a paragraph, judge whether one is too narrow or too broad, and keep every other sentence under it.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Match each paragraph subject to the topic sentence that would open it best.

    • how a spider builds its web
    • why the library is always full
    • what happens on the first day of term
    • how to plant a seed
    • There are three reasons the library is never empty at lunchtime.
    • Planting a seed properly takes four short steps.
    • A spider builds its web in a fixed order, thread by thread.
    • The first day of term follows the same pattern every year.

  2. 2.In this paragraph the topic sentence comes last. Which one is it? "The bell had gone twenty minutes earlier. The corridors were empty and the lights were off. Not one bag was left on a hook. The school had emptied faster than on any day that year."

    • a) The school had emptied faster than on any day that year.
    • b) The corridors were empty and the lights were off.
    • c) The bell had gone twenty minutes earlier.
    • d) Not one bag was left on a hook.

  3. 3.Put these sentences in order to make one good paragraph.

    • Finally, let the string out slowly as the kite climbs.
    • Getting a kite into the air is easier than it looks — it takes three short steps.
    • Done in that order, it will be flying before you have run a step.
    • The first of those steps is to wait for a steady wind rather than a gusty one.
    • Then hold the kite up and let the wind take it from your hand.

  4. 4.Match each topic sentence to the detail that belongs under it.

    • A camel is built for the desert.
    • A library is more than a room of books.
    • Learning an instrument takes patience.
    • Our school day starts earlier than most.
    • The first bell rings before the shops have opened.
    • The first month is mostly scales and sore fingers.
    • It can close its nostrils against blowing sand.
    • It is the one place in town nobody is asked to pay to sit in.

  5. 5.Why is "Looking after a bicycle" not a topic sentence?

    • a) It is in the past tense
    • b) It is too long
    • c) It does not begin with a capital letter
    • d) It is a title, not a sentence — it has no verb doing any work

  6. 6.A paragraph is being written about how bees make honey. Sort each sentence by the job it would do.

    Groups: Topic sentence · Supporting detail

    • The nectar is carried back to the hive in its body.
    • First it drinks nectar from a flower.
    • The finished honey is sealed into a cell with wax.
    • Inside the hive, the nectar is passed from bee to bee.
    • Other bees fan the nectar with their wings until it thickens.
    • Making honey takes a bee three careful stages.

  7. 7.These three sentences are the details of one paragraph. "Its roots reach deeper than the tree is tall." "Its bark can survive a fire." "It goes on growing for hundreds of years." Which is the best topic sentence for them?

    • a) This tree has thick bark.
    • b) This tree is built to survive almost anything.
    • c) Some trees lose their leaves in winter.
    • d) Trees are important to us all.

  8. 8.One sentence does not belong in this paragraph. Which one? "A monsoon changes a city overnight. The dry drains fill within an hour. Traffic slows to a crawl on every road. My uncle drives a blue car. Even the air smells different afterwards."

    • a) My uncle drives a blue car.
    • b) Traffic slows to a crawl on every road.
    • c) The dry drains fill within an hour.
    • d) Even the air smells different afterwards.

Answer key — Class 6 English — Topic sentences

  1. 1. how a spider builds its web → A spider builds its web in a fixed order, thread by thread.; why the library is always full → There are three reasons the library is never empty at lunchtime.; what happens on the first day of term → The first day of term follows the same pattern every year.; how to plant a seed → Planting a seed properly takes four short steps.
  2. 2. a) The school had emptied faster than on any day that year.
  3. 3. 1. Getting a kite into the air is easier than it looks — it takes three short steps. 2. The first of those steps is to wait for a steady wind rather than a gusty one. 3. Then hold the kite up and let the wind take it from your hand. 4. Finally, let the string out slowly as the kite climbs. 5. Done in that order, it will be flying before you have run a step.
  4. 4. A camel is built for the desert. → It can close its nostrils against blowing sand.; A library is more than a room of books. → It is the one place in town nobody is asked to pay to sit in.; Learning an instrument takes patience. → The first month is mostly scales and sore fingers.; Our school day starts earlier than most. → The first bell rings before the shops have opened.
  5. 5. d) It is a title, not a sentence — it has no verb doing any work
  6. 6. Making honey takes a bee three careful stages. → Topic sentence; First it drinks nectar from a flower. → Supporting detail; The nectar is carried back to the hive in its body. → Supporting detail; Inside the hive, the nectar is passed from bee to bee. → Supporting detail; Other bees fan the nectar with their wings until it thickens. → Supporting detail; The finished honey is sealed into a cell with wax. → Supporting detail
  7. 7. b) This tree is built to survive almost anything.
  8. 8. a) My uncle drives a blue car.