HSPT Language Skills : Selecting Topic Sentences
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 :Selecting Topic Sentences
Which of the following sentences makes the best topic sentence for the paragraph shown above?
Stegosaurus is named for the characteristic bony plates that stick up from its back, making it easily recognizable. Its name is a combination of “stagē,” Greek forcovering—a reference to those bony plates—and “sauros,” Greek forlizard. On its tail,Stegosaurushad spikes that it could use to defend itself from predators. Its brain was about the size of a curled human fist.
Stegosauruswas a large herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, the same period during which dinosaurs likeArchaeopteryx, Pterodactylus,andBrontosauruslived.
Museums are great places to learn more about dinosaurs as well as other ancient animals like mammoths and saber-toothed cats.
Dinosaurs have fascinated modern humans since we started uncovering their massive bones buried in the Earth.
Many carnivorous dinosaurs ate herbivores likeStegosaurus,Brontosaurus, andApatosaurusto survive.
Stegosauruswas a large herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, the same period during which dinosaurs likeArchaeopteryx, Pterodactylus,andBrontosauruslived.
The best answer choice is "Stegosauruswas a large herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, the same period during which dinosaurs likeArchaeopteryx, Pterodactylus,andBrontosauruslived." This answer choice provides a general introduction ofStegosaurusthat works well as a sentence preceding the details aboutStegosaurusand its name found in the rest of the paragraph.
"Many carnivorous dinosaurs ate herbivores likeStegosaurus,Brontosaurus, andApatosaurusto survive." - This answer choice introduces three dinosaurs, so it doesn't function as well as the correct answer does as an introductory sentence to a paragraph aboutStegosaurus.
Dinosaurs have fascinated modern humans since we started uncovering their massive bones buried in the Earth." - This answer choice introduces the concept of dinosaurs in general, but is too general to serve as a good introduction to the rest of the paragraph's details about one particular kind of dinosaur.
“博物馆是了解更多关于恐龙的绝佳场所saurs as well as other ancient animals like mammoths and saber-toothed cats." - This sentence introduces the concept of museums as a location to learn about many types of ancient animals. It is far removed from the details aboutStegosaurusfound in the rest of the paragraph.
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