IXL | Choose the best topic sentence | 4th grade language arts

Read the paragraph. Then, add the better topic sentence.

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In the U.S., there are doughnuts. In the Netherlands, small balls of fried dough called

oliebollen

are eaten on New Year's Eve. People in Poland eat

paçzki

, small cakes filled with jam or cream. In Nepal, you can find

sel roti

, ring-shaped treats made with rice flour. And in Kenya, there are fried

mandazi

, which are sometimes made with coconut or peanuts.

Many countries have their own types of small fried cakes.

To make fried foods, you need a deep pan with plenty of hot oil.

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Learn with an example

question

Read the paragraph. Then, add the better topic sentence.

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A disease called foulbrood can kill bees if it isn't found quickly. It takes beekeepers a long time to check each beehive for signs of disease. However, dogs have a strong sense of smell, so they can sniff out sick hives quickly and easily. When a dog smells a diseased hive, it points it out to the beekeeper by making a special sign.

Dogs can help protect bees from a deadly disease.

Some animals have very important jobs.

key idea

Many paragraphs begin with a topic sentence. A topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

For example, maybe your paragraph is about how dogs and wolves are alike and different. This would be a good topic sentence:

green checkmark, Though dogs and wolves look alike, they have important differences.

Your topic sentence should not be too broad. "Too broad" means that the sentence doesn't tell you exactly what the paragraph is about. It doesn't give enough detail.

red X symbol, Pet dogs are different from jackals, wolves, and other wild dogs.

Your topic sentence should not be too narrow. "Too narrow" means that the sentence talks only about a detail.

red X symbol, Wolves and dogs have the same number of teeth.

Your topic sentence should not be off topic. "Off topic" means that the sentence doesn't match the paragraph well. It talks about something else.

red X symbol, There are two types of wolves that live in North America.

solution

The paragraph tells how dogs help bees by sniffing out a disease in beehives. So, this is the better topic sentence:

green checkmark, Dogs can help protect bees from a deadly disease.

This sentence is too broad:

red X symbol, Some animals have very important jobs.

The paragraph only talks about one job for dogs.

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X.3Choose topic sentences for expository paragraphs

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